Weight and food
Original post
My wife and I are in our early 60s. We are planning a trip to New Zealand and have made reservations to walk the Milford Track as independent walkers commencing December 7, 2010. We consider ourselves to be in good shape. We walk every day and the daily distances required don't daunt us. They are well within our capablilities. What is causing us (particularly my wife) some trepidation is the weights we should be carrying. We are both disciplined people and intend taking the recommended gear which we intend hiring from Bevs in Te Anau. I believe they hire out smaller packs as well. Given that we can share a billy and possibly some other items included in their packs and will take the lightest sleeping bags:
(i) what are the minimum size bags in terms of litres, we should be carrying?
(ii) what is the realistic minimum weights we should be expecting to carry? I expect to carry more than my wife. I expect her limit is around 7-8 kgs.
(iii) as a good part of the weight is in the food, we figured on taking a total (for the two of us) of 12 packets of dehydrated foods (couscous, etc) - total weight (12 * 150 grams = 1.8 kgs) plus 2 loaves of wholewheat sliced bread (2 * 750 grams = 1.5 kgs) plus a jar of jam (300 grams) plus dried fruit (400 grams)plus 16 energy bars (16 * 25 grams = 400 grams) plus 400 grams of chocolate plus herbal teas (no weight) making up a total of 4.8 kilos for both of us. Is this sufficient for 2 people for the 4 day walk given that we can eat a meal prior to setting out on day 1 and have our evening meal off the track on day 4?
(iv) that there is lots of drinking water available on Milford, I guess we can carry a minimum of water (around 750 mililiters each).
We will be very grateful for whatever comments and tips you can provide. Thank you!!
I really need answers and comments to my questions above urgently. Your responses will be sincerely appreciated. Thank you!!
What are the minimum size bags in terms of litres, we should be carrying?
For a 4-5 day trip like this I’d probably be use a pack in the range 50-60L
Smaller if I could, but Fiordland can be wet and cold any time of the year. You really don’t want to compromise too much on comfort in this environment.
Wwhat is the realistic minimum weights we should be expecting to carry? I expect to carry more than my wife. I expect her limit is around 7-8 kgs.
That sounds about right. Because you are certain to be in a hut each night, there is no need for any shelter or stove. This means just clothing, food and personal items is all you should be carrying.
As a good part of the weight is in the food,
A bit harder to answer as everyone has their own needs, but I generally I count on a total of about 350gms per person per day. In this case that’s about 3 kg… so your 4.8 kg is generous enough.
My only suggestion is that you might find tortilla type breads pack more easily than whole wheat sliced bread. In general oils and fats pack around twice the calories per gm than proteins and carbs… so for a few days there’s no harm in packing in more fat than you usually eat.
That there is lots of drinking water available on Milford, I guess we can carry a minimum of water (around 750 mililiters each)
That seems right; I usually drink straight from almost any side stream in most of NZ’s mountains. I’ve done so for decades with never a mishap, but the Milford track is quite heavily used and it’s one of those places where I’d check with the DOC staff beforehand.
The trip is hugely rewarding and safe... enjoy yourselves. There's no need to plan quite all the fun out of it ;-)
That's plenty of food. I'd suggest getting your pack as light as you're comfortable because it'll make the days easier and more enjoyable.
Seeing as you've paid out for great walks hut tickets, why not get packets of Backcountry Cuisine dehy? Breakfast can be bars or cereal. Lunch, some tortillas, panut butter, salami, cheese, whatever. Snacks - anything. ~600g per person per day of the right food is more than adequate.
And get as small a pack as you can that'll easily fit whatever else you have in - 50/60L as above sounds right!
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| Forum | The campfire |
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| Started by | Marcia |
| On | 7 September 2010 |
| Replies | 3 |
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