Regulating Your Body Temperature
Lightweight/Ultralight Cartridge Stoves
The idea of being able to live with just what you carry on your back is one of the things that makes backpacking such an enticing activity. At the same time, that means that what you carry on your back becomes incredibly important—clothing, boots, sleeping bags, tents, stoves, first-aid gear, water filters, etc. This chapter is designed to help you think about the major pieces of equipment you’ll need for your trip. When it’s time to get your gear together, there are sample equipment lists in the Appendix, including personal equipment, group equipment, and first-aid equipment to help you gather what you need.
Whether you’re going for a one-day hike on a local trail or a month-long expedition to a remote area, you need to thoroughly plan what equipment to bring. The equipment assessment for your trip should cover the following areas:
Clothing Shirts, pants, boots, hats, and so on
Travel What is needed for travel—just your feet or a canoe, a bike, cross-country skis, etc.
Storage What you use to carry personal and group equipment—a backpack, bike panniers, waterproof bags for canoeing, etc.
Sleeping Sleeping bag, foam/inflatable pad
Miscellaneous Water bottles, toiletries, personal items
Shelter Evaluate the type of shelter required for the size of the group and anticipated weather conditions—tarpaulin, tent, or shelters on the trail.
Cooking Stoves, pots and pans, utensils
Hygiene Items for water purification, handwashing, going to the bathroom
First aid See page for a list of first-aid essentials
Repair Anticipate what might break and have the necessary replacement parts and tools.
When deciding what equipment to bring, review your planned route and answer the following questions:
How long is the trip?
How many people are going? How does that affect the amount of group equipment needed?
Are people providing