-
Be sure to read this post! Beware of scammers. https://www.indianagunowners.com/threads/classifieds-new-online-payment-guidelines-rules-paypal-venmo-zelle-etc.511734/
How far can you carry your bag?
- Thread starter mercop
- Start date
The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana
Member Benefits:
Fewer Ads! Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership Discuss anti-gun legislation Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses Discover free outdoor shooting areas View up to date on firearm-related events Share photos & video with other members ...and so much more!
Member Benefits:
Hi all.
My hiking days are over. I am 65 with a bad back, knees and problems with one hand. I still hunt. Drag my own deer back to the house and such. When I can't do that I will quit hunting. The last hunt I did down in Kentucky was a couple years ago and I hiked half a day up hill all the way to the camp. That is how it felt to me. I was with four other people and I was the oldest. I wasn't the hold up though. It was a guy about half my age and size. He had packed to much gear and to heavy gear. Stuff he needed he didn't have. Stuff he took with him a good part of it was of no use. He brought a lap top and printer with him. I guess he thought he was going to be able to do some work while deer hunting.
I have said I will not be going any place in less I am ordered out. Then I will be taking our 32' travel trailer pulled by a diesel truck. To the place I am ordered to go. Other than that I am going no place. Why would I want to go some place I know nothing about and where I would consider the locals wouldn't want me. Why would they? I and mine would be a drain on stuff that they needed for their own.
When I backpacked I stood at a couple of places and thought that this would be a great place to bug out to. Now I would guess that at least a couple thousand other people had stood in that same spot and thought the same thing. I was on a trail that was maintained by the forest service. If as many showed up to bug out there that had hiked the trail the place would be so over run that they would have to kill and eat each other to stay alive because all the animals would have been already eaten by the locals.
I live in the country. I grow a garden. We can most of what we eat. I have a 150 yard range. Hope to make that 200 yards this coming fall. I hunt my land according to the laws that are set up. No poaching. I turn poachers in to the law.
If I had to backpack out of my place I could do 10 miles a day with my BOB and hunting pack. Combine the packs into one. I would have food and a way to get more. Shelter, first aid stuff and I have no idea where I would be going.
Now when I lived in the city I had plans to go to the family farm in Kentucky. That place was sold by my dad long after I bought this place. I wish we still had it. That would have been a good place to run to. It was in London Kentucky. It is much more populated now than it was last time I was there.
At one time I thought of buying a place there, but the wife likes Bowling Green, I do too. So I would guess if we buy a place any where It will be there. Then every time we talk about it we decide why bother. I guess we like where we are or are just to lazy to start over. We have this place just about the way we like it. So why move.
My hiking days are over. I am 65 with a bad back, knees and problems with one hand. I still hunt. Drag my own deer back to the house and such. When I can't do that I will quit hunting. The last hunt I did down in Kentucky was a couple years ago and I hiked half a day up hill all the way to the camp. That is how it felt to me. I was with four other people and I was the oldest. I wasn't the hold up though. It was a guy about half my age and size. He had packed to much gear and to heavy gear. Stuff he needed he didn't have. Stuff he took with him a good part of it was of no use. He brought a lap top and printer with him. I guess he thought he was going to be able to do some work while deer hunting.
I have said I will not be going any place in less I am ordered out. Then I will be taking our 32' travel trailer pulled by a diesel truck. To the place I am ordered to go. Other than that I am going no place. Why would I want to go some place I know nothing about and where I would consider the locals wouldn't want me. Why would they? I and mine would be a drain on stuff that they needed for their own.
When I backpacked I stood at a couple of places and thought that this would be a great place to bug out to. Now I would guess that at least a couple thousand other people had stood in that same spot and thought the same thing. I was on a trail that was maintained by the forest service. If as many showed up to bug out there that had hiked the trail the place would be so over run that they would have to kill and eat each other to stay alive because all the animals would have been already eaten by the locals.
I live in the country. I grow a garden. We can most of what we eat. I have a 150 yard range. Hope to make that 200 yards this coming fall. I hunt my land according to the laws that are set up. No poaching. I turn poachers in to the law.
If I had to backpack out of my place I could do 10 miles a day with my BOB and hunting pack. Combine the packs into one. I would have food and a way to get more. Shelter, first aid stuff and I have no idea where I would be going.
Now when I lived in the city I had plans to go to the family farm in Kentucky. That place was sold by my dad long after I bought this place. I wish we still had it. That would have been a good place to run to. It was in London Kentucky. It is much more populated now than it was last time I was there.
At one time I thought of buying a place there, but the wife likes Bowling Green, I do too. So I would guess if we buy a place any where It will be there. Then every time we talk about it we decide why bother. I guess we like where we are or are just to lazy to start over. We have this place just about the way we like it. So why move.
Amen. I know there are people who think that way, but it's disturbing to be reminded that some of them are here among us.
I'm not quite your age, but I'm in the same boat. My parents definitely aren't going anywhere.
I know some people dismiss my bag on wheels because they won't work on rough terrain, but what they don't get is that I'm not going on rough terrain either.
Left my house June 8th, was home again July 29th.
Hiked over 550 miles. Started hiking in S.W. France, climbed over the Pyrenees mountains going west to the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Spain. Pack weight was about 30#. While 30# doesn't seem like much compared to some other packs, do it day after day after day after day and it will weigh down on you. Average temperature during the trip was about 90 degree, hottest day was 104.
Did take a few days off the trail to do some tourist stuff in some major cities, but basically I walked every day carrying everything I had in my backpack, typically starting about 6:30/7:00am and continuing until roughly 3pm each day. Roughly 40 days of backpacking, the remaining days were "tourist" days, a couple days each in London, Burgos, Santiago, Leon, Pamplona and Astorga.
Hiked over 550 miles. Started hiking in S.W. France, climbed over the Pyrenees mountains going west to the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Spain. Pack weight was about 30#. While 30# doesn't seem like much compared to some other packs, do it day after day after day after day and it will weigh down on you. Average temperature during the trip was about 90 degree, hottest day was 104.
Did take a few days off the trail to do some tourist stuff in some major cities, but basically I walked every day carrying everything I had in my backpack, typically starting about 6:30/7:00am and continuing until roughly 3pm each day. Roughly 40 days of backpacking, the remaining days were "tourist" days, a couple days each in London, Burgos, Santiago, Leon, Pamplona and Astorga.
Sounds like an amazing trip. What resources do you use to plan a trip like this? Do you find parks or public laND for camping, or hike between towns and find lodging?
littletommy
Grandmaster
I've been meaning to find that gear thread where you talked about testing stuff to take on this trip! Sounds like a blast! Did you do an AAR? I'd love to hear some details and how some of the gear you took worked out.
NO AAR. Sorry.
The thread is in the GREAT OUTDOORS area, called something like WALKING ACROSS ENGLAND ALONG HADRIANS WALL or close to that. Do a search for HADRIANS WALL and it should pop up. I used almost the same gear this year as last year.
Did get different footwear. Switched to LaSportiva Synthesis Mid hiking boot. More of a shoe than a boot. Great. The Zamberlain boots I wore last year were also fantastic, they are still available, its the Zamberlain 230 CROSSER GTX. I just didn't want a true boot this year and the soles of the Zamberlains are a bit worn so I didn't want to try to get another 500+ miles out of them not knowing what I'd be able to find along this route if they wore through. I highly recommend the 230 Crosser GTX for anyone who wants a light hiking boot with real ankle support. The LaSportiva is a great hiking SHOE with a foam collar to help keep out debris, they call it a MID height but its really just a shoe with a foam collar. Very good grip, responsive, supportive to the foot but zero ankle support and somewhat cooler to wear (temperatures averaged 90 and we hit 104 on the worst day)
Used a different backpack because my 45liter Mammut Creon Light is too long/tall to classify as a carry on with Ryan Air. So used a shorter + wider Deuter 40+10 ACT Lite. The Mammut is a slightly better, slightly lighter, slightly more comfortable backpack with better airflow along the back. But the Deuter ACT Lite is a good bag and slightly more stable under load than the Mammut. Just prefer the Mammut a bit better. Wished I would have just paid to check it through. Honestly I could recommend either of those two packs for anyone wanting a mid size light weight pack. Both packs are about 3#, the Mammut just under, the Deuter just over. Both can easily carry 30# of gear, both claim they can carry 40#. A pack loaded to its max weight capacity is rarely comfortable, I prefer to stay at 50-75% of a packs claimed weight capacity as a maximum load. Most people look at volume capacity and forget about weight carrying capacity. Try to carry around 20# in your kids book pack for 3 hours and see if you don't end up with a huge pain in the back ... a real backpack should transfer the weight of the load to your hip belt and the shoulder straps are more for load balancing than for weight hauling.
Wife used a 30L Lowe Alpine Air Contact. Daughter used a 35L Lowe Alpine Air Contact. Both are good/great packs. Lowe makes bombproof packs but they are not the lightest packs around. OK in smaller pack sizes but as pack sizes go up the weight of the pack can become an issue. Some of their larger packs easily hit 5, 6 or more pounds.
I will say my wife (last year) gave me all sorts of crap about spending big $$$ on rain gear. Until we hiked in rain + wind EVERY DAY across England. This year used the same rain gear in HAIL (only day this year it hailed in the Pyrenees Mountains) and rain. Loved it. Rain gear was Marmot. Great stuff. Used it as a wind breaker on cool morning when we started just before sunrise.
ALSO, we did not take our expensive LEKI Trekking Poles on this trip. Bought the cheapest poles we could find when we got there because we heard horror stories of poles being damaged en route (must be in the luggage compartment).
My wife did have an equipment failure in her KEEN Hiking Boots. Her boots have been her go to boots, they were well broken in and comfortable. She got blisters the first day we were in the mountains. BAD BLISTERS. Blisters were all over her toes, and literally the blisters popped and took off 2 or 3 of her toenails! Once we got out of the mountains she walked almost exclusively in TEVA Hiking Sandals. She ended up with more blisters from walking funny to avoid the pain from the original blisters, then got shin splints, then pitting edema. She was in a lot of pain for about 200 of the miles. Needed compression hose to hold down the swelling, etc. But she hiked on.
I injured my left foot. Its an over-use injury that is often a problem for runners and for people with arthritis. I was diagnosed with arthritis when I was 24 so I was a prime candidate for this injury. Started after about a week. Pain grew slowly for the next few weeks. Always calmed down after taking high dose Ibuprofen and getting rest. Would lose most of the feeling in my foot by mile 10 every day. Not equipment related. Probably wouldn't have made any difference if I was using Tempurpedic mattresses as padding for my left foot, still probably would have gotten the injury.
Last edited:
littletommy
Grandmaster
Thanks for taking the time to write it out! 
The Bubba Effect
Grandmaster
She is tough (evidence above), smart enough to get 2 Masters degrees, used to be a competitive trap shooter, and she is beautiful too... She was princess of the Indy 500 when we were in college.
Yeah, I did OK
The Bubba Effect
Grandmaster
She is tough (evidence above), smart enough to get 2 Masters degrees, used to be a competitive trap shooter, and she is beautiful too... She was princess of the Indy 500 when we were in college.
Yeah, I did OK
Good grief, I used to be jealous of you for your detonics...
Good grief, I used to be jealous of you for your detonics...
Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm old, crabby and arthritic now ... but I still have enough energy to backpack across a country, climb over mountains, and beat children with steel rods (I'm a volunteer saber fencing coach at a local high school)
FWIW, this summer during our hike from Southwest France to the Atlantic ocean we crossed the Pyrenees Mountain range, the northern edge of the Systema Iberico range and the Cordillera Cantabrica range. We also crossed the northern area of the Spanish Meseta (mesas or plateaus) which were long stretches of flat plateaus that required steep hikes up to the plateau and then steep descents down from the plateaus.
We were surprised by how mountainous the countryside of northern Spain is compared to the midwest. We were not prepared for how hilly the country is, despite the fact that this was my third visit to that country. There are not enough hills in Indiana for practice hikes to prepare you for the topography of hiking northern Spain.
Its also shocking how poor it is in northern Spain. Like I said, my 3rd visit, but my first on foot going through both major cities and small villages (some as small as 50 people). Its really poor in Spain. Really really poor.
Want to see a country and learn about it, take a backpack, fill it with what you need, and hike through the countryside. We Americans complain about 1st world problems ... in Spain they don't have things like Air Conditioning, garages, or even jobs! The standard of living is far below what we know. In fact the state with the lowest standard of living in the US is Mississippi but Spain's Gross Domestic Product, per capita, is far below that of Mississippi.
As far as how far can you carry your pack?
My question is do you really understand how little you need to survive?
Most people pack too much. My wife hiked 45+ days with a backpack no larger than a high school student's book back (although the pack she used was a technical pack that is much better suited for weight distribution). My daughter's pack was only slightly larger and she carried backup supplies for diabetes because she is a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. I carried a 40 Liter pack that was not filled and the biggest thing in my pack was a CPAP machine because I stop breathing 47 times every 60 minutes when I attempt to sleep.
Do you realize how little you actually need?
Reduce your weight and you can carry your pack farther than you think. I carried my pack every step of the way. I travelled over 500 miles on foot.
We were surprised by how mountainous the countryside of northern Spain is compared to the midwest. We were not prepared for how hilly the country is, despite the fact that this was my third visit to that country. There are not enough hills in Indiana for practice hikes to prepare you for the topography of hiking northern Spain.
Its also shocking how poor it is in northern Spain. Like I said, my 3rd visit, but my first on foot going through both major cities and small villages (some as small as 50 people). Its really poor in Spain. Really really poor.
Want to see a country and learn about it, take a backpack, fill it with what you need, and hike through the countryside. We Americans complain about 1st world problems ... in Spain they don't have things like Air Conditioning, garages, or even jobs! The standard of living is far below what we know. In fact the state with the lowest standard of living in the US is Mississippi but Spain's Gross Domestic Product, per capita, is far below that of Mississippi.
As far as how far can you carry your pack?
My question is do you really understand how little you need to survive?
Most people pack too much. My wife hiked 45+ days with a backpack no larger than a high school student's book back (although the pack she used was a technical pack that is much better suited for weight distribution). My daughter's pack was only slightly larger and she carried backup supplies for diabetes because she is a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. I carried a 40 Liter pack that was not filled and the biggest thing in my pack was a CPAP machine because I stop breathing 47 times every 60 minutes when I attempt to sleep.
Do you realize how little you actually need?
Reduce your weight and you can carry your pack farther than you think. I carried my pack every step of the way. I travelled over 500 miles on foot.
Last edited:
I love hiking with a pack.
Since that part-time job at Home Depot, I have some lower back issues. Walking is marginally helpful. Hiking uneven ground, ducking under branches, and traversing elevation changes all help me stretch and strengthen the associated muscles. All the more when I carry a pack.
Further, carrying a load gives me confidence that I am still capable (not dead yet).
I'd say 'look out world, here I come.' but they will only see me if I want them to.
Since that part-time job at Home Depot, I have some lower back issues. Walking is marginally helpful. Hiking uneven ground, ducking under branches, and traversing elevation changes all help me stretch and strengthen the associated muscles. All the more when I carry a pack.
Further, carrying a load gives me confidence that I am still capable (not dead yet).
I'd say 'look out world, here I come.' but they will only see me if I want them to.
It has a battery system and/or also plugs into a wall. In some areas of Spain its not legal to 'sleep in the wild' so we stayed in "Albergues" which are bare bones co-ed dorm type sleeping facilities.
In major cities we tried to stay in a real hotel in the city center.
In outlying rural areas the battery could be used when camping.
A man can carry a fighting load of about 60 lbs and cover 20 miles a day Females Can carry about 35 lbs. melonsdad is completely correct most carry way too much. When it comes time to pick a rucksack look at the old Alice pack or the newer frameless one. Your tax money developed them and they work well. Also make sure you have day pack/assault pack in case you would have to drop your main one for whatever situation.
If you can't carry it you don't need it.
If you can't carry it you don't need it.
Site Supporter
Members online
- Bookmark
- Glocktard
- Lee9
- gassprint1
- Terry4570
- Mr.Softball
- SEIndSAM
- morve80
- wesleyoliver95
- Loar
- vitamink
- brdhntr37
- Midwestjimbo
- gcoop
- indyblue
- Ashton1911
- BigMoose
- hopper68
- KeeperoftheH
- IndianaSoloMcfly
- Tomahawkman
- Got SIG?
- Ltrain37
- JohnP82
- 700 LTR 223
- Myrradah
- 7920drew
- Iurobz
- rdbs505
- bulldogs42
- blain
- Colt556
- INgunowner
- indiucky
- BigBoxaJunk
- Ingomike
- bloodandgutsmurphy
- 10mm
- snorko
- freekforge
- kotaoz
- mbkintner
- Billythekid
- hoglegs
- Principal Skinr
- Testypayload81
- Phil502
- Blacknight179
- chilly2477
- bwframe
