Weight Limit

[Luci_ferson]

before I plan the weight of what I carry , I like to plan the route.
if i'm off into the unknown id rather carry a very light pack.
but if I know where im going I will base my pack according to the terrain.
Luckily we go camping often, and we don't own a car so we carry everything.
were pretty much intune with what we can carry.
obviously the weather can be a limiting factor too.
its surprising how much even a little weight can affect balance on slippery ground.

For me balance seems to be the greatest factor.
if everything is well balanced on you its a lot easier to manage.
but if you've got uneven weight attached to you its a nightmare.

[Tarrel]

(25 March 2013, 12:12)SecretPrepper Wrote: Weight of the bag empty adds up. The tactical type bags that are made of 1000D nylon which are super strong weigh a lot empty. Water also weighs a lot.

The size all depends on what you go for. EDCs are light weight BoB are heavier and INCH bags are heavier still.

Season adds weight too. need extra warm gear in the winter than compared to summer

Agreed about the heavy empty bag. I've seen 50 litre packs weighing more than 2kg empty!

Regarding water, I carry a 0.6 litre Sigg bottle, plus an empty 2 litre Platypus which I regard as "contaminated". I fill it when I stop for a break, then boil the water. A few cc's of fuel weighs a lot less than a litre of water! In hill country I drink from streams and springs. In agricultural country, cattle troughs are mostly fed from mains water, so it's safe to collect water from the pipe that fills these.

[SecretPrepper]

(25 March 2013, 20:50)Tarrel Wrote: Agreed about the heavy empty bag. I've seen 50 litre packs weighing more than 2kg empty!

Regarding water, I carry a 0.6 litre Sigg bottle, plus an empty 2 litre Platypus which I regard as "contaminated". I fill it when I stop for a break, then boil the water. A few cc's of fuel weighs a lot less than a litre of water! In hill country I drink from streams and springs. In agricultural country, cattle troughs are mostly fed from mains water, so it's safe to collect water from the pipe that fills these.

i have two canteens and a very small bladder made by blackhawk.
I do like the tactical style bags and have a small collection

[Wildman]

i did a 21 mile yomp in the marine cadets with a 110lb bergen, full webbing, ammo, sa80 assault rifle. never again!! i collapsed at the end and couldnt get back up again lol like a bloody turtle on its back lmfao.

[Northumbriman]

I think in your initial thread you summed up the issue here. What you carry daily in case you are caught away from home is not going to be the same as what you might carry away from home if you were forced to leave. What I mean is that for most of us we work away from our home base and if something happens it is likely we will be caught away from home. In that scenario your initial drive is likely to get as quickly and safely as possible back to home and family to re-group, assess and dig in if possible. If things become desperate and a bug out is forced from there you would then be looking at maxing the kit you can safely carry and it would not matter how you looked at that point! I cycle 9 miles to work and back daily so my "kit" is practically non-existent. I would rely on getting home asap so instead of carrying kit I worry about routes. Which is quickest, least exposed, least likely to flood, etc. I know the routes and side routes inside out. I know where I can shelter and if required hide out along the routes.

From home out into the wild I would have to work on carrying not only for myself but extra for my kids. What you carry is for comfort in the main.

[Luci_ferson]

the important bit seems to be that no matter how much we CAN carry it would always be good to be capable of more.

the only way you become capable of carrying more is to get used to carrying more.

be a good idea to just get a back pack now and start carrying dead weight for the sake of it.
it would make us more prepared to carry heavier loads.

give yourself about 2 mins to look at your stashed goods and now try to work out what you can grab that means the most to you in less than 3 mins.

that's 5 mins in total, (not long, but long enough and could be longer than youd get)

It would be nice to be confident of how much you yourself can personally carry safely.

Guessing is rarely the best option.

A back pack don't cost much, and you could always just fill it with bricks ( my P.E. Teacher did)

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increase the load slightly more as you get used to it, and in just a few months you could have increased your comfortable weight allowance. by another 20 to 30%

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if it don't increase your comfortable weight allowance , it should atleast increase the length of time you can carry your load.
possibly both.

[Highlander]

Surely it would be easier to have two packs, your heavier one, and the one that you WOULD have collected in two mins [ pack them both ]...if you select your packs well, you should be able to end up with two packs one for each use, but packs that can be clipped/tied/strapped together if needed

[Luci_ferson]

my main pack is heavy , but that's only incase I need to suddenly leave.
id carry that one.
and our food stores then get spread between 3 other packs.
1 for my partner and 1 each for 2 oldest kids.

I have a smaller pack but its only got the very basics in it. (first aid kit. 2m2 waterproof sheet etc.)
the kids also have smaller versions of these , (daughters is in a dora the explorer backpack)
They are on the back of their bedroom doors. these are light and can be carried along with the supplies bags.
sadly id have to leave a lot of food behind. but its hidden so can always come back for it later (hopefully)

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a lot of the food wont be here in around 8 weeks time as its getting moved to the BOL as soon as its finished.

[CharlesHarris]

I was taught to limit the BOB to 10kg, including 2L of water and emergency food supply. Once you are over 60 years old, as I am, anything heavier hinders your mobility and defeats the purpose if your car breaks down and you must continue on foot.

[Timelord]

My "Pro-Force" 88 litre rucksack weighs 3Kg on it's own.... Ridiculous!!!!!

I have since sourced other dirt cheap older kit that weighs far less.