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Anyways, 16kg each, that's not really such a heavy load there exactly is it! When I've been out bushcrafting, carrying things hikers do not tend to carry like axe, bowsaw, spare bowsaw blades, heavy working gloves, extra tarps, plastic jerrycans of water etc then I've carried a lot of 'extra' weight too outdoors. It is all relevant really to whatever it is you are actually wanting to do or get done whilst you are actually out there, and just how long you plan for your trip too essentially. Sounds like some of the lightweight hikers you seem to want to rubbish there, for adherance to their lightweight approach were just simply out there on a lightweight hiking trip here, to me! Whilst you yourselves on the other hand by comparison had other different activities like fishing planned in to your trip out ino the wilds. Good for you! You should see some of the folks I've seen out and about over the years, carrying everything AND the kitchen sink too! Their's was the heavy load, not the ones here referenced. Likely at least 3 kg or more of the above of your camp kit there listed was just your 2kg or more weight standard tent, and basic sleeping kit weight together taken into account after all anyway, wasn't it?

How safe & sensible is it to lug 16kg over the hills if you're "not fit at all" especially in the weather we had last weekend?  Puffing & Wheezing ain't cool - never seen a Roller do it.

Why go light? Ur - because you got to carry it it!  Surely you must even consider weight as a factor - you carry a lightweight fishing rod. 

  

Like as not, just Hobo style fishing using line wrapped around an old can, a few hooks to nylons, some hooks, flies, bait and a couple of floats and maybe you would catch as much anyway. Try it, as it always appears to work out for Ray Mears, wherever he is out 'survival fishing' in the world, Guy!

Just like to point out that's it's not strictly legal to fish with a line only, you need to be using a rod.  There are circumstances when it's ok but you should check with the local authorities.

You are of course quite correct for pastime sport fishing. On the other hand I was, as Ray Mears too sometimers often ably demonstrates upon his shows, there speaking specifically of survival fishing in the great outdoors for food in the extreme of finding oneself ever stranded in the wilds with no rations for one reason or another here. You are allowed to survive you know! And in any such claimed substantiated circumstances you have the right of life to circumvent the usual course of the rules of licence in the matter too, in any such experienced emergency conditions. Hence my use of the words 'survival' and 'fishing' both close together above there in my earlier post, SD!

'Like as not, just Hobo style fishing using line wrapped around an old can, a few hooks to nylons, some hooks, flies, bait and a couple of floats and maybe you would catch as much anyway. Try it, as it always appears to work out for Ray Mears, wherever he is out 'survival fishing' in the world, Guy!' - Wrote myself.

NB - For the record, as the point has been now raised here by SD above there, I was not in any way, shape or form, trying to suggest to anyone or everyone out there reading the thread here that they should at all set out to go just HOBO survival style fishing into the wilds 'willy-nilly' as an everyday pastime activity. Neither for that matter is either Ray Mears nor Bear Grylls doing that either I believe similarly. Bear Grylls, who actually too had this activity on his African river adventure on his tv show Born Survivor, a few weeks back ago too by the way, was 'survival fishing' for food as well only. Just to be clear, and for the full and final setting of the record here straight upon this raised valid important point of conjecture. OK!

It is also by the way specifically prohibited to spear fish in this country in any way at all too by the way of course, I might well add to this argument there.

guy osborn wrote (see)

Hmmmm. I NEVER go on mountain or hill without:

Hip flask of brandy and cigars for the summits

Cafetiera for making espresso (and the ground coffeee to go with it)

A lightweight fly rod and tackle for those mountain lakes/streams (and a spinning reel to attach if flies no good)

A book or three to read by the light of the wind up LED torch

Movie camera and still camera

Wind up radio

...and this weekend was up with my son in the Lake district, Saturday and Sunday, Striding edge, huge packs (16kg each) and we slept like babies.

Blimey!  The rest of your kit must be fairly lightweight if the total pack came to only 16kg.  Before I lightened up, mine weighed 17kg with a litre of water, 24 hours' food and fuel and only one book.

'War and Peace' will kill your back, and get you every time though matey!

Golly! Sorry, I did not mean to slag off lightweight geezers....I regard my walking/scrambling like I do the rest of life. I earn an average salary, but like to scrape by half the time and have luxuries the other half - instead of a uniformly grey existence, I like the ups and downs - oven chips one day and lobster the next. For me, lightweight seems grey, getting by on what is needed. I like heavyweight (and 16/17kg is not that heavy) hating those extra 4kg when its steep and rocky (black moments), but loving them at the end of the day (white? moments) when I feel that I would not exchange my existence for anyone else on the planet as I snuggle down with a cup of boiling espresso (I have even taken a little china espresso cup with me on some occasions (blush))...and i do know the lightweight ones do feel the same.

Oh, and by the way, I only puff for the first trips of the season - I sail all through the summer, and only really walk October to April, so in October I am 5kgs overweight and unfit. Going to do North part of West Highland way between Christmas and New Year, with a little diversion up the Ben and  Carn Mor Dearg, so not that unfit (or won't be then).

I will not take the fly rod with me

Lots of folks like expresso coffees out there in the hills nowadays you know! They do for a few current production outdoors stoves these days a modern lightweight kit for just that job, in fact! Good luck on the WHW there, have a great time, Guy.

My pack weighed in at 8kg at the end of the weekend gone - so probably just under 10kg with food when I set off.  This is my heavier kit now it's getting cooler. In summer I'm carrying around 6kg.  I've shaved maybe 4 or 5kg off what I used to carry for the last 30 years.  I've done that by getting lighter versions of the kit I use rather than doing with out anything.

Doesn't seem grey to me - wouldn't do it if it was - but then I've rarely carried books, music or radio gadgets.  I'm one of those that can enjoy doing absolutely nothing except soak in the views, explore the area around a pitch or sleep from 8pm through to 7am no problem.

I tend to enjoy the luxuries when camping with the family but that's a different sport altogether.