Five Games for Backpackers

Which ones are the best games for backpackers to take along? The games you'll actually enjoy, of course, but they also need to be lightweight and easy to pack. With that in mind, here are some suggestions. Some of these won't even add an ounce to your pack weight.

Tic-Tac-Toe

A classic game that can be played on any piece of paper. You can also scratch out a tic-tac-toe board in the dirt, or make one with four straight sticks of the same length. What if you don't want to scratch your x's and o's in the ground? Just use five each of two different objects, like pebbles and pine cones, or sea shells and leaves.

Chess

Years ago I took a white handkerchief and used a ruler and pen to draw lines on it, making an eight-by-eight grid of squares. I darkened in the appropriate ones with a permanent marker to create a chess board. Then I bought $3 chess set, threw out the board, and put the lightweight chessmen in a small plastic bag with my folded up cloth board. I have taken this 3-ounce game with me to other countries and on many backpacking trips over the years.

Card Games

The average deck of cards weighs just a few ounces, and you can even get a miniature deck if you want to really cut that weight down. For variety, this is a great plan. There are perhaps a hundred different games which can be played with one deck of cards. Chances are good that you already know a few, including games like solitaire that don't require another player, or poker, which can be played with pretzel sticks or peanuts as money.

Mancala

You can look up the simple rules to this game online. It usually consists of a wooden board with six depressions carved out on each side, and a larger "bank" on either end, plus 24 glass beads per side. The boards I have seen aren't small enough for backpacking, but once you know the game, it can be played on the shore of a sandy lake or stream by digging two rows of six holes and putting four pebbles or pine cones in each.

Survival Games

Survival games can be played without the need to carry anything along. For example, if the members of you group know a few wild edible plants, you can challenge each other to spot the first wild raspberry or cattail plant as you are hiking along the trails. When you are in confusing territory, you can each guess what your heading is before checking the compass, to see who can guess most accurately.

In your tent or in camp for the night, you can play mental games. For example, you might create a survival scenario and try to think of the best way to get out safely. Or choose an item like a pine cone or trekking pole and then see who can think of the most ways to use it in a survival situation. Out of all the various games for backpackers, these are some of my favorites. They're fun, while they also test your knowledge and hone your skills.

Every chapter has tips for lightweight backpacking and wilderness survival.