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 Camel Up! Drink lots of water before starting a hike and when
refilling water bottles. Its easier to carry
the water in your belly than on your back.
Cheap Bottles Plastic soda or water bottles make great inexpensive water bottles. A
2-liter bottle fits nicely into the side pocket
of most backpacks.
Cheap Food Backpacking meals can be bought inexpensively in grocery stores. Look
for just add water or milk meals with very short
cooking times. Kraft, Knorr, Lipton's and other manufactures offer a
wide choice of tasty rice, pasta, and potato
dishes. Chicken, Tuna & Salmon in foils pouches added to the
aforementioned can add protein.
Freeze-dried meals bought at camping stores, while they have their
place, are often very expensive.
Clean Up Baby wipes are great when soap and water are unavailable.
Cooking Over an Open Fire If you like to cook over an open fire, there is nothing like a small rubber
hose to encourage reluctant wood, or coax a small ember to life. Start with
a 3" piece of 3/8" aluminum or copper tubing. Slip an 18" piece of rubber
tubing over the metal and you are ready for action. No more bending over
with your face next to the fire trying to blow at just the right spot. One
caution! Don't breathe in through the hose.
Cracker Storage If your crackers usually get crunched long before they
meet the cheddar, or your cookies are crumbed on the first day, try
storing them in a
Pringle's potato chip container, or a tennisball or racquetball "can".
Either weighs only a few ounces when empty, and you can use it to pack
out your trash once the crackers have been eaten.
Cut Your Toenails On a long downhill trek, your toenails hit and are
constantly being "lifted" by the front of the
boot. You will lose a toenail, and it's not pretty. So, clip them back
as far as you can.
Eat It Try the food you buy before you take it backpacking. The worst time to
find out you don't like something is when you're
tired and hungry. Most tired and hungry backpackers prefer quick, easy
to prepare meals. Bring special treats
(chocolate, etc.) to reward yourself.
Essentials The 14 Essentials should always be carried, even on day hikes (map,
compass, flashlight / headlamp, extra food, extra
clothes, sunglasses, first-aid kit, pocket knife, waterproof matches,
firestarter, water / filter/ bottles, whistle,
insect repellent or clothing, and sunscreen).
Fight Gravity's Drag
Murphy's Law of the Inconvenient Migration of Stuff means that dense items
(especially waterbottles, hydration systems, large cameras, and fuel) tend
to gravitate to the bottom of your pack, especially when the pack is not
full and tightly packed....Read full tip
Fire Starters For starting campfires, especially with damp or wet wood
...Read full tip
Food Organization There are lots of ways to organize your food. Some
people pack foods into general breakfast, lunch
and dinner bags. Pre-measuring portions will make cooking easier, while
pre-mixing ingredients that can be stored
together like a breakfast drink and milk powder can save space and time.
If traveling during the day, pack your lunch
and snacks in an accessible place so that they can be pulled out quickly
during rest stops..
Get in Shape--Stay in Shape I recently heard someone referring to backpackers, in general, as
having a T-REX SYNDROME. That is, obsession with exercising only the
legs. In fact, it's important for hiking, and especially backpacking,
that we have strong lower back, upper back, and abdominal muscles, in
addition to strong legs....Read full tip
Hot Feet Blister prevention sure beats blister first aid. Break in your boots or
shoes before a big hike. As soon as you feel
discomfort or a hot spot, stop and treat the area with Moleskin or a
similar product. Keep your feet dry. Let your
feet air out and change socks during rest stops.
Killing Two Birds Try and choose backpacking items that serve a dual
purpose... ie. mattress pad/chair, camelback
bladder/pillow.
Lightening the Load Lighten the BIG THREE: tent, sleeping bag, and backpack. They
usually rank in the top three heaviest items one carries into the
backcountry. Cutting down on these items can save pounds!
....Read full tip
Share the Load Lighten your load by teaming up with fellow
backpackers to share gear like stoves, water filters,
tents, cooking gear, and food. Choose your partner carefully so your
won't become separated. If one person carries the
stove, the other should carry some food that doesn't require cooking,
etc.
Spare change Always carry a phone card or enough change to make an
emergency phone call. Better yet.. a cell phone!
Tighten Your Fly Two holed pull tabs from aluminum cans make good, cheap, light tensioners
for your rain fly.
Weight Try to keep your overnight/multi-day backpack to 25% of your body weight.
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