Leaving it behind.

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
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How many of you really carry all that stuff when you go hiking?

I see so many of these posts of gear, that is your ' survival' gear you carry, and some of it looks like you'd need a team of Sherpa's to lug it all. Most National and state parks are not the ends of the earth, and even when we hiked Yellowstone, it was more populated than I'd have thought. Maybe living east of the Big Muddy gives me a slanted view, but do we really need a backpack filled with more gear than Lewis and Clarks men carried? I've yet to have been in any of our countries wilderness areas that one or two days hike in a strait line wouldn't take you out to a road or ranch, or some kind of civilization.

Most times these days, unless we're traveling out west someplace, I just carry a few extra odds and ends in my pockets, and that's it. If the weather is iffy, maybe an extra pancho or light weight plastic tarp in a day pack. But I'm at the stage of life where I question how much we really need. I mean really need, not playing explorer. If one wants to play with the toys, then that's a whole other thing, but how much do we really need lumbering equipment on a hike or over night trip.

In my younger day, I used to carry stuff that these days I'd never think of. Heavy Ranbdall number 14, Smith and Wesson revolver, back up gear. Once I got into my late 30s I dropped all that. By my 40's my backpacking load had dropped all the extra cutlery, firearms, and other toys. A 4 inch sheath knife and folding saw, and minimum other gear was it. The grades on the A.T. were not getting any easier as I got older, and age has a way of figuring out what you really need to carry.

I figure fire and shelter is what I really need. Most of that can be done with very little. A two or three pound day pack with a few items like one of those disposable plastic drop cloths from the paint department of Walmart, a small ball of twine, and a folding saw, will build a water proof shelter in 15 minutes that will be better than one can do with an ax or big chopper in an hour. Unless the point of the trip was just to get out and play with the big choppers and hack up some wilderness. If so, that's another thing altogether. I know this is a knife forum, so we like to play with the toys we love. But as far as to what's really needed to survive an unexpected stay in the wilds, like a broken leg or being pinned down by a storm risen creek blocking a trail, how much do we really have to have?

Carl.
 
I quite agree with your message, to survive, or hike out, you need very little.
Actually I could and have already gone through short hikes with no equipment at all (just have to keep moving).

That said, I generally carry a lot more equipment, because as often as possible I use short hikes as training for longer hikes where I'd need more gear.

Actually I try to build or at least maintain my load-carrying ability.

But yeah I don't need all the gear, particularly in warmer months.
 
There are countless stories of people surviving without any gear or knives at all.

There are also stories of people that had all sorts of gear still dying because they let panic take over.

I'll wager that most of us when we go into the woods take more gear than we need just to be on the safe side-if if that is just in our minds.(also a lot of us like to test that gear)

But I'll also wager than most of the people HERE on this Forum are FAR more Mentally ready for the fact that a survival situation CAN happen to them and take steps to prepare for that.

I've met people backpacking that had no knife-first aid kit-or compass.Because in thier minds they did not NEED them.

The thought of a survival situation never crossed their minds
 
Depends on the person, place, and situation(weather). Out west I saw dramatic temp differences, most of the time didn't have a fire. My warmth was due to my gear, clothes, sleeping bag, tent or bivy. Most of the time there, I never carried any chopper, machete, axe, etc.. just a Leatherman would do. Often, all I used a blade for was to cut open my Mountain House meals, yes really.
Here in KY, it's a different situation. Camping in the forests, I've never experienced the wind like in the south west mountains. So, I can see how a simple drop cloth shelter can work. Yet, often enough, all the wood is wet, at least what's on the ground. Last trip, it had rained for 3 days prior to our outing. The only dry wood was the fallen trees, those parts not touching the ground were perfect. I'm glad I had my 12" Culberson wood chopper, I had to chop through 6-8" thick limbs, then haul them to camp. Then again, I we had stoves to cook with, and a tent to sleep in, so the fire was a luxury. If something went wrong, maybe the fire would have been essential?

Over time my load has gotten lighter. Getting older, learning more skills, and needing less do seem to be what makes us cut down. There's lots of little stuff I take, the just in case stuff. I like having my signal mirror, first aid kit, bug net for my head, handgun, couple of fire starters, a back up compass, and some other smallish stuff. Getting lighter gear has allowed me to take a few more items. Am I too cautious, I have never needed my seatbelt, but still wear that.

Are we talking about camping and ditching the signal mirror, compass, water fitler and stoves? Or ditching the tent for a made shelter, boiling water over a fire to leave the filter behind, no sleeping pad or pillow? Or are we talking out day hikes, and taking the toys out to play with?
 
It is rare when my pack exceeds 20 lbs. The only things I carry are things that I either cannot improvise or would be more difficult to improvise.
-Big knife 8" blade+, or a medium axe
-2-3 ferro-rods because I have a habit of losing things
-Small knife 4-5" fixed blade
-Multitool - leatherman charge or surge
-Stainless steel thermas, fire kit inside - tinder, 50 matches, bic lighter.
-basic med kit - 3 guaze pads, med tape, sew/stitch kit, band-aids, disinfectant, ace bandage, chapstick,
-compass
-cordage; spool of bank line or wax twine, 100ft 550 chord, 10 zip ties(they can come in handy), 25' duct tape or 50' electrical tape.
-other/optional; medium sized cloth dish towel, sunglasses, hat, fishing kit(line, hooks)

Out of all this I am always wearing my small fixed blade, multi-tool, wool sweater, hat and sunglasses, in my pockets is the chapstick, ferro-rod, and the compass it tied to my belt. Out of the rest of the stuff, the only stuff I have pulled out of the pack to use was the big knife, and the towel. The fire kit can be considered excess as I could always use a hand or bow drill, although in CA in a lot of places you can be fined for starting a fire, hell in my county they fine you for burning wood in your fireplace now. Coradge in my neck of the woods can be difficult to improvise.
 
I generally try to get a single day hike in, and go light on those. I take a small pack with me, and have started carrying a small lunch, two full 32oz Nalgene bottles, a fresh pair of socks etc. On these trails, if anyone saw me wailing on downed wood, I would probably be in the tank by the end of the day. Also, these parks are not in the middle of nowhere, even my fat ass could cover most of the trails in two days.

BTW, the Maxpedition water bottle kit is a great idea for a short day hike on local trails.
 
For any daytrips hiking or fishing I have a 1 litre beltpack stuffed with snowpeak pot, first aid, fishing kit, esee firekit, survival odds'n'ends, AMK bivy, 4in coghlans sierra saw, 30ft cordage and 2 orange contractor bags that weighs 3.5lbs.
Nice compact kit so I will actually bring it along with my 1L klean
I will throw it a back pack with water, food, raingear and go.
Fixed and folder goes without saying

Total pack weight with 4lbs of fishing gear is seldom more than 15lb, 20 max

For a 2 to 4 day trip add 10 to 12lbs in a tent/sleeping bag, 1 change of cloths and food.
fiskar's slidesaw and wetterling 20" if its colder and adds 2.5lb


Really have tried to cut the pack weight the past decade or so and never miss what I used to bring, fishing, fire and silence satisfies me.
 
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I don't carry much.
Part of it is because I don't need to, and part of it is that with lower back injuries, it sometimes really hurts to carry all that crap.
 
I too carry very little. On day hikes in the summer I usually just add a water bottle, nesting cup, and sunscreen to my EDC. Maybe you get the impression of everyone carrying too much because the guys who carry too much are the ones who carry the cameras.:D ;)
 
Shotgun said:
Maybe you get the impression of everyone carrying too much because the guys who carry too much are the ones who carry the cameras.:D ;)
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I think it's more likely that people that post pictures of all that crap never take it out of the living room, or more than 10 feet from the car.;)

Except for my brothers...they go out in the woods lugging a good 80 to 90 pounds of stuff on their backs for an overnighter!
Seriously, I remember going out with them on time, and in one of their packs there was enough food for 2 weeks, and between them we wouldn't have had to look for water for a good week.
 
I always get a little chuckle when I see a "woods ninja" hiking in a state park campground with paved or gravel trails, with an 80lb+ pack stuffed full of all kinds of cool "survival" gear, and from beginning to end they never ever reach into that pack. Although they stop every few hundred yards to rest, take off their pack, re-adjust, rest some more, grunt and groan putting it all back on and repeating the process. But to each is own.
 
Dave Behrens said:
I always get a little chuckle when I see a "woods ninja" hiking in a state park campground with paved or gravel trails, with an 80lb+ pack stuffed full of all kinds of cool "survival" gear, and from beginning to end they never ever reach into that pack. Although they stop every few hundred yards to rest, take off their pack, re-adjust, rest some more, grunt and groan putting it all back on and repeating the process. But to each is own.
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Exactly.
At least they're getting out there, which is the start.
They'll eventually learn what not to bring.:)
 
I think for some the fantasy of what MAY happen overshadows the reality of what would more likely happen.
Another problem is we don't spend as much time in the timber as we like and therefore we need to justify spending the coin on certain gear. So it gets packed...
This past summer I was in the Montana backcountry and had less on me, except clothing, then when I hike in my native PA. Plane trips tend to lighten the load when bag fees are at stake.
I love when someone talks about the gear they carried as a youngster and then questions how they made it through. Truth be known maybe in your younger days the adventure was what was important not the overstuffed ruck.
 
Its its for a short day hike The heaviest thing I carry is my camera (DSLR). If its in unfamiliar woods then I do tend to bring a small backpack with me. I like to carry a few extras just in case. Unless Im going for a overnight then I like to keep things minimalist.
 
I've often wondered the same thing buddy, I see people talking about their favourite outdoor combo's etc and post a pic of a small blade, a monster chopper and an axe.....how the hell do they lug those and all the rest of their kit around ?!!

My hikes are usually very up and down so my kit is very minimal.

Heck if all you have is a pen knife,ferro-rod and some string in your pocket you still have a much better start on mother nature than most people do when hiking.
 
Most of my hiking is in Colorado's high country, where weather can change on you very quickly, and the truck is 5 - 10 miles behind you. I've been caught in snowstorms that "shouldn't" have happened without appropriate gear. I have never let that happen again, and while my pack is heavy, I don't complain, I just work out a lot more so that I can handle it. I've also had to start bringing more as my family has gotten bigger, and my wife's arthritis precludes her from carrying much on her shoulders.

Water is the one really heavy item I wish I didn't have to carry, but where we go, there aren't reliable sources, so I just encourage lots of drinking! :D

I figure as long as I pull my own weight, nobody else should care about what I'm carrying. Or come begging to borrow, either...
 
sodak said:
Most of my hiking is in Colorado's high country, where weather can change on you very quickly, and the truck is 5 - 10 miles behind you. I've been caught in snowstorms that "shouldn't" have happened without appropriate gear. I have never let that happen again, and while my pack is heavy, I don't complain, I just work out a lot more so that I can handle it. I've also had to start bringing more as my family has gotten bigger, and my wife's arthritis precludes her from carrying much on her shoulders.

Water is the one really heavy item I wish I didn't have to carry, but where we go, there aren't reliable sources, so I just encourage lots of drinking! :D

I figure as long as I pull my own weight, nobody else should care about what I'm carrying. Or come begging to borrow, either...
Click to expand...

Yup, sometimes extra weight is just necessary for where you live or the time of year. Nothing wrong with that.
 
I take more than I need, because I like to test out new stuff or new ideas when I am out there. Another reason is I rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
 
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