guitarsanne Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 Does anyone know if there are MINIMUM weight requirements for Philmont? I have a son who is 6' 4" tall, weighs 140 lbs and is going to Philmont this summer. Will that create a problem? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteele Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 Welcome to the forums! I looked at the Philmont weight chart. There are no minimum weights listed. A range is listed, but it appears that only the maximum is of concern. I run on the underweight side of every chart I have ever seen, and it's never been an issue. I hope your son enjoys his time at Philmont! Unc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteele Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 Whoops -- I did it again. I answered the technical part of your question, but there is more to it than that. His weight will have an effect on the amount he should carry. I'm sure you'll get responses from people with more expertise in backpacking than I have, but I believe the rule of thumb is that your pack should weigh not more than a third of the weight of the person carrying it. In your son's case that's 140/3 as opposed to say 160/3. I'll let you do the math. I majored in Social Studies Unc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FScouter Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 If you're carrying 1/3 of body weight in a pack, take out the cast iron dutch oven and the kitchen sink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreaScouter Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 If you can, get a look at S.L.A. Marshall's book "The Soldier's Load and the Mobility of a Nation". He did extensive research during WWII regarding how much stuff (weight) our paratroops in Europe and infantry (Pacific island-hopping) carried on their backs. He found that regardless of the size of the man, 47 pound loads seemed to be a consistent threshhold beyond which endurance, stamina, mental acuity, and effectiveness all dropped markedly. Granted, these guys were going into combat, but the 47 pound threshhold applied to training environments and non-tactical road marches, too. KS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DugNevius Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 there are recommended weight limitations for philmont. A guy 6'4" is recommended to be in the range of 156-222 according to the official Philmont Med form. (have you not recieved this yet?!?) The issue of being as under weight as he is can cause medical issues and may be brought up during the health check at base camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarsanne Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 Thanks for your responses, everybody! I appreciate it very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 >>The issue of being as under weight as he is can cause medical issues and may be brought up during the health check at base camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarsanne Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 Thanks, Barry. Those are all very good observations. My son is in pretty good shape and has never had any trouble at all with 10 mile hikes. However, this is ten 10 mile hikes! We'll see what happens. Thanks, again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 The average sherpa carries a load that weighs more than he does. Listen to this: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4707462 Well, I thought it was interesting anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarsanne Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 That's amazing! My son's no sherpa, but I feel better! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DugNevius Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 "Those are all very good observations. My son is in pretty good shape and has never had any trouble at all with 10 mile hikes. However, this is ten 10 mile hikes!" dont forget this is also at a high elevation and with large elevation changes. Your son and all those that are going to philmont should have been and are still doing solid training. Our troop leaves saturday for Philmont and we have been training for over a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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