200307
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| 200307 [2023/08/04 13:10] – created - external edit 127.0.0.1 | 200307 [2023/11/14 08:16] (current) – kennettj | ||
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| - | | Page 12 T he Sydney Bushwalker July 2003 | ||
| - | A Lightness of Bushwalking | ||
| - | Are you avoiding weekend walks because you dread the thought of carrying 20kg of gear around | + | **A Lightness of Bushwalking** |
| - | ED the whole weekend? Do you find it difficult reducing the weight of your weekend pack below | + | |
| - | that? Ifso, read on. | + | Are you avoiding weekend walks because you dread the thought of carrying 20kg of gear around the whole weekend? Do you find it difficult reducing the weight of your weekend pack below that? If so, read on. |
| One of the participants on a walk on the recent Easter break carted an 18kg pack around, after | One of the participants on a walk on the recent Easter break carted an 18kg pack around, after | ||
| making strenuous efforts to reduce its weight at the leaders suggestion. This prompted me to see what I | making strenuous efforts to reduce its weight at the leaders suggestion. This prompted me to see what I | ||
| actually carry in my pack on such walks, and to prove that it is easy have a pack weight below 10kg for an | actually carry in my pack on such walks, and to prove that it is easy have a pack weight below 10kg for an | ||
| - | |||
| ordinary weekend walk, and still be safe and comfortable. | ordinary weekend walk, and still be safe and comfortable. | ||
| + | |||
| So, on the following weekend, for a three-day walk in the Ettrema area, I listed and weighed every | So, on the following weekend, for a three-day walk in the Ettrema area, I listed and weighed every | ||
| item I put in my pack to find out what I actually carry and how much it weighs. Here it is. | item I put in my pack to find out what I actually carry and how much it weighs. Here it is. | ||
| Line 1358: | Line 1356: | ||
| Total 11,460 | Total 11,460 | ||
| - | The whole lot came to 11.5kg, but I didnt even carry that much. Because I was carrying the fly and all the happy | + | The whole lot came to 11.5kg, but I didn' |
| - | hour and evening meals for two, as well as around | + | |
| - | sleeping mat and the billies. This reduced the weight of my pack to 10.7kg. It also meant that Edith was carrying | + | |
| - | around 8.5kg for a three-day walk. The advantage of this arrangement is that I was able to fit all my gear into a 40 | + | |
| - | litre pack that weighs less than 1.3kg, while Edith carried the lighter, bulkier gear in a bigger and slightly heavier | + | |
| - | (when empty) pack. | + | |
| - | For an ordinary participant on a two-day weekend walk, your pack can be even lighter. A by-product is that the | + | For an ordinary participant on a two-day weekend walk, your pack can be even lighter. A by-product is that the gear is cheaper too! There is no need for around 1kg of leaders stuff and generally only two maps are required. Scaling down the number of meals to one breakfast, one dinner and two lunches results in around 1.75kg of food (still a bit much at 850g per day for three meals) and one billy is enough. This brings the weight down to 8.5kg for a weekend walk! For a summer walk, the 500g of thermals, gloves etc can be left at home, bringing the weight down to 8.0kg. And thats not even trying hard to cut down the weight. |
| - | gear is cheaper too! There is no need for around 1kg of leaders stuff and generally only two maps are required. | + | |
| - | Scaling down the number of meals to one breakfast, one dinner and two lunches results in around 1.75kg of food | + | |
| - | (still a bit much at 850g per day for three meals) and one billy is enough. This brings the weight down to 8.5kg for a | + | |
| - | weekend walk! For a summer walk, the 500g of thermals, gloves etc can be left at home, bringing the weight down | + | |
| - | to 8.0kg. And thats not even trying hard to cut down the weight. | + | |
| - | If one actually makes an effort to go light, obvious means of reducing weight include forgetting the fresh fruit | + | If one actually makes an effort to go light, obvious means of reducing weight include forgetting the fresh fruit (take dried if you cant do without it), lighter sleeping bag (one with a sleeve on the bottom for the sleeping mat), lighter torch (LED type), share the fly and billy, leave out the pegs for the fly and use sticks or rocks instead, take a cape groundsheet in summer and forget the parka, etc. Above all, don't take anything that is not essential! |
| - | (take dried if you cant do without it), lighter sleeping bag (one with a sleeve on the bottom for the sleeping mat), | + | |
| - | lighter torch (LED type), share the fly and billy, leave out the pegs for the fly and use sticks or rocks instead, take a | + | |
| - | | The Sydney Bushwalker July 2003 | + | |
| - | Page 13 | | + | Some may think this is all too spartan, depriving one of the necessities that make overnight walks or camping bearable. Some may even think it dangerously short of what is needed. To that I can only say that I am very comfortable with this gear, and that one is far more susceptible to falling, injury, misadventure or exhaustion when carrying a 20kg pack than carrying a 10kg pack. |
| - | + | ||
| - | cape groundsheet in summer and forget the parka, etc. Above all, dont take anything that is not essential! | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Some may think this is all too spartan, depriving one of the necessities that make overnight walks or camping | + | |
| - | bearable. Some may even think it dangerously short of what is needed. To that I can only say that I am very | + | |
| - | comfortable with this gear, and that one is far more susceptible to falling, injury, misadventure or exhaustion when | + | |
| - | carrying a 20kg pack than carrying a 10kg pack. | + | |
| Some will be more sensitive to cold than I am and may need more warm clothes. If so, remember the layering | Some will be more sensitive to cold than I am and may need more warm clothes. If so, remember the layering | ||
| - | principle and take several light layers than one or two heavy ones. This will provide equivalent warmth for less | + | principle and take several light layers than one or two heavy ones. This will provide equivalent warmth for less weight and bulk. Remember too that lightweight thermals, balaclava and gloves can be far more effective in keeping you warm than a heavy and bulky jumper. |
| - | weight and bulk. Remember too that lightweight thermals, balaclava and gloves can be far more effective in | + | |
| - | keeping you warm than a heavy and bulky jumper. | + | |
| - | A notable feature of this list is the use of a fly rather than a tent. For those who shudder at the thought of | + | A notable feature of this list is the use of a fly rather than a tent. For those who shudder at the thought of sleeping under a fly, I can only suggest that it is not as bad as you may think. Indeed, after a while you, like me, may even prefer the openness of a fly, or of no tent at all, to the cramped confines of a tent. If you are worried about insects, a 50g pack of insect repellent is more convenient than an extra 2kg of tentage. There are occasions when more substantial tents are needed, but weekend walks around Sydney are not usually them. |
| - | sleeping under a fly, I can only suggest that it is not as bad as you may think. Indeed, after a while you, like me, | + | |
| - | may even prefer the openness of a fly, or of no tent at all, to the cramped confines of a tent. If you are worried about | + | |
| - | insects, a 50g pack of insect repellent is more convenient than an extra 2kg of tentage. There are occasions when | + | |
| - | more substantial tents are needed, but weekend walks around Sydney are not usually them. | + | |
| - | Using these guidelines you too can waltz around on your next weekend walk looking fit, strong and tough. Let | + | Using these guidelines you too can waltz around on your next weekend walk looking fit, strong and tough. Let others labour up the hills and stumble clumsily over the rocks while you glide about effortlessly carrying a pack half the weight of your companions. |
| - | others labour up the hills and stumble clumsily over the rocks while you glide about effortlessly carrying a pack half | + | |
| - | the weight of your companions. | + | |
| Postscript | Postscript | ||
| - | A couple of weeks after this walk I went on a 3-day walk, not as leader, without my trusty porter. How to avoid | + | A couple of weeks after this walk I went on a 3-day walk, not as leader, without my trusty porter. How to avoid carrying a larger, heavier pack? I took a thermarest (900 grams) instead of a closed cell mat (270 grams) and was able to squeeze it all into my 40 litre pack. This saved an extra 1kg or so in pack weight, at the cost of an extra 630 grams in sleeping mat weight, but a small pack is much easier to carry through scrub and on rocky ground than a big pack that weighs about the same. My total pack weight at the start of the walk was just over 9kg. |
| - | carrying a larger, heavier pack? I took a thermarest (900 grams) instead of a closed cell mat (270 grams) and was | + | |
| - | able to squeeze it all into my 40 litre pack. This saved an extra 1kg or so in pack weight, at the cost of an extra 630 | + | |
| - | grams in sleeping mat weight, but a small pack is much easier to carry through scrub and on rocky ground than a big | + | |
| - | pack that weighs about the same. My total pack weight at the start of the walk was just over 9kg. | + | **Constitution Review Sub-Committee |
| - | Constitution Review Sub-Committee | ||
| For club members who follow the magazine closely | For club members who follow the magazine closely | ||
| Line 1435: | Line 1402: | ||
| among ourselves. | among ourselves. | ||
| - | Apart from the 2002 changes relating to | + | Apart from the 2002 changes relating to prospective members qualifying for membership, the clubs constitution has been substantially unchanged |
| - | prospective members qualifying for membership, the | + | |
| - | clubs constitution has been substantially unchanged | + | |
| since the late 1980s, when the NSW Associations | since the late 1980s, when the NSW Associations | ||
| Incorporation Act was enacted and the constitution | Incorporation Act was enacted and the constitution | ||
200307.txt · Last modified: 2023/11/14 08:16 by kennettj