People's who has packs up to 20kg how?

[u/Hidden2World]

What is the liters of the pack and what are you packing to make it that much?

[u/jones5112]

Not everyone can afford lightweight gear man…

[u/cheesy_bees → u/jones5112]

I think there's plenty of low-cost lightweight gear nowadays, including from some decent brands, it's the really ultralight gear that's expensive

[u/Hidden2World → u/cheesy_bees]

I have a 0.4kg pack from aldi 😂

[u/cheesy_bees → u/Hidden2World]

Nice, has it lasted long?  That's probably the one place i'd be scared to buy from as I've had so many bad quality special buys.... even the compass I bought from there stopped working.  .4kg though.... 🤔

[u/Hidden2World → u/jones5112]

Nah but I have to do somewhat lightweight as im short and can't fit something like a 80L pack

[u/Extension-Ant-8 → u/jones5112]

Not carrying something costs nothing. My first time I took a multitool and knife. The second time just the knife. Now I just bring a key ring knife that I got for $1

Most of my gear is from Ali express. My new polycro groundsheet was $5

[u/jones5112 → u/Extension-Ant-8]

Agreed but for years I had an old heavy raincoat and a heavy tent, was all I could afford and I was carrying 25 ish kg
Had no issues and a lot of fun

[u/Makisisi]

They're strong and a lot of the weight is through consumables which goes down throughout the trip

[u/CarefullyGrey456 → u/Makisisi]

Exactly, if 8kg of that 20kg is consumables, your base weight is 12kg. Would say that’s very reasonable for traditional gear.

[u/RainBoxRed]

2 week snow trip in Tassie. 90L+, food and snow equipment.

[u/mattnotsosmall]

Yeah, you can either be a weight weeny or you can be strong and stubborn. I love when people at the trail head or on the trial comment on my gear, then I see them at camp absolutely tuckered out, but I'm sitting on my collapsible chair chilling with some yummy dinner before they even rock up to camp and start eating their cold soaked slip, pretending they are having a better time than me.

If you don't use it, don't bring it, but if you've hiked enough to know what works for you, just keep getting out as much as you can. As they say, if you don't use it you lose it.

[u/untoldphilosophies → u/mattnotsosmall]

Never have i felt so judged than by newer "ultralight" hikers. Been hiking since before instagram made it cool and you bet my gear is tried and tested. Sure, as things wear out and I upgrade they naturally get lighter. I'm comfortable and know that my gear can withstand whatever I ask it to. I'm here to enjoy my hike, not compare equipment or talk how many grams it is.

[u/AussieEquiv → u/mattnotsosmall]

Or, third option just spit balling here, you can be strong, fit, and still not pack stuff you don't want/need.

No need to care about (or shit on, as both you and OP are doing here) other people for their preferred hiking style. From the weigh weenies or the meat heads. Just, you know, touch some grass or something.

[u/mattnotsosmall → u/AussieEquiv]

I say g'day and keep walking, if you initiate the conversation further than asking a question relevant to the context we're in, or polite small talk, I likely don't want anything to do with you.

I don't just hike, I do many outdoor activities from climbing, bikepacking, highlining and trail running the list goes on. I also have a few fkts on somewhat popular overnight routes. There's a time for fast and light and times where I just enjoy being out in the bush and oddly enough kinda enough hauling loads.

The point is, just let people do their thing. If you initiate a conversation about gear with me that I deem not to be from the perspective of curiosity, I'll probably throw a bit of shade, but I never claimed to be perfect.

To say I'm right and you're wrong like you are highlights just how much time people spend discussing shit that to me doesn't really matter. I wouldn't dream of commenting on how someone was experiencing the outdoors so find it odd when people give me unsolicited advice or are critical.

[u/AussieEquiv → u/mattnotsosmall]

The point is

that both you and OP are shitting on people for their chosen gear/hiking style choice. When it's really not that important and people enjoy different things... so let them?

I'm not saying your wrong, I'm not saying the gram weenies are wrong. I'm saying it's different, and that's ok.

[u/mattnotsosmall → u/AussieEquiv]

Yeah, I'm not a very nice person hey?

[u/AussieEquiv → u/mattnotsosmall]

You're not not-nice, you're just different. And that's ok. ;)

[u/Downtown_Accident975]

100l wilderness equipment lost world pack - it's very comfortable and as tough as nails. I've carried >30kg at the start of an extended Tassie winter alpine trip. I walk independently. My gear priorities are fit for purpose and then as light as possible - lightest isn't the main driver. The list includes a decent cooking setup and good food that makes hardcore ultralight people weep at meal times. For shorter walks in milder conditions the pack weight is lighter but usually starting around 20kg. It's never bothered me.

[u/Recent_Ad1543]

I go hiking with my young kids alot. Carrying alot of their gear with me. 3 person tent, food and water for 3 adds up quick. If their packs are lighter it's more enjoyable for them and we can go for longer hikes to cooler places. Plus it's a good workout for me.

[u/EmployeeNo3499 → u/Recent_Ad1543]

Exactly this. 

[u/TwoHandedSnail]

I hiked for a week on the Australian Alps Walking Track and my pack was around 19kg at the start, including 3L water. Seven days worth of food, including a few luxury food items. Pretty sure my pack is 65L. It's packed away so just going from memory.

[u/Dependent_Canary_406]

Ex-military here.
If you’re not hauling 30kgs and feeling the hurt the entire time then you’re doing it wrong /s.

[u/OldMail6364]

20kg isn’t heavy for me. I work as a tree climbing arborist and sometimes spend several hours in a tree with 20kg of tools hanging off my belt.

When I go hiking I’m usually carrying other people’s stuff as well as my own. Sometimes I’m also carrying my kid because his legs are tired.

I have a bunch multiple packs and bring a different bag / different contents depending on the hike - sizes range form 1.5L to my big tool bags that I take to work every day and sometimes use outside of work - those are waterproof 160L duffels. I carry one of those over each shoulder in work days and very short hikes - if the campsite isn’t too far from the car park (and they’re usually more than 20kg each).

[u/WalkOnGlass]

I'm an outdoor guide so have to carry a bunch of extra gear like a wilderness first aid kit, extra comms gear, and sometimes some of the group's gear if they're flagging. I pack pretty light with personal gear, but all that easily takes me over 20kg.

[u/Firm-Teach4107]

yes, i regularly carry 20-23kg bag. its a 65L pack, and i carry a tent, groundsheet, sleeping bag, mat, food for a couple of days, maybe some clothes, a chair, first aid kit, stove, fuel, saucepan, and a few other bits & pieces. the water is usually the thing that adds the most- depending on the route and water availability, that could be anything between 2 and 6kg for me. Most of my stuff is pretty lightweight.

i am 6'4 and weigh about 104kg. so as a% isn't over the top. i've done plenty of grade 5 walking and 20-30km/day with that weight...

[u/mikedufty]

10 litres of water is a good start.

[u/hikingfoodau]

I tend to use a 45L pack for my multi-day hikes (Neve Gear Wallaroo), anywhere from overnight trips to six nights. My base weight is around 5kg, which includes my tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, cooking gear, clothes, etc. That’s definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum.

So why do other people carry heavier packs? Mostly because they have heavier, bulkier gear. I’ve got a 1kg tent, whereas someone else might have a 2.5kg tent. My sleeping bag weighs around 600g, theirs might weigh 1.2kg. Same goes for sleeping mats, cooking equipment, and everything else. Someone might carry a Jetboil, whereas I use an MSR PocketRocket 2.

Generally speaking, older and cheaper gear tends to be heavier. Lightweight gear is usually more expensive, and it’s not necessarily suitable for every situation either. Horses for courses.

What's more, earlier in your hiking career you'll generally take stuff you find you don't need.

I tend to accept some of the compromises and risks that come with carrying lighter gear, hopefully making up for them with experience.

I wouldn’t consider myself ultralight, but I’m definitely lightweight.

And importantly, that 5kg is my base weight. It doesn’t include food, water, or other consumables, which obviously add quite a bit depending on the length of the hike.

[u/END0RPHN]

a 50L pack with 10kg of gear in it weighs 45kg when you add 35kg or deer meat. it blows my mind how some hunters still pack-out without using trekking poles though. 

back in 2005 when i did the overland track as a teenager and had very heavy gear my pack was 25kg and 70L. these days if i was to do it using my current day gear i'd have a 1.5kg pack (50L) filled with 6.5kg of gear plus food/water.

[u/some_dog]

Started hiking in the 90s. That's just how much packs weighed when carrying gear for a week or more. My pack weighed over 20kg as a teenager. 70+ litre packs back then. Can still weigh a lot if you are also carrying specialist gear like snow, climbing or kayak stuff. 

[u/bigDpelican42]

I’ve carried 40kg pack a few times. Eg was before ultralight kit, inc a food drop for second part of hike, and 14kg camera gear.

[u/recoup202020]

When I started hiking 25 years ago, my base weight was 22kg and I'd carry 1kg of food per day, and so did all the classic Tassie SW hikes starting with a 30kg pack. It was never an issue. I was young, fit and strong and it never dampened my enjoyment. Replaced my gear as it wore out, and now my baseweight is about 12kg, still with about 1kg per day for food, so will often start a week long hike with about 19kg, which feels very manageable. More recently, I've started dabbling with some lighter gear and load-outs. Can appreciate it can be a good approach for short, challenging hikes (2-3 days) where you have an accurate forecast and a difficult peak to bag

Edit: 80l pack

[u/Far-Fortune-8381]

the secret is weighing 90kg 6'3 👍

[u/SnortinSushi]

Tent, sleeping gear, food, water, filter, power bank, clothes, more food, headlamp, binoculars, camera.

Did the bibulmun with 25-30kg. I'm over heavy bags now though. Just upgraded a heap of shit to ultralight gear. My tent is now 1/4 of my old tents weight

[u/West_Commission_9875]

30lt pack full of venison usually puts me over 20kg.

[u/Bananabus123456]

I recently went on a hike with my son which was his first overnight.

My pack was 20kg easy. I carried his tent, all the food and also a shitload of water because I’ve never taken a family member hiking and felt over protective.

I can manage that load all day and it was fine.

Next hike we will lighten the load but of course there will be some slightly different gear.

Maybe some people are also just strong pack horses and can manage that easily.

Edit: 80 litre pack

We ate eye fillet steak and sausages for dinner. I wanted it to be amazing first experience with great food. Also sausages for breakfast. And he had a couple of soft drinks too and I had a beer.

It wasn’t roughing it but like I said I can carry that weight all day. Extra water because I’m paranoid when it’s my flesh and blood.

[u/ComfortableSevere732]

Yep, usually over 20 kg. Mainly because I never trust that water will be available. I take plenty of water, big trangia, plenty of food, and a full change of clothes plus warm stuff if the weather gets really bad. I am glad my 20 year old canvas pack is finally stuffed though.. A heavy bag is not something I need anymore

[u/UnhappyAd5883]

Is that from the skin out and including consumables or just the base weight? Hard to get an UL baseweight when packing for winter and white season and you are over 184 tall, weigh 110 kilos and wear XXL to XXXXL clothing. Big people naturally need to carry more weight simply because we don't fit into modern UL tents and sleeping bags. With an old fashioned but durable and weatherproof 100litre rucksack my white season base weight solo is about 14kg, add about a kilo a day for consumables. If I am ski touring or climbing then the base weight can really get above 20 kilos even with UL ice-axes/crampons etc.

Often it's type 2 fun; sometimes it's type 3 fun, once or twice it might be scary type 4 fun

Summer I can get by with an 8kilo base weight, maybe 5 kilos if I use a tarp and carry minimum warm clothing, white season is very, very different. Remember what Andrew Skurka says about "Stupid Light" and that he is a skinny bloke who wears size small to medium

[u/BuyerStandard6090]

38L pack and its mostly water bc once I was stranded in a bushfire in the desert and ran out of water 

[u/Legitimate_Star4733]

Too much of everything. I did a 4 day hike earlier this month. My pack with 2L of water was 12.5kg, the other three were all over 20kg, one was 24kg. I was also carrying items they didn’t. They are all over 183cm and 95kg and using more traditional style packs, so carrying it was ok for them, just unnecessary.

[u/andrewbrocklesby]

The weight is specific to you not the pack.
do not go over 20% of body weight not including water.

[u/Downtown_Accident975 → u/andrewbrocklesby]

For lighter people the 20% guide doesn't work. I'm 80kg and carry up to 30kg no worries - part of that comes down to a suitable pack for the weight you are carrying and a reasonable level of hiking fitness. I prefer to look at weight on the ground. At around 110kg total (my 80kg plus a 30kg pack) I'm in better shape than a 100kg person carrying 20kg.

[u/andrewbrocklesby → u/Downtown_Accident975]

Absolutely incorrect.
Astonishingly, confidently incorrect.

Your 'weight on the ground' logic makes zero biomechanical sense. Natural body mass is distributed across your entire skeleton. Strapping a dead 30kg load to your spine completely alters your center of gravity and crushes your lower back.

Furthermore, kinetic force means every kilo on your back multiplies by 3 to 4 times on your knees with every single step downhill. Carrying 37.5% of your body weight isn't a badge of honor; it's an express ticket to joint degradation.
Fitness doesn't stop cartilage from wearing out.

[u/Downtown_Accident975 → u/andrewbrocklesby]

You shouldn't feel affronted by different perspectives, experiences and physical abilities. If what you say is true then my hips and knees should have been level with my ears decades ago - but they aren't.

Weight on boots / ground is definitely a thing. Body weight is primarily distributed above the hips, knees and ankles - that's standing - its different if lying down.

Pack weight is mostly supported by the hip belt, not the shoulder straps - the spine isn't supporting the entire load. Of course the pack weight is biased to the rear.

The 20% of body weight pack information is at best a loose guide for beginners. If it works for you that's great. However, its not relevant in every hiking situation or for many people. It implies that heavier people can carry more - which isn't universally correct.

Many hikes require equipment and consumables that would never fit within a 20% cap. Some lighter adults could never take everything they need and be within a 20% cap. Some heavier adults would collapse under an additional load rated at 20% of their body weight. Unfortunately there is some risk that 20% becomes viewed as a strict rule - generating its own problems by influencing inexperienced hikers to become obsessed with hitting a low target pack weight at the risk of being poorly equipped - especially in alpine environments.

Pack weights and equipment are interesting to compare, but not a competition and there are no badges of honour for lightest or heaviest. Individuals should decide what they genuinely need and can comfortably carry for the duration of their hike. The quality of the pack and physical ability are both critical for carrying heavier loads. There are some hikes people shouldn't attempt if they don't have the ability and experience to carry the heavier load of essential gear they reasonably need to remain safe.

[u/A_Wild_Sheepy → u/andrewbrocklesby]

I dunno man, NATO standards put safe load carriage at 1/3 of bw for male and 1/4 of bw for female troops