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How light is "go light"?

2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  raftus 
#1 ·
Anyone ever calculate how much weight their gear weighs?

I'm thinking if i "go light" on my cat its about 1000 lbs including me (230). My floor is open so in shallows i can fred flintstone it and with ~120 of lift the boat itself is down to about 700 lbs. this includes food, gear, ice, water, etc

The cat is an 18' leopard. 12' frame. 120 cooler, two dryboxes, groover, etc.
 
#2 ·
It's all relative - but the far end of going light is backpacking style light. No cooler or ice. No cases of beer. 50-60 lbs of clothing, food, water, medical, and personal items. Add in a boat, minimal frame, repair kit, and required items (like a firepan (perhaps a oil pan), groover (waag bags and a plastic bucket, etc.) For me on a multi day that might look like:

Raft - 150
Frame, Oars - 55
Personal Gear - 75 lbs (includes river clothes, PFD)
Repair kit, pump - 10
Food, water (mostly pumped) - 25
required gear - 60 lbs
total min weight: 345 plus myself (200 lbs) equals 575 ish

You could also define "going light" as staying below a certain percentage of your crafts carrying potential. Say less than 1/3 of max load. So if my raft has a max load of 1800 lbs then under 600 lbs would be "going light."

When I think of paddle raft guiding I always thought that 2-3 people plus myself was a light load. That's 500-700 lbs in the boat depending on the people.
 
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