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Scoutmaster
Rob's Backpacking Equipment List
Beyond Here Be Dragons
The Basics
Necessary Stuff
More Necessary Stuff
Clothing
Extras
| The Basics | Rob's Two "Sense" |
| 1. Backpack & Pack Cover | Internal or External (personal preference) but should be well made, double stiched, highly water resistant and expedition size (5500 cu. In. plus). Your pack should have a very high quality hip belt with at least 2 points of contact on each side. High quality, well paded shoulder straps are essential. A sternum strap is also useful in varying the load charachteristics on your body. Pack cover should be completely waterproof and large enough to cover your backpack, sleeping bag and any other items you lash on to the outside of your pack. |
| 2. Sleeping Bag & Compression Sack | Sleeping bag needs to be rated at about 32 degrees for our climate. Down bags are the lightest and compress very small. Synthetic bags should be made of a very high quality fill such as Hollofil II or Polargard 3D. Make sure the bag you purchase is baffled to keep the stuffing evenly dispersed throughout the bag. If you sleep cold and curl up, get a mummy bag, if you sleep hot or move around a lot get a rectangular bag. Every sleeping bag should have a compression sack to contain the beast. A compression sack is a stuff sack with any number of straps horizonally or vertically or both to compress the air out of the bag so it will pack smaller. Very necessary! Good quality stuff sacks are highly water resistant. |
| 3. Tent | Your choice of ten will depend on your pocket book. Choosing a tent is a matter of size, weight and above all quality. Good tents are double stitched and always have a water proof tub and a rain fly that completely covers the perimeter of the tent to create a drip edge outside of the boundry of the tent. Self supporting tents work well in a variety of set up conditions but staked tents are fine also. Pay close attention to weight when you purchase a tent. Most manufacturers list the tents weight without the rain fly like it's going to magically float behind you on the trail. Get the combined weight since you will have to carry it all. |
| 4. Rain Suit | A rain suit consists of totally water proof pants and jacket. Don't scimp on these items. It can mean the difference between having a great time in the rain and cold, or being absolutely miserable. Your rain suit will also double as an extra layer in cold weather conditions. Choose a light weight, well made suit made of water proof nylon taffeta or Gore-Tex. (Gore-Tex is the cats meow, but expensive!) Don't buy a rubber rain slicker, that's for oyster fishermen in the North Atlantic! |
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| Necessary Stuff | Rob's Two "Sense" |
| 5. Hiking Boots | Well made, ankle high, top stitched. Try on while
wearing the socks you will be hiking in. All leather uppers are best and boots with
Gore-Tex liners are even better. Just make sure they are well made and fit right.
Be sure to break them in for a couple of months before your trip. Note: If you are still growing, don't buy an expensive pair of boots. Yes, most of these features can be found in a pair of under $50.00 boots. (Not Gore-Tex though.) |
| 6. Hiking Socks and Liner Socks (Two Sets) |
Good quality hiking socks are fairly thick and have padded heels, padded toes and cushion the foot. Polypropylene liner socks are a must. They keep moister away from the foot and provide a slip free fit between the outer sock and the boot to help prevent blisters. You will need two sets of each. |
| 7. Camp Shoes | An extra pair of light weight tennis shoes or moccasins are a welcome relief for your feet at the end of the day. They can also function as a back up shoe in case your boots blow out. |
| 8. Personal First-Aid Kit | Design this kit especially for you for special medications, salves, creams or magic potions to get you through the day. Chap stick, mole skin and sun screen is a must!! |
| 9. Repair Kit / Sewing Kit | Put together a small kit to repair your gear. extra cleaves pins, D rings, Fastlocs and heavy duty sewing needle and thread. Maybe even a button or two. Any thing specific to your gear. |
| 10. Clothesline | 25 to 50 feeet of 1/8" nylon rope. |
| 11. Carabineer & 4 ft. of 6mm rope | Use this to hang your backpack in a tree in camp. |
| 12. Water bottles (2, one quart) | Get wide mouth bottles; they are easier to fill and drink from. Get white or clear so you can see how dirty the water is your drinking. Also they absorb less heat so your water stays cooler. |
| 13. Flash Light & Extra Batteries | You want the smallest, brightest one possible. Also water proof is a plus. |
| 14. Assorted Bags | Use these to contain all your gear in your pack. They should be water resistant or water proof. Clear is good so you can see what's in them. You can also buy nylon ones in different colors and code your gear that way. If using Zip-Loc takes extras, because they will tear. |
| 15. Eating Gear | A deep plastic cup (2 cup capacity) with handle is best. Mark the side like a measuring cup for cooking. You might want 2 of these, one for eating and one for drinking. Also a small plastic Frisbee makes a good eating plate. A heavy duty Lexan spoon will be needed to eat with. You won't need a fork or knife to eat with because backpacking food generally resembles gruel. |
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| More Necessary Stuff | Rob's Two "Sense" |
| 16. Bandanas (two) | Use these for sweat rags, hot pads, bandages, padding or anything else your heart desires. |
| 17. Day Pack or Hip Pack | Use this to carry rain gear and water on side hikes. |
| 18. Knife | Small but sharp. A Leatherman is a wonderful backpacking tool!! |
| 19. Sleeping Pad | Get a Thermarest; they're light and comfy! Other than this a thin foam pad will do. |
| 20. Notebook & Pen | For the future Muirs, and Hemmingway's |
| 21. Compass | You know what this is for. (I hope) |
| 22. Trail Map | What do you think. |
| 23. Lighter | For stove and fire starting. |
| 24. Towel | Backpack type that works like a chamois. Dries fast. |
| 25. Tooth Brush and Toothpaste | Cause mommy told you too. Get a small tube and a travel style brush. |
| 26. Toilet Paper | Put a 1/2 roll in a Zip-Loc bag so your not caught with your pants down. |
| 27. Camp Suds Soap or Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castle Soap. (Unscented) | Bio degradable, and sent free to keep the bears away and the environment clean. |
| 28. Money | Trail money for stuff at the trading post and post cards for mom. |
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| Clothing | Rob's Two "Sense" |
| 1. T-Shirts (two) | Crew shirts for identity and pride! |
| 2. Long sleeve shirt or sweat shirt | For cold weather. |
| 3. Shorts (two pair) | To hike in and basically live in or 10 days. |
| 4. Long pants (one pair) | For cold weather and rough country. |
| 5. Hat | To keep the sun off. |
| 6. Sock cap or hood on sweat shirt | Again, for the cold weather and wind. |
| 7. Underwear (two pair) | One to wear one to wash. Be ready to burn these and your socks at the end of the trek! |
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| Extras | Rob's Two "Sense" |
| 1. Watch | I'm not sure why, time is relative. |
| 2. Sunglasses | To look cool. |
| 3. Camera | To prove it all. (Historian should take pictures for WEB site.) |
| 4. Backpacker Oven | So Rob can make Parmesan cheese bisquits. |
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