Old timer at the REI told me to cut my pack weight by ditching the camp chair

I laughed at him and packed my 4 pound Helinox anyway. After day three on the Rae Lakes Loop my back hurt so bad I would have traded the chair for a flat rock. Anyone else stubbornly haul extra weight and regret it halfway through a trip?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninab9525d ago

Oh man, isn't that always how it goes. We pack for comfort but end up suffering for it. It's like buying a bigger house so you can relax, then spending all your time and money just keeping it clean.

joseph_hart25d ago

I carried a 3.5 pound camp chair on the John Muir Trail three years ago and swore I'd never do it again after day two. @ninab95 you nailed it with that house analogy, I never connected the dots until now. The old timer at REI was right all along. I ended up sitting on my foam sleeping pad propped against a log and it was way better than lugging that chair up switchbacks. Now I just grab a sit pad that weighs nothing and find a rock or log when I get to camp.