Re: How much weight are you really carrying?

Chris Townsend wrote:

What causes this difference? Rounding errors! These tiny errors can
add up, especially if you weigh a large number of small items. But
if you weigh the whole lot together in a single measurement, there
won't be any rounding errors, so you get the most accurate result.

If you want to be really accurate do both.

Of course. Weighing individually is good for planning what to pack.

5. Put on all your gear and weigh yourself, then subtract your
optimum bodyweight from the result. That's how much you're *really*
carrying! it
may be easier just to cut a few calories from your diet, exercise a
little more, and lose some excess bodyweight instead.

That makes some difference but not as much as you might think.

I disagree. You may not be so aware of it, but you're still carrying it. The
reason you don't notice it so much is that you carry it every day, so
relatively speaking you're primarily aware of the additional weight of the
sack, not your everyday extra weight.

However, some time ago I started a thread called "Why is my rucksack getting
heavier?" because over the years I'd noticed that my rucksack seemed harder
and harder to carry every time I went out, even though I was going to great
pains to pack less and less. It finally dawned on me that it was my own
increasing body weight that was the problem.

In recent years I put on three extra stone, which was almost an extra
rucksack, so it was like carrying two full packs! You might not notice one
stone difference, but it's hard not to notice the difference that three
makes. Recently I've lost a stone so I only have two more to go. I can't say
I've noticed any difference yet, but I'm sure there is a difference.

Getting
fitter is more important (this tends to involve weight loss but not
necessarily).

Absolutely. There are many different factors involved. As a friend of mine
used to say "you carry fat, but muscle carries you". So it isn't just your
BMI that's important, the percentage of muscle and fat are critical too, as
is cardio-vascular fitness.

On multi-month walks I have lost a stone in weight.
Packs still feel just as heavy.

I know. I'm sure this is down to the fact that it's an unbalanced load,
placed high up on the body, with the weight pressing down on just a few
points, primarily the waist and shoulders. I've often noticed this on summer
backpacking trips. When walking in cold/wet weather, wearing lots of gear,
the rucksack feels really light. But when the blazing hot sun comes out and
I switch to shorts and t-shirt, packing all my gear into my pack, it feels
much heavier. Yet I'm still carrying the same amount!

So although it feels heavier, it isn't. It's just the discomfort of the
weight distibuted less evenly. Is there any evidence to suggest that a
different distribution of weight will consume more energy in carrying it?

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk


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