Weights & Measures – part 3

Across France in Spring – budding Champagne vines…

Expendable Weight: weight that declines toward zero at a relatively constant rate over the course a known period of time. This class of weight declines at a steady pace over the whole span of a walk. With a bit of time and forethought, the rate of decay can be calculated for supplies such as vitamins, medications, toothpaste, toiletries, razor blades, foot care kit, batteries, film and fuel.

It’s always beneficial shift one class of weight to another to a higher (more temporary) one. Trail guides, for example, don’t have to be static or temporary weight, but can be expendable, if you remove pages as you move along the trail. These are excellent candidates for minimizing weight, partly because paper can absorb quite a bit of moisture, and water is heavy.

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Trailside iris along the trail beyond Auxerre, France…

Weights and Measures – part 4

Insurance Weight: weight of safety and emergencies gear and supplies you hope will never be needed, such as a first aid kit, emergency rations, whistle, signaling mirror, etc.

Exactly how much of what you carry “just in case” can be a vexing question. Nobody likes the expense of insurance, but is always happy to have it when disaster strikes. Just as with automobile or home insurance, a balance needs to be struck. How lucky do you feel? How confident are you that you can make field repairs or reach safety in case of emergency? Are you a MacGyver? We can assume that all weight slows us down, so minimizing it means we can move to safer ground or reach the next village quicker, but it would be foolhardy not carry a few essentials such as a flashlight and whistle.

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…turn left at the old iron calvaire (cross)…

Weights and Measures – Weighing an Ultralight Load

Here are a few definitions and ways of considering different aspects of the loads we carry on backpacking trips. You don’t have to wait for your next long trek to practice and plan for the lightest possible load. Any trip, whether weekends away with a suitcase, or a daily commute, is an opportunity to test your ideas and practice the concepts of ultralight travel.

A key goal of longwalking is to carry the lightest, most efficient load consistent with achieving your purpose. (more…)

Walking across France on the Grandes Randonnées GR 654…

Weights & Measures – part 5

Temporary or Accumulated Weight: weight added and carried for a brief period and then removed, sent home, left behind, or disposed. You don’t have to be a packrat to find you have more stuff at the end of a day than you started out. I constantly acquire various guide books, maps, souvenirs, brochures, post cards, receipts, food packaging and the like as I make my way from village to village. Tourist offices offer a ton (well, almost) of materials about the local region. A lot of it is useful, at least for a while. But soon, it becomes a substantial burden that needs to be managed, which means disposed of in one way or another.

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Walking across France… days of color that never ends…

Weights & Measures – part 2

Body or “Skin” Weight

Body weight or “skin” weight is simply the naked weight of a person. Just shed your clothes and hop on a scale and you have it. For ultralighters, it’s one of the standard figures used to calculate the total weight of everything that’s planning to walk down the trail. The more you weigh, the more energy it takes for you to travel a given distance. That translates into calories, which means fuel for you (food), and possibly, fuel to cook it (alcohol, gas, etc.). All fuel weighs something.

Body weight is an important factor in fitness, and creates the single heaviest load on your joints. Depending on the speed and slope that you’re walking, every pound of weight above the knees, exerts 3 to 5 pounds of force on your knees. Anyone with arthritis below the waist should be especially mindful. Even a 5 or 10 pound reduction in body weight is beneficial for helping to ease these effects. If you’re feeling a little portly and are planning a long walk, get out and start training today.

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