That random hiker's advice on pack weight actually made sense

I ran into this older guy on the PCT near Donner Pass who watched me shove my gear in my pack and said 'you're carrying 10 pounds of stuff you don't need.' I was about to brush him off but he pointed out my extra boots and the 3lb camp chair. I dropped 14 pounds total, swapped to a sit pad, and my knees stopped screaming by mile 12. Anyone else get called out by a stranger and actually took the advice?

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1 Comment

ward.jamie4h agoMost Upvoted

Man, that hit close to home. I had a similar thing happen on the JMT where this trail angel basically laughed at my first aid kit. I had like 2 pounds of stuff in there, most of it stuff I didn't even know how to use. He told me to just carry what I actually knew how to put on a wound and ditch the rest. Cut my kit down to a small ziplock and honestly felt way lighter on my feet. The funny thing is, once you drop that stuff, you start noticing all the other little things you can trim too. It becomes this game where you weigh everything and ask yourself if you'd actually use it before you die. Your knee thing is the perfect example, people just don't realize how much that extra weight adds up over a full day of walking. Did you end up counting every ounce after that, or did you just go with what felt right?