Comments on: Backpacking Basics

By: Chris Harriss

Chris Harriss — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:24:49 +0000

I really enjoyed this article. I wish it had included a little information on pokhodnaya banya.

Wikipedia says:
“The pokhodnaya banya (походная баня) or “hiking banya,” is popular among the Russian military, mountaineers and people who travel for extended periods in harsh environments. It consists of a stone oven set up in a small makeshift tent. Hiking banyas are usually made near a lakeshore or riverbank where many big, round stones are available to build the banya’s oven and there is plenty of cool water available for bathing. Large stones are made into a dome-shaped circular oven, one to four meters in diameter and a half to one meter in height so that there is space left on the inside to make a large fire. Firewood is burned for several hours in this improvised stove until the stones on the surface of the pile become so hot that water poured on them turns into steam. Around the pile, a space is tarped to form a small tent and the banya is ready when it becomes very hot inside and there is a lot of steam. Fresh veniks can be cut from nearby birch or oak trees and bathers can take turns cooling off in the ice-cold mountain water.”

By: Christopher M Yoder

Christopher M Yoder — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:53:44 +0000

The last time I went into the back country I was a freshman at VMI. They dropped us of in a national forest in the Shenandoah Valley with two tarps, a field jacket a piece, a change of socks, plenty of iodine tablets, and one little baggie of food which include trail mix and jerky. We hiked three days and two nights. I want to get out into the Texas backcountry and just do some daytrips.

By: sey

sey — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 13:47:00 +0000

food: I’m a big fan of couscous because (different from rice and noodles) you only need to pour boiling water over it to cook it – saves tons of fuel!

By: How to Save Over $1000 on Your Next Backpacking Trip | jacobW.com

How to Save Over $1000 on Your Next Backpacking Trip | jacobW.com — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:46:53 +0000

[...] Packing for a backpacking trip is extremely important and will require you to bring “the essentials.” Some of the essentials include sleeping bag, hiking shoes, hiking clothes, canteens, water filters, camping stoves, and food. If you’ve never been on a backpacking trip before and aren’t sure if you’ll ever go again, I would suggest borrowing some gear to help save a few bucks. A few of the things that I don’t own are a sleeping bag, poncho and waterproof bags. Luckily, I have a close friend who’s still a member of the National Guard and he had the equipment that I could borrow. He loaned me the items mentioned above and easily saved me another $190 to $250. if you know anyone that’s an avid hiker, go to them first and see what you might be able to borrow to save some dough. [...]

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:21:48 +0000

I would also recommend taking a small container of gatorade powder on your hike. put some in your mouth, and then take a swig of water from your camelbak, and swish! instant Gatorade.
or if you are a real man, just let the sour powder dissolve on your tongue without water. puckerface!

By: Ross

Ross — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:53:55 +0000

Woah! Jeff. My man. I hate to be one of those guys, but this article is so bad it’s dangerous. It undervalues and overlooks so many vital safety practices and precautions. I wouldn’t ever comment negatively on any article, but if people use this as a “101″ or “Basics” article, they could be in for serious trouble. For instance, if you think you can drink the water out of a stream “if you want”, and you’re only risking “Montezuma’s Revenge”, than you’re not qualified to be in the mountains for more than a day. Getting food poisoning in Cancun might be uncomfortable, but bad Diarrhea when you are a few days from a trail-head can be deadly. There are a few other topics like sleeping pads, bear caches and such that if you Read Daves Bane’s comment above, it makes up for some of the mistakes/omissions.

Dear Brett, Why should I trust your judgement on something so trivial as the cut of my lapel, when you don’t even have the proper judgement to enlist a real expert to give tips on life-and-death topics. The concept of your site is amazing, but you’re faking your way through it. I might keep reading your site, but until it gets better I won’t be recommending it (or your book) to anyone.

By: caleb

caleb — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:43:27 +0000

DEODORANT -

be very careful if you take deodorant with you on the trail if you are in bear country. you will have to put it with the rest of your smellables. it is also a good idea not to wear it while hiking. it is a better idea to leave it at home. if you need it for the trip back, buy it on the way out or schedule a stop so you can shower.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:48:34 +0000

Always good to see people advocating backpacking. Some things that jumped out at me:
1) Use Iodine tablets or Aquamira to treat your water. Light-weight back packing is the key to enjoying your hikes and feeling comfortable. These are certainly the lightest and easiest to carry.

2) These leads me to my second point, though it might seem scary, always under pack in terms of weight. You will inevitably wear the same clothes everyday on a week long trip. May seem uncomfortable, but trust me you will get used to it. No need to bring excess clothes. A good jacket, rain gear, some extra socks, and maybe some long underwear if it’s cold are really the only additional things you’ll need outside of your hiking clothes.

3) This also applies, and can be achieved most easily, by buying a smaller pack then you think you need. Buying a pack too large will always lead you to fill it with unecessary items that you won’t use and take up space and add weight.

4) ALWAYS USE A SLEEPING PAD! I was really surprised to read that you didn’t use a sleeping pad. Though you mention that the “rocks were uncomfortable” and seem to suggest that sleeping pads are only for comfort, the most significant feature of a sleeping pad is keeping you warm. You lose the majority of your heat when directly touching the ground. A sleeping pad doesn’t necessarily need to be that comfortable, more so just needs to keep you off the ground so you have a better chance of staying warm.

Everyone go backpacking. Some of the best experiences of my life.

By: Daves Bane

Daves Bane — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:20:03 +0000

Some general tips and tricks, geared for mountain and cold weather backpacking.
1. No deodorant: bring baking soda instead, light weight and can be used as deodorant and toothpaste(bears also like).
2. I disagree with the advise in the comments section about ditching the mattress. I can speak from years of experience, but instead of believing a random dude on the web, check the gear carried by cowboys, mountain men, and light infantrymen up to today. Almost always a sleeping pad of some sort can be found dangling from their packs or saddles. A light weight blow up air mattress weighs next to nothing, takes up the space of a thermos and is essential if you are winter camping(or mountain camping in fall or spring). The amount of heat lost to the ground can be significant even in moderate temperatures. The insulating ability of even the most extreme cold weather sleeping bag is lost at the point that the filling is compressed by the body next to the ground.
Being cold at night means you will be tired and worn out in the morning. Your body must expend excess calories (up to a pounds worth) trying to keep your body warm at night, and that must be made up for with food carried or procured.
Winter camping means you may not always have pine needles to lay down as a bed under the tent, or your tent may be sitting on snow which will melt from your lost heat.
Point is, why be miserable when we are dealing with a device that weighs less than 25 ounces? Plus if you are hunting, it makes a great shooting pad.
3. Boots should be waterproof unless its day hiking in the summer. Trench foot can develop quickly from wet feet and be potentially life-threatening.
4. Gators are a great piece of gear from yesteryear that we seem to have gotten away from, but if you are going to be in heavy brush or snow, I recommend them.
5.Cooking. An army canteen cup and a small camping pan set can be had cheap and you can store your cooking equipment in it. (camp soap, small vial of olive oil, salt/pepper and garlic powder. Camp soap can be bought cheaply and can be used for dishes and hair.
Pans should be washed immediately after use, sand and water make the best scrubbing agents and can be followed up with a small amount of soap.
Food:
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/bannock/ This stuff is light, easy to make, tastes great and is nutritious.
Dried oatmeal packets
Dehydrated microwave food off the shelf (chef boyardee microwaveables, microwave macoroni). Isn’t necessarily what I would eat year round, but its cheap and has calories and protein.
Tuna packets, Easy protein, light package(to avoid turning yourself into walking bait from the scent, burn the packet in the fire and pack it out in the morning when its cold)
Peanut butter and jelly: super survival food, lots of calories, fiber and protein. I don’t prefer it, but a jar (plastic) of Goober pb&j will carry you for several days, requires no cooking and makes no mess.
6: Packing, carry a trash bag, and pack clothes in zip-lock bags and compress the air out of them. Saves space, keeps stuff dry, and zip-lock bags can be very useful.
Have a waterproof bear bag with some 550 cord to string it up.
7. Medical care, A wilderness medicine class is advised before a large trip, but these are a few things I like to bring with me on long trips, especially if I’m packing with others.
Roll of Ace Wrap. Can be used to isolate/wrap broken limbs or provide compression for bleeds
Roll of Kerlex. Can be used to stop bleeding and as wrap for broken limbs
iodine tablets even if you have water purification ability. They can be broken up and mixed with a little water (preferably boiled) and used as disinfectant.
bacitracin
small wound kit (band aids, medical tape, super glue)
Aspirin/tylenol. Do not give if individual has active bleeding.
Adjustable Trekking poles make great splints for broken legs or arms.
8. Any big backpacking trip should start with a 1-2 day “shake out” trip to test the gear and packing list. Pack as you would for the whole trip, make sure everything will fit, and test every piece of gear. Tents are much easier set up in the back yard than on the side of a mountain in low light and 40 degree temps.
9. Clothes. Avoid Cotton, especially socks. The old adage, “cotton kills” is especially relevant in cooler months, but in the mountains, temps vary dramatically. Have some sort of rain coat and a warm fleece. Mainly: Avoid cotton. Cotton t-shirts hold onto moisture and dry out slowly. A warm mountain day can quickly turn into a cold mountain night and a sweaty t-shirt for an under-layer will quickly suck warmth from the body.

The web has lots of resources on woodcraft and field skills. I would start with summer backpacking before graduating to winter or high mountain backpacking.

By: Eric Williams

Eric Williams — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Wow, you left a lot out. If you’re serious about backpacking, don’t take this article too much to heart. There are a lot more things you need to know, and some of this advice is dangerous and incorrect. Make sure you read up on what you REALLY need and don’t need before setting off out into the mountains and be confident that you know what you are doing and how to handle any unexpected situation that might arise. The author of this article is on the right track, but still has a lot to learn. The real key to backpacking is minimalism. If you’ve got a 50 lb. pack, you’re carrying way too much. Never bring deodorant (bears love it), and if you’re not man enough to sleep on the ground without a pad, you shouldn’t be out there. A pad just adds weight to your load. Break it down to the bare essentials, water, food, shelter. A lot of the comments here give great advice, but make sure you do a ton of homework before you commit to a week long hike. I agree with the person who said to start off with just a one to two nighter.