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By Greg
From castle rock colorado
May 6, 2008
Me.

I'm either carrying too much gear, a way too heavy pack or a combo of both.
I need to find a better solution, so I weighed everything.

I weighed exactly 175lbs according to my home scale.

With my pack on, and my gear and rope, I weighed 208.

33 lbs

Weight list breakdown:

My pack with camelback, shoes, cbag, harness, + a couple extra lockers and a spare ATC = 10.5 lbs
Trad Rack = 6 lbs
Sport Rack = 6 lbs
60m 10.5 rope with Tarp Bag = 10 lbs
(32.5lbs +- by home scale)

I also normally have 2 lbs of various cordalette in the bottom of my pack. ( I weighed that too ).

This does not include, power bars, fleece, helmet, or anything else "extra" I might take.

1) How much does your stuff weigh?
2) Do you discuss what each person should bring or not bring before you go out to climb?
3) What are the best “go light” tips you use?
4) Pack/Rope/Gear weight saving thoughts?

Links:
My current pack = 4 lbs 4oz
possible replacement = 2 lbs 10oz

By Darren Mabe
From Goulder, CO
May 6, 2008
some day, some where, together in Indian Creek

make your partner carry the rope.
:)

By Lee Smith
May 6, 2008
You can love your rope but you can't "LOVE" your rope

Greg,

Your rack only weighs 6 pounds? My "rack" is a lot heavier than yours!

Seriously, it is. I found the only way to reduce weight is to split the load. On a big mountain climb 3 of us split the extra weight of technical gear (@33#) three ways, so we all only had 10 extra pounds plus our personal tech gear like shoes and harness.

I found that my rope and rack weigh virtually the same, so splitting the gear for a day of cragging is easy--you take the rope, I take the rack.

By MikeP
From Arvada, CO
May 6, 2008
Mike in the walkoff corridor on The Pear.

I'd go for a new pack - sounds like yours might be a bit dated... they make them with lighter material now that is 'almost' as durable.

Plus make the partner carry the rope.

By saxfiend
Administrator
From Atlanta, GA
May 6, 2008
Relaxing at the P1 belay of Fruit Loops at Rumbling Bald.

Lee Smith wrote:
Greg, Your rack only weighs 6 pounds? My "rack" is a lot heavier than yours! Seriously, it is.

No kidding! I'd love to be able to pare my total pack weight down to under 40 lb. Of course, when I've weighed mine, it includes not just climbing gear but the guidebook, camera, water and gatorade. At a guess, I'd say my rack alone weighs probably 15+.

JL

By Dave Wise
From Pinehurst, NC
May 6, 2008

I haven't weighed my gear, but based on the comments of some climbing partners such as "Holy crap this thing is heavy! What do you have in there?? I've replaced all of my old heavy biners with new lightweight ones. It's certainly made a big difference. Over the next year or so I'll also start replacing my older cams (mostly older Metolius and BD) with newer lightweight ones.

I also replaced my pack and just purchased a MH Splitter pack. Haven't been out climbing with it yet, but it seems to carry my gear more comfortably than my previous pack (Dana Snow Patrol).

I also split rope/rack carrying duties. When taking beginners, however, I sometimes end up carrying everything.

In the end, I rationalize carrying a lot of weight by telling myself that it's just some good ole fashioned exercise! (that's my story and I'm stickin' to it)

By Greg
From castle rock colorado
May 6, 2008
Me.

Lee Smith wrote:
Greg, Your rack only weighs 6 pounds? My "rack" is a lot heavier than yours! Seriously, it is....


My "rack" is twelve pounds.

I split the trad pro seperate from the slings/quickdraws I need for sport. That way if I go to a sport area I can leave half the rack home.

I take it all for trad days.

My trad rack has the reverso on it, the sport rack has the gri-gri :)

By Deaun Schovajsa
From Arvada, CO
May 6, 2008
climbers dinner in the high Sierra.  Dave G. about to add some protein to the stew

Trad rack = 6 lbs
Sport rack = 6 lbs Huh?

My sport rack is 12-15 draws, my trad rack is a hellova lot more. Sounds like you've pared down alot already...

Get a pack that weighs under 2 lbs, split up all of the technical gear with your partner and for really long humps, bring along a third that loves to hike but won't eat up time on the rock...hehe hehe

By Darren Mabe
From Goulder, CO
May 6, 2008
some day, some where, together in Indian Creek

leave the grigri and 2 lbs of cordellette at home. anchor in with the rope.

although, i would rather keep the grigri, and slam a liter of water before the approach.

you own a sherpa, deaun?
if not, can i be?
:)

By Not So Famous Old Dude
From Denver, CO
May 6, 2008

Greg posted a pic of his trad and sport (assuming just the draws) on another thread a while back. It include doubles of cams from small up to a BD #3. Looked like a very solid standard trad rack for multi-pitch, so I'm surprised so many people think they are carrying heavier racks. I've never weighed any of my gear. After I got into ice/alpine/wall climbing I quit worrying about weight. It's all so heavy that shaving a bit here and there is just an exercise in futility.

By Mark Cushman
From Erie, CO
May 6, 2008
Leading Diamond In The Crack (5.6) at the Red

Get a subman and make them carry everything and buy all the beer. Tell them you don't like to carry the pack because it makes your legs bigger and it would mess up your send on your 5.14d project.

Or you could do what I did and make your 2nd carry beer along by hiding it in the bottom of the hydration pack (Eiger Sanction style).

By Greg German
From Broomfield, CO
May 6, 2008
gg

I carry my stuff in a BD stubby haul bag, which isn't the lightest option. It's quite durable, though, and offers the bonus of instant packing/unpacking or use as a rope bucket because of the rigid sides.

I just loaded it up for Eldo (60mx10.3, shoes, harness, helmet, trad rack.)

It weighs 33 lbs.

That's with a lightweight HB carbon fiber helmet, skinny dyneema slings, all wirelock biners, and C4 Camalots.

The size 13 shoes don't lighten the load.

By Darren Mabe
From Goulder, CO
May 6, 2008
some day, some where, together in Indian Creek

Deaun Schovajsa wrote:
my trad rack is a hellova lot more.


not to mention all that brass you have to carry...

By Greg
From castle rock colorado
May 6, 2008
Me.

trad half = 6lbs


Sport Half = 6 lbs

By Deaun Schovajsa
From Arvada, CO
May 6, 2008
climbers dinner in the high Sierra.  Dave G. about to add some protein to the stew

Darren, you can't be my sherpa cause you climb too much...an ideal sherpa wants to hump a load and belay. I know that's not you!

As little as I climb, I coud be your sherpa, except I have spindly legs and no cardiac. I guess keep the approaches short, dude!

By Misha Tselman
From New York, NY
May 6, 2008

Looks reasonable to me.
As you mentioned, you may save a couple of pounds going to a lightweight pack. You can ditch the rope tarp where it is not necessary. I noticed you have 8 lockers on your sport rack plus you mention a couple of spare lockers just in the pack and that's not counting the one on reverso and one on gri-gri... Are you sure you are using that many?
2 lbs of random cordalette sounds like a total overkill.

By Darren Snipes
May 6, 2008
Bugabooed.....damn.   Self Portrait, Applebee Dome, Bugaboos, BC

Get a lighter rope. 10.5's are for climbers livin' in the 90's. I use a Petzl 9.4 70m for multipitch and an Edelweiss 10.0 60 for cragging. And I use an old 9.8 30m for shorter cliffs that we have around RR. That rope and sport gear only...sweet.

By Mark Nelson
From Coniferous, CO
May 6, 2008
 In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs.    Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth. <br /><br />The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve. <br /><br />After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning  mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that had never been  tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only "orphans" that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs.  The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger.<br />

Lighter rope (or split up twins) and lose some draws & lockers. Have your second bring more lockers. Put your passive on lighter notchless biners. I don't think you have enough small passive. Split up some gear with your partner for the approach & put the heavy stuff on your waist when you climb, as opposed to a shoulder sling.

Honestly, 33 lbs isn't that big a deal. Don't forget water, ends up being a weight problem for me more than anything. Those light approach shoes make a big difference to me. I'm keeping my cordalettes -- split up between the partners, but if you leapfrog, that rope rigging is the ticket.

By Jeff Barnow
From Boulder Co
May 6, 2008
What goes up must come down

There have been books fully dedicated to this subject and identifying what your goals are and how to pack accordingly. Are you looking to do long alpine routes where speed is key or are you just cragging and don't like lugging the weight?

I'd recommend reading some Mark Twight as he really breaks down climbing light and fast but like anything in life you must give to get...in climbing that can mean protection. At a minimum money for new fancy light biners, ropes and what not.

By Dave Pilot
From Boulder, CO
May 6, 2008
Jack Ripper

IMO, sport half looks about right for multi-pitch trad, although it looks kind of funny for a day of sports action in Rifle. Trad half looks light depending on where you go (e.g. Eldo). Looks like no micro stoppers, I wouldn't leave home without them. I usually carry double medium to small stoppers too. No cam bigger than a #3 Camelot? That's a bold statement in some places. I've never carried more than 3 Tri-cams (pink, red, and brown) on a pitch but I know other folks swear by them. Also, the extra ATC isn't really necessary; a Munter works in a clutch to belay and a biner brake works for a rap. All in all, I've learned that while high up on a multi-pitch trad route I'd much rather carry more gear than I need than need gear that I don't have. If you're going alpine, then that's a whole other story. For alpine, your rack looks a little heavy. Perhaps get rid of the doubles in cams. Leave the single length runners at home in favor of shoulder length and doubles. Bring a knife and rap rings.

By Ben Lyon
From Birmingham, AL
May 6, 2008
Post climb snack...<br /><br />If you were wondering, the guy is Strappo (could be my long lost brother according to one of my climbing partners), a famous British climber and madman. <br /><br />The photo was taken in the Yosemite Lodge parking lot in 1982. Russ Walling took the photo. Strappo provided the bread.....





Hot damn! NewCastle in cans!?! All we have is bottles...Alabama Beverage Control, how wrong you are!

...sorry.

By Ben Lyon
From Birmingham, AL
May 6, 2008
Post climb snack...<br /><br />If you were wondering, the guy is Strappo (could be my long lost brother according to one of my climbing partners), a famous British climber and madman. <br /><br />The photo was taken in the Yosemite Lodge parking lot in 1982. Russ Walling took the photo. Strappo provided the bread.....

saxfiend wrote:
...At a guess, I'd say my rack alone weighs probably 15+. JL


When John (saxfiend) unpacks his Calirfornia Roll, the Earth trembles...

By Kevin Stricker
From Evergreen, CO
May 6, 2008
Noah's first rope...kinda.

I'm guessing you could shave about 3 pounds with new biners. Trango Superfly and Superfly lockers. Also 2 pounds in cordalettes sounds like a collection to me. 60m of 6mm cord only weights 6 pounds.

My recomendation besides the biners would be to get a BD speed pack, which is JUST big enough for everything you would need on a long alpine day. The smaller your pack the less gear you will bring.

PS great trad rack....I'll carry that anyday!

By Mark Ferguson
May 6, 2008

Good rack, however, you could really lighten it up with the following:
Replace every biner with a BD OZ. OZ=1 ounce. Get rid of the aliens and buy a set of BD C3's - they are lighter and better. Lose the tricams and BD nuts. Buy one set of DMM wall nuts, they are lighter and much better than the BD ones. Unless you are in Indian creek, why do you need double 3, 2 and 1 camalots? How about one of each BD C4's - .5-3. Do this and your rack will be so light you won't believe it.

By saxfiend
Administrator
From Atlanta, GA
May 6, 2008
Relaxing at the P1 belay of Fruit Loops at Rumbling Bald.

Ben Lyon wrote:
When John (saxfiend) unpacks his Calirfornia Roll, the Earth trembles...

Look upon my rack, ye puny, and despair! heh heh. I'm detecting California Roll envy . . .

Actually, Ben, you'd have been real proud of me this past weekend at Jamestown. I pared down my rack drastically -- I think my only doubles were red and gold camalots. I was determined to use passive pro more often, and I managed to place more passive gear than cams on all but one lead. That included some nice big hex placements as well as some of my seldom-used bigger tricams!

But I still had to have doubles in gatorade.

JL

By Ben Lyon
From Birmingham, AL
May 7, 2008
Post climb snack...<br /><br />If you were wondering, the guy is Strappo (could be my long lost brother according to one of my climbing partners), a famous British climber and madman. <br /><br />The photo was taken in the Yosemite Lodge parking lot in 1982. Russ Walling took the photo. Strappo provided the bread.....

saxfiend wrote:
Look upon my rack, ye puny, and despair! heh heh. I'm detecting California Roll envy . . .


Maybe. Moreso, that you have the drive and ability to hump that huge collection of gear to the crag. You sir, are tough.

saxfiend wrote:
Actually, Ben, you'd have been real proud of me this past weekend at Jamestown. I pared down my rack drastically -- I think my only doubles were red and gold camalots. I was determined to use passive pro more often, and I managed to place more passive gear than cams on all but one lead. That included some nice big hex placements as well as some of my seldom-used bigger tricams!


You da man. Light is right! Headed to J.T. this Saturday if you're around.

saxfiend wrote:
But I still had to have doubles in gatorade. JL


Amen to that. It's getting hot...no more TWall for me til Fall.


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