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I began by replacing my old Boy Scout grade external frame pack with the Rhythm, a 3,500 cubic inch day-and-a-half pack by The Works @ Mystery Ranch with their special wrap frame. This sucker weighs only 3 lbs., 5 oz. and is loaded with all sorts of modern pack features. I use it even for several-day trips in the summer, but in the winter I doubt it would be good for anything longer than two or three days (unless you have a friend carry all the cooking gear). In warm weather, though, the thing is a dynamo, especially since I also replaced my two-man Coleman™ tent from 1990-something with a Slumberjack™ Predator one-man tent that resembles a small bivouac shelter. The tent fits nicely in the pack with room enough for two or three changes of clothes, basic gear, and food.
If I’m out by myself I usually cook over an open fire so I don’t have to bring gas and a stove and this drastically reduces my carry weight. If I camp by water I have a an Exstream™ water bottle with a ViruStat™ filter in it that cleans all contaminants larger than one micron in size … this includes Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Since I don’t need to carry in tons of water, I also bring along my trusty Nalgene one liter bad boy. Not everyone has nice parents and friends that get them killer gear like my purifier as a present. If you are someone who doesn’t have friends like mine, boiling water is a great solution to purifying water. Iodine, if you can get past the taste (even with neutralizers), is a decent way to make sure you can refill your water bottle as you go. If you’re set on carrying in only fresh water with you no matter what, invest in bladders to carry it since they are more versatile than bottles.
Still, even packing the essentials this light, that damned sleeping bag just kept being a nuisance on every trip. On the way down Kennedy Peak, I had Matt White carry it for me because it rode a good two feet above my head. It wasn’t the weight; it was the bulk. I had nearly no room for anything but the sleeping bag. I had gone through the same thing nearly every NORSA expedition. The pictures show me with gear hanging off my back like those commercials where the car can’t go through the tunnel because of the stuff tied to the roof. That was my world.
This forced me to learn to pack light. Even now I’m still stuck with that Coleman™ sleeping bag, but I plan on getting something along the lines of the Marmot™ Fusion 15™. Originally I was interested in the Double Wide 15™, but the Fusion 15™ is the same exact specifications but two oz. heavier and about $60 less pricey. To someone who usually packs light anyway, 3 lbs., 3 oz. is a not a big deal when compared to 3 lbs., 1 oz., but it is a HUGE deal when compared to approximately 8 lbs. total. Once I’ve got that in my repertoire and all my main gear is up-to-date, then all the other stuff comes naturally.
Secondary Gear: This is the stuff you need, but you can bring it in one or two different ways. For instance, do you need that propane lantern? Well, not exactly, you could always pack a flood light and cook over an open fire, but you need to be sure you can have a fire where you are going to do that. It all depends on where you go and what you have in mind.
Since I have trimmed down all my essentials I still bring the basic stuff I already have even if ultra-light guys think it’s heavy. I love my knives and I always have at least three when I go camping, and any ultra-light guy would criticize this as flagrant extra weight. What can I say, I liked the movie Predator©. So I bring my Cold Steel™ 5-inch double-edge, a standard machete or something like a 7 to 9-inch Bowie, and my Benchmade™ folding knife. Despite the weight, you can never go wrong bringing a fixed blade or a locking blade into the wild with you, I would put it under the essential gear group.
That’s not all, obviously, you need more than a bunch of knives to survive in the wilderness … well, not really, but it’s easier if you bring some other stuff, too. Your cookware, containers, food accessories, etc., are all important as well. The lighter these are the better, but not everyone can afford titanium products. I know I can’t, so I make do. One thing to keep in mind is that less can be more. Do you really need to boil a gallon of water in one go? You can always boil as much water as you can in your smallest pot and then do it again. Your only expense there is time, and you can wake up early or go to bed late, you should have nothing but time when you go camping. I believe that if you go camping and have some sort of schedule to meet in the wild, then you are doing something wrong. Your only deadline should be getting your camp set up and the fire started before it’s dark. A small pot, a small pan, and utensils are all you really need. You can use the pan as a plate or bring along a water bladder that’s been cut open at one end. They work great for fork or spoon food and are much lighter than metal-ware.
You’re going to need a flashlight, too. It’s just something you should bring along. I’ve camped without one, but it’s usually a better idea to have one handy at all times. I hate to sound like the typical Scout, but after about ten years with them old habits die hard: be prepared. Know what you’re in for and pack accordingly. I always bring rain gear just in case, but I usually don’t bring an extra pair of shoes … it all depends no what I know I will need. When I go to the Forks in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, I usually bring an old pair of shoes so I can swim in the basins of waterfalls.
Food is another thing you will need. In order to lighten the load you can always throw unnecessary packaging away before venturing out. If you do this, be sure to label what items go with what to avoid having macaroni alfredo one night and yellow fettucine the next. Also be sure to make certain that your food will last. Canned food is heavy, but usually lasts until you open it. Dehydrated food is light, but usually lacks in the taste department. Food, again, depends on what you want. If you’re willing to sacrifice taste for lighter weight, go for it. Packing light is all about sacrifice, state of mind, and distribution. If you go out with a crew, plan meals beforehand and distribute the crew gear accordingly.
Optional Gear: Foam pads, GPS locators, trekking poles, books, cameras, and that bag of bricks. Some of this stuff you can do without, some you might really feel that you need. It’s all a matter of personal preference yet again. If you know the area you’re going to, though, pine needles do well instead of a foam pad, a map (read right) is as good as GPS, and sticks in the forest that you can toss aside later are good trekking poles. Still, you will definitely catch me with some or all these things on a camping trip. The inevitable fact remains that the lighter you pack the essential stuff the more room you have to pack all the extra amenities that make camping more fun and easier, but heavier.
What I go for with the optional gear is balance. If a camera and a GPS locator in a plastic bag will balance one side of pack against my flashlight, then it comes with me. If I have a place on either side of my pack for a trekking pole or a place for both of them together down the center, then they can come along too.
Now the things some people consider optional, other people might not. A change of clothes for each of three days is not my style. If I’m on an overnighter, I’ll usually be coming home in what I wore out there even if I have change in my pack. I have the change of clothes if I need it, but it saves me from doing laundry if I don’t wear it. For a three-day trip, I will almost undoubtedly only bring one change of clothes and rain gear. So clothing can be optional, though not everyone will agree on this. Another thing along these lines are certain hygiene products. I bring the crucial stuff: toothbrush and paste, soap, and washcloth. Stream water is enough to smooth over that morning hairstyle, and boiled water and soap are good enough for washing my face, hands, and cookware. Lotion, facial soap, lotion, razors, shaving gel, and other stuff is just more to pack out with you … plus you have to make sure that you use it in a way that doesn’t get it all over the forest. I spit my toothpaste into the fire and soapy water goes into the latrine so it doesn’t smell up some animal’s territory. For those people who can’t do without shaving their legs or face, their face-wash, and their lotion, it’s good to keep in mind that it’s hassle to take care of those things and respect the environment and besides, for all I know, lotion could attract mosquitoes or something.
Other optional gear depends on your location. If you’re on a hunting trip or camping in an area with lots of bears, boar, wolves, etc., it might be a good idea to bring along a sidearm (check with the ranger station, forest service, or whatever beforehand). These animals will most likely leave you alone if you are careful with yourself and your food, but if they get nosy and aggressive I’d rather that Yogi choked on my .45 ACP than ate me or at least I could go out after making him think twice about mauling the next camper. Also, if you are climbing, know your terrain first. If you want to go light bring just enough rope and extra rope as you need for the height you are climbing. If you’re kayaking to a campsite, it’s probably a good idea to be sure that you can camp somewhere right along shore when you stop. You’d be in a pickle if it gets dark and you’re in the rapids between two 300 ft. vertical rock faces when you want to put in for the evening.
What it all comes down to is being prepared. You’ve got to be sure you’re ready for everything you can expect and some things you might not expect. Also, you need to know what you’re going to do once your outdoors. Planning leads to the perfect camping trip. Once you’ve got it worked out before you pack, then packing will come easy and your trip will be successful.
By Tom Saffell, Executive Director, NORSA
