I mostly do 4th/easy 5th class mountains in the Sierras.

To date, I've been bringing a 65L pack to my high camp (around 11k feet), then using a 33L pack on summit day. I realized that I'm carrying a 5.5 lb. pack and a 3 lb. pack, for a total 8.5 pounds of pack up to 11k feet, and back down.

Anyone know of any solutions?

I'm considering getting a 75L Mission BD pack and removing the hat on summit day. Other than that, I'm out of ideas!

Thanks for the opinions,

Gabe

Carry less stuff? For summer Sierra scrambling, I can cram a week's worth of food and gear into a 45-liter pack. For summit day, you should probably be able to get away with something like an REI Flash 18, which is light, cheap, and packs down to nothing.

I agree with Seano. For 2 day, 5th class alpine rock climbs up to grade v I get away with a 30 liter pack in the summer in the Cascades. (Serratus Genie for years, recently had Randy at CCW build a custom Ozone). For multiday, mixed alpine routes on Rainier I get away with a 40 liter pack (Montbel Balance Light 40).

OMG this is completely insane!

Unless you have technical gear for a weekend in the Sierra your total pack weight should be 8.5 pounds plus food... AFTER it is packed... not when empty!

Even with rope and gear... when I head to Shasta and we are on glaciers with screws, pickets, helmet, harness, tents, etc... I use a 44 L Osprey pack. Light enough to use summit day as well.

If you are scrambling there really isn't anything you need other than a few layers, sleeping bag, tarp, and pad. All this with your food can fit in a 24 L pack if you take the right gear. If your whole backpack is only 24 L it is amazing what you can do. You don't need a basecamp or a summit pack... you just take the whole thing up one side and go down the other and keep going around or along the ridge... no out and back type stuff.

Read this article:

https://www.summitpost.org/packing-ligh ... nes/866824

Since I wrote it I have shaved another 1-1.5 pounds off my weight... and been able to shift into a slightly smaller pack. But this is a good starting point. The more of this you can incorporate the better off you will be! If you can get down to this for non-technical outings then you shouldn't be any higher than 44 L no matter what sort of gear you drag along.

I often see people in the Sierra with 55-66 L packs and it is really amazing to me... I don't understand what all could be in there. To me this is no different than driving a full size RV into the backcountry!

This is very similar to the Mt. Rainier pack size thread: packing-for-mt-rainier-t82661.html

This is weird, but I agree with both MrChad9 and Seano. Good suggestions.

While climbing with a couple of younger, new partners who have money to burn (single guys working at Microsoft and GitHub) they mentioned they make spread sheets of gear and find the very lightest available, cost be damned. They made the observation that I simply don't bring a lot of stuff.

That is part of the learning curve. Folks inevitable start off with larger, heavier packs than they need, more food, more clothes, heavier tent, etc. and dial things in with experience.

mrchad9 wrote:OMG this is completely insane!

Unless you have technical gear for a weekend in the Sierra your total pack weight should be 8.5 pounds plus food... AFTER it is packed... not when empty!

While this is ideal, it really depends on one's interests, goals, and physical health. I've got a jacked up back, so my pack needs to have a heavier suspension to better distribute weight. If one is a photog, there could be substantial camera gear. If one likes to do a bit of backcountry gourmet cooking than the food and cook kit likely are much heavier than what you're carrying

I like to bring a few things that aid my relaxation after the climb. Some whiskey, a little reading material, etc., and eat well (at least the first night). So while I wouldn't ever need anything over a 45L pack in the Sierra in the summer unless going out for well over a week, my kit definitely wouldn't hit your 8.5lb target.

I'd be curious to know what's in your first aid kit given that weight.

ExcitableBoy wrote:This is weird, but I agree with both MrChad9 and Seano.

Don't let that become a habit. Given my "mountaineering" practices, I continue to be amazed that I haven't died in gruesome and easily avoidable ways.

I'm curious what all you're carrying, grubburg. Other than food (~2 lbs/day of dry stuff plus olive oil) and water (1-2 liters at a time), much of my overnight weight and volume is my non-ultralight sleeping kit (bivy or tarp, pad, bag), which fits in less than half of my pack.

You guys really know how to shave weight. I remember when my pack weighed more than my current pack, bag, pad and tent combined. One of my motivations is my age...keep it light or stay home. I have a Hyperlight Mountain Gear Pack, Stephenson Warmlite tent, down bag, and Thermorest pad. I like to learn from others in all parts of climbing, especially saving weight. Good advice here:
https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/b ... pped-down/

96avs01 wrote:

mrchad9 wrote:OMG this is completely insane!

Unless you have technical gear for a weekend in the Sierra your total pack weight should be 8.5 pounds plus food... AFTER it is packed... not when empty!

While this is ideal, it really depends on one's interests, goals, and physical health. I've got a jacked up back, so my pack needs to have a heavier suspension to better distribute weight. If one is a photog, there could be substantial camera gear. If one likes to do a bit of backcountry gourmet cooking than the food and cook kit likely are much heavier than what you're carrying

I like to bring a few things that aid my relaxation after the climb. Some whiskey, a little reading material, etc., and eat well (at least the first night). So while I wouldn't ever need anything over a 45L pack in the Sierra in the summer unless going out for well over a week, my kit definitely wouldn't hit your 8.5lb target.

I'd be curious to know what's in your first aid kit given that weight.

Of course... I don't disagree with anything you state. But the opening post is trying to save weight... so this is the direction he needs to move... not to go out an buy an EVEN BIGGER pack like he is considering in his opening post lol.

And what I would recommend to anyone in any situation is get a scale and weigh every single item... that way you know the real impact and can decide if it is worth it... and make a more informed choice between sometime like a 3-4 ounces of whiskey or a pair of camp sandals (some of which can be over a pound).

I don't carry a first aid kit at all anymore... haven't for years. Waste of space and weight for me. I do take a little duct tape... which could be useful in some situations.

I see it like this... either the injury is minor and you can improvise or do nothing (you can get by without a Band-Aid as well as you can with one, you can also rip up a shirt for a bandage or sling, whatever). If it is a very serious injury a first aid kit likely doesn't have all you need anyway. And even you've got one of those one pounders and it did have anything you could possibly want... you still really don't need it as you need to be turning around an on your way out to proper medical care anyway. I may take a little bit of naproxen and ibuprofen in a tiny zip lock, the duct tape, and on rare occasions a $1 space blanket. That's as close to first aid as I go.

Like I said in the article... "You don’t need to be prepared to place sutures while you are out in the backcountry."

mrchad9 wrote:

96avs01 wrote:

mrchad9 wrote:OMG this is completely insane!

Unless you have technical gear for a weekend in the Sierra your total pack weight should be 8.5 pounds plus food... AFTER it is packed... not when empty!

While this is ideal, it really depends on one's interests, goals, and physical health. I've got a jacked up back, so my pack needs to have a heavier suspension to better distribute weight. If one is a photog, there could be substantial camera gear. If one likes to do a bit of backcountry gourmet cooking than the food and cook kit likely are much heavier than what you're carrying

I like to bring a few things that aid my relaxation after the climb. Some whiskey, a little reading material, etc., and eat well (at least the first night). So while I wouldn't ever need anything over a 45L pack in the Sierra in the summer unless going out for well over a week, my kit definitely wouldn't hit your 8.5lb target.

I'd be curious to know what's in your first aid kit given that weight.

Of course... I don't disagree with anything you state. But the opening post is trying to save weight... so this is the direction he needs to move... not to go out an buy an EVEN BIGGER pack like he is considering in his opening post lol.

And what I would recommend to anyone in any situation is get a scale and weigh every single item... that way you know the real impact and can decide if it is worth it... and make a more informed choice between sometime like a 3-4 ounces of whiskey or a pair of camp sandals (some of which can be over a pound).

I don't carry a first aid kit at all anymore... haven't for years. Waste of space and weight for me. I do take a little duct tape... which could be useful in some situations.

I see it like this... either the injury is minor and you can improvise or do nothing (you can get by without a Band-Aid as well as you can with one, you can also rip up a shirt for a bandage or sling, whatever). If it is a very serious injury a first aid kit likely doesn't have all you need anyway. And even you've got one of those one pounders and it did have anything you could possibly want... you still really don't need it as you need to be turning around an on your way out to proper medical care anyway. I may take a little bit of naproxen and ibuprofen in a tiny zip lock, the duct tape, and on rare occasions a $1 space blanket. That's as close to first aid as I go.

Like I said in the article... "You don’t need to be prepared to place sutures while you are out in the backcountry."

Agreed with respect to multiple packs.

But we're going to have to agree to disagree to approaches with respect to first aid. Luckily thus far I've been fortunate enough to only have to break out my kit to provide care to others, not part of my group, at times in conjunction with NPS rangers. And to some degree it boils down to what medical care training you've taken. My wife is a veterinarian, I've done a 24 hour wilderness first aid class, and I've got multiple partners that are wilderness EMTs or nurses. So I carry quite a bit of stuff that can manage a moderately serious injury and enable survival of duration to reach enhanced medical care. I don't buy pre-stocked kits, but rather stock an OR Backcountry Organizer pack with the meds, and other supplies that I feel are of sufficient value in the backcountry given the training of myself and my usual partners to justify their weight. As such there's no way I'd ever try to reach your 8.5 pound target, that's your goal based on your own personal risk tolerance. And yes, given my normal companions, my kit can do sutures if needed. The weight penalty is minimal for the gear required to do so. TETO

I wouldn't use seano as a benchmark for much of anything in the backcountry.

Gabe - I posted to your same post on MP. Get a small summit pack.

Ok. How about a week in the backcountry, unsettled weather, a full rack and rope. My wife and I have been doing more of these types of trips and we make our own food so we bring a jetboil with an extra pot and like having a tent for most trips. Add a large and small bear canister. For us, this means we have 55 to 70l packs and usually a rei flash 18 or marmot compressor 22 as a climbing/summit pack.

But I love me some mid-summer, warm weather, 2 night outings with no tent, no bear canister, 30 degree bag and no climbing gear. Now I can use my 30l pack.

For trips into the Bugaboos, Wind Rivers, and other areas that offer 'alpine cragging', it makes a lot of sense to carry a big pack so you can stay out a while and do single day routes with a summit pack (Serratus Genie, REI Flash, etc.).

Theory to reality: amazing...
https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/b ... 0cdc0e3a10

Practical, discusses pack choice, weight, I would say "dialed in".

It's so easy. Just "cache" your personal belongings somewhere. Later, you can find it with your Garmin/GPS.

Sometimes it doesn't work, in which case the squirrels get it!

This makes a nice summit pack; 2.4 oz. I've put a small thin rope inside it, or put it on over the top of a butterfly coil on my back. You can gear up at the tent and hang stuff off your harness on the approach if everything you want along for the day doesn't fit inside the pack.
https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Summit-Ultra ... B006CG2TZU

It does rip; carry some sil-nylon patch tape.