Where are the hidden ounces in my 31 lb pack?

PeakPioneer

I expected the weight cut to fall into place once I swapped out the heavier rain shell for something more compact and left the cook kit at home, yet spreading the full load across the kitchen scale still showed 31 pounds with the water bottles filled. The sleeping pad and extra socks were the only things that felt optional after that, but even removing them left me wondering where the remaining ounces were hiding in the main compartment.

Not sure if the hydration bladder counts separately or if I’m overcounting the first-aid pouch I always keep sealed.

ecopack

PeakPioneer, that sealed first-aid pouch is probably where some of those ounces are hiding if it’s packed full and not broken out on the scale. The hydration bladder counts with the rest of the pack weight when it’s loaded in there too.

LanternLore

ecopack has the right of it on the bladder and pouch both counting inside the main load. Older packs with one big open space made every ounce obvious the first time you weighed, while today’s divided compartments let small sealed kits slip by unnoticed until the total refuses to drop. Weighing the empty pack by itself might show where the rest is hiding.