RE: [pct-l] I carry less overall weight......

[Brick Robbins <brick@fastpack.com>]

At 08:53 AM 7/20/00 , "Reynolds, WT" <reynolds@iLAN.com> wrote:
>Brick-
>I think we are making two different points

I disagree with your basic assumption.

My point is from looking in MY pack and knowing what I carry.

If I am going to be lugging the stuff around on my back I take special care 
to bring good-tasting no-cook, or soak-and-heat meals. I have lived on the 
stuff for several thousand miles and several months of backpacking. It is 
possible, it just takes more pre-trip work and planning that a quick trip 
to the store.

You are approaching this from a weekender point of view, but promoting your 
conclusions as a general solution. This long distance hiker looks at things 
differently.

 >Look at what you cook at home. You have to SIMMER all the time. If no simmer
 >food tasted better why not eat it at home?

I don't eat the soak-and-heat meals at home, because I fail to see any 
reason to do the dehydrate, then rehydrate a meal I could have just eaten 
out of the pot (or spend the extra money on commercially prepared meals). 
My soak-and-heat meals have ALREADY been simmered on my gas range at home. 
No need to simmer them again in the field.

 >So why not take what you LIKE to eat on the trail?

Generally I do LIKE what I eat on the trails. I even eat lots of it at home 
(at least he no-cook stuff) I will also put up with more boring hot meals 
while backpacking to save the weight, just like I will put up with a mat 
instead of a bed, and no showers.

  If food was as important to me as it seems to be to you, I may do things 
differently. As long as I have my 5000 calories a day (for 25-30 miles a 
day), and the food doesn't offend me, then I'm fairly happy. Trail hunger 
can do wonderful things to the taste of de-hi food. If course, if you are 
sitting around in camp all day, and not hiking, you probably don't have the 
same kind of trail hunger.

 >Therefore I leave for a weeks walk with about 12 ounces [fuel+container] and
 >3.5 ounces [stove] for a total weight of 16 ounces for 8 overnights.
 >Theirfore the most weight you can save is a pound.

That assumes that you start a week's walk with a full container each time. 
Once again a weekender point of view. What if you are going for a 3 day 
section between mail drops?

I bring a one ounce stove, and 3 oz of fuel in a 1 oz bottle. You bring a 
3.5 oz stove, a partial container of fuel (5-6 oz?) and a full one (12 oz) 
because the partial might not last.

I have 5 oz, you have 20+ oz........... For folks who chop off toothbrush 
handles, that is quite a difference.

 > However I'll still eat real spaghetti.

Spaghetti works just fine as heat and soak. There is no need to "simmer" 
it. I don't even simmer it at home.

My weight savings is in the fuel, not the food.

-Brick


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