Post History

Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/11920
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

<p>I have decided that I would like to hike.</p>

<p>I have read a bit on hiking, and bought some gear and a backpack to get started. I want to start with backpacking through mostly flat forests, and later advance to mountains in Poland, like Bieszczady, and Tatry.</p>

<p>The problem is, when I put on my backpack and put on the hip and chest belts, it felt heavy and cumbersome, making me lean forward. I was wondering — am I so out of shape, or did I pack so much unnecessary things?</p>

<p>My backpack weighs about 10.5 kilograms (or about 23 pounds) without the food and water with all the equipment I would like to take on a two to three day hike. Is this too much? For a two-day hike, I would like to add at least 3.5 liters of water, and around 1 kilogram of food, bringing the total weight to about 15 kilograms (or about 33 pounds). For a three-day hike, my backpack weighs about 16 to 18 kilograms (or about 32 to 40 pounds).</p>

<p>Here's what's inside my backpack currently:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>A sleeping bag</p></li>
<li><p>A tent for two people</p></li>
<li><p>A foam camping mat</p></li>
<li><p>A fleece jacket</p></li>
<li><p>A t-shirt</p></li>
<li><p>Pants</p></li>
<li><p>Two pairs of underwear</p></li>
<li><p>Two pairs of socks</p></li>
<li><p>A tarp (just in case of rain, used as a poncho)</p></li>
<li><p>About ten meters of paracord</p></li>
<li><p>Hygiene items, including wet wipes, a small towel, biodegradable soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and toilet paper</p></li>
<li><p>Tools, including a small sewing/backpack fixing kit, knife, multi-tool, tape, a pen, and paper</p></li>
<li><p>A headlamp</p></li>
<li><p>A flashlight</p></li>
<li><p>A power bank</p></li>
<li><p>Batteries</p></li>
<li><p>Bug spray</p></li>
<li><p>Suntan cream</p></li>
<li><p>A mess kit that includes a pocket stove</p></li>
<li><p>Some fuel</p></li>
<li><p>A steel mug</p></li>
<li><p>A spork</p></li>
<li><p>A lighter</p></li>
<li><p>Matches</p></li>
<li><p>Flint</p></li>
<li><p>A compass</p></li>
<li><p>A map</p></li>
<li><p>A whistle</p></li>
<li><p>Some zip bags</p></li>
<li><p>Some trash bags</p></li>
<li><p>A first-aid kit</p></li>
</ul>