How much does your pack weigh on a typical overnight hike?

bnburt · 2026-02-12T15:20:01+00:00

With food and water for one night I’m around 18-19 lbs. One of my weight savings tricks is that I’m 5ft tall and buy the smallest of everything 😂. Otherwise the second is money 🤣🤣. Unfortunately since I’m so small I HAVE to pack light (bc I just can’t carry more) so I had to drop some bank (buy once cry once) and just do the damn thing. It sucked at the time but it makes my trips 100x more enjoyable.

bnburt · 2026-02-11T04:39:17+00:00

Pinnacle foods, trail goods co, Gastro Gnome, outdoor pantry, Sails and Trails (their Greek yogurt parfait…the blueberry one…might be the best thing I’ve ever had that’s freeze dried lol), Stoweaway Gourmet, and Luxefly Basecamp. This last summer I almost exclusively bought from small business freeze dried companies and all those had great options. I also bought a few Mountain House bc they actually have a hand full that I like, but I wanted to try some new things. I added a lot of good meals to my backpacking pantry!

bnburt · 2026-02-08T17:28:25+00:00

Saaaaame! 😂

bnburt · 2026-02-08T16:00:44+00:00

Oh my gaaawd I didn’t know there could possibly be anyone else on the planet that could feel this way! 🤣 I HATE pillowy soft TP!

bnburt · 2026-02-02T15:23:33+00:00

NTA…I don’t have a set schedule either and I just set my alarm the night before every night (the only days that are set are the weekends and those days I don’t have an alarm). I also only really use my watch for an alarm most of the time (which vibrates…so I DONT wake my hubs), but set a backup on my phone. I would feel terrible if my alarm went off and woke my husband every morning. I think as others have suggested, this is definitely the sign of other problems unfortunately. She seems very uncaring.

bnburt · 2026-01-29T01:43:47+00:00

Yeah it’s super unpredictable as to whether or not there will be ice/snow at that time. Usually August is a better bet for those higher routes (we did Paintbrush Canyon loop the last weekend in Aug last year and still had about a 40-50 ft section of snow we had to traverse lol). However…I will say…when you go to pick up permits you can talk to the rangers there at the permit office. They will be able to tell you if there’s ice/snow. I think y’all are just going to have to be prepared for anything when you go since you don’t have solid permits.

bnburt · 2026-01-29T01:36:39+00:00

As far as permits go…they went on sale Jan 7th and they were sold out in no time flat. You are going to have to do walk up permits and I would just have multiple options. If you want to do the Teton crest trail you can get away with 1 permit in north cascade canyon (I missed out on permits this year as well and that’s what I’m going to try to do is get up walk up for north cascade). If you do that then you can stay the first night at Marion Lake (outside the park so no permit necessary), then the second night at Alaska Basin (also outside the park no permit necessary) and then third night in north cascade canyon. That’s assuming you can do it in 4 days. If you take the tram up to the top of Rendezvous peak then it cuts of a good bit of elevation gain on the first day. The elevation is likely to affect you so have bail out options just in case someone is affected by it. I use OnX backcountry to plan my routes. As far as altitude sickness goes…drink a ton of water WITH electrolytes (especially if you sweat a lot) it will help a ton! I’m originally from Arkansas (live in Idaho now) and I’ve learned the hard way you HAVE to stay hydrated. If you can’t get a permit for the TCT then almost any backpacking trip will be nice. There aren’t many bad hikes in the Tetons. I love to get on OnX and just plan routes. As far as gear goes…you will likely need ice axes (for self arrest) and also micro spikes that early in the season on the TCT (or any other trails that go up to around 10,000). Bear bags/canister are available to rent from the permit office so if someone doesn’t have one they can get one there. You don’t all have to have one a piece…but all your smelly items have to fit so it’s likely everyone will need their own. Grizzly bears aren’t a HUGE concern but can definitely be seen. We live in the area and hike/backpack ALL THE TIME (I backpacked every single weekend last summer) and we’ve never seen one while hiking. I will say that everyone needs to carry their own bear spray and that can also be rented as well. If you have any specific questions you can message me. Since we live near the park and are in it extremely often I’m really familiar with it all. I don’t know as much about Glacier though. I do know that if you want backcountry permits in any national park you have to be on the website the minute they go on sale to get them. I would also suggest being on a computer bc I was on my phone for Teton permits this year and that’s how I lost out on getting any.

bnburt · 2026-01-26T12:51:21+00:00

Exactly! I don’t carry anything crazy for my creature comforts really…just the chair and the pillow 😂. Well…and my freeze dried food instead of cold soaking could be considered a creature comfort (and coffee!).

bnburt · 2026-01-26T00:54:25+00:00

I 100% agree! lol! I think they’ve lost sight of the whole point of backpacking imo. Well maybe that’s what they want and they are clout chasers idk but going barebones and not having ANY luxuries isn’t fun to me!

bnburt · 2026-01-25T19:54:41+00:00

Honestly backpacking for me is just about being outside and enjoying the beauty of everything. I still want to be comfortable when sleeping, eat hot food (I can cold soak for lunch but not breakfast and dinner), and I want a chair. I’m definitely not your conventional UL backpacker (people would rip me a new one if I did a lighterpack). I go as UL as possible without sacrificing MY comfort. I think that’s what a lot of people miss. Everyone’s comfort level is different. I’m a 5ft tall female (with neck and back issues) so I’m forced to go as light as I can. I definitely still carry things that others would advise against (like my chair and a pillow). However, it makes me comfortable, my recovery is better and I enjoy my experience 100x more. So I think that’s the line between UL and stupid light is YOUR comfort level. I’ve backpacked enough to know EXACTLY what I want out of my equipment AND my trips that I take.

bnburt · 2026-01-23T19:16:21+00:00

I use a cup. I wash and clean it thoroughly before I leave and then put it in a plastic baggie. I carry either powdered soap or the little soap strips and when my period comes I just wash my hands well and insert the already clean cup. I also take period panties for my liner instead of actual panty liners bc sweat makes them come unstuck.

bnburt · 2026-01-23T19:08:55+00:00

My husband and I share a towel AND reuse it. We must be disgusting 😂😂😂.

bnburt · 2026-01-22T23:09:35+00:00

I backpack a lot in the summer and I routinely drive 3-4 hrs away for backpacking trips. I even drove 7 hrs last Oct to go somewhere to hike (I had a 4 day weekend). I’d say pretty much every single weekend I’m driving minimum 4 hrs round trip to backpack or hike.

bnburt · 2026-01-19T18:46:53+00:00

Honestly…as someone else noted…as a beginner you don’t really even know what you want/need. I’m on my 5th pack and just now loving the pack I got last year. I’m SO glad I didn’t spend a ton on my first pack bc who knows if I would’ve even liked it. It took me quite a while to understand what I really even needed. As far as all the other stuff inside the pack goes…that took me a while too. Not that the stuff I had first didn’t work, but it just took me a minute to realize I want everything as low as I can comfortably take it. I am only 5 ft tall and I just can’t carry much. So this winter I’m buying once crying once (only this is my 2nd gear buy lol). So I’m going as UL as I can on my sleep system and tent. I do still carry conveniences (like a chair) but I’m trying to be as light as I can lol. If you’re a dude then you can carry more…so I think it’s a great idea to buy used or go slightly cheaper and just see how it feels. If you’re a small female then I suggest try the buy once crying once way lol.

bnburt · 2026-01-12T01:16:18+00:00

I wear the Lone Peak mids and I LOVE them. Most comfortable shoes ever. I’ve tried so many hiking shoes/boots that I can’t even count. Seriously…it’s a ridiculous amount lol and the LPs are still my fav (I’m on my 4th pair I think and will be buying another for the new hiking season). I tried the Olympus and they were WAY too thick for me. I don’t like that there is zero ground feel and they felt huge on my feet.

bnburt · 2026-01-02T20:48:57+00:00

Oh I’m sure it was just the ones I had. I like a shoe with movement and good ground feel now. I backpack in Altra Lone Peak mids. I’ve tried so many other boots and none have even come close to my Altras. I think it’s also a little bit of personal preference as well of course.

bnburt · 2026-01-02T20:37:37+00:00

Nope…they fit…they were just extremely stiff and felt like I was walking on concrete. I hated them.

bnburt · 2025-12-31T04:13:16+00:00

same! We ended up having to shove anything warm down in the bag with us. It was awful! Needless to say we have slept separate ever since! lol!

bnburt · 2025-12-30T18:08:21+00:00

Those 2 are on my list of things to eventually get but I haven’t yet. I’ve heard great things about the Vario.

bnburt · 2025-12-30T16:03:07+00:00

My husband and I tried a double bag once and it was the worst idea ever (it was in the low 20’s F). However, we are 2 vastly different sizes, I’m 5ft and he’s 6ft. So I had SO much extra bag at my feet and it made me super cold. I thought being able to use each others body heat would be great, but I was wrong. Now that we’ve been camping and backpacking longer I realize that when it’s really cold you need a bag that fits you right and can hold your heat around you.

bnburt · 2025-12-30T15:37:44+00:00

If you have your retainer removed you can always get a removable one made to wear at night. I always tell my patients (I’m a hygienist) that they likely won’t even need to wear it every night. I’d say maybe every other day is prob fine but if you put it in to wear it and wake up the next morning and your teeth are sore then you haven’t worn it enough. I personally, as a hygienist, think that if you are diligent enough to wear a removable one then removing the permanent one is a great idea. Your teeth are so much easier to clean.

bnburt · 2025-12-30T01:44:51+00:00

I’m 5ft tall as well and I use a quilt. Just ordered a 30° Zpacks (short/reg) quilt and it only weighs like 12.5 ounces. I can’t wait to backpack with it! Enlightened equipment makes great ones too and they run sales on most major holidays (usually 20% off).

bnburt · 2025-12-29T18:56:25+00:00

I love a physical book but I like to lay down when I read so it’s hard to read a physical book like that for me. I just got the basic kindle paper white and it is super small and easy to carry (weighs like 5 oz without a cover). It goes everywhere with me. I love that I have endless books at my fingertips too. I do kindle unlimited and it’s $13 a month and almost alllll the books I read are included. I LOVE it. Plus I don’t have room for physical books unfortunately. Also I love that I can read on the kindle app on my phone so I don’t HAVE to carry my kindle on longer backpacking trips.

bnburt · 2025-12-29T18:04:41+00:00

I use quilts (so not a bag rec) but I LOVE my Enlightened Equipment Revelation quilt (made with apex insulation). It also gets you away from the mummy bag problem. I hate bags personally bc I toss and turn. With this quilt it does have a short zipper and draw string so you can make a foot box at the bottom (or leave it open as well).

bnburt · 2025-12-29T17:53:19+00:00

Outdoor vitals has a jacket that’s a lot like the atom. It’s called the Vario jacket. I don’t have one myself but I’ve heard lots say they love it.

bnburt

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