Backpacking Equipment Q and A
I get questions about backpacking equipment all the time in
my email. I decided to gather up those questions and my answers
and make a page of them. The following are my opinions based
on a couple decades of backpacking. I corrected English and edited
some questions to make them clearer.
Q: Do you use a bladder or bottles?
A: I use plain old water or pop bottles. They weigh
about an ounce (I always take at least two), and I've never had
one break yet. Bladders are hard to keep clean and sanitary,
and they have parts that sometimes break. In any case, although
we need to drink enough each day or at most every hour or two,
it doesn't hurt us if we don't have a water supply to suck on
every minute without stopping (a drink of water from a bottle
in the pack is a good excuse for the occasional break that is
good for us anyhow).
Q: Do you use a Bear Canister?
A: I have used a UrSack bear bag (four ounces I think),
but I'm not sure if those are sufficient now in parks that require
canisters. Most of the time I just throw everything in a plastic
grocery bag and use a stick to hoist it up to ten feet to hang
from a tree branch. In areas where there are few reports of aggressive
bears I also sometimes keep the food well sealed (to prevent
odors) and in the tent with me. No problems so far (although
to be honest I'm only taking a couple trips annually lately).
Q: I read about a space blanket which is more durable
and heavier than most emergency space blankets. Do you have any
experience with using something like this to replace tent or
bivy and sleeping bag?
A: A few years back I tried out a bivy sack made of
a space-blanket kind of material on an overnight hike. It was
waterproof and vapor proof, so i thought it would get very damp
inside, but it did have a foot vent. It weighed just seven ounces,
and I used it without a sleeping bag even (slept in my clothes
- it was summer). As it turned out, it rained all night. I had
a small umbrella over my head (8 ounces), and I actually managed
to stay dry and warm. It wasn't even very damp inside the bivy
in the morning. So an all weather space blanket might do the
job. (You might want to try it on a warmer night the first time).
Q: I'm thinking of investing in a new 3-person tent
and wondered if you had any recommendations.
A: I seem to end up going alone most of the time or
packing my wife and I into my one-man tent, so I'm not sure what
to recommend for a three-man tent, other than to keep it under
six pounds if you can (we used to have a 4.5 pound three man
tent, so it should be possible). If you try a tarp, get mosquito
head nets for the kids. They're usually less than an ounce each,
and make sleeping a lot easier in some areas.
Q: Any suggestions on the most suitable footwear for
hiking Zion & Bryce Canyon Park trails in May. I was thinking
I could get away with light hikers, ankle high.
A: That sounds good to me. I have been to both parks
and unless you have weak ankles it will be a lot more comfortable
with something light on instead of heavy hiking boots. Bring
lots of water.
Q: What kind of stove and pans do you use?
A: I am one of the few (and perhaps fortunate) people
who can comfortably go for many days without a cooked meal, so
I don't usually bring a stove or pan. Therefore I don't have
much to say about backpacking equipment for cooking.
When I do bring a pan, it just a little aluminum one that
I bought a Wal-Mart (years ago) and removed the handle from.
I think it weighs less than three ounces, which makes it lighter
than all the expensive titanium ones (they're made thicker than
necessary for basic soups and tea). I put a wire hanger on it
so I could also use it over a fire with a tripod made of sticks.
Q: Is there a particular tarp you can recommend?
A: I bought an ultralight silicone-impregnated tarp
from Campmor many years ago and have been using that. It is 7-feet
by 9-feet, and weighs about 14 ounces (16 with my strings attached).
I'm not sure what's available out there now, nor even if Campmor
still carries that one (but I think they are at least online
now). Avoid the heavy ones. Many of the companies like to make
them big and strong and with extras you don't need, but if you
get past two pounds you might as well start looking at tents
in my opinion. I think that backcountry.com still has a few light
ones. Good luck.
I continue to get email questions about backpacking equipment,
so watch the home page (new pages section) for more of these
question-and-answer pages.
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