Is a Camping Backpack a Good Idea for Everyone?

Most folks buy insurance to protect their cars and their homes. Some folks also buy life insurance to provide for their loved ones in the event of their untimely death.

The issue Id like to chat about in this post is whether or not it makes sense to have a camping backpack prepared ahead of time if an unexpected emergency should force you and your family out of your current residence.

To begin with, if I lived in a city, then I would be very concerned about the consequences of a power failure that might last for a week or more. Even if I had a years supply of food for my family (and a few neighbors), there is no way I could feed a city of people. And when people get really hungry they become desperate and do unspeakable things in order to survive. If that scenario started to unfold, then I would want to get my family out of the city in order to give them a better chance for long term survival.

Fortunately, I dont live in a city. I live in the country. Life here is relatively peaceful. But next year may not be like this year. No one knows for sure what the future will bring. My tentative plan is to stay in my house with my family and wait for events to unfold.

To the extent possible we will help our neighbors as long as that doesnt compromise the safety and well being of our family. If we are attacked by unscrupulous looters, we will defend our home to the best of our ability.

On the other hand, there are a variety of things that could force us to abandon our home. Fire, for example. I have also considered the possibility of a foreign power using Y2K to their advantage and attacking the United States. If their military decided to conquer our regional area there is no way my home could survive mortar attacks or a well aimed tank shell. There are lots of other things that could make us abandon our home, but those two examples will serve.

The big question is: Where would we go?

I would take my family to a national forest and camp out for as long as needed. Most national forests are open to the public. You and I own those forests. We have a right to be there. Most national forests allow the public to camp in the forest as long as they dont try to homestead or destroy the forest in any way (cut down trees for firewood).

Therefore, a national forest is where I would take my family (into the forest, not a public campsite at the forest). I wouldnt stop along the way at some apparently vacant land a mile or two from some farm house. Think how you would feel if someone camped in your front yard. Thats how country folks feel about strangers who set up camp anywhere within a few miles of their homes. You will be much safer in a national forest.

Camping Recommendations:

Now some folks have a lot more camping experience than I do and they will probably give you some real good advice at the end of this post. Ive only spent a total of four or five months camping during my lifetime. Usually it was for 1 to 3 days, or occasionally for a week or two. My longest camping adventure was for five straight weeks with my wife and three younguns when I was out of work one summer many, many years ago.

Most of my camping experience has been inside a tent of some kind (anywhere from a two person to a six person tent). Ive only slept under the stars on a few random occasions and nothing but the grace of God kept me from getting soaking wet with the morning dew.

With that as an introduction, lets look at the things that are real useful to have when you camp out. And remember, I dont know everything. At the end of this post you will probably find lots of good advice from folks who would like to help you avoid some of the common mistakes folks make when they first try camping outdoors.

What Items Should Be in a Camping Backpack:

Hiking and camping are related but different. When a person is on a hiking expedition, they camp briefly at the end of the day (camping is secondary to the hike). When a person is camping, the hike takes second place. The following discussion assumes you will be camping most of the time and only hiking every now and then.

When you go camping, the items in your backpack will vary depending on the weather. It aint practical to carry long johns (or a winter coat) in your backpack in the summer when you dont need them.

The next decision concerns the amount of stuff you can carry. When you start to evaluate any item for inclusion in your backpack you must look at two related factors: its weight and its size (bulk, mass). Some items are small but very heavy in relation to their size. You cant carry very many of them. Other items are large but not very heavy in relation to their mass (sleeping bag). Again, you cant carry very many of them due to their size (not their weight). It is important to strike the right balance between these two factors and still end up with items that are both practical and necessary. Stuff that will fit in your backpack and not be too heavy to carry.

The next thing to consider is the life of the item. Some items are gradually used up (food, matches, socks). Other items continue to serve faithfully for a very long time (sharpening stone, compass, fingernail clippers). The items that are used up will gradually lighten your load but they need to be restocked on a periodic basis. Therefore, you will start with a pack at maximum weight and it will gradually get lighter. But at some point you will restock and it will be at maximum weight again.

I have found it useful to carry my things in three different locations on my person: on a belt, in a waist pack, and in my backpack. Lets look at each of these three storage areas one at a time.

Waist Belt:

To begin with, it is not practical to attach items to the belt which holds your pants up. If you do, those items will pull your pants down as you walk and rub blisters on your hips. Not only is it painful, but it is also very annoying. Therefore, let your normal belt (or suspenders) hold your pants up. Then use another belt for your knife, pistol, and canteen (dont thread that belt through the belt loops on your pants). I prefer a belt canteen to a shoulder strap canteen because the shoulder strap wears a blister on your shoulder in a very short time (even when you keep changing shoulders). Some backpacks have a side pocket for a water container and that is also another acceptable method for carrying a water container.

Now lets look at the weight of the items on your waist belt. The weights in all the tables that follow are in decimal pounds which makes addition and subtraction real easy. I chose that method instead of pounds and ounces because you would have to convert ounces to pounds to find the total weight.

Items on Extra Waist Belt

Item Description	Pounds
Empty Military Carry-All Belt	0.70
Metal Canteen with 30 Oz. Water	2.32
Hunting Knife in Sheath	1.25
Loaded Pistol in Holster	2.34
- - - Waist Belt Total - - -	6.61

Waist Pack:

I carry the items I use most often in a waist pack. The reason is because I want those items with me when I scout the area around my camp or when I go hunting. The only time I take the entire backpack with me is when I move to a new campsite.

If you are going to temporarily leave a campsite, my recommendation is to carefully hide your loaded backpack the best you can before you leave. If someone finds your campsite while you are away they will not know how long you will be gone and they will probably just take whatever is in full view.

These are the items I carry in my waist pack:

Small Waist Pack

Item Description	Pounds
Empty Waist Pack	0.58
Compass (Duplicate)	0.14
Pocket Watch and Extra Battery	0.18
Flashlight on Headband (2AA)(Duplicate)	0.21
One Lighter (3000 Lights) (Duplicate)	0.03
60 Matches in 35mm Film Can (Duplicate)	0.06
2 Trioxane Fuel Tablets (Emergency) (Duplicate)	0.07
Metal Whistle (Communiation)	0.03
Fishing Tackel Kit (No Rod or Reel)	0.36
Rubber Gloves (Skinning Game)	0.16
4 One Gallon Freezer Bags (Fish, Game, Plants)	0.12
12 Kleenex Tissues(Emergency) (Duplicate)	0.05
First Aid Kit (7" X 4.5" X 1.5")	0.80
Snake Bite Kit	0.08
10 Feet of Snare Wire (Duplicate)	0.30
5 Coffee Filters (Pre-filter Water) (Duplicate)	0.01
Chlorine Shock Treatment Granules (Duplicate)	0.05
Area Map	0.09
Mosquito Face Veil	0.09
- - - Waist Pack Total - - -	3.41

Some of the items in my waist pack are duplicates of the items in my backpack, and some items I split between my waist pack and my backpack. For example, I have two compasses. I have found that it is real easy to walk into the woods. But it aint so easy to walk back out again. With a good compass, you have an above average chance of finding your way back to where you started. However, accidents happen in the woods and things do occasionally get broken. Thats why I carry a back-up compass along with a duplicate of a few other essential items.

Fire is a valuable asset to have in the woods. You can heat a meal, or cook raw food, or use it to get warm by, or keep wild animals at a distance at night. And it is a moral booster like nothing I know when you are alone. Therefore, I have at least two lighters with me (3000 lights each) and two sets of matches in empty waterproof 35mm camera film containers. Some matches fit really good in those plastic containers but you may have to trim a little of the wooden end off some of the longer matches to get them to fit. (Or you can buy special waterproof match holders at most camping stores.) If you dont have the strike anywhere matches, then cut the striking strip off the match carton and put it inside the waterproof container with your matches. But be careful that the match heads dont rub against the striking surface.

I dont have a Magnesium Fire starter kit. I have looked at them many times but each time I made the decision not to purchase one. Instead of spending $6 for a magnesium unit that will light several dozen fires, I would rather have a couple of good lighters and a few Trioxane Fuel Tablets at 10 cents each.

I dont use the Trioxane Fuel Tablets to start a fire or to heat food under normal circumstances. I would only use them if I was desperate to start a fire and for some reason my usual method wasnt effective. For example, freezing rain and everything is wet and frozen and I need a fire really bad. The Trioxane burns extremely hot for about 15 minutes and it will melt the ice on my frozen firewood sticks and get a normal fire going. If I can get a normal fire started, then I can keep it going by putting additional frozen (or wet) firewood close to the fire so it will dry before I need it to put on the flames.

I carry those small 12 tissue packs of Kleenex with me for use as emergency toilet paper. I dont carry any extra toilet paper with me but I try to have some at my camp site when I am camping in a tent. If I am away from camp, I use the green leaves from broad leaf trees to wipe with instead of my Kleenex. If you spend enough time in the woods your toilet paper will run out sooner or later and you will have to resort to what Nature has available. If I have no toilet tissue and all I have are my few Kleenex tissues, then I use Natures toilet paper and save my Kleenex for those rare occasions when I get a case of diaper rash. The Kleenex is a true morale builder just knowing I have it in reserve if I should ever really need it.

I dont carry a rod or reel for fishing but I do have a nice selection of tackle items, such as fishing hooks, swivels, sinkers, fishing line, a grub with a flat tail, worms with flat tails, lots of flys, and the 1/8 ounce white rooster-tail. I aint never used the rooster-tail but one of the other posters on this forum recommended it (Ex-Marine) and he sure talked like a straight shooter so I bought two of them for each member of my family just on his say so. Aint tested it yet but I have every confidence it will work just like he said it would. If you would like to read his post, just click on the link below:

Fishing Tips, Gear and Related Info, by Ex-Marine

I carry a relatively new pocket watch in my waist pack instead of a wrist watch. It dont get banged up as much as my wrist watch when I am in the woods. My new pocket watch aint a wind up unit, but the battery is new and it should last for 3 to 5 years. And it has hands on it so I can tell which direction is north if the sun is visible. Just point the short hour hand at the sun and North will be half way between the short hour hand and the number 12 on the watch. Works consistently on normal time but not daylight saving time. Plus you have to be north of the equator.

Enough about the waist pack. Lets take a look at the backpack next.

Backpack Items:

I would recommend the following items for an extended stay in the woods when you dont know how long you might be there. You can add or subtract from this list as you see fit. I have divided the items into major groups so you can see the weight within each group.

Extra Clothing

Item Description	Pounds
Four Pair of Socks	0.66
Four Pair of Ankle High Hose	0.02
Two Pair of Underwear	0.18
One Blue Jeans	1.30
One Long Sleeve Summer Shirt	0.80
...(Winter Shirt Add 0.70 Pounds)	-
- - - Clothing Sub-Total - - -	2.96

Sleeping Gear

Item Description	Pounds
Rain Poncho (Emergency Tent) (50" X94")	1.95
Heavy Duty Tarp (Emergency Tent) (8'X 10')	2.12
Space Blanket (Emergency)	0.12
Thin Blanket	2.10
Very Small Pillow	0.50
- - - Sleeping Gear Sub-Total - - -	6.79

Food Preparation

Item Description	Pounds
One Lighter (3000 Lights) (Duplicate)	0.03
60 Matches in 35mm Film Can (Duplicate)	0.06
6 Trioxane Fuel Tablets (Emergency) (Duplicate)	0.22
Spoon and Fork	0.10
Unbreakable Cup	0.73
Mess Kit	1.16
Military Can Opener	0.01
Metal Scouring Pad	0.02
Dish Cloth	0.03
50 Coffee Filters (Pre-filter Water) (Duplicate)	0.11
Chlorine Shock Treatment Granules (Duplicate)	0.25
- - - Food Preparation Sub-Total - - -	2.72

Food Supplies

Item Description	Pounds	Total Calories (Calories/Ounce)
Half Pound of Salt	0.53	-
5.5 Oz. Pepper in Can	0.35	-
10 Tea Bags	0.06	-
Sugar in Zipper Bag	0.40	680 Calories (106 Calories/Oz.)
3 Hot Chocolate Mix	0.21	360 Calories (107 Calories/Oz.)
5 Ramen Noodle 3 Oz. Packages	1.07	1,900 Caloires (111 Calories/Oz.)
Six 400 Calorie Marine Ration Bars	1.06	2,400 Calories (142 Calories/Oz.)
White Rice (1 Pound Bag)	1.04	1,500 Calories (90 Calories/Oz.)
4 Instant Mashed Potato Mix	0.49	640 Calories (82 Calories/Oz.)
6 Powdered Gravy Mix (7/8 Oz.)	0.40	480 Calories (75 Calories/Oz.)
Hard Candy (Assorted)	0.50	800 Calories (100 Calories/Oz.)
100 Multi-Vitamins	0.36	-
- - - Food Sub-Totals - - -	6.47	8,760 Calories

Personal Care Items

Item Description	Pounds>/b>
Hand Lotion (Corn Huskers 7 Fl. Oz.)	0.56
Medicated Chapstick	0.02
70 Assorted Medicine Tablets	0.22
Aveno Anti-Itching Creme (1 Oz. Tube)	0.09
Vaseline (3.75 Oz. Jar)	0.29
Deet Insect Repellant (2 Oz.)	0.15
Fingernail Polish (Chiggers)	0.10
Unbreakable Mirror (3" X 4")	0.03
Fingernail Clippers with Nail File	0.04
Tweezers	0.03
Small Comb	0.01
Toothbrush in Plastic Container	0.06
Toothpaste (2.5 Oz. Tube)	0.18
Dental Floss (100 Yards)	0.06
Shaving Razor (Bic or Gillette)	0.01
Small Scissors	0.04
12 Kleenex Tissues (Duplicate)	0.05
Hand Soap in Container (5 Oz. Bar)	0.40
Wash Cloth	0.06
Hand Towel	0.22
Sewing Kit	0.09
- - - Personal Care Items Sub-Total - - -	2.71

Survival Items

Item Description	Pounds
Compass (Duplicate)	0.14
Folding Multi-Blade Knife	0.25
Multi-Tool	0.38
Sharpening Stone	0.20
Flashlight (2AA, Spare Batteries, Bulb - Duplicate)	0.36
Combined Folding Shovel, Ax, Saw	2.30
Commando Saw (with Snare Rings)	0.04
20 Feet of Snare Wire (Duplicate)	0.60
Nylon Twine (260' at 150# Test)	0.25
One Pair of Pantyhose (For Straining)	0.06
Small Book on Survival (Contents Below)	0.40
(Edible Plants, Snares, Traps, Shelters, Etc.)	-
- - - Survival Items Sub-Total - - -	4.98

Special Items

Item Description	Pounds
Small Bible in Plastic Case in Freezer Bag	1.12
Copy of Favorite Hymns (Words Only)	0.01
2 Decks of Playing Cards	0.43
Book on 100 Solitaire Card Games	0.23
Hoyle's Book of Rules	0.28
5 Yahtzee Dice	0.06
2 Paperback Fiction Books	0.46
Journal and Pen	0.66
10 Gold Coins (1/10 Oz. Each) (For Trading)	0.06
Pre-1964 Silver Coins ($4 Face Value) (Trading)	0.25
- - - Special Items Sub-Total - - -	3.56

Summary of Backpack Items

Item Description	Pounds
Empty Backpack	1.09
Extra Clothing Sub-Total	2.96
Sleeping Gear Sub-Total	6.79
Food Preparation Sub-Total	2.72
Food Supplies Sub-Total	6.47
Personal Care Items Sub-Total	2.71
Survival Items Sub-Total	4.98
Special Items Sub-Total	3.56
- - - Total Weight of Loaded Backpack	31.28

Under the item description, some of the food and personal care items show the net weight printed on the package. However, the total weight includes the weight of the package.

I personally dont eat breakfast in the morning. I do enjoy coffee or hot tea. I know you can make coffee but putting the coffee grounds in a clean sock and boiling it in some water but I usually do without coffee unless I have a coffee percolator (or enough spare coffee filters) to make a nice cup. When I have neither coffee or tea, I use green pine needles to make a cup of nutritious herbal tea. (For more information, please read my original post How to Survive Really Hard Times listed at the end of this post.)

The food will last about 1 week if you cant find anything else to eat. But with a little luck you can use them to supplement what you find in nature. (For example, fish, squirrel, acorns, pine needles, pine cone seeds, berries, etc. See my first post for preparation instructions.) Wild berries are excellent eaten fresh or you can squeeze the juice out of them and make a really nice fruit drink (about half juice and half water). However, like many wild food sources, berries are only available a few weeks each year.

I dont recommend packing a lot of heavy water packed food. Not only is it heavy but it also takes up valuable space in your pack that could be better used for more permanent items. I suggest your rely on your ability to fish or shoot squirrels with a 22LR pistol/rifle to put meat on the table. I dont mind eating evergreen needles or other such stuff to supplement my diet. On the other hand, I know that some days the pickings will be slim and on those occasions I eat some my store bought food (Ramen noodles, marine ration bars).

The foods listed in the above tables are dehydrated (no water) and are therefore relatively light. Just add water and heat to make it tasty. I have listed the calories per ounce for each food type. If you want to substitute other foods, then I suggest you do this calculation to see how much energy you are spending to carry those foods with you.

Water is also very heavy (1 fluid ounce of water weighs 1 ounce). It is a mistake to try to carry too much water with you. Instead, camp near a source of clean water whenever possible.

Lets take a closer look at a few of the food items in the above list:

Tea Bags: One tea bag can make 2 to 5 cups of tea so dont throw it away after your first cup. If you are alone, put the used tea bag in a small plastic bag for the next time (it will only last a day or two). The tea will gradually get weaker, but it is better than plain water, in my opinion.

Salt: Salt is a necessity of life. When you sweat your body loses valuable salt that must be replaced or you will get sick. I have high blood pressure and I avoid extra salt when I eat commercially processed food. However, if you are eating mostly wild foods then they dont contain any salt and you will need to add salt to stay healthy. And some items are better if they are boiled in salt water (squirrel, for example). Finally, a little salt and pepper can transform an ordinary meal into something that is truly palatable.

Gravy: A little gravy is good on most anything, especially wild meat.

White Rice: A little white rice goes well with almost anything you find to eat in the wild (fish, squirrel, plants, etc.). It is easy to fix, it is high in calories, and it is a complex carbohydrate.

Marine Ration Bars: The high calorie marine ration bars contain all the vitamins your body needs, they are not thirst provoking, they have a five year shelf life, they have a pleasant taste (in my opinion but my youngest boy disagrees), and you can buy them at some marine supply stores, some Army/Navy stores, and some camping stores.

If possible, use your car to move some food reserves to your potential camping area ahead of time and bury them in waterproof containers. Select several different burial sites. If one site is plundered then you will still have some food at your other sites. If you wait until the last minute to evacuate your home, then food is one of the more important items you should pack in your car.

I feel the same way about heavy or bulky camping gear, such as tents, cots, and sleeping bags. Most of them are either too heavy or too bulky to carry on my back (in my opinion). However, I love to sleep in a tent on a nice cot in a sleeping bag and I will take them with me if I can transport them most of the way by car. But I dont enjoy hauling them on my back for several miles through the woods. My tarp (and poncho) make a real nice tent structure if you know what you are doing.

Keep your fingernails and toenails trimmed in the woods. You will be using your hands a lot and long nails get caught on stuff and break or tear (very painful). Long toenails will wear holes through your socks. Sewing up the holes will extend the life of the socks for a short time but at the expense of foot blisters at each place you sewed up a hole. To avoid foot blisters, I wear one pair of ankle high hose next to my skin and my regular socks on top of that.

If anyone is interested in a printable copy of several Christian Hymns (Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, The Old Rugged Cross, Joy to the World, etc. - - one page front and back, words only, no music score) then let me know below and I will format it for printing on the sister forum since religious stuff is not appropriate on this forum. It may not even be appropriate on the other forum nowadays, but one of the reasons I bookmarked the old forum a long time ago was because it was for Christians who wanted to chat about Y2K.

I have a nice GPS receiver and I really love it. It does all the thinking for me. On the other hand, I dont use it anymore. I found it is too much like the hand calculator that I started using in the 70s. I have to think to do math in my head nowadays. I am ashamed of myself. I know my multiplication tables and how to add and subtract but if I have to balance my checkbook by hand I make simple math mistakes that I use not to make (and it aint old age - my mind aint gone downhill near as fast as my body). Thats why I dont use the GPS unit. If I relied on it I would not pay as much attention to my surroundings. If my GPS unit broke for any reason, then I would be up the creek. But if I dont use it and rely upon my powers of observation instead, then I can continue to find my way back from most anywhere I go.

Dont cook over open flames. Let the fire burn down to red hot coals. Scrap some coals with a stick between two rocks or small logs and put your cook pot above the coals on the rocks. Think charcoal. Most folks wait for the charcoal flames to go out before they start cooking over the hot coals. Do the same thing with a campfire. You can keep the campfire burning in the center of a circle of stones and scrap hot coals over to one side of the circle for cooking.

I dont recommend carrying everything you own between campsites each time you move. Most of the heavy stuff should buried in waterproof containers at a convenient central location that you can get to in one or two days of hard walking.

Bury your extra ammo, food, winter clothes, and other such stuff at different places which you can find without too much trouble but which wouldnt be easy for someone else to stumble onto. Have several stashes. If you plan to stock your stashes ahead of time, then some of the other things you might consider would be a solar radio/battery charger, rechargeable batteries, aluminum foil, hiking boots (not work boots), some vegetable seeds, extra soap, bath towels, toilet tissue, nylon cord, duct tape, mosquito netting, binoculars, spare rifles with ammo, extra clothes, medical reference book, camping cookbook, and a wide variety of paperback books.

End of Part A

Continued in Part B Below

-- Grandpappy (Grandpappy@old-timers.hom), August 02, 1999

Answers

When you move campsites, only move 2 or 3 miles per day. Carry your backpack with you to the new location and hide it carefully. If you have lots of other stuff, then return to the old camp and get your sleeping bag, tent, and other things and walk to where you left your backpack. If you are like most folks, you will be really tired by now and you should make a temporary camp for the day and relax and find some food to eat. The next day repeat this procedure. Continue until you arrive at your new location. Now if you are young and full of spit then you might be strong enough to carry everything in one trip. I aint that young anymore so it takes me two trips. But I still get the job done.

At night I rinse off with some water and a little soap, and I put on clean underwear and socks and wash my old socks and underwear and put them a short distance from the campfire to dry (be careful not to cook your underclothes). I also put on my clean jeans and shirt and sleep in clean clothes under a light blanket. The next morning I put on my old clothes and return the clean ones to my backpack along with the freshly washed socks and underwear. Every few days I wash all my clothes and I then I start wearing the set I was sleeping in during the day. This keeps the wear and tear on my clothes about even.

If you have a survival manual (or a Boy Scout Handbook), then you should take it with you when you camp out. If you dont already have one, then I recommend the SAS Survival Guide by John Wiseman. It measures 5 by 3.5 by 1, it contains 384 pages, it has color prints of edible wide plants, it has first aid instructions, many camping ideas, and it only weighs 6.4 ounces. If you cant find it at your local store, then try the link below:

SAS Survival Guide, by John Wiseman

I have never taken a journal and pen with me camping before. However, next year may be a truly unique period in history. Folks that record their feelings immediately after an unusal experience are sometimes writing history that may be read by thousands of others for many years to come. Thats why I recommended the journal and pen.

I also carry a hunting rifle and extra ammo with me when I go camping. The weight of those items will depend on what type of rifle you have. Be sure to add those weights to the above totals based on your own equipment.

The above lists are for an adult male. A female would need to add a few personal items and maybe deduct a few items if she were traveling with a man who could carry the tarp and food preparation items, for example.

Finally, the weights in the above tables are the actual weights of the items I have. Your items may weigh a little more or less. Mess kits are a good example. Some have more components, some have fewer. Some are stainless steel and some are aluminum. Therefore, use the above weights as a general planning guide and not as the final answer to the weight issue.

Conclusion:

Thats all the advice I can think of right now. I trust other folks will add to this post and share a lot of ideas that I have overlooked. The important thing is to plan now for the possibility of an extended camping adventure for you and you loved ones at some point in the near future. If you are prepared, then the adventure may be an enjoyable one. If you arent prepared, then your only option may be to enter a government shelter and trust that they will take care of you in the manner in which you have become accustomed. The choice is yours.

May God Bless.

Grandpappy

P.S. - If you would like to read my previous posts, please try the links below:

How to Survive Really Hard Times

Drinking Water Revisited

More Edible Wild Plants

Hunting Wild Game

How to Get the Best Value for Your Food Dollar

-- Grandpappy (Grandpappy@old-timers.hom), August 02, 1999.

make sure your pack has a frame with a waist belt.when wearing a pack frame it's much more comfortable to have the weight transfered from the shoulders and back to the hips.

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), August 02, 1999.

The above link to "Fishing Tips" doesn't work for some reason.

Please try this ammended link:

Fishing Tips, Gear and Related Info, by Ex-Marine

-- Grandpappy (Grandpappy@old-timers.hom), August 02, 1999.

Grandpappy, this is great!

-- Helen (sstaten@fullnet.net), August 02, 1999.

Internal frame packs are "in" these days but I got an external frame one so I can take the bag off and strap on some other load, like a bucket, gas can, firewood, or game.

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), August 02, 1999.

Thank you for the great post!

A few more suggestions:

A cheap pair of flip flop/thong sandals to wear in around camp while boots/shoes are drying.

Surveyor's flagging in a high visibility color for marking your trail in case you need to backtrack. You don't have to put it right on your path but at strategic locations. This really helps if you have to come back at night..... This is really only applicable in the woods or brushy land.

If you are packing up flashlights, headband style lights or anything else with batteries insert a small piece of paper between the battery and the contacts with the device. This will help keep the batteries from being used up if the device gets turned on accidentally while in storage or traveling. Just remember to leave a tag of paper sticking out so it is easy to pull out - I leave it long enough to stick out of the closed battery compartment (if feasible) so I can SEE that it is there before getting angry that it won't turn on.... (been there, done that, .....).

Stocking cap.

Instead of a fancy camp cup try to find a stainless (I worry about safety of aluminum) steel chef's salt shaker with handle and screw on lid. This is great if you are heating contents over fire - lid lets steam vent but keeps bugs and ash/soot from getting in.

File for sharpening shovel, axe, etc. You will be amazed at how effective a sharpened shovel can be for clearing a spot of debris, vegetation, etc. (you squat and hold almost horizontal and scrape with the side/tip against the ground- ask any wildland firefighter if you need further instruction on sharpening too).

Decent length of duct tape (someone else somewhere else suggested wrapping it around handle of flashlight). This can be used for emergency butterfly closures of wounds plus a multitude of other uses.

Baby wipes in a zip lock baggie (at least a one inch thick bunch).

Cotton bandana/kerchief: Dust filter, sweat sopper, (if clean) water filter pretreatment before bleach, etc.

Small tube of super glue: repairing small wounds, torn fingernails, heel/finger cracks, leaky tarp, etc.

Aluminum foil: several good sized pieces folded up for storage. For cooking food (baked cattail roots, thistle root, oat cakes, etc.

Hope this is helpful - shouldn't add much more that 1 lb. to above list and adds flexibility.

-- Kristi (securxsys@succeed.net), August 02, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

Just as your earlier posts were, this one is really excellent. I especially appreciate the weights. Here's my own bugout bag.

Someone, please e-mail me if this post screws up the formatting of this thread. I'm experimenting.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 06, 1999.