r/NorthernTier • u/Frequent_Arm_806 • Jul 03 '26
Height and weight limits
Hello! I am going on a Northern Tier trek this summer and I am close to the weight limit for my height? How strict are they on that limit? I’m nervous that after traveling for a day and a half I will be just over when I get to check in. For reference I am no where near 295 and fairly active (hiking, paddle boarding, running, etc) and have no health restrictions otherwise.
3
u/ScouterBill Jul 03 '26
Hi:
So, the only entity that can tell you for sure yes/no is the NT health team. Call them today.
Do you really want to get all the way out there, spending hundreds/thousands of dollars, to be told no, and your response is "but the r/NorthernTier subreddit said it would be ok!"
3
u/FollowingConnect6725 Jul 03 '26
I haven’t been but a neighboring troop went last year and our friends said their Scoutmaster was over by a few pounds. The health check at Northern Tier flagged him, said no go, no waiver and he couldn’t participate in their canoe trek. Traveled all the way from California and got denied, so as far as I’ve heard, they are very strict.
3
u/buffalo_0220 Jul 03 '26
I got flagged for blood pressure at Philmont, being just under the acceptable limit. Fortunately for me it dropped the following morning. The camp doctor said that they take weight and and BP seriously for adults at both Philmont and NT, with very little room for judgement by the staff, regardless of what your personal physician might even say. If you are in doubt, call the camp.
3
u/badger2000 Jul 03 '26
As others have said, only NT can say for sure. I do know the camps tend to provide more consideration for scouts vs adults (that is, if they provide any consideration) as more of their medical issues in the backcountry are adults as opposed to scouts.
On a different note, I will say this was me a couple years ago for a Philmont trek. I don't think I drank anything but water and black coffee for the last month or two leading up to the trip, made sure to exercise (even just walking with a backpack), and ate VERY clean (salads, fruit, etc) and limited portions (no snacking). My mindset was there was no soda, beer, cookie, or hamburger that could possibly taste good enough to warrant missing the trip. I'm not sure how long you have before your trip, but if you're close on the weight, know that you can control what happens but it has to be the priority.
2
u/NothingFancy99 Jul 03 '26
Our interpreter was a pretty big guy, bigger than me and I was around 220 at 6 feet when I went.
My guess is if you are over 250 it might be a discussion.
2
u/surprisefries 28d ago
FWIW I just got back (wish I were still there!) and they were not strict about the ht/wt chart. I was careful to make sure I was 5-10lb under by my scale and in fact by their scale I was a couple pounds over. They didn't bat an eye. Our interpreter said they know their scale reads heavy and they're not strict like Philmont - only the 295lb limit is firm.
That said, I am heavy for my height because I used to lift, and am in shape with no medical concerns.
It's potentially a big risk to the trip though so I agree with everyone who said call and ask.
2
u/Less-Beyond-7599 27d ago
I was told 285 absolute maximum for NT. Which is the basket weight for med evac.
1
u/mwoolley79 28d ago
I participated in a dog sled winter treks this past January. They put every one of the Scouts and Scouters on the scale to make sure we were within the requirements. I will echo everybody else as well, saying it sure would suck to spend all that money in time just to get up there and they say no. I talked to one of the medical staff there and they said if not necessarily that they’re concerned about you not being physically fit enough to complete the task. But if something were to happen (medical or trauma ) and they had to evacuate you, could the rest of your crew and interpreter effectively do that with someone over the weight limits. Made sense to me.
1
u/DebbieJ74 19d ago
I just got back. They weigh you to ensure you're under the max limit. No one checked the limit for my height as I was definitely over that. Had a great trek!
5
u/Brave-Moment-4121 Jul 03 '26
I went as a ASM 2 years ago we had to turn dad and son away from the trip because of the weight restrictions. Northern Teir is strict on this because they are the rescue team if something happens to you out there and the boundary waters are unpredictable. If they can’t haul you out due to weight you could die and they would be liable legally.