[at-l] How much is too much?

[orangebug74@yahoo.com (Orange Bug)]

Much of determining how much is too much involves how you plan to use
the gear. Just how much do you plan to carry? Do you have other gear?
If not, you are shopping prematurely for a backpack.

Rather than walk around a gear shop with sandbags loaded for weight,
consider gathering your gear, packing it up in stuff sacks and return
to the outfitter's. Add a 10 pound sack of sand to mimic 4 day's food
plus a liter of water. Find out how the pack feels with a real world
load - your real world. Many show up at Springer with 50  pounds and a
few with 20 pounds, but this ain't a sport based on weight. It is based
on doing those things that make the journey the experience of a
lifetime.

There are much cheaper lightweight backpacks than $250, although the
most expensive pack (in my opinion) is the first one that wind up
gathering dust in your gear closet. We all have gear closets filled
with mistakes. Read a few gear lists from the archives, gear reviews
here and in other forums (Yahoo Groups BackpackingLight and GearTest
are excellent resources), and ask around about favorite items. If you
are going to go high ticket, I encourage you to spend the most money on
your sleeping bag (down if possible), next your shelter (unless you are
into tarps), and then look into the backpack. Rent or borrow
candidates, if possible, for weekend trips. The sleeping bag is among
your most important purchases, as it can save your life and many can
last a lifetime. Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends and others
are good choices.

Welcome and enjoy the addiction of gear purchases!

Bill...

--- Teresa French <Farina6@comcast.net> wrote:
> ...  I tried on several packs with weight in them, and found
> one that felt really good and two others that felt good.


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