How To: Loading a Backpack

Getting ready for the trail...
 

Loading your backpack properly is an essential skill that every hiker needs to learn. It helps you learn your gear and how to organize it in the best fashion for easy accessibility on the trail. The best thing you can do before you start is make your very own checklist of everything you want to bring/own. Having the list saved so you can print it each time makes it hard to forget those little items like bug spray or toilet paper. I always load my backpack for the trail at my house. Doing it this way allows you to lay all of your items out on your living room floor so you can see everything and prioritize.

The following are the parts of a typical pack:

The first thing most backpackers do is shove their sleeping bag down to the bottom of their bag. It depends on the size of your pack but I carry a large 3-4 day pack on all my ventures. I insert my sleeping into the bottom vertically and then place my sleeping bag above that. These are my heaviest items. An important note is that you want to put your heaviest items near the center of your back and close to your spine. Another thing to remember is that the stuff at the bottom of your bag should be things you probably won't need until your at the campsite. After I insert these two items I put some clothes at the bottom of the pack. You want to have your heavy items ABOVE the hip belt to ensure your carrying your load on your hips and not your back/shoulders. Next, I insert items around my sleeping bag and tent to keep them from shifting around. Ensure you load the weight evenly on both side. The ensures one side isn't heavier than the other. After I load these items I load the more akward items like tent poles, crampons, or tent stakes. It is very import that all these items be protected so they don't puncture your pack. I usually wrap a pair of sweat pants or a shirt around the ends so this doesn't happen.

The last items I load are my “most used” items. This could include things like a map and compass, snacks, water, or a knife. You want to put these in a side compartment or top lid compartment for easy accessibility.

Lastly, it's important to remember that you won't pack your backpack perfectly the first time. You may realize you want access to one item sooner than expected and end up moving it closer to the top next time your head for the trail. You will adapt your packing techniques over several trial runs as you learn your gear. If it's your first time with a new pack or heavier gear practice carrying it around the mall or take it on shorter day hikes. This helps you get the “feel” of the pack before your long trip and see how it's going to impact your body. It's to late if you realize a day into a week long trip that your overloaded. Your pack should be an extension of you and feel like it move easily with you.

Got a packing tip that helped you save room or time? Like to put a change of socks at the top of your pack or maybe you carry your tent on the outside? Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Learn. Explore. Survive.

How To: Bug-Out Bag

A bug-out bag is a portable kit that contains the items one would require to survive for seventy-two hours when evacuating from a disaster. The point of the bug-out bag is that it is used to evacuate and not used as a long term survival tool. The bug-out bag also has been called the 72 hour pack, GOOD (Get Out Of Dodge), or the PERK (Personal Emergency Reloaction Kit). It is used to carry everything you would need to survive for 48-72 hours but with basic survival skills you could use it as a supplement and survive for much longer if you had to.

When designing your own bug-out bag you should consider your local environment, your skills, who you'll support, and other various details unique to only your situation. You want to customize this bug-out bag for you since your the one who will have to use it. It is also important to put you bag to the test by testing it on the trail or druing a mock evaluation. This helps your identify weaknesses in your bug-out bag.

Alot of people design thier bug-out bags using large duffel bags that can be transportsedwhile they excape in thier vehicle. I personally don't like this idea since there is always a chance that your car won't be available and your limited by fuel range. I personally like the option of using a typical backpacking backpack or similiar military pack from a gun store. It allows me the comfort of knowing that I can carry my pack as far as my legs will take me.

What you will bring in your bug-out bag is different what I'd bring in mine but the following is my recommended list for what I'd bring in the Washington State Area or United States Pacific Northwest.

Fire Making:

For this catagory you want to bring everything that would be needed to hep support fire making.

• Magnesium Bar
• Waterproof Matches (Plastic container recommnded)
• Lighter in a plastic bag (Keeps it dry since they don't work wet)
• Emergency Tinder
• Pocket Finger Saw
• Candle x 3 (Used to dry out sticks and for light)

Water:

In this catagory you want everything you would need to boil water, carry water, and sterilize it. It is recommended that you bring 1 gallon of watrer per person per day.

• Steripen UV water filter + extra batteries (A good investment to quickly clean clear water)
• Katadyn Purification Tablets (60 tablets)
• Bottles of water (Keep and a dark and cool placing while in storage)
• 1.4L or greater lightweight pot for boiling
• Backpacking Stove with enough fuel for 72 hours of cooking and boiling water
• Stove Repair Kit

Shelter:

This area requires that you bring everything you'd need to establish a shelter and everything needed for sleeping.

• Backpacking Tent

• Tarp for emergency shelter and to protect your tent
• Tent Repiar Kits
• Sleeping bags equal to the areas weather
• Compact sleeping pads
• 40-50 of 550lb paracord
• Duct Tape Roll

Navigation:

You need to ensure you can navigate you desired excape route so great detail must be put into planning your route and ensuring you have a back up routes as well. Also, it is importtant to practice your routes so you don't get lost. It may seem easy to follow on your map but the execusion might not go off as planned and you don't want that to happen during an emergency.

• Maps of your local city area
• Topographic maps if you heading to the wilderness
• Compass
• GPS (may not work during an emergency but always good to have.)

Clothes:

A base set of clothes is a great start here that way if you can add to it during an emergency. Carry everything you'd need to stay dry and warm.

• Wool socks (will still be warm even when wet)
• Beanie or Hat
• Gloves
• Pants and shirts (not cotton since it takes all long time for it to dry)

Protection:

Personal protection is always a personnal choice when choosing what to bring but I recommend some basics since during a emergency situation normal people could act quite crazy to be frank. People riot after teams win championships so it's not impossilbe to think that this will happen in an emergency.

• 

  Pepper Spray (Used to fend off less agressive individuals)
• Fixed blade Survival Knife
• Multi-tool
• Gun (Carry extra ammo and a cleaning kit)
• First Aid Kit with medication
• Whistle to signal rescuers

Miscelaneous Items

The catagory covers anything that should be brought that doesn't fit into one of the main catagories.

• SD Card with pictures of important documents (Social Security Cards, Birth Cetificates, Etc)
• Toilet Paper
• Cash (power may not be avaialable so bank cards will be useless)
• Crank Operated Radio / Battery Operated
• Flashlight or lanterns with extra batteries
• Standard ID's (Drivers Liscence, Military ID, or the equivalent)

It's important to remember to bring everything you would need for your child or pet as well. Remember when building your bug-out bag that you can't take everything but you need to bring only what you'd need to survive for 72 hours using no outside support. What would you bring in your bag that might not be listed above?

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Tree Identification Guide

Pacific Northwest Tree Identification Guide

I've compiled information on trees within the Pacific Northwest and made it into an easy to read PDF file. You can use this in the field if you upload it to your phone, ipod, or ipad. Its covers over 20 trees in the Pacific North West area. Knowing these trees could help you in a survival situation. Feel free to share this with your friends. I hope it helps you during your adventures.

Download it here.

Learn. Explore. Survive.