Gear

Think I'm roughly the same cf daily food requirements actually. Well when doing properly long days that is. Obviously a bit less when at home etc.

Oh, it seems to depend on the 'frameless' sac but you might be OK going by BPLs guidelines. They've got a generous definition of same mind - pad reinforcements and even removable stays OK and unsurprisingly benefical for carry ability.

It'll probably depend on fit etc too of course, but maybe worth thinking about.

The problem with the top of the Villain seems to be that the lid just doesn't float at all. Which is certainly odd as its sort of meant to (just attach lid by straps/buckles to get this effect.). Maybe some people use it with the lid cut off?!

Quoted rucksack capacities in general lots of 'fun'!

ed h wrote (see)

I can't see much difference between a 'normal' trip - a weekend for example...and a week; more food - but not 10 litres more. Unless chocolate ice-cream.

I can see one reason  - weather forecast. If its a 2 day you can leave some clothing at home to cover for the extremes which you'd not do for a 5 day trip. e.g waterproofs can be left if its one of those high-pressure no-rain-for-days situations.

TP wrote (see)

Ed - My trouble is I need a lot of food. My typical home diet is probably about 3000 to 4000kcals on an inactive day. I can afford to lose weight over a weekend but a week and I start to lose energy if I don't carry the full calorie count I need. That is when I don't enjoy the trip and start tripping or struggling. Food for me is a real bugbear which is why in my 50 litre sack it takes up almost half the space on a week trip even with it all being dehydrated or highly calorie dense (I try to take food that is 400kcals per 100g or higher if possible). It always surprises me how much I need. Certainly the extra 10 litres is not unusual for me.

Wow. I'd say 2500Cals inactive about 5000Cals active. I agree you can afford to lose some weight but I've played that game and about 1-2 days you can lose 2000Cals/day but on the 3rd day can't do that as then knackered and then can afford at most 1000Cals/day lose which over a 5 day example trip is still 7000Cals lost about 2Lbs. I once experimented and kept at 2000Cals/day loss and by day 5 I had lost all strength and on day 6 I weighed myself and lost 6Lbs.

25L for weekend trip food? That seems large. Is it including 6cans of beer and a loaf of bread?

This issue with food I agree though is key. I'm doing more week-long biking (between Christmas and New Year I did 500miles and 48,000ft ascent) and finding I don't like as much week-long hiking partly because of the food situation and my last few backpacking trips have passed a shop daily to restock usually carrying 3-4days of dried food added to with shopped stuff like bread and tinned. Is that what others do? Biking you can easily pass shops daily, hiking you can be more like 2 days between shops.  

ed h wrote (see)

Looking at loads such as yours Ross I only really ever see that the difference in personal requisites and 'style' of walking is in play. I don't like drybags....you do....I don't like Contrailesque shelters.....you do....I like lip balm....you don't - wise man, a 2g saving At weights such as this its all semantics... Although Purple is of course a great weight and bulk saver.

Got to be more in it than that?

I could maybe go down to 37L in summer but it would be a tight squeeze - but winter - nah!

Is that 37L your winter pack or 3 season? Tarp or which tent?  

Ross - you sound same volume as me.

Got my Jam 50L today. The 40L Peak was tight for autumn gear, I am sure the Jam will do for 3 seasons I'm sure but I'm not sure it would do winter. The 70L Pinnacle I'm sure would do winter.

Thanks Ed. 

With the AK47 - do you just point it at someone & tell them to carrry your gear? Sound like a plan!

I'm going to take another look at my packing method before next weekends trip & see if I can get away with my Villain.

No idea what my calorie load is - will look into that.  I take the same thing very time so know it works.  I love my 'menu'  & I'll have the same thing everyday for a weeklong trip. I'll do a reckoning.

Mike fae Dundee wrote (see)

I can get 5 days of food in my MLD Prophet.

I might have a look at the Prophet Mike.

Looking for something to replace my old Jam (675g old model) thats around the 40litre mark and a bit lighter.

Was looking at the TN35 Laser but not sure about that zip and if it would fit a Scarp1 packed.

Mike fae Dundee wrote (see)

Shopping bag! How dare you!

My backpacking sack of 70L, in the Petrol strikes of 2000 meant my family were restricting the tank of fuel to essentials and muscle did as much as possible including the shopping. I then turned the camping backpack into a shopping backpack, and was pleasantly surprised, and then kept doing that for about 8 years. Great mid-week thigh workout. One did learn how to pack baked bean 4x tins to not dig into the bum or back.

The camping gear progressively got lighter. The supermarket shop didn't.

My mistake was to look at a progressively emptying 70L backpack as my tent then sleeping bag shrunk and figure 40L sufficient, when I threw it together, I now conclude 50L.

ed h wrote (see)

Amp Race 25 El The new TN sacks (Americanesque styling) should be trickling through soon....?

TN looks poor value?

ed h wrote (see)

"Terra Nova are seeking to push cutting-edge design and material use to keep at the vanguard of innovation, and hold on to their accolades for being the lightest tent maker in the world" Is he an advertising executive ? The tents look interesting as they are 'tents' and not 'shelters'. Cuben packs (i.e. HMG) seem to be on the up (think they are hybrids too as meant to be pretty robust abrasion-wise). The only cuben pack I have seen was on the JMT - with a great big duct-taped rip in it !

"The Quasar 45L sells for £190, so you gram weenies get saving.  Did I mention it is 595g?  Just for comparison my lidless 45L mountain Laurel Prophet pack is 462g.  I am not saving for a new pack. "

My Jam2 I got yesterday cost £52 delived, weighs 607g for 50L, which is essentially the same weight as TN's but a little bit more space. Some of that weight is trimmable as the waist belt seems sized for a man twice my girth.

The tents mentioned also, the TN Laser Ultra 1, weighs 581g with 87cm h x 220cm L x 87cm w sleeping area and 220cm l x 26cm d porch for £650 RRP. Compare to say a Tarptent Notch, 850g with 109cm h x 274cm L x 86cm w sleeping area and two porches 274cm x 81cm for £197 delivered (to USA). But that's not really fair as its highest-end lightest vs different. Compare like-weight tents say the Solar Photon 1, RRP £390 , 865g, sleeping area 220cm x 80cm x 90cm and porch 220cmx35cm is more of a like-like weight and TN still loses on space and value.