Minimum Weight Requirements

[guitarsanne 10]

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.

[dsteele 20]

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.

[dsteele 20]

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.

[FScouter 24]

If you're carrying 1/3 of body weight in a pack, take out the cast iron dutch oven and the kitchen sink.

[KoreaScouter 13]

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

[DugNevius 10]

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.

[guitarsanne 10]

Thanks for your responses, everybody! I appreciate it very much.

[Eagledad 2777]

>>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.

[guitarsanne 10]

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.

[packsaddle 753]

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.

[guitarsanne 10]

That's amazing! My son's no sherpa, but I feel better! Thanks.

[DugNevius 10]

"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.