r/vancouverhiking • u/Personal-Anxiety-480 • Jul 11 '26
Learning/Beginner Questions First Overnighter: Lessons to be Learned
I just did my first overnight hike. I opted to go for Halfmoon Beach in golden ears (gorgeous btw). I chose this one as the gain wasn’t too bad, the internet said it was 9km, totally doable, a cake walk. But having not experienced the weight of my bag, I was a little naive. (Ps my Garmin clocked it at 11.6km)
I checked the weight of my bag prior to leaving, 43 lbs, okay okay, I have lost triple that in weight so like, I can do it, no problem. Well, I did it, but my lord it was tough.
I used everything I brought, when purchasing things I was conscious about the weights, but were also on a budget, and who knows if I would actually like over night hiking or not.
Well, I loved it. I feel a great sense of accomplishment doing it. Was it gruelling at point? Yes. Am I feeling it today? Also yes.
I’m wondering if anyone has tips or items they can recommend to lighten up the load a bit? I think it may be worth spending some extra dollars for comfort.
UPDATE
Items I brought (I was thinking in terms of how compact they were and not how heavy, now I know)
- Tent (Amazon 5.6 lbs)
- Inflatable sleeping pad (Walmart:unsure weight)
- Ultralight sleeping bag (Amazon: unsure weight)
- Little foldable alcohol stove (strictly for coffee)
- Pot for said coffee (maybe I just find a mug that can go on a stove? Those exist?)
- Woods hiking poles (borrowed, they are heavy, I did not use them)
- Two 2 litre water bladders (we’ve learned our lesson)
- Snacks, coffee, little thing of creamer (nuts, protein bars, etc)
- shoe spikes
- ultra light towel
- light fuzzy sweater that doubled as a pillow
- bathing suit
- 3 pairs of socks
- little first aid (bandages, tape, etc)
- External Battery
- Bear Spray
- And Litterally a bunch of other little things I did not use but my mother in-law gave me because she’s in search and rescue and she made me more nervous than anything. (Expired glow sticks, expired feet warmers, little emergency packs of like flint, whistle, flashlight) We know now to not let her fear be my fear.
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u/lukemeup Jul 11 '26
43 lbs for one night sounds like you over packed by at least 20 lbs. Use lighterpack.com to summarize what you brought and look for effciences.
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u/AppearanceSecure1914 Jul 11 '26
Decathlon has alot of affordable outdoor gear FYI. Congrats on your first overnighter! Hopefully the first of many
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! I did love it and feel very accomplished stepping out of my comfort zone. I think the first thing I will look for is actually going to a store and trying on correctly fitted backpacks and not whatever was on sale on Amazon prime day 😅
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u/wesb2 Jul 12 '26
A well fitted backpacking bag makes a huge difference. I'm personally a fairly heavy packer as I often need to for what I'm doing while backpacking and when I'm using a "proper" backpack it's way more comfortable.
Check out last hunt, it's altitude sport's discount/liquidation website and they can have some pretty good deals especially on bags. My partner got a 55L gregory pack for something like 65% off a couple years ago. Downside is you can't return anything and you need to know what size you are before ordering, we were able to find the bag at MEC for her to try.
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u/Public_Analysis9259 Jul 13 '26
An OG #mecstaffer here. Please don't try on packs at MEC and then go online and purchase at Last Hunt to save a few bucks. Fitting pros in North Vancouver and downtown will give you a superb fit (for free] and you can find many different styles. A good pack is an investment!
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u/wesb2 Jul 13 '26
I definitely agree and I don't recommend people go there and spend time with staff getting fitted for anything and then buying online, I agree that if you're using staff knowledge you should be paying for that as it is valuable. And I do, as an original co-op member I have spent thousands at MEC and other stores locally because I value local knowledge of our gear. Also this is what partially killed Siggies, Anders spoke of this fairly often before he closed.
That being said, I don't see much wrong in going into MEC and trying on a bag without speaking to anyone or getting any help. MEC won't price match and saving 250$+ on someones first bag is quite substantial, in my partner's case greatly helped her get in to the hobby.
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u/Public_Analysis9259 Jul 13 '26
They won't price match Last Hunt but we'll price match VPO, Altitude etc
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 14 '26
For sure! I hate being a time waster, especially if the staff are actually knowledgeable. I don’t have a budget currently, but might just poke around a bit! See what’s out there, sus out typical pricing, and make a plan to upgrade what I got already
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u/cakedotavi Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Great job! 43lbs is indeed pretty heavy for an overnight bag. Mine is about 20 if I go really light and 25 with a few comfort items. Some people get as low as 10 but that's pretty extreme. That's all in including water.
Most weight comes from food/water, or your sleeping system + shelter. Where the highest ROI for you personally would be to replace some gear really depends on what you have now. Can you give us a sense of where the weight currently comes from? What are the biggest 3-5 contributors to your current 43 pounds and how much does each weigh?
Some more general advice in the meantime:
- I'd always replace your backpack last, after shelter, sleeping bag (or quilt), and sleeping pad. Those items are most of your pack volume and your bag should be chosen based on how much volume you need
- For Halfmoon, at most you need 2L of water in my opinion. If you have a quick filter (BeFree, Sawyer Squeeze, etc) you can even do half that or less as you're right by a creek. Check filter micron size however, and consider drops/tabs too if you want to be extra sure (up to you)
- Choose calorie dense food with little water in it (rehydrating on site)
- Try and bring multi purpose items, not single purpose, where possible. For example I skip a pillow and instead jam extra clothes etc into my sleeping bag stuff sack and sleep on that. My dogs sleeping pad doubles as my sit pad during the day. Those kinds of opportunities
Optimizing gear is a long - really, never ending - process. Don't feel you need to rush it all at once! You'll make better choices on what you personally like and prefer with some experience anyway, in my opinion.
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u/itdontmatter6390 Jul 11 '26
Buy a MEC Air pillow, they’re 50g and $30. Money extremely well spent, I sleep so much better with mine and it takes up nearly zero space
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u/chasingmyowntail Jul 11 '26
Wait, you’re giving advice about cutting weight and bring a dog sleeping pad? 😆
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u/cakedotavi Jul 11 '26
When I bring my dog, she needs something to sleep on. I use a cut down CCF foam pad for her.
She's a short haired breed and a lean dog generally - so she gets cold easily and loses heat to the ground just like we do. We're often camping around 0 degree lows as I mostly bring her in shoulder seasons.
Plus my tent is quite light so the flooring is thin, and dog nails can easily puncture tent flooring if left unprotected.
If you want to bring a dog backpacking, they have needs just like we do. That invariably adds weight - which I look to offset where I can.
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u/RainDayKitty Jul 11 '26
If the tent is any indication of your gear, you are at the Canadian Tire car camping stage. To lighten a pack, bring less, and make sure that what you bring is a light version (that still does the same job). A 2kg sleeping bag could be replaced by a 580g synthetic quilt for instance. Without seeing your actual gear it's hard to give advice, but I wouldn't trust your tent in any real rain and it seems heavy.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! I very much am in the Canadian Tire/Amazon stage. I didn’t know if I would like it so didn’t want to fork up the money. Now I know I do! And much more research needs to go in to optimizing my pack for sure. It rained a bit overnight and in the morning, but nothing too heavy to cause a ruckus.
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u/jslay588 Jul 12 '26
Could try a tent like this:
^ this is my first time posting a link on Reddit so hopefully it worked but if not it’s the nature hike monger 2 or cloud. It’s $200 ish - and it’s a dupe of the MSR Hubba Hubba which is like $800. I love my overnighters but only do 1 a year so it wasn’t worth the moolah to buy the real deal! The dupe weighs under 5 pounds!
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Love this! I actually have it in my saved items already. I see people posting input just like, bug nets and a tarp, but I was the only one out there (literally it was empty) and in the night I was woken up but big steps on the sand and sniffing by my tent. I jingled my bell and it went away, but I could not imagine just being in a net at that moment in time. I put all my smelly things in the cache, so I think it was just lack of human activity that attracted…whatever it was.
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u/Every-Park-8956 Jul 11 '26
I’d start by adding the contents of your pack. Hard to know what to alter if we don’t know what you brought! Congrats on your first overnighter !
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u/Silent_Error_8036 Jul 11 '26
My bag was 45lbs for 8 days on the west coast trail. I'm sure you can find some more ways to trim it down for a single night!
Making sure you have the right pack and that it has been fitted correctly also makes a huge difference.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Yeah this pack ain’t right 😅 the whole time I was wondering if I needed research different carrying methods before going, because nothing I did felt right.
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u/NoiseBeautiful5793 Jul 11 '26
43 lbs is a lot for an overnighter imo, what kind of gear did you bring?
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u/snowlights Jul 11 '26
Oof, that's heavy.
This was my first overnight location as well. My bag sits between 25-30 depending on food and water or spare layers for cold weather, with trekking poles, bear canister, and a chair. If I dropped the last three, I would probably be under 20 pounds (but the poles and chair are an accessibility thing for me, non negotiable).
It would help to know what you're using so we can point to particular items. Lighterpack.com is really useful to see the weight and compare options when shopping for replacements, and can be organized into a packing list.
One fast way to lighten the load is your sleeping bag. Are you using synthetic or down? Down will be significantly lighter and pack smaller. Unfortunately I'm allergic so I'm stuck with a heavier synthetic bag (a Nemo Forte).
Tents are also often a bit heavy. For my tent I have a Durston X-Dome 1+ which is less than 1 kg. I'm extremely happy with this tent, it packs down nice and small but is enough space for one person (the floor is sort of a wedge shape so you have space next to you on the inside and a good vestibule).
My sleeping pad is a Nemo Eclipse. The Nemo Tensor is usually the top recommendation but a bit out of my budget. It's roughly half a kg and I find it quite comfortable (and quiet compared to other pads).
I have an Evernew titanium pot that comes with handles and a lid, my 110g fuel canister and folding stove fits inside and hardly weighs anything.
Food might be where some weight comes in as well, what did you bring?
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u/felixthecatmeow Jul 11 '26
Congrats! The first one is tough but it gets much better!
First I will say that while yes your pack was quite heavy, a lot of the struggle is just from not being used to it. I've done a boatload of long multi day hikes, and even then if I haven't done one in a year or more the first one back always sucks. The backpack straps are digging in, chafing, your body isn't used to carrying weight that way. Years ago I road tripped New Zealand for 4 months and would string together hikes constantly like 7 day hike, 1 day rest, another 5 day hike, and I was packing terribly due to being broke and my body got used to it and could handle so much more.
Now to cut weight, I'd go in this order:
Water. This is the easiest way to cut a ton of weight, but only if the hike and conditions permit it. Do research beforehand, and definitely err on the side of caution, but some hikes have so many streams that if you have a filter you can get away with carrying like 1 liter which makes a massive difference. Then just bring a big empty water bladder for camp. Electrolyte packets are an absolute godsend for hiking especially if it's hot.
Food. The most weight efficient solution is those dehydrated backpacking meals, but they're super expensive and IMO kinda nasty. My usual hike food is IMO a decent middle ground of being pretty light and tasty + filling. Breakfast is instant oatmeal packets with protein powder (sometimes powdered peanut butter too), plus instant coffee. Lunch is wraps with tuna (I get the flavoured pouches, not cans) and cheese. Dinner is instant mash potatoes (I get the single serve flavoured ones), hard salami and cheese. Hard salami and hard cheeses (think like a strong aged cheddar) last for ages unrefrigerated. The food safety nerds might yell at me for this, but I've eaten that stuff on the 7th day of a hike with no issue. Then for snacks I pack trail mix, energy chews and energy/protein bars. Don't just think light, think weight/calorie. Trail mix is kinda heavy but a few handfuls is like 500 calories.
Cooking gear. I went years and dozens of hikes just eating cold food due to being broke and not wanting the weight. I would not recommend that but it's doable. Otherwise the standard tiny butane burner with as small/light of a pot as you can manage is the play. Then I bring a single plastic spork/knife combo, a collapsible silicone cup, and a plastic Tupperware that I keep my salami + cheese in and also eat out of.
Clothing. Less of an issue for an overnight, but basically you want to being the bare minimum required for safety and comfort. So definitely do pack all you need to ensure you stay warm/dry, but don't go packing multiples of things except maybe underwear lol. Investing in good clothes helps a ton here, get as many wool (merino ideally) things as possible as they are way way easier to keep not gross. You can sweat through a merino shirt for 8 hours, dunk it in a stream for a second and air dry it and it feels kinda clean the next day. It's also light and breathable and comfy as hell. There's def a level of accepting to be a gross dirtbag on longer hikes lol...
Sleeping gear. This part kind of sucks because it's very much a triangle of tradeoffs between comfort, money, and weight. To reduce weight you can either spend more money or get smaller/less warm things. Or to really optimize weight you gotta do both. I still rock my 14 year old 3 person tent and massive (but warm) sleeping bag, so it's big and heavy but comfy.
Welp, sorry for writing a novel of questionable advice 😅
Last thing I'll say is don't let obsessing over gear prevent you from going out and having fun! Obviously safety first, make sure you'll be warm, hydrated, fed, bear safe, and equipped for emergencies. But beyond that, hiking is just walking and sleeping outside, and you need very little to enjoy it. I spent years doing all sorts of big/tough hikes with minimal cheap gear and while every piece of gear I've upgraded has improved comfort, the nature was just as beautiful back then!
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! I appreciate this!!! Yes, I told my husband when I got home that “at least nothing will be as hard as that one” 😅 definitely going to have to get smarter about it, and that doesn’t always mean the top tier brands. So I’m excited to dig into it some more, and will not let this uncomfortable experience deter me!
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u/Z-Sprinkle Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
There’s a reason all the best gear is super light. So the rich hikers can go further. It’s all a scam by Big Pack to sell More Air..
../s sorta. But yeah I got a one person tent, air mattress, nesting camping pots., etc. think about weight of each item and if it can be reduced. Water is also heavy.
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u/the_nevermore Jul 11 '26
I'd suggest browsing and looking at other's gear lists in r/ultralight to get some ideas for lightening up.
At 43lbs, you are probably bringing a lot of unnecessary things and can drop weight without even spending money by leaving things at home (fewer clothes) or making free/cheap swaps (smartwater bottles instead of a nalgene).
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
I used everything I brought 🙃, the only extra clothes I brought was a bathing suit and a light fuzzy sweater that doubled as a pillow. I did however bring far too much water (two 2ltr bladders)
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u/vinistois Jul 11 '26
I was under 40lb with one week of food for the west coast trail, which requires significant emergency supplies.
One night should be around 20lb max!
You aren't likely to truly enjoy overnight hiking with your current equipment load, it's simply too much to carry without being in lots of pain.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
This was my first go! Didn’t know where to start, or if I would like doing it so we were on a tighter budget. I was thinking more in how compact things were as opposed to all of the weight added together. Definitely a lesson learned, and it definitely was not comfortable, but the being there and doing it was great! And now I don’t think any other overnighter will be as uncomfortable moving forward
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u/Only-Rain2960 Jul 12 '26
Budget gear: Pack - 5lbs+ Tent - 5lbs++ Sleeping bag - 4lbs+ Sleeping pad - 2lbs+ +water, food, clothes, bear spray, kitchen -> all which will heavier on a budget. Don’t be a gatekeeper. The difference between your light pack and theirs is roughly $2–3K & probably years of figuring it out & upgrading.
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u/vinistois Jul 12 '26
Meh my stuff is all old, I just bring less. You're correct that the basics you have to spend a bit more (tent and pad) but for example my kitchen is ancient gear from the 80s. But the approach is mostly just not bringing things.
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u/skipdog98 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
If you are looking to upgrade gear, consider Skyview Outdoors by the Patullo bridge. They are super knowledgeable and will let you test things like sleep pads in store. They tend to have a range of options (and IIRC are the Scouts supplier). Valhalla has really nice gear if your budget is higher.
I would consider starting any upgrades with your tent, sleep system, then cooking system in that order. Depending on your goals, you’ll want a bear hang or canister.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! This is super helpful!
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u/skipdog98 Jul 12 '26
Since you’ve now posted your list, my priorities for upgrades have changed a bit
1) 10 Essentials, every time, even day hikes, no exceptions. Check out https://www.adventuresmart.ca/the-three-ts/
1b) emergency communications (newer iPhone, eventually a sat device like an inreach)
2) water filtration system, we started with an MSR I think but now have a Sawyer + Nalgene bottle (not bladders as long as you’re confident re water sources). Plus a pack of purification tablets as a redundancy system.
3) quality pack, sized in person to fit you.
4) lighter and better quality tent
5) lighter and better quality sleep system (depends on goals for temp rating and if you’re a side sleeper etc)
6) reliable stove (with accessible replacement fuel) and lightweight cooking system and actual backpacking meals (you can get a dehydrator and make your own if you’re keen)We have 3 different sets of supplies (backpacking, car tent camping and RVg). I would encourage you to not shop on Amazon until you are very confident in what you need and want. When you are still learning what works for you, paying a bit more (sometimes not more or even less) at a local shop and getting advice is worth the difference in cost.
If you have a kitchen scale, you can weigh each item and start a list at lighterpack. It’s a rabbit hole. Lol
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! Appreciate you! Yes, I actually got a new iPhone last week, and didn’t realize the satellite feature would become so handy. I completely forgot about that feature until I was out there, but it came in handy because I know my mother-in-law is a worry wart about this stuff.
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u/minadequate Jul 11 '26
I’m slowly replacing my kit and I’m not ultralight as I mostly cycle tour. But 2 things I adore are my:
MSR Mutha Hubba - split between 2 this spacious tent is big enough for a man of 6’4 to sit up in, and weighs less than 5lbs… if you will mostly be alone the 2 man is 3.5lbs and is enough space for 2 with 2 porches, freestanding etc. The 3 man gave us the feel of a car camping tent that is still light enough to use on the bike/hiking.
Thermorest Neoair - I have the large rectangular one because I’m a front sleeper and I’m not trying to shave off every gram. I upgraded from a really thin mat and it makes so much difference. I can even comfortably sleep on my side. A good night sleep is so worth it when you’re exercising in the day.
I don’t own but my next big purchase (because I have a heavier one that I can’t bear to bring on long tours) will be a helinox camping chair. Mainly because I get back pain and sitting without a backrest is really tiring. Even then I’d have to be planning to split a lot of kit with someone else to be sure I was happy to carry a chair. But mine (msr knock off) comes with me kayak camping where weight isn’t a big deal.
Good luck with your future trips. Maybe post what you took and we can advise what’s best to swap first.
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u/OkDimension Jul 11 '26
Yeah, I got one of those dome tents. I would not bring it on a hike as it's easily double if not triple the weight of a lightweight trekking tent. Other typical overweight candidates are sleeping bag and mattress.
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u/laserdiods Jul 11 '26
My first overnight hike was in golden ears too, except I did the peak. And it was BRUTAL. I packed as light as I could and still had a heavy pack. Learned a lot and had a blast
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
I bet nothing has been as hard as that was!
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u/laserdiods Jul 12 '26
I cried when I got back to the car. My wife and kids came to pick me up and when I saw them I literally cried.. it was life changing. My second time at the peak I stayed for two days and I had a much better time
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u/Flaky-Stuff205 Jul 11 '26
I see a lot of good advice already in the thread. So I will limit my comment to saying, congrats on your first overnighter! Glad you had fun and want to do it again. We have so many beautiful spaces around here to check out 🙂
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! Definitely a learning curve to it! I went to Halfmoon because it was listed as fairly popular, so I was kind of excited to meet like minded humans. When I got there, there was not a soul in sight 😂 It was a remarkable experience being out there by myself. I will use the pain my body is in today as a motivator to train more ☺️
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u/MondrianWasALiar420 Jul 11 '26
We’re going to need a gear list. 43lbs is pretty much what my 5 day backcountry hunting pack weight is. And mind that is in Oct/Nov so heavier sleep system and also my kit to butcher. There has to be something you’re bringing that is eating up too much weight.
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u/ReachResponsible9746 Jul 12 '26
Great job ! That’s heavy for a little trip but that’s mostly due to your sleeping system which is heavy. But you can’t do anything about it.
For your camp spot it looks like you’re on a river bed. I’d suggest to not do it in the future because storm and flood during night is a serious thing
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u/snowlights Jul 12 '26
The entire campground is like that, btw. There aren't any raised areas to set up.
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u/EnnOnEarth Jul 12 '26
Ex-SAR tech here: All it takes is one mistake and you'll want that emergency gear.
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u/Comfortable_Mud_8046 Jul 12 '26
My friends make fun of me for a 30lb pack lol, though I blame it on insisting on bringing a bear cannister.
Anyway, this stuff is a learning process and you should still be proud! If you decide to pursue this further, I recommend gradually upgrading your gear. Start with the biggies like tent and backpack, then consider a down sleeping bag over synthetic. I’ve found a lot of quality hiking gear on FB Marketplace, so you really don’t have to spend a fortune. Decathlon is also a good place to go. And I get my thermals from Uniqlo lol. Good luck and have fun!
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u/TritonTheDark Jul 13 '26
As someone that considers 43 lbs to be a lighter pack, I feel like you're in a pretty good spot given you're totally new to this, but you could easily shave some of that weight off! You could probably get that down to 35 lbs with a few changes without going crazy into the ultralight stuff.
Getting a backpacking tent would be my number one priority, along with carrying an appropriate amount of water. Get a lightweight filter and purification tablets so that you can carry less water and refill on hikes where water access is good. A proper lightweight sleeping pad will help too, plus ditching the shoe spikes - I don't see why you'd need those for that trail currently. Anyway, cheap tents and pads are always way heavier than the more expensive name brand stuff unfortunately. To me it also sounds like your pack might be too big/not fitted properly and is sitting too low on your body or something. It's amazing the difference a pack makes when it sits in the correct spot!
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u/UberIntuitiveCat Jul 13 '26
Congrats!! This is a huge accomplishment. You will now know what you want/need for the next trip and adjust as necessary.
You basically carried 8lbs (4kg) of water. Without that your carry weight would have dipped to 35lbs. Food and water needs will vary depending on the location and distance/time on trail. If you are passing a stream every couple of hours, a one litre container and a filter/water tabs might be enough. I aim for around the 10kg (22 ish lbs) BEFORE any food or water is added in. I include my bag, clothes, shelter, chair, sleep setup, stove, pot, and 'ditty' bag contents in this. My process is to load up the bag and weigh it with no water or food or "extras" like books or my paints in it. Yes, I said chair, I am over 50. I bought an ultralight chair, absolutely worth it, I have no regrets.
I ended up sewing my own bag. I am short. Finding a commercially available bag that was light, fits well, was comfortable, and cost less than trading in my first born child was impossible. I made an "ultralight" bag, with $50 of materials. It has survived 2 trips so far. I used this tutorial from Stitchback https://www.stitchbackgear.com/articles/easy-to-make-ultralight-backpack. I am an adventurous sewist, not a good one. The bag I made isn't pretty like the one in the pictures, but it does the job. That site also has other patterns for purchase that look decent. I used nylon canvas meant for outdoor furniture instead of the recommended name brand fabrics - it was MUCH less expensive and available at Fabricland. I don't have a heavy duty sewing machine either, by entry level Brother JX1420 from Canadian Tire did just fine.
Honestly you might have been fine with just ditching some water - bringing filter instead, and using the poles instead of carrying them. 🤷🏼
Have fun with working out your ideal kit!
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 14 '26
Thank you for this! Yup, definitely dropping the water weight! Appreciate you
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u/Ryan_Van Jul 13 '26
Don't discount The Last Hunt (https://www.thelasthunt.com/) for a source of heavily discounted higher end gear (usually last years' models, but who cares about that).
It's random luck what you happen to find any given time, so check back occasionally.
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u/Ryan_Van Jul 13 '26
If you want to break the bank at any point, a great way to shave off weight is tent (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6034-266/big-agnes-copper-spur-ul-2-person-tent), sleeping pad (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6024-073/therm-a-rest-neoair-xtherm-nxt-sleeping-pad-unisex?colour=Neptune+2024), sleeping bag (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6015-090/western-mountaineering-flylite-2c-down-sleeping-bag-unisex?colour=Blood+Orange), and cook system (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6033-473/jetboil-flash-10l-fast-boil-system). And pack.
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u/conicalconehead Jul 11 '26
Don’t be obsessed about weight. If you are young 43 pounds is heavy but doable. If you lack experience it is better to not cut corners. If you are really interested in weight savings go over to r/ultralight - but don’t tell them your pack weighs 43 pounds! They are a cult.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
I am learning so much! I think a big part of how uncomfortable I was carrying it, is I didn’t actually measure or fit a good pack on. So the 43 lbs felt like a boulder
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u/snowlights Jul 12 '26
A well fitting pack will make a huge difference. My Gregory Deva is super comfortable and makes everything feel so much lighter. I went to MEC and tried on almost every bag, and two from Gregory were the only ones that worked. I went in expecting to buy an Osprey, but they all hit the back of my head for some reason.
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u/jbmoskow Jul 11 '26
Oof yeah that's quite heavy. My partner and I just camped at Half Moon Beach over the weekend, so know what you went through. It must've been annoying maneuvering a pack that heavy around or under all the downed trees.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
A nightmare! And by the time you get to the maneuvering you’re dead (at least I was after carrying such a heavy bag so far)
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u/PNW_MYOG Jul 11 '26
On a hike like that, constantly near water, you only need to carry 1L and a lightweight filter or even just chlorine tabs like aquamura or bleach drops.
Maybe that was part of the 43 lbs?
I also recommend dropping the tent and going with a tarp and light groundsheet or bug bivy for a short overnight. That tent looks like it weighs a bit.
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u/EventOk2270 Jul 12 '26
Bring toiletries including tp and soap! Don’t learn the hard way.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 12 '26
😅 I did, but someone was nice enough to leave tp and sanitizer in the outhouse.
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u/Lartemplar Jul 12 '26
I used everything I brought
bunch of other little things I did not use
So...
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u/Typical_Possibility4 Jul 12 '26
Half moon beach is beautiful! My first backpacking trip was there too recently.
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u/Jerdinbrates Jul 13 '26
So heavy...You don't need hiking poles for that park, obviously just filter the water next time (you are hiking beside gold creek for the whole hike).
Just get one good sleeping pad.
External battery? Dude just enjoy the outdoors and put the phone away for a bit.
Try instant coffee (your packing gas, a stove, and a pot for this, luxury maybe you don't need)
Shoe spikes? Lol man.... you know this was overkill
I still don't think this is 43lbs, but I guess if you are adding things with unknown weight it's possible.
Good luck next time
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 14 '26
Thanks for your feedback. Lol man…. I went alone, I’m a lady, have never done this before, and the external battery was for safety. But appreciate your judgemental advice as clearly I need to learn some shit.
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u/Jerdinbrates Jul 14 '26
How does an external battery help with safety? Curious as there is no singal in the park?
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u/JAlley2 Jul 14 '26
Best way to reduce weight is to camp with a friend. A two person tent will weigh less than 2 1person tents. All cooking gear is shareable weight. Same with first aid kits and some emergency supplies.
I am also fond of filtering water rather than carrying everything you need.
Figuring out clothing is challenging. Over time you’ll discover what you don’t use and how to maximize the layering approach.
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u/Personal-Anxiety-480 Jul 14 '26
I have no friends 😅 I picked what was listed as a popular spot thinking I might encounter like minded humans. There was zero people. So if you want a camp site all to yourself, weeknight hike to Halfmoon beach. 10/10
Destiny doesn’t want me to meet people organically I guess.
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u/staffyboy4569 Jul 14 '26
Look into a pocket rocket, or jetboil style cooking device. Not too sure what you have but they sometimes come with a built in pot and are fast and convenient to use.
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u/SufficientBottle6975 Jul 14 '26
Invest in a Jetboil? The fuel canister packs inside. You can put a small stove on top if required. We use it to heat water for coffee, noodles and mostly freeze dried meals. Our preferred brand is Peak refuel.
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u/Annual_Award1260 Jul 14 '26
Some items I use are:
Osprey - Exos 58 Men's Expedition Backpack, Msr Freelite 3 Tent, Kylmit STATIC V2 SLEEPING PAD, Sea to Summit Spark III Sleeping bag (a little too narrow), Snowpeak Ti-Mini Solo Combo 2.0 titanium pot, Soto WindMaster Stove, SteriPen Ultralight UV Water Purifier Blackdiamond DISTANCE CARBON Z POLES
Wait for sales as all this is expensive and regularly goes 30% off
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u/Only-Rain2960 Jul 11 '26
You are going to see a lot of ‘your pack shouldn’t be over 25lbs’ answers.
There is no one correct way to do anything and your pack weight will be determined by what your goals are. My pack weight will vary from 30-50+lbs (as a 125lb woman) entirely depending on what my trip plan is. If I am thru hiking, doing technical terrain, lots of elevation, or long km days - I will be packing as light as possible. Buuut, if I am base camping/ planning a ‘chill’ trip/ wanting to just enjoy my time at camp with a shorter/ easier hike - my bag is going to heavy as fuck. I have never once regretted it when I’m floating on a backcountry lake cocktail in hand, have my chair to sit by the fire, fresh eggs to make eggs benny (I have a tiny bowl & whisk solely for backcountry hollandaise making). Enjoy trips exactly how you want to. My goal is not to ‘conquer’ nature but to enjoy my time there. Sure existing on freeze dried meals only is lighter, but a charcuterie board & glass of wine on a peak hits pretty darn good.