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Pack Weight
>
>Aim to carry no more than a quarter of your body weight
to start, or afifth of your body weight if you're out of shape and
hauling around afew extra pounds of your own. Fit hikers can handle a
third of theirbody weight. A couple sharing gear should be able to keep
their packweights below 40 pounds each. For average spring, winter,
or fall trips,5 days' worth of food adds about 10 pounds to each
person's pack.

Saving Stove Fuel

Instant meals are a major way to save fuel, but there are other techniques you
can do that will make a difference:

• Make sure your stove is tuned up and ready to go so you don't waste gas trying
to get it started.
• Before you light your stove, have a pot of water at hand so you can put it on
immediately.
• Heat only the amount of water you need.
• Don't boil when simmer will do.
• Use a lid.
• Use pots with a finished or painted black exterior (they will absorb heat
better).
• If they are compatible with your stove, use devices such as reflector collars
and heat exchangers that conserve heat or fuel and block the wind.
• Use a windscreen if--and only if--your stove is designed to accommodate one.
Some tank-underneath stoves will become over-heated when a windscreen is used.

Regardless of how much fuel your system conserves, you still come down to the
ultimate question: How much fuel should you carry? The best way to anticipate
fuel needs is to keep notes on how much you used on past trips. Barring that,
you can go by someone else's rule of thumb. In summer, for example, the National
Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) issues 2.7 ounces of fuel per one per person
per day on the trail; in winter, the school allots 2/5 quart 6.4 ounces per
person per day. NOLS students cook with basic foods, however, not freeze-dried
meals or instant meals.

Note though that each stove has a different estimated burn time and boil time.
Plus, higher elevations also affect fuel consumption.

Daily Tip: May 12, 2000
Pita And Bagels
These are better than regular bread, which squishes and crumbles in your pack. Breads with preservatives last longer, especially in humid climates. Choose denser, harder breads over light puffy loaves. Crackers don't spoil, but keep them in their cardboard boxes so they don't turn into crumbs.


Camp Arrival Check List

Juggling the many camp setup duties can make you feel like an air traffic
controller. Simplify the process with the routine sequence of steps outlined
below. Of course, weather conditions may rearrange your priorities. In rainy
weather, you'll want to hang a tarp first and cook before setting up the tent.
In winter, fire up the stove immediately to start melting snow for hot soup and
drinks as you put on layers of clothes and erect the tent.

1. Select site
2. Don dry clothes
3. Gather water
4. Start stove to heat/purify water
5. Drink water
6. Care for feet
7. Set up tent
8. Fluff sleeping bag
9. Store gear
10. Eat light snack within 45 minutes
11. Set up bear bag
12. Set up kitchen
13. Cook and eat dinner
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Adapted from Backpacker's Making Camp: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Mountain

Letting Off Steam
Overcome hot 'n' sweaty jacket syndrome with proper venting.

• Open the cuffs wide to encourage breezes, or pull them up over your elbows to
cool your arms.
• Unzip the main zipper from the bottom (if it's two-way) to vent your belly
without exposing it to rain.
• Put your arms through pit zips if your jacket has them, then tuck the sleeves
behind you. This lets your arms and pits breathe, but keeps your core covered.
• Open all the pockets wide unless they lack effective storm flaps. Even nonmesh
pockets provide some ventilation.
• Fasten your hipbelt under the jacket so the front hangs loose. Breezes can't
circulate under your jacket if it's cinched tight against your hips.
• Loosen all drawcords, and unsnap your snow skirt, if applicable, to increase
circulation.
• Close the front of the jacket using the snaps or hook-and-loop tabs rather
than the zipper so air can slip between the gaps.

9April2000

How To "Time" A Tough Hike
A ready response for when someone asks, "Aren't we there yet?"

Steep terrain can slow your progress to a crawl, and shrink daily mileage totals
to single digits. That can put you in a bind if you have to make up lost time,
or get back to the trailhead at a specific time.

By knowing the upcoming elevation gain and distance you'll travel, you can
estimate what your hiking time will be through the tough sections.

Several rules of thumb apply. The typical backpacker travels at 2 mph on a level
surface, and expect to add 1 hour of hiking for every 1,000 feet of vertical
gain. Here's how this simple formula looks:

miles traveled / 2 mph + elevation gained / 1,000 = travel time

So, using the King Ravine Trail in New Hampshire as an example, here's how to
figure travel time to the top:

.5 mile/ 2 mph (15 minutes) + 1,100 / 1,000 (1 hour, 6 minutes) = 1 hour, 21
minutes

Daily Tip: April 6, 2000
It's In The Foil
A small square of aluminum foil has many uses around your camp. To increase the wattage of your candle lantern by about 10 percent, use the foil as a reflector. It can also serve as a windscreen for your pack stove or an oven for your baked potato. Best thing is, it's recyclable, no matter how charred it gets.

Daily Tip: March 30, 2000
Head's Up
Check the turf under your tent. When you decide on a spot for your tent, spread out your ground cloth and then lie on top of it to determine which end of the ground is higher and where to put the head of your tent (uphill) if there is a slight incline. You will also be able to detect any lumps or bumps ahead of time so you can move the tent site to the right or to the left in order to avoid them.

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Daily Tip: March 29, 2000
Pack It Out
Packing out used toilet paper in a resealable plastic bag is the best way to handle waste on the trail. To make this noble practice less noxious and more sanitary, saturate a small cellular sponge with ammonia and place it in the bag before you go. The ammonia will kill the offending bacteria.

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Daily Tip: March 28, 2000
Be A Quality Cop
Brian Moran of Madden Mountaineering in Boulder, Colorado, is a quality guy. As Madden's full-time quality control manager, it's his job to hand inspect every pack that goes out the door. "In just a few minutes of close inspection, you can get a good sense of a pack's overall quality." Brian recommends checking out these key points before you buy.

* Closely examine the stitching at a number of different points. The stitches should be neat, tight, and uniform. When you pull on a strap, the seam should not move, stretch, or gap.
* Look for a minimum seam allowance of 1/4", preferably a 1/2", especially on areas that bear weight like the hipbelt and shoulder harness. (The seam allowance is the amount of excess fabric between a seam and the cut edge of the fabric.) Since fabric is woven, it can unravel near the edges, so the closer a seam is to the edge, the weaker the seam is. A good seam allowance is an insurance policy against this. Binding tape, which is used to cover the frayed edges, also helps.
* Check the bartacks. A good one is really tight, and you should be able to yank on it and see no movement of the threads. Look closely at both sides of the bartack and be sure that each pass goes from end to end (as opposed to half passes, which aren't as strong).
* Give the pack a quick once-over, looking for any fabric pinches or folds, missed stitches, loose threads, or other signs of shoddy workmanship.

-K. Hostetter

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Daily Tip: March 27, 2000
Candle Lantern Holder
Protect your delicate candle lantern from the rigors of the ride. Most will fit perfectly in a racquetball canister, which can be obtained free at health clubs, without adding much bulk or weight to your pack.

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Daily Tip: March 24, 2000
A Long Life For Your Pack
"Good backpacks are meant to withstand major abuse," says Jan Whelchel, head of the repair department at Kelty. "But they still need regular care and maintenance in order to perform their best." Here's what she recommends.

1. Clean your pack regularly with a soft brush and mild detergent. If all the foam on the pack-typically found on the back panel, shoulder straps, and hipbelt-is closed-cell, submerge it in a tub of water to loosen dirt and get rid of odors. If the pack uses open-cell foam, don't submerge it because this can malform the foam. If you're unsure of the type of foam your pack uses, contact the manufacturer.
2. When you pick up a loaded pack, grab it by either the haul loop or both shoulder straps, but not by one.
3. Don't over-tighten compression straps. This adds unnecessary stress to the seams.
4. Don't let your pack get sunburned. Ultraviolet rays fade and weaken nylon. Store your pack in a cool, dry, dark place.
5. Use a raincover to prevent saturation, which can lead to mold or mildew.
6. Take care of zippers. Clean them, lubricate them with silicone spray, and don't yank on them. Keep frayed fabric trimmed so that the fibers don't get stuck in your zips.
7. Keep buckles fastened to prevent them from getting stepped on and broken.
8. Inspect stress points. Your pack's most vital links are at the attachment points for the suspension system (hipbelt, shoulder straps, and stabilizer straps). Make necessary repairs using stout upholstery thread and a heavy-duty needle. A coating of seam sealer waterproofs and strengthens stitches.
9. Pack smart. Don't let pointed objects like stoves, cook pots, and tent stakes create wear spots in the fabric.
10. Don't store food in your pack. Rodents think nothing of chewing through nylon. Better to hang your grub from a tree in stuff sacks, which are relatively cheap and easily patched.

-K. Hostetter

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Daily Tip: March 23, 2000
A Good Night's Sleep
Make a backpacking pillow out of a pair of sweat pants. Cut the leg off a pair, turn the leg inside out, and sew the cut end closed. The elastic cuff stays open so you can stuff it with a jacket, sweatshirt, bath towel, or other soft garment for an instant pillow.

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Daily Tip: March 22, 2000
Hose Down The House
After a wet, muddy hike, put up your tent and hose it down, if necessary using a mild soap to rinse away stuck-on grime. Leave the tent up to dry.

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Daily Tip: March 21, 2000
Jump Start Your Morning
Whether you need to get an early start on that mountain to avoid the afternoon storm or you've simply heard enough razzing about being the last one to hit the trail, here are some ways to speed up your a.m. rituals.
* Use a watch alarm to wake up earlier. If you can hit the trail around sunrise, you've already gained an hour or two.
* Sleep under the stars, weather permitting. No tent to take down and fold means quicker packing.
* Pack up gear at night that you won't use in the morning.
* Filter or boil the water that you'll need for breakfast, and fill water bottles at dinner.
* Split tasks. While one camper prepares the morning meal, another takes down the tent. Make it a game to see how quickly each task can be accomplished.
* Go cold for breakfast. Munch an energy bar, granola, or gorp and guzzle a sports drink (made the night before!).
* Avoid fumbling with a complex bear bag. Attach a metal shower hook or a carabiner to the end of your bear-bag rope so you can clip the bag on and off quickly.

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Daily Tip: March 20, 2000
Talus Techniques
Besides being a general nuisance to travel up, down, or across, talus is dangerous. Rocks dislodged by fellow hikers can become head-seeking missiles. Play it safe by employing one of several different techniques depending on the terrain. In broad, gently sloping talus fields, stand side by side and hike straight up or down the talus slope, remaining parallel to each other the entire time. On steep slopes or in couloirs, follow behind one another in an angled traverse. Gather at switchbacks before spreading out again and following each other. You can also travel bunched together so loosened rocks have little momentum by the time they reach fellow hikers.
If you start a rock tumbling or see one falling, yell "Rock!" to warn others. If you hear the magic word, dive for cover, ducking your noggin and shrugging your pack overhead as fast as possible to deflect the impact. Train yourself to resist the natural impulse to look up and say, "Huh?"

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Daily Tip: March 17, 2000
Setup Secrets
As a tent designer for Kelty, Mike Scherer has set up a few shelters in his time, and he offers several simple recommendations for folks aspiring to do likewise:
Staking: Instead of simply sticking the stake through the stake-out loop and pushing it into the ground, hold the loop at the pointed end of the stake, tension the loop away from the tent, then sink it. This way, you don't lose the tension you created by pulling on the stake-out loop.
"And pick your tent stakes for the terrain," say Scherer. "Choose thin, rigid pegs for hard ground; larger T-shaped and U-shaped cross sections for soft dirt. For tent stakes, 7000-series aluminum stakes are the best choice; they're lightweight and rigid, yet flexible enough to resist cracking."
Guying: Don't just string one length of cord from each guy-out point on the tent canopy. Double the holding power-with fewer stakes-by stringing the cord in V configurations from guy loops around the perimeter of the tent to neighboring stakes.
Bibler's Peter Wilkening has likewise stumbled on a few universal tent truths through years of honing sewing and set-up skills: "If there's a breeze," he says, "stand upwind and thread the poles from that direction. Move the tent afterward, once it's set up. Practice in a controlled environment, like in your yard, before you have to do it in the backcountry. Whatever you're putting the pole through, whether it's clips or a sleeve, be careful. Pole ends can be sharp enough to rip fabrics."
-S. Howe

_______________________________________________________

Finding A Lost Trail

There are dozens of ways to lose the trail. It could be washed out, blocked by
deadfall, obliterated by a mudslide, covered by a late-season snow. Even the
best-maintained trails sometimes suffer from the elements. If you lose the
trail, stop!

• Look backward. Knowing where you came from can reorient (and reassure) you.
Usually there is a beaten path around an obstacle. But before you start beating
the bushes, take a good look at your surroundings and pick out some features (a
distinctive tree, a fallen log) you can easily recognize and come back to.

• Ask yourself, if you had built the trail, where would it go? Look there for it
first.

• Keep your pack on if you’re hiking solo. If you’re with a hiking partner, you
can take your pack off, but stay in calling or whistling distance. Being lost
without your pack is a lot worse than being lost with your pack. And in bad
mountain weather, fog can come in and disorient you in the space of minutes.

• If going forward doesn’t yield an answer, try going back to the last place you
were sure was on the trail. You might find that you missed a turn, or a piece of
deadfall blocked the route.

• Find the blazes. The problem could be something so simple as a branch that
blocks your view. Take a couple of steps to one side and look again from a
different angle.

• Use the same technique above tree line. Gray granite cairns can seemly
disappear in a field of gray granite talus. Taking a couple of steps to one side
or another often results in a slightly different perspective–and a sight of the
missing cairn.

_____________________________________________________________

Hot Tips
Simple ways to squeeze more warmth out of your bag


#1: Layer up.
Adding a bag liner or bivy sack will buy you 5° to 10°F. Ditto for an extra
sleeping pad, especially a self-inflater. Wrap a fleece jacket around your
shoulders and neck if your bag doesn't have a draft collar.

#2: Duck and cover.
Nothing gets me through a cold night like a warm wool cap and cinching the hood
tight.

#3: Eat, drink, and pee.
To fuel your engine, eat big dinners, keep a snack handy when varmints aren't a
problem, and sip on your water bottle until bedtime. When nature calls, don't
lay there hoping the urge will go away. Your body wastes energy keeping the
contents of your bladder at 98.6°F.

#4: Jump-start your heart.
Push-ups and jumping jacks will get Old Faithful pumping blood to those cold
extremities. On frigid nights, try isometric exercises or static stretching from
the safety of your bag.

#5: Make a bed-warmer.
Try a hot water bottle, tightly sealed, wrapped in a fleece jacket or bottle
cozy and tossed in the foot of your bag. One bottle lasts 6 to 8 hours.

#6: Get in gear.
Cram your legs in an internal frame pack or extra-large stuff sack to create a
mini bivy sack. Throw any extra clothes over your bag, or stuff them between you
and a cold tent wall. If your pad fails, improvise a mat with extra clothes and
stuff sacks.

#7: Clean up your act.
Frequent contributor Mike Lanza swears that washing away perspiration and
changing into clean clothes makes him feel warmer.

Snowmobile tips.

===============
RECREATION TIPS 26 March 2000
===============

Snowmobile tip: A cage can be welded on to the exhaust manifold of the snowmobile
and can be used to cook sandwiches as well as heat water. This will give you a 
hot meal and drink while you are out in the snow.

Daily Tip: 3 July, 2000

How To "Time" A Tough Hike
A ready response for when someone asks, "Aren't we there yet?"

Steep terrain can slow your progress to a crawl, and shrink daily mileage totals
to single digits. That can put you in a bind if you have to make up lost time,
or get back to the trailhead at a specific time.

By knowing the upcoming elevation gain and distance you'll travel, you can
estimate what your hiking time will be through the tough sections.

Several rules of thumb apply. The typical backpacker travels at 2 mph on a level
surface, and expect to add 1 hour of hiking for every 1,000 feet of vertical
gain. Here's how this simple formula looks:

miles traveled / 2 mph + elevation gained / 1,000 = travel time

So, using the King Ravine Trail in New Hampshire as an example, here's how to
figure travel time to the top:

.5 mile/ 2 mph (15 minutes) + 1,100 / 1,000 (1 hour, 6 minutes) = 1 hour, 21
minutes

Of course, this is only an estimate and it'll be affected by all the variables
backpackers know so well, like weather, time of day, and amount of food in your
belly. The precision of your calculations increases by knowing your actual speed
of travel in the flats, rather than relying on the 2 mph figure. Or you could
just go ahead and hike the mountain and come to the same conclusion: "Man,
that was hard."

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