LOL not many on CF are into long distance hiking. I'll try to throw you a life line
@Entropy @HFCS
Yeah I am very into it and thread title flew by me.
I also have an osprey 65L and I basically never use the “brain” so it’s actually smaller than that, maybe 58L.
My wife and I did High Sierra Trail over 7 nights, about 75 tough high altitude miles. Her pack is only 50L but same thing she took off top so more like 45. We barely had enough space but it was perfect size for two of us.
We’ve done some other 5-6 night hikes but usually just 2-3 nights. Next year when my dogs are older we want to try Tahoe rim trail over 2 weeks with them. The older 2yr old dog has already done 15-30 miles and lots of camping but now we have 4 month old who just hit trail for first time.
Like someone else said, I pick a pack for comfort but can go ultralight on some other gear. Ultralight tents are EASILY worth it. I like my current big Agnes cooper spur. If you go high altitude or winter weather the best thermarest brand air mattress is ultralight and also adds tons of warmth, worth the $.
I got “the duece” thin aluminum trowel because it weighs like one ounce and I’ve used it for more than just going to the bathroom. Things like that vs a regular heavy trowel are worth trimming ounces.
I use the smallest leatherman multi tool vs a full size knife. Knife has always been enough and I’ve used the multi tool aspects more often than a knife. 1/4 the weight of most pocket knives.
I once got a tiny compas/thermometer keychain for like $5 which is one of my favorite pieces of gear. compass is only emergency item in age of gps but the thermometer is very nice to have.
I could talk backpacking gear all day.
When I first got into hiking I didn’t think I’d like backpacking. I just did crazy 15-30 mile single day hikes up the highest mnts I could find. Then I started camping at base of mnts to start early and save $ on hotels. Then I realized I wanted to go some places I just couldn’t go in one day…and when I started backpacking realized all my camping gear was too big and heavy…rebought almost everything.
