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08/10/2009 08:55AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
My kitchen pack (gear plus food) weighs 32 lbs. for a 2-person, 5-day trip. I'm thinking I have too much gorp and drink mix-in things...what say y'all?

I guess there are a few things missing from the pack at the moment...first night's steak, butter, peanut butter and jelly and a block of mozzarella cheese. So add another 2 lbs.
 
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Beemer01
Moderator
  
08/10/2009 09:47AM  
Seems very resonable to me. I aim for 2 pounds of food/person/day.

2x2x5+2= 22 lbs + pack weight + cooking gear and plates.

 
wetcanoedog
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08/10/2009 10:05AM  
sounds ok..i run about 45 for a two week solo.more if i take a Peak stove and bottles of Coleman fuel rather than a gaz stove.but your right about the drink mix's--the Mango Tang and two kinds of Gatoraid on a summer trip really add to the weight.the gorp/power bars that i brought back were also heavy,when i put those into one bag it was a real heft,maybe a couple pounds.too much lunch is a usual subject around here.
 
Buffy
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08/10/2009 10:16AM  
The weight of your pack also seems reasonable to me.

We've also struggled to manage the weight of our food, because we have so much fun thinking about all the options and just get carried away. I've been encouraging our group to think more like backpackers when we plan our food. The two pounds per person per day Beemer01 uses, a guideline I've read in many books and articles on backpacking food, arose because it's difficult to get enough calories with much less weight.

Serving sizes on the package can be a helpful starting point, although I always allow for the fact that we're working harder than we do at our day jobs and will need a bit more fuel! But rather than taking that whole package of spaghetti, for example, I think, "OK, a normal serving is two ounces, but I'll allow three per person, which means we don't need a pound of spaghetti for four people." That last four ounces might not seem like much, but multiplied by the many ingredients used for 15 meals, it can add up quickly. How many portions/cups/ounces/whatever per person do we really need?

I agree that lunches and snacks are hardest to deal with. If you're looking to cut the weight of your pack, that's where I'd start. Do you need a cup of GORP PLUS two granola bars PLUS several ounces of dried fruit per person per day? (Just imagining here what you might be carrying.)
 
08/10/2009 11:16AM  
Ooh, forgot about the fuel; that is not in there yet.

I've decided I have too much gorp. It's probably mainly for me, anyway. Husband has beef jerky and I have the gorp.

Glad to know it sounds okay otherwise! Thanks!
 
08/10/2009 12:10PM  
Don't like the flavor as much, but we always use sugar-free drink mixes for the weight savings. Enough for several gallons weighs less than a Lindy Rig sinker.
 
Beemer01
Moderator
  
08/10/2009 12:30PM  
Gorp is awfully heavy. In recent years I've migrated to powerbars - granola bars and the like. 1/10 the weight.

+1 on the sugar free drink mixes - these shave POUNDS off the food pack.
 
wetcanoedog
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08/10/2009 12:35PM  
the flavored drinks like Tang sort of snuck up on me over the years.
early trips it was lake water or a tea bag in the water bottle used over and over until the tea taste was gone.a pack of sugar in the tea was special.then came a small bottle of Tang..then the whole thing,then the Mango Tang was added--Gatoraid in two flavors..it's like the "just in case" batterys-fire making gear-soxs--it adds up when your not looking..someplace i read about guides who went thru the trippers packs and tossed out stuff before they even left the dock--spare boots!!! it might be something to do too have a buddy do the same to your pack before you left home..
 
08/10/2009 01:38PM  
I think you are in the game at 32 pounds. You might get that cut down around 25 or 28, but a what cost? Less weight costs in both money, comfort and taste. GORP is heavy, goes uneaten much of the time and if you do not get the chocolate chips out of it can be a melted mess! I take peanut M&Ms instead of GORP. Fuel is also heavy. I typically take too many canisters. I am cutting back there. The UL crowd typically takes water treatment tablets and forgets the filters. Could save 8 or 9 ounces there. Do you need the entire cook kit or just one pot and two cups? What about your utensil roll? Can you get by with two spoons and a spatchula? Big breakfasts are very heavy, syrup, eggs, etc. I take powerbars for breakfast. Frying pans are a place to cut weight. I love cast iron but very heavy. Many options, get the scale out and weigh everything and look at the heaviest items first. Lots of ways to cut weight, but is it worth it to you? Have a great trip!!
 
Beemer01
Moderator
  
08/10/2009 02:04PM  


Food pack for two for 11 days. Weight at the beginning was around 70 pounds inc cook gear, plates, utensils, stove, fuel and bear rope.

Thankfully these always get lighter as the trip winds down. I left with only a pack of sun dried tomatoes and a crushed granola bar left over.

I think that was great planning, my son thought I was insane.
 
rosekevin
  
03/28/2017 12:21AM  
I think your answer is good as sometimes i do this with my small digital scale
 
Grandma L
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03/28/2017 12:56PM  
To reduce the gorp, drink mix other group things, I usually measure or count out exact servings then multiple so I only have what we need.
 
03/28/2017 01:16PM  
I'd wager the reason this 8 year old thread was resurrected is to sell some scales.

Not about pack weight.

butthead
 
Grandma L
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03/28/2017 01:29PM  
quote butthead: "I'd wager the reason this 8 year old thread was resurrected is to sell some scales.


Not about pack weight.


butthead"

Ahh - good observation - leave it to Butthead!
 
03/28/2017 02:26PM  
quote butthead: "I'd wager the reason this 8 year old thread was resurrected is to sell some scales.


Not about pack weight.


butthead"


My first thought, too. Sometimes it's interesting though to see old threads and see if my reply is still the same and others, too. :)
 
Grandma L
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03/28/2017 05:52PM  
Also interesting thought - our old posts are all out there waiting to be revived. Careful what you post. It might come back to haunt.
 
03/28/2017 06:06PM  
Well you need to go back 40 pages just to get to the end of 2015.
Earlier dates not shown on the website, must have searched the server.

butthead
 
andym
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03/28/2017 06:11PM  
quote butthead: "I'd wager the reason this 8 year old thread was resurrected is to sell some scales.


Not about pack weight.


butthead"


I occasionally see this on another forum where I'm a moderator. It makes spam posting a bit harder to detect than when a spammer makes a new thread. Still, if it was that other forum, I would delete the post with the link.

And to be on topic. Gorp does weigh a lot but I also think it has a lot of nutritional value. I think it keeps us going on long travel days. Also, a lot of joy value. We make custom Gorps to our taste and woe unto the person who eats some of my wife's well-labeled stash.
 
DrBobDg
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03/28/2017 07:22PM  
Sugar:
Some folk ( like my wife) feel crappy drinking sugar free stuff....headaches etc. So that is out. I figure we need the sugar high anyway. It sure does add the weight on....and f iyou have teenagers you better have plenty to eat. If the main food pack is full and heavy I will put some in a bucket with a gamma seal lid....

dr bob
 
03/28/2017 07:42PM  
My buddy and I used to assess and debate pack weights. But when we decided we both liked red wine each evening the weight of that 5 liter bag convinced us to stop obsessing over pack weights.
 
03/29/2017 08:28AM  
quote Grandma L: "To reduce the gorp, drink mix other group things, I usually measure or count out exact servings then multiple so I only have what we need. "


+1. If I need to cut weight on my food pack, I go back and measure out the heavier items such as the trail mix, powdered dry goods and drink mixes. It helps.
 
03/29/2017 10:44AM  
I also measure out a daily amount of nuts/gorp. Now I carry out a few extra ounces, not a few pounds ;).
 
Grandma L
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03/29/2017 01:34PM  
Who knew this old thread would get so many posts

When I am leading a large group (especially teens of college kids), I have them fill out their "food order" - per item/per meal. So, they order like at a resturant. Number of cheese sticks, pancakes, brats, pkg of fruit snacks, gorp, etc. That way the big eaters and small munchers get just what they want. Ok, so I am a little OCD. They get what they ordered and then barter from each other for more or less.
 
03/29/2017 07:20PM  
Sounds like a solution. I've usually gone solo but when I haven't the options are: You can eat what I eat or you can do your own food. Both options have been chosen and both have worked, but I've never gone with younger people or more than one other, so . . .
 
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