Weights and Measures

When planning to go backcountry canoe camping you select each item you are going to bring based on weight and mass. Tossing this, that and the other thing into your backpack can really add up. Not just in how heavy your bag gets, but how much you can fit into your bag. 

I carry a 75 liter pack - that's the space measurement. I could not carry 75 liters of water in that pack, that would be over 150 pounds, phew! Maybe they fill 75 balloons the same sized as ones filled with a liter of water then fill the pack to measure its capacity. LOL

Loaded and ready to go...

When I first started planning to camp two years ago I was keen and weighed each item I was putting into my pack. This post is a great opportunity for me to update that list as I've certainly altered what goes into my bag.

See here for a description of all the items I carry in my bag.

Every little thing weighs something! (16 grams)

Here goes (all items with an asterisk * vary in weight from trip to trip) sorted from the lightest item to the heaviest:

Item	Weight (grams)
Bear bell	35
Shiny mattress liner	38
Emergency blanket	47
Lighter, firestarter	70
Camp soap	75
Mosquito coils	86
Deck of cards	97
Blue foam kneeling pad	98
Notebook and pen	104
Salt and pepper mill	107
Backpack protective cover	113
Large carabineer	113
Map, clear bag for map	114
Shower	122
Extra filter in plastic bottle	132
Pocketknife	154
Dry bag 10L	155
Bug hat, bug shirt, bag	170
Headlamp, flashlight/lamp	173
Bug spray	190
Stove diffuser with fabric oven	194
Small camera with case	194
Kettle	201
Extra water bag for lake water	203
Dry bag 20L	214
Travel mug with lid	251
Personal towels (1 large, 1 small)	262
Pillow	279
Dish towels, sponge	300
Toilet paper and wipes, mini shovel	380
Platypus water filtration system	405
Bag liner (cold weather only)	443
Toiletries	500
Extra tarp	544
Stove with fuel, lighter, windbreak (empty gas bottle)	591
Sleeping bag	736
Chair	881
Pot set with dish, cozies, lid, handle, measuring cups, utensils, holding case (minus big pot)	1,362
Hammock, fly, snakeskins, hanging straps	1,388
Clothes(varies by days - estimated for 7 days)*	1,565
2 Nalgene bottles filled with water	2,424
Air mattress (in bag)	2,500
Backpack	5,700
Food bag with food (varies by days - estimated for 7 days)*	7,000
TOTAL WEIGHT IN GRAMS	30,710

The total weight of the above list is: 30.710 kg which is equal to 67 pounds and 11 ounces. I have estimated this load based on a trip of 7 days, so that would be the heaviest I would carry. Also because some of my load is food, as the trip progresses, my load lightens by a kilogram a day. 

My new Cabela table is not in that list. I would not be able to fit it in my backpack, and it's too heavy to bring on a long trip. I might not bring my air mattress on a warm weather trip, it's pretty heavy as well.

I have to give a lot of credit to my backpack, it's pretty amazing at distributing the weight and making this load comfortable to carry. I even took it on a 12-km hike to carry my water, lunch and snacks, as I don't like a fanny-pack style waistband cutting into me while hiking. There's a hip band that swivels, I can hike up the backpack higher and my hips take the weight for a change. There's a moveable chest strap holding the shoulder harness tighter in the front, I will put my hands on that to help carry the load also for a break. And I couldn't do any of this carrying without my trusty walking poles!

When I get home from my camping trips, my final carry is three flights of stairs up to my apartment. That's the only time I wish I had an elevator.