“Maximum weight in your backpack should be no more than 40% of your body weight. And you want to start well below that…”
Advice from a new friend, who agreed to coach basic backpacking, and introduce me to the local trails. My adventure buddy, Studley McRocklegs, is playing along, as we add another skill-set to our adventure toy chest.
Prepping my pack, i decided to start with twenty-five pounds. My tent, sleeping bag, and about a gallon of water in a sealed jug was my starting load. i hopped on the scale to weigh the result.
Twenty two and a half pounds. Seemed a helluva lot heavier to me, though, as i hoisted it onto my back.
Then it hit me: this is exactly how much weight i’ve dropped since the beginning of May.
Damn. i’ve been carrying around a LOT of excess. With another twenty-five pounds (minimum) still to be shed, i’m pretty sure i’ll feel a helluva lot better by the time i get there.
And it’s sure going to make the backpacking easier…
Onward…
Trailer Park Refugee 
I have about that amount to lose as well. All I need is a decent dose of dedication.
it’s been slow and steady. but GOD, i miss bread. and pizza. and potatoes….
the first goal was to lose enough to fit back into my wetsuit – i think i did it. next goal? start running again… we’ll see if i ever lose enough to do that…
I’m not good at that nature stuff. For me, dial-up is as close as I ever get to roughing it. But more power to you, dear.
I’m not all that outdoorsy, but want to do backpacking for some reason. More “skill development” for the zombie apocalypse, perhaps.
So you can come backpacking around Australia with all the other millions of gawking travellers.
i don’t gawk. too busy looking at my feet and trying not to fall.
Have you read The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien? It’s an amazing short story.
Not yet! Will add it to the book list!
you could probably download it from Amazon to your iPad. It doubles as a Kindle-type reader doesn’t it? Just get the short story, not the whole book, I guarantee you’ll love it
i’ve yet to get the kindle app for the iPad. won’t spend the money on iBooks… but i’ll do it!
All power to you. For the weight loss and the back packing both. I refuse to admit what 40% of my body weight is, but suspect I could carry a fridge for the much needed cooling drinks.
The more I lose, the less I should carry? Yep. And when I do it for real, there will be beer in there.
Oh my god.. that’s amazing you’ve lost so much weight! Congratulations, gorgeous! Maybe one day backpacking will sound like fun to me.
Halfway there, but a long way to go. Steady as she goes…
In my case, it’s called “a redistribution of assets” Accent on the first syllable of the last word, unfortunately. 😦
I’m off now to walk down to the beach …
Luckily I gain and lose weight all over, so I’m sort of balanced. For now….
Hey there, Daisyfae! Brian (tysdaddy) here, leaving a comment from my wife’s computer, and I don’t want to log her out, so . . . well, there you have it.
Just wanted to encourage you, sister. Losing weight is a bugger of an undertaking. Having lost nearly 200 pounds, I know a bit about carrying around extra weight. Now, at work, when I have to toss fifty pound bags, I stop occasionally and think about how the hell I managed to carry out four of them fuckers for so long.
Amazing progress, my friend.
And I’ll second nursemyra on the Tim O’Brien book. Pick it up. Now . . .
That’s just an amazing amount of weight! My feet already hurt less at night. Onward!
That’s wonderful! Congrats! You look very professional and hiker-y with your backpack. I’m impressed. For the record, I think you’re adorable just the way you are. Yet, I’m known to be delusional about myself. I think I’m tall and willowy.
Thanks! Sometimes pretending to know what you’re doing is enough to start. Best not to be trapped in the backcountry while faking it, however!
She’s 5’11” and as wispy as a dragonfly!
robin I’ve met you and my impression of you remains tall and willowy
Perhaps that was because of the funhouse mirror I was walking by.
Walking is the ideal exercise – strengthens the heart, firms up the buttucks and re-inforces the soul. Running, on the other hand, wrecks the knees. Mind you, I’ve heard that you have mountain lions out your way (the most threatening wildlife we have here is agricola vulgaris, which comes equipped with a shotgun and anger issues) – is there some sort of repelant one can buy?
We have that species as well – “Redneckius Americanus”. They bite, too.
It’s always slim men who favour walking over running….both work, but then, if you’re born a lady with generous genes, a higher pulse rate during exercise gets better gut-shrinking mileage.
“generous genes”. i’m swiping that. might have it tattooed on my arse…
Or even a repellent?
Empty beer cans can drive them away…
I must get you a book called ‘how to shit in the woods’. My dad reckons it’s indispensible.
Good plan! Fantastic that you stopped by! Xoxo
Skill Set Two: how to use the trowel.
i know how to do this, believe it or not… not the worst part of backpacking for me. that would be spiders…
So energetic, Daisy Fae!
my energy goes up with the weightloss. it’s amazing how hard it is to carry the excess… makes my heart break for folks who are battling very serious weight issues. every step is a massive effort…
Hiking with a pack rocks. There are fantastic walking holidays to be had all over Oz.
and it better prepares me for the zombie apocalypse! always gotta be ready to roll… will be building the backpack into a 72 hour bugout bag…
Well, I see someone has already provided my recommendation for your second book “How to Shit in the Woods”. Indispensable, really.
Interesting idea about that max of 40% of body weight. I think the old voyageurs would routinely pack loads of 150 to 200 pounds, which was likely more than 100% of their body weight. The technology of the pack was non-existent as well, except, perhaps, for the use of something called a tongue strap which more or less went around the head.
At any rate, kudos to you for picking up yet another skill/pastime. If you’re out and about in the woods at all, make sure you do tick checks afterwards. Best done with a partner, if you’re okay getting nekkid with said partner!
i will definitely be picking up that book as well! would be a problem if i couldn’t!
agree that recreational trekking is far different than the necessary kind. i think about the 100 pound packs our military folks routinely carry in adverse conditions. and it makes me want to quit whining.
i’m a ‘long sleeve/long pants’ hiker when doing so in tick-prone areas. light clothing helps, too, to be able to see the little bloodsuckers. i can handle the nekkid part. but ticks make me queasy….
WOW, that’s really awesome! I miss butter, but when I pick up a pound of butter and know that since March I’ve lost 34 pounds of them, I don’t miss butter at all. And yes, like you I feel mucho better-o!
34 Pounds of Butter! Fantastic! It’s slow, isn’t it? And so damn much easier to put it on! But it’s necessary to get feeling better…
Awesome. Helps to have a visual. I had a similar epiphany a few years ago when I was looking at Teva and Isabel and realized that at 24 pounds total, I’d lost more than two cats’ worth of weight.
it does! although i realize body fat is far denser than the pack, becuse i sure haven’t lost that much in VOLUME!
That’s funny, because I just wrote about how much I’ve GAINED. FUCK YEAH WELL DONE!
i think i regained a bit on this vacation… it’s a never ending challenge… still trying to bash the last 20, plus whatever i regained on holiday. grrr…