[at-l] light weight tarp ?

[knowhal@netreach.net (Hal Wright)]

on 2/13/01 5:34 PM, Jerry at trailtrash@hotmail.com wrote:

> If you are going to use this rig for an AT thru hike then it would be at least
> 8 oz x 2180 miles, of course. This would equal 17,440 oz or 1090 pounds over
> the course of the entire thru hike. That would be a very non-small gain.

Actually the units are not oz but 17,440 oz-miles or 1090 lb-miles. And I
think there is some validity to looking at things this way, in the sense
that the longer you walk, the more important every oz is. Among other
things, a thru hike is an endurance test. A decision which saves weight and
causes no deleterious effects vs. a heavier alternative increases your
probability of success. So the question, as always, is whether carrying a
piece of gear, in this case a relatively small, relatively light weight
tarp, is likely to cause any deleterious effects. And that question is not a
simple one to answer, as we have seen from the many posts on this topic.

-- Hal/Pokey (who teaches physics when he is not on the trail and so is a
stickler for correct units -- forgive him please <g>)