Backpacking is an incredible adventure sport! There is no other way
to so completely experience the outdoors (at your leisure, of course!).
In
this article I will focus on the specific gear that you need to include
in your pack. Now that we've got the proper clothes, shoes, and ruck,
what do we fill it with? The first thing you should make room for is
food and water. If you purchased a backpack with a hydration system, you
should make sure you have at least 2-4 liters of water per person per
three hours of hiking. Even if it is cold, you will dehydrate on the
trail and need to drink water constantly. In addition, you should have a
source of electrolytes such as a tablet or a gel pack. This will
provide essential salts to keep your energy levels up.
Food is the
next step. The best trail food is dehydrated to save on space. It will
come in plastic or tin packets, and believe it or not can be quite good!
Outdoor supply stores will sell dehydrated trail food, or you can go to
a military surplus store and buy MRE's (Military meals ready-to-eat).
You should have enough food for at least 2000 calories a day per person,
as well as small snacks you can eat while on the move. The trail is no
place to worry about your diet!
Next comes medical supplies. You
will need a small basic first aid kit with antiseptic and band aids and
gauze, but you also need a few outdoor specific items. If you are in an
area with snakes, (especially if you went on a Grand Canyon backpacking
trip) you need to carry a dose of anti-venom. Gone are the days of
sucking the venom out through a tube; now we have antidotes that can be
administered and the fear of pain or incapacitation gone. Additional
medical supplies include insect bite cream, and burn ointment. This is
an awkward place to fit it in, but I don't mind saying it twice: bring
enough sunscreen, no matter your complexion!
Now that we have the
items you need to survive, let's consider the items you need to live on
the trail. A change of clothes a day can be a bit much. You will need
extra pairs of socks, at least two a day, and everything else can be
changed at your own comfort. For a three day trip, you can get by with
six pairs of socks, one pair of trousers, an extra shirt and a sweater
in your pack. If you find later that you have too much stuff, clothes is
the area you can skimp.
The last essential bit of pack gear is
the navigation tools (I'll talk about safety in my next article). You
will need: a good laminated map of the area, a compass (old fashioned!),
a GPS unit, and an emergency locator. None of these are particularly
expensive, but should you get lost a combination of at least two of them
will get you home safely. You should also carry either a radio on the
park ranger's frequency (call ahead for it) or a cell phone that is left
OFF with a fully charged battery. Remember the last time you heard of
people lost in the woods for days at a time? They didn't have any of the
above.
