* 20lb sounds better than 9kg.
It got to the point over the winter when I was struggling to get up those hills. My lungs were bursting and my knees complaining. I just had to reduce the amount that I was carrying when backpacking. The traditional route is to shave 12 grammes off your stove by spending £50 more, replacing a good shelter for one made out of Cuben fiber for £300 extra, or ordering a rucksack that is as comfortable as a Bargain Booze carrier bag. Instead I went down the route of reducing the amount of food I was stuffing in my fat face. Now four months later when I head out of the door on a backpacking trip my total all in weight has been reduced by 20lb. I can get up the hills a bit quicker and my knees are only moderately unhappy rather than screaming at me to stop. With this reduced weight my pack has remained the same, yet I have noticed the difference. On a couple of occasions on the recent Monadhliath backpack I almost felt sprightly (this could have been sunstroke though).
With the TGO Challenge looming I have noticed all the gear spreadsheets appearing on the blogosphere. Each one is trying to out do the next by having the lightest pack weight. Did you know that by only carrying one pair of socks instead of two you can save yourself a whole 80 grammes**? This is absolutely fine by the way. The only problem is that a majority of the gramme weenies are middle-aged blokes with an expanding waistline*** (to be completely balanced and so not to be seen as a bit of a weight fascist I am also a male on the wrong side of 40 with an expanding waistline). I therefore want to introduce a new rule. If you spend time putting together a gear spreadsheet then you must at the bottom put down your BMPI. This is your Body Mass Pack Index. This is worked out in the same way as BMI but you stand on the scales wearing your pack. Let the competition begin………..
** sorry I am only guessing at the weight here as I have never weighed my socks.
*** you can’t beat an unproven generalisation.
Backpackingbongos 