Shaving Pounds

Hey Everyone,

Well, I was going to write this great post about how we all count every ounce in our packs, and scrutinize every piece of gear for its weight, but never think about losing weight ourselves. However, upon doing the research for this post I have found that it is a lot more complicated than that. No wonder people have to have degrees in this field. The truth is that we are not all thru-hikers, and we don't spend every day on the trail. It is not so true that we all could easily lose weight to be lighter, thus feeling like we took twenty pounds off of our backs. Upon reading some articles about sports fitness, I have come to find that you can burn fat, but that doesn't mean you will be lighter. When you start to working out and burning fat, you also start to build lean muscle. So what does that mean? Well, when you step on that bathroom scale, after six months of training, you may not be lighter. The goal, I have found, is to have the correct body fat percentage. I'm pretty sure that, for most of us, getting to a correct body fat percentage will make us lose some weight. If your body fat percentage is good, then that means the weight you are carrying is all working for you instead of just sitting there. Ive looked at body fat percentages,for athletes, and have taken an average from triathletes, swimmers, and runners, to come up with what I think is a good number for hikers.

Males 9- 15%
Women 12 - 19%

I was measured in the military to have 6% body fat. When I did triathlons I was measured at 8%. So, from my experiance alone these percentages seem reasonable. Another thing I have found is you can't always count on you BMI (body mass index) score because it does not take muscle mass into account. For instance I am 5' 10" and weigh about 190 lbs and my BMI score is 27.3 which is technically overweight. According to this scale I would have to weigh no more than 170#. However, my doctor says that, with the muscle build I have, I could never get below 175 lbs and be healthy. So your BMI is good to use as a rough estimate, but don't let it discourage you. If you would like to read more on this topic, I have posted a couple of links to my resources at the bottom of this post. I hope you all have learned something... I know I sure have. I think I owe my scale an apology as well.

I have set a goal to get back to 10% body fat at 175-180 lbs. This should be, not only good for my health overall, but make me a more efficient hiker. We'll see how it goes. Let me know if you set a goal and how you plan to or did accomplish it.

See you on the trail,
Lance

P.S. I also have some cool health related stuff coming up- like video interview with a friend of mine, who has a degree in sports medicine. We're going to go over food choices for hiking and look at things like calories, sodium, and electrolytes.

UPDATE: After talking with my friend he recomended that I up my body fat percentage to account for any weight loss that might occur during a hike. You will also notice that I have changed the recomended percentage for men due to this discussion.

Resources :
sport-fitness-advisor
fitnessonline
mountainsurvival

Cool (weather) Tips

Hey Everyone,

I went out for a day on the river yesterday. The weather was very nice- mid to low fifties, and overcast. I'm sad to say that the fishing was very slow. I did manage a couple fish, including this very strong fifteen incher. I guess cold weather slows everyone down a bit.

One thing to remember is, if you are venturing out this time of year, you should wear layers. With morning temperatures in the twenties or thirties, and afternoon temps getting into the fifties, layering is a great way to adapt to the weather. I think that a couple of thin layers are better than two heavy ones. Also, it's fine to have a cotton shirt for camp and sleeping in, but for strenuous activities you should be wearing synthetics and fleece. Synthetic drys faster and fleece will still keep you warm if it gets damp. I like to wear a nice long sleeve synthetic shirt with a light or medium fleece over that. If it gets windy or rain starts to fall, it's very easy to put on a light shell.

If you have any winter backpacking trips or just plan to camp out for a night, remember to put your canisters and water filters into your sleeping bag with you because these items can freeze, and either ruin your filter, or make that warm morning cup of coffee slow coming.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Lighten Up

Hey Everyone,

With the fall backpacking season in full swing, I have been seeing a lot of large packs out there. One of the first things people assume when they see my pack is that I am sacrificing comfort somewhere. I have had the chance to show my camp setup to a few of these people and the most common response is, "man I need to lighten my pack load". The best way I have found, to lighten your pack, is to make a gear list. List every little thing in your pack, and next to it list the weight (be as close as possible). Once you have made the list, look at the heaviest items, and find a way to either lighten it, replace it, or eliminate the need for it. I have made a list of what kind of weights to be looking for with the major pieces of gear.

Pack - under or around 3 pounds. There are several packs in the 50 to 65 litre size in this range.

Solo Tent or Shelter - around 2 pounds. Of course, more money = less weight, but I know of a tent that is 2 lbs 9 ounces for $80.00

Sleeping bag - 2+ pounds. Down can be much lighter, but even a good synthetic bag can be in this range.

Cook set - -1 pound. OK-OK, I'm way under that weight, but my setup is custom. A pocket rocket and a snow peak mug or GSI soloist pot are great and you can buy them anywhere.

Water treatment - This depends on your method but most filters are in the 1 pound range

Clothing - this is the one killer of hikers. I carry one pair of shorts or zip-off pants, 2 or 3 pairs of socks and underwear, two shirts (one for hiking, one for camp and sleeping). In really cold weather I may pack a light fleece, but a rain jacket is a great warming layer because it holds in a lot of heat.

I hope this helps those of you who are in the "I need to lighten up" mode. If anyone has questions, feel free to post a comment. The important thing to remember is that ultralight may not be for everyone, but I'm sure anybody would appreciate shaving a pound or two.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Waterproof Bag

Hey Everyone,

I had some people ask about these bags, so I figured I'd make a video to show you exactly how I do it. Oh, I like to use Gorilla tape because it's just like Duct tape but stronger.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Hydration Quick Tip

Hey Everyone,

I forgot to add where to get the grommets. I found these coated aluminum ones in the craft/fabric section of Walmart all you need is a hammer and good aim.

See you on the trail,
Lance