the_felix•3mo agoMost Upvoted

I finally weighed my packed tent after a trip to the Red River Gorge and the number blew my mind.

My old 4-person dome clocked in at over 12 pounds, which explains why my back always hurt (I found the stat in a gear spreadsheet I keep). Anyone else have a similar wake-up call with their base weight?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_webb681mo ago

The real wake up call for me wasn't the tent weight, it was realizing how much of my old gear was overlapping in function. Had a tent, a separate footprint, a ground cloth, and a rain fly that all weighed something together. Ended up swapping to a single wall shelter that does everything those four pieces did but at a third of the weight. Saves packing space too. Sometimes the number that shocks you is just the tip of the iceberg if you look at what you're really carrying.

the_lucas3mo ago

That's a brutal number for a tent. My old pack was like that, a total boat anchor. Switched to a lighter one and it changed everything. Back feels way better now, miles are easier. Gear spreadsheets don't lie.

-1

gavinhunt3mo ago

Switched to a lighter tent last season and it felt like cheating. @the_lucas is right about gear spreadsheets not lying, the numbers add up fast. My old setup was killing my knees on long climbs. Now I actually enjoy packing up camp instead of dreading the weight. That kind of weight drop makes a real difference after the first ten miles.