BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS A guide for equipment and living in the outdoors

BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS MADE EASY AND SIMPLE

Buying new gear can be daunting with all the equipment and different brands to choose from. BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS will take you through the gear you need, step by step, tested for over 8 years by a group of diverse people who enjoy backpacking. BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS will talk to backpacking enthusiasts to see what they use and what they like. BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS provides a video demonstration on how to get the right fit for your pack, and how to use, clean, store and care for your new gear. BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS will also give you pointers on how to live in the outdoors with the bearmuda triangle camp set up, how to hang bear bags, what "leave no trace" really means and how to enjoy yourself in the great outdoors.

BACKPACKS: What to look for

There are two types of backpacks; the external frame packs and the internal frame packs. External frames are made with a rigid aluminum frame which is designed to be lifted away from your back allowing your back to breath a bit more then internal framed packs. There is restriction in movement due to the rigid frame, though it carries easily and comfortably for long trekking. The load capacity for an external pack is greater then an internal pack. Although, less is more when backpacking. This phrase and theme will be repeated through out the BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS guide. The lighter your pack is once fully loaded the easier it is to manage, allowing yourself to enjoy the experience much more. Internal frame packs are much better for freedom of movement and balance due to carrying the load closer to your body and to the small of your back.

ADJUSTING your pack to fit you correctly - All backpacks are meant to rest on your hips and not on your shoulders. All packs do adjust to your height size, but you need to make sure that if you need a large pack or small pack that you get the correct size from the store. There are different sizes of packs and in addition to the size each of them adjusts to make the fit even more comfortable. Make sure that the shoulder straps are not riding on your shoulders. Shoulder straps are meant to keep the pack snug to your chest and back. Load lifter straps are meant to help lift the shoulder straps off your shoulder. On average there should be a two finger gap between your shoulders and the straps. If there isn't, adjust the load lifter by pulling them tighter to pull the straps up off the shoulders. Readjusting your shoulder and load lifter straps every time you put the pack back on will assure comfort and ease of carrying the pack. Let's break it down a little more for each type of backpack.

For beginning backpackers the KELTY brand has excellent framed backpacks. These backpacks are more practical for youths, they are sturdy, rugged and very adjustable packs that adjusts as the youth grows. Kelty external packs are more practical for youths because of the many compartments they are designed with, allowing the youth to organize their gear easier with less digging through the pack to find an item. The Kelty brand has excellent customer service for repairs and replacement parts. The sturdy construction is perfect for weekend or week long treks. Learning how to correctly load an external pack is very important for comfort and your body's efficiency while hiking. External packs can become top heavy, be aware that the load is not one sided or unevenly packed. Since the pack has an outer frame, items tend to find their way attached to all sorts of outside areas, so make sure that all items are not dangling from side to side as you hike. Remember to tie down all gear tightly with straps and not with rope or bungee cords that can snap or untie. Buckled straps quickly release an item as well as quickly attaches an item. As the youth grows, adjustment to the length of the pack can be made. When fitting a youth with narrow hips it is important to ask if a smaller replacement hip belt for youths is available. Many youths have not developed large enough hips for the hip belt to rest on, making it more uncomfortable for the youth as the weight then rides more on the shoulders. The following loading guidelines help with comfort as you wear your external pack.

External pack loading suggestions

• HEAVY WEIGHT/TOP - The top of the pack holds the heavier gear: stoves, water pump, the tent goes under the flap and strapped down tightly.

• MEDIUM WEIGHT/MIDDLE - Mid weight gear is loaded into the middle compartments: jackets, t-shirts, pants, socks, pots are put here.

• LIGHT WEIGHT/BOTTOM - Light gear goes in the bottom: sleeping bag and sleeping pad are strapped at the bottom of pack.

Internal framed packs have a flexible frame built into the pack itself, allowing for more movement, balance and flexibility. Internal packs rests close to your back which can become hot, although the OSPREY brand does make the Atmos backpack that has a mesh to ventilate your back more easily. This is an excellent pack for adult beginners to advanced backpackers. Capacity of the Atmos includes 35, 50 and 65, which translates into how large of a compartment the Atmos has. Depending on your backpack outing duration, a larger or smaller backpack is important to determine. Weekender packs aren't as large, but week long packs need to be at least 5000 capacity. Internal packs need more thought with loading gear. The internal pack has one large compartment, making it important to organize gear in a different way then external packs. There are many brands of internal backpacks to choose from, try out as many as needed in the stores to make sure it feels right on your back. Great stores like REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.) and Sport Chalet are good choices for help with fitting a backpack correctly. These stores will measure your back length and put weight in the packs you try on to give you an idea of how the pack feels with a load, making the decision on which pack to buy easier. The following guidelines should help you load your internal pack for comfort and balance once you have bought it. Remember to load an internal pack with the idea that the heavier items are closest to your back, lighter gear toward the outsides and top of your pack, and also the importance of ease to get to an item. Leave items that you won't need until pitching camp at the bottom of the pack and leave items that you may need more accessible at the top.

Internal pack loading suggestions

• SLEEPING BAG/BOTTOM - This item is the lightest for it being the bulkiest, plus it will not be needed until the tent is set up, so no need to have it very accessible.
  

• HEAVY GEAR/CLOSEST TO MIDDLE OF BACK - Stoves, fuel, pots, heavier food items, water filtration system are closest to your back. Make sure that the gear doesn't poke your back, lay it lengthwise or vertical in your back. Leave the water filtration system at the top of the heavy gear so you are sure to get access to it quickly at water sources.

• LIGHT GEAR/AT TOP AND AROUND SIDES - T-shirts, pants, jackets, socks are placed around the heavy gear. Make sure not to have an uneven load. This will make your gate unbalanced as you hike and cause back strains because your body is trying to compensate for the unbalanced pack on your back. Fill in the rest of the pack with small items, head lights, gloves, bandana, first aid kit, etc. Make sure head lights are put somewhere for easy and quick access.

One last item that every backpack needs is a pack cover. Backpack covers can be designed specifically for each pack or you can buy a generic cover, but make sure it fits the entire backside of the pack once it is loaded with gear to insure coverage. They are an essential item to have in case of rain and or snow and or dew in the morning. One way around a store bought cover is to use large, heavy strength trash can bags. Yes this does sound funny but it does work for a week end trek and if careful for a full week long trek. I have used this myself once or twice and it works great.

That is about all that you need to know about fitting and loading the different backpacks. Once you get to use the gear a few times the more familiar you will get with it and the quicker you will be with organization, comfort and ease.

The question should really be how to know what not to bring on a backpacking outing. The main idea here is not to load yourself up with a heavy backpack. The lighter the better. The ideal weight of a fully loaded, with food and water backpack should be no more then 40 pounds, or about 20% of your body weight. So what does that exactly mean? It means that all gear is bought as small as possible to conserve space and weight. Backpacking gear it very compact already, its designed for that reason. Helping you decide what to take along and what to leave behind is important. BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS will list what is needed for a 10 day trek. The essentials listed are for both male and female, I will go over additional items for women. All the items on the list will be discussed below in detail to familiarize yourself with all the gear before you go out to buy any.

The items listed will fit into your external or internal pack. Knowing how to pack is the key. Take some time to pack it right, adjust items as needed for balance and comfort.

BACKPACKING LIST OF ITEMS

Remember what you pack in is what you pack out, that is the basis of "Leave no Trace".

Items with a double asterisk ** is considered group gear, meaning that not everyone has to carry their own. Sharing the weight amongst all that go will bring down everyones pack weight.

• Tent - make sure poles and all stakes are with tent
• Tent footprint/Ground cloth
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Backpack pillow
• Matches/Lighter
• Nalgene bottle
• Platapus/Camelback - make sure it is full before getting on the trail
• One cup/bowl - light weight
• Spork
• Pocket knife
• Backpacking Food - make sure its light weight and easy clean up
• Personal First Aid Kit
• Hiking poles - helps with balance, stride, stream crossings, better on your knees
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Lip balm
• Backpacking boots
• 3 Pair of hiking socks/liners
• 3 Pair under ware
• 2 Pairs of hiking pants
• 2 Moister wicking t-shirts
• Down Jacket
• Polartec fleece jacket
• 1 Outer shell rain jacket/pants
• 1 Long sleeved shirt
• 1 Pair long under ware
• Gloves
• Beannie
• 2 Bandanas
• Personal medications, eye care for contacts etc.
• Talcum Powder
  
• Tooth brush
• Listerine breath stripes
• Comb/brush
• Map
• Compass
• Whistle
• Headlight
• 1 Extra small flash light
• Extra batteries
• Camera - small still and or video
• Handy wipes
• 10 Small paper bags
• 10 Small plastic ziplock bags
• Hand sanitizer - small bottle
• Safety pins
• Paper
• Pencil
• Duck tape - about 3 feet re-rolled onto a straw cut to just a little wider then the tape
• Crazy Creek seat
• Small book
• Small deck of playing cards**
• Stove**
• Fuel**
• Water purifier**
• Pot**- Size depends on group size
• Bear bag/Canister** -Black canisters are bear proof, the other design that is see through have been known to be popped open by smart bears, losing all your food
• Group First Aid Kit**
• 1 - 50 foot rope** - medium weight
• Backpacking utensil** - light weight serving spoon that collapses in half
• Camp suds** - biodegradable liquid soap
• Cat hole shovel**
• Toilet paper**
• Rain fly**
  

EXTRA ITEMS FOR WOMEN

The only extra gear for women would be during menstruation. Keeping clean and packing everything back out is the key.

• Personal wipes for women
• Pads/tampons
• Extra paper bags and ziplock bags
• I also bring 2 hair scrunchies, 1 extra bra, a small mirror, eye liner and mascara :)

(((This hubpage is a work in progress. BACKPACKING ESSENTIALS will be adding more gear information soon. Please be patient as more information is added. Please leave any questions or comments below... Thank you.)))