In a couple weeks Big Man and I are going backpacking! I’m excited for it as I haven’t really backpacked since Wife and I went back before she started her job. It’s been a long time. Thankfully I’ve been starting to prep for it so I think it will go well. I’ve been wearing my pack on a couple hikes (loaded down with beans!) and took most of my gear camping with me last time, all in my pack. This time I’m going to make a few changes…

Backpacking is one of the neatest adventures that one can undertake today in my opinion. You have to carry everything that you need on your back; and not just the obvious stuff you need to camp, but things to prepare for all of the usual misadventures that occur in the backcountry. The tendancy is to overpack leading to a rough experience with tons of excessive gear weighing down your ever step. I’m going to try to document here the thought process that I go through to decide how to pack. Hopefully I can learn from this and improve both my skills as well as these kinds of articles. I will revisit this in some way after the trip.

Where are we going?

A lot actually can be said about planning the trip itself. Where are you going, which routes to take, how many miles to plan per day, what time of year to go, etc. All are important and, frankly, more difficult than they seem. But I’m going to skip these for now given that people “above my paygrade” typically plan the trips and routes when it comes to Scouts trips (like this one). When I was young I would plan for 12-15 miles each day when traveling in hilly to semi-mountainous trails. I’ve been told that getting 6 miles out of a troop in a day is tough. I’m excited to see if that is actually true.

What do I need to take?

The answer for this question is going to be much the same as the typical “ten essentials” that every Scout learns about plus a couple of other items.

• sun/cold protection
• rain protection
• food
• fire
• water
• navigation
• shelter
• light
• tools
• First Aid kit!

And then obviously you need…a pack to hold everything!!

Let’s dig into each item in detail.

Sun and Cold Protection

Clothes, yeah, we need to take clothes. This is going to sound awful, but take way less than you think you will need. Clothes are bulky and take up lots of room so just wear your dirty clothes. If you are going on a really long trip you will need to wash your clothes in a stream or other water source using some kind of eco-friendly camp soap. The standard rule applies here - cotton kills. Favor layers of synthetics that can be donned and doffed throughout the day as needed. You will get stinky, just accept that. Here are some specific recommendation:

• socks: only wool are appropriate. Take two or three pairs at most. Hang the previous day’s pair on your pack in good weather to allow them to air out.
• undies: again, two or three pairs at most. You can easily rinse them in water, wring them out, and hang on your pack. Who cares, everyone wears underwear (well…mostly)
• baselayers: take as needed for the expected weather. This is not a cold-camping article. Ideally take one pair of each, rinse and hang as needed.
• pants: I prefer long pants to keep my skin safe from the sun and plants that want to give my legs kisses. The BSA pants that unzip into shorts are sweet. You only need one pair for the trip.
• tops: layers based on the anticipated weather. I typically will take two tees and then one of anything on top.
• hat: yes, ideally a wide brimmed, breathable hat with a strap. The wind can get nasty at elevations when you leave the forest and enter exposed areas and you don’t want that sun giving you a burn.
• gloves: as needed for the weather

Rain Protection

Unless you are going to a desert you will want to take a rain jacket, rain pants, or at least a reusable poncho. In almost all temperate forest where we will be adventuring it will rain at some point. Don’t trust the weather man. The only time I will even consider an exception here is if it is supposed to be really warm and rains are going to be light. Then I will just take a raincover for my pack.

Pack anything that needs to stay dry in a drybag. No exceptions. Water is pernicious and will get into your stuff if you let it. Still carry a raincover for your pack, but plan on it being off when the rain starts. Even when it is on, its only a moderate help.

Food

This is the single most difficult part of the trip to plan in my opinion. You aren’t generally going to be making campfires so you will only be able to cook with boiling water. Warm meals are important for maintaining morale and so try to do at least one or two every day. I will post an article with my backpacking cookbook at some point.

Take some kind of bulk trail mix that you can dole out into baggies each day. Those should ride on an easily accessable pocket on your pack for quick snacks.

For cooking and eating your food you will need some gear. See the tools section for those details.

Depending on where you are hiking you will need to be concerned about bears. Bear-bags can be improvised for backcountry where the animals aren’t used to humans. If you are backpacking through a National Park where bears are used to human food, you will need a Bear Can.

Fire

You will need to make fire on the trail, even if just to light your camp stove. I always carry two forms of fire: waterproof matches and something else. I used to take a butane lighter but I’m considering taking my electric arc lighter next time. Regardless it needs to be something that you are comfortable using and make sure it is fully charged/fueled before packing. Do be careful with liquid fuel so as to not spill it on your synthetics or you will get holes in things…

Water

Uber crucial since we are bags of mostly water. You can actually deal for a couple days without food, but no so without clean water. You will need bottles or ways to carry water as well as at least two methods to safely purify water.

How many water bottles to take?

The answer to this question is dictated by how far will your trail require you to travel between water sources. The typical person should plan to drink 1L of water for 2 hours of hiking; you’ll want to almost double that in hot/dry climates. You will also need water for cooking, brushing your teeth, etc.

I always carry a hydration bladder that fits into my pack and has that handy straw to drink from. I then add bottles to get to my desired volume.

When you are on the trail you generally will want to force yourself to drink at least one sip every 10-15 minutes. Once you start to get dehydrated it can be difficult to recover. A good test of your hydration level is to check the color of your urine. Clear to light yellow is good. If it is dark yellow then you are dehydrated and need to increase your consumption.

You should always fill up your bottles at each water source. You never really know what might be ahead on the trail.

It is absolutely critical to only drink from sources that are marked “potable”. Anything else, including those beautiful clear mountain stream, requires purification. You do not want to get Crypto or Giardia. Boiling will purify, as will dilute bleach, iodine, UV, or filters with the correct size pores. Pick your favorite. The CDC has a good website on drinking water.

Navigation

It’s easy to get lost in the backcountry. Most people that hike often will get lost at least once. It will happen to you, so be prepared for it. Always have a good map of the location you are hiking. Ideally it should be a topological map at a detailed scale that is laminated to keep it safe from water/rain. You will then need a compass and/or GPS device. If you are taking a GPS make sure to recharge/replace the batteries prior to heading out and take extra batteries or a portable charger/battery bank.

Use an erasable pen or similar to mark your planned campsites for each night, the trails/routes you expect to take, and the sources of water. When your map is ready, take a photo of it and send to a friend or family member so they know where you are planning to be each day.

Shelter

Shelter is basically what you expect it to be:

• a tent or hammock with rainfly
• sleeping bag rated appropriate to the expected conditions
• sleeping mat (as appropriate to the expected conditions)

A bad problem on the trail is damage to your tent. You should take some repair materials for rips/tears in the nylon so that you can fix most common issues.

Light

Headlamp with full batteries and a replacement set is a must. Some people like to take lanterns or other similar items. You can use your clear waterbottle as a make-shift lantern.

Tools

Anything you take with you should be able to repair most “reasonable” failures. Reasonable will depend on both the location you are going as well as how long you are out. The longer, the more things will break. You should have, at a minimum the following:

• replacement parts/tools for your stove
• fuel for your stove
• pot to hold water during boiling (some systems feature integrated stove/pot)
• spork and bowl
• replacement parts/tools for your water filter
• repair materials for your tent
• good tape (e.g. Gorilla tape, Duct tape) to allow you to fix things that might come up.
• paracord (50’ is a reasonable amount)

You should also carry some general purpose tools/gear

• at least one knife
• a whistle
• hand sanitiser
• caribeaners/clips to connect stuff to your pack or for making bear-bags
• a tarp or plastic sheet of some kind for improvised shelter or bear bags

First Aid Kit

A good kit is necessary. For backpacking trips make sure to have extra moleskin and other blister prevention/relief as your feet are going to be getting some use.

Stuff not covered by the essentails

While the Ten Essentials are a good start there are a number of additional items that you will need for a safe backpacking trip.

• Boots - having good, comfortable boots is critical. Ideally they should be waterproof. Do not wear brand-new boots out on a trail without breaking them in first. Ideally wear them while you walk around the neighborhood, go to school, etc. for a week before your trip.
• Toilet paper, shovel, wipes - you are going to have to do your business while on the trail. Be prepared ;)
• camp towel - it’s nice to be able to dry yourself off periodically
• toiletries/medicines - make sure that you have any medication that you need as well as toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. Deoderant is one that you might want to leave behind if you are traveling into bear country.

Nice to Haves

Trekking poles are one of those items that aren’t critical put I love to have them when out on the trail. They help traversing difficult terrain and have a lot of improvised uses around a camp site. In a pinch they can be used as a splint.

A camp chair can be a nice place to sit after a long day of being on your feet.

Final thoughts

Once you get your gear all decided, get everything together and practice putting it into and out of your pack. It should be easy to get to the stuff you need a lot and the pack should be comfortable when worn. Go for short hikes wearing your loaded pack to make sure it is comfortable and to get used to the feeling of the weight on your hips. Also make sure to weigh your pack; BSA requires that Scouts carry no more than 25% of their body weight.