Suggestions for lightening you load

[Melensdad]

1. Instead of packing 8 beers with you each morning just take 6. Total weight savings: 1.5 pounds. You can always get some Vino Tinto at the little bars along the route to fortify you if you run out of beer.

2. At St Jean, open your pack and remove two or three pairs of shoes. You can mail them ahead to Ivar in Santiago. Weight savings 4 to 6 pounds.

3. Instead of that old kerosene lantern, try a headlamp. By leaving your Coleman 1 Mantle Kerosene Lantern at home and replacing it with a Petzl Tikka headlamp, you’ll decrease your total pack weight by 4 pounds, 11 ounces.

4. If you notice you have a baby with you, run back into town quick and find someone to babysit it while you are on your month long pilgrimage. Babies are heavy and become awkward to carry after several miles. Plus they require lots of extra food and gear like diapers.

5. When you arrive in St Jean, set aside all your heavy stuff and ask your friend to carry it for you. Explain that you are trying to lighten your pack.

6. Try to limit yourself to 3, or fewer, stuffed animals.

7. Portable video game consoles are heavy. Instead of your Playstation Vita (1 pound, 10 ounces), download a few games like Angry Birds, Star Wars II, 80 Days, Asphalt 8, and NBA Jam to your iPhone; these will occupy your time so you don't have to interact with other pilgrims.

8. Instead of packing separate bottles of shampoo, conditioner, mousse, gel, detangler, and hairspray, try using a stylish hat to hide your dirty hair from the other pilgrims.

9. Buy all new stuff. If your stuff is from last year, it’s very likely way heavier than this year’s stuff. Go into a gear store and tell them to give you all new lightweigh hiking stuff, and enjoy the weight savings, plus the shiny newness. If anyone gives you grief, such as your spouse, tell them your old stuff was too heavy and it was giving you back pain.

10. If you have some things that are troubling you, tell them to someone on the way to your hike, or to your friend when you meet at the trailhead. It can be very cathartic to get your problems off your chest. This will lighten your pack, if only metaphysically.

Please feel free to add your own submissions for consideration!

 

[Tessera]

I agree with all of this good advice, except #6 might be very challenging ....

 

[Icacos]

Instead of regular water, take the freeze dried kind instead.

 

[MartinZ]

dehydrated water? What an invention, that saves weight!

 

[Icacos]

dehydrated water? What an invention, that saves weight!

It was another forum member who told us about it some time ago. I thought it was a great idea and have used it ever since!

 

[Former member 42123]

It was another forum member who told us about it some time ago. I thought it was a great idea and have used it ever since!

What do you carry it in ?A DRY SACK?

 

[Melensdad]

I agree with all of this good advice, except #6 might be very challenging ....

Yup I agree. If you see my beloved 'sock-monkey' on the side of the roadway please tell him I still love him, but I just couldn't deal with the added weight.

What do you carry it in ?A DRY SACK?

That is how I do it. The 'freeze dried' water is better than the 'dehydrated' stuff because you can use it to keep your beer cans cold too.

 

[Former member 42123]

That is how I do it. The 'freeze dried' water is better than the 'dehydrated' stuff because you can use it to keep your beer cans cold too.[/QUOTE]
As a non drinker I will leave the beer cans so I'm in a win win situation.

 

[Icacos]

Air pies are much lighter too .... instead of chorizo and queso.

 

[CaminoDebrita]

I'm two kilos down and have decided to drop my pack weight from around my --ummm---spare tire and junk in the trunk. Yeah. Lots of unnecessary junk, and difficult to secure.

 

[Melensdad]

I'm two kilos down and have decided to drop my pack weight from around my --ummm---spare tire and junk in the trunk. Yeah. Lots of unnecessary junk, and difficult to secure.

If you use a Fanny Pack you can easily secure the "junk in the trunk"

 

[gracethepilgrim]

If you use a Fanny Pack you can easily secure the "junk in the trunk"

Would that go for a bumbag too? I’m up for any way to trim the load back there

 

[Melensdad]

Would that go for a bumbag too? I’m up for any way to trim the load back there

Bumbag or Fanny Pack, either will handle all the junk in the trunk.

A Waistpack, however, takes charge of the spare tire that might be flopping around on the front.

And, since the average shoe weighs about 1# or just under 1/2kg, and since you wear 2 shoes, you have a total of about 2# or 1kg on your feet. But we know that 1# on your feet is equal to nearly 6# on your back, so walking barefoot is the equivalent of shaving nearly 12# / 5.5kg from your pack weight. And if your pack actually weighs less than that then 12# / 5.5kg and you are walking barefoot then you are not actually carrying anything!

 

[Icacos]

Bumbag or Fanny Pack, either will handle all the junk in the trunk.

A Waistpack, however, takes charge of the spare tire that might be flopping around on the front.

And, since the average shoe weighs about 1# or just under 1/2kg, and since you wear 2 shoes, you have a total of about 2# or 1kg on your feet. But we know that 1# on your feet is equal to nearly 6# on your back, so walking barefoot is the equivalent of shaving nearly 12# / 5.5kg from your pack weight. And if your pack actually weighs less than that then 12# / 5.5kg and you are walking barefoot then you are not actually carrying anything!

I salute you! Most excellent figuring!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Instead of regular water, take the freeze dried kind instead.

But don't you have to add water to reactivate it?

 

[Melensdad]

You can also cut your toothbrush in half to shave a bit of weight. If you discard the half with the bristles on the end then you can also eliminate the need for toothpaste ... which eliminates even more weight

But don't you have to add water to reactivate it?

Only if you are thristy. Otherwise it is weightless water.

 

[Melensdad]

Oh, and no need lug around those heavy international socket adapters with all their extra weight, just 're-purpose' your grooming kit after you clip your toenails.

 

[Icacos]

But don't you have to add water to reactivate it?

Only if you are thristy. Otherwise it is weightless water.

Exactly - if you can hang on 'til you get to the next bar to get the supplies to rehydrate your water, then you don't have to carry the extra weight. That's the whole point.

 

[Icacos]

Oh, and no need lug around those heavy international socket adapters with all their extra weight, just 're-purpose' your grooming kit after you clip your toenails. View attachment 19844

You're retired, aren't you?

 

[Former member 42123]

You're retired, aren't you?

If still with us using kit like this

 

[SeaHorse]

Good suggestions, but I'm sure you are asking for trouble with No.3. How can you even think of changing something so nicely old fashioned, probably used centuries ago, with something more modern? The medieval pilgrims did use lanterns, so should we!
And No.6 is totally heartless, how could you....

 

[Melensdad]

. . .

And No.6 is totally heartless, how could you....

I still miss my little Sock Monkey. Cry myself to sleep at night. But he weighed 7.358 ounces. I had to cut weight!

You're retired, aren't you?

How did you guess?

 

[Icacos]

Hey, I wonder if @Al the optimist has been employing these techniques to get his pack down to 4kg, and he's just not letting on ....

 

[Griffin57]

Does anyone know where we keep the helium tanks?
We could be like the guy in "UP" and fly over the Pyrenees? ...... Oooops I guess that would be ?cheating?

 

[Albertagirl]

Does anyone know where we keep the helium tanks?
We could be like the guy in "UP" and fly over the Pyrenees? ...... Oooops I guess that would be ?cheating?

@Griffin57
This happened in my city a few days ago. I gather that the tricky aspect is getting the wind to take you, and your lawn chair, etc., where you want to go.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...bes-soaring-over-city-in-lawn-chair-1.3139591

 

[Griffin57]

@Griffin57
This happened in my city a few days ago. I gather that the tricky aspect is getting the wind to take you, and your lawn chair, etc., where you want to go.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...bes-soaring-over-city-in-lawn-chair-1.3139591

Wow great article, love that the balloons were multi-coloured just like the film! I'm now thinking just a couple to lift up the backpack and I can mostly keep my feet on the ground, I'm scared of heights!!!

 

[Brissy]

Oh, and no need lug around those heavy international socket adapters with all their extra weight, just 're-purpose' your grooming kit after you clip your toenails. View attachment 19844

It's a pity that Australian sockets aren't used in Spain, otherwise I could give this a try...

 

[Tessera]

Oh, and no need lug around those heavy international socket adapters with all their extra weight, just 're-purpose' your grooming kit after you clip your toenails. View attachment 19844

It might make your trip a lot shorter!