What can I do... without?

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Womble

Native
Sep 22, 2003
1,095
2
57
Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Inspired by seeing only part of Robs thread title, which go tme thinking.

Out of the kit you normally take out with you, is there one thing that you continually think "why do I take this with me?"

I know (and others will confirm that this is so) that I take far too much stuff with me when I go camping, and I've really feel I oughta cut down, but where to start?

I think that now the good weather is on the way, I think that what I can do without (or tey to do without is.... my tent. I've got bivi making materials, a hootchi AND a hennessey set-up; lets see if I can't make good use of them!

How about you - what do you think you can leave behind?
 

bloodline

Settler
Feb 18, 2005
586
2
65
England
every now and then i go back to basics and take a knife a water bottle and something to light a fire with then start adding again on any future forays
 

BorderReiver

Full Member
Mar 31, 2004
2,693
16
Norfolk U.K.
Womble said:
Inspired by seeing only part of Robs thread title, which go tme thinking.

Out of the kit you normally take out with you, is there one thing that you continually think "why do I take this with me?"

Only my stupid dog :p
 
W

Walkabout

Guest
I always take a hammock, but when I get in it I cant sleep. So I just use it as a kit shelf! :rolleyes:
 
A

Aelfred

Guest
Good question Womble.

I seem to go through a cycle of cutting down on kit then slowly it builds up, my pack getting larger and heavier, and I need to get rid of a load of it again.

Whenever I get to this point I recall a saying from old time American camper (I can't remember his name) who said something like:

"When you get back from a trip and unpack all your gear make three piles. In the first put in all the things that you used everyday; in the second put all the things that you used occasionally; and in the third put in all the things you didn't use at all. Then get rid of the last two piles. You don't need them."

Brutal but effective.
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,355
2,366
Bedfordshire
A couple weekend's ago I went out for an overnight camp in some woods near me. Before leaving I weighted my pack...32lb!! That included water, but I didn't bother with spare clothes, or heavy tinned stuff.

When I got back home I ran through a check list of what I had taken and what I had used, and with some minor exceptions, I had used everything. That got me thinking that I probably need to start lightening kit, rather than just taking fewer items.

http://hikinghq.net/
this site has got me thinking about a lot of items I pack, and use, but that I could make muck lighter and more compact.

I am a naturally disorganised person, so I make packing lists every single time I go out overnight, then look them over as soon as I get home to see what was a waste of space. Maybe that would help?
 

george

Settler
Oct 1, 2003
627
6
61
N.W. Highlands (or in the shed!)
When going out backpacking with a group of clients you have to carry an incredible amount of "just in case" kit. I can easily end up carrying around 50 or 60 pounds in weight. I can't cut down on that stuff so the only things I can leave out are my own things.

I've got my own "core kit" down to about 18 pounds without food or fuel and not counting what I'm wearing - this is for anything between mid spring to mid autumn. With the addition of the right amount of food and fuel or resupplying on the way I could be out with this kit for two days or for two months.

I'm still always looking for ways to cut down on weight though and I reckon I should be able to cut down to about 15 pounds or so without noticing any problems. Having said that - ultralight kit is very expensive for the best stuff so whether I will ever cut down the extra couple of pounds will depend on my bank balance.

Mind you thats why I use canoes more and more these days - I like my home comforts too much and in a canoe I can comfortably carry around 400 pounds in weight!!

George
 

Rhapsody

Forager
Jan 2, 2005
162
0
Aldershot, nr. Guildford, UK
Technically, I could probably do without the masses of beer I tend to take with me into the woods, but it's not something I'll be trying any time soon. Beer makes the nights seem warmer in winter and cooler in summer; it's the essential buschcraft tonic!
 

Lithril

Administrator
Admin
Jan 23, 2004
2,590
55
Southampton, UK
Rhapsody said:
Beer makes the nights seem warmer in winter and cooler in summer; it's the essential buschcraft tonic!

Still possible to go lightweight... its what hip flasks and whisky was designed for... honest!
 

Moine

Forager
I came across a book, and bought it. It's Journeys of Simplicity, subtitled Traveling Light. Written by Philip Harnden (Skylight paths publishing, ISBN : 1-893361-76-4).

Basically, it's many people's traveling gear (people like Ed Abbey, Grandma Gatewood, Robert Pirsig and Bilbo Baggins). One that made me laugh quite a bit is this one :

Will Baker (cineast, photograph and writer) on the trail to meet the Ashanika in central Peru :

Gringo gear :

Sleeping bag
Mosquito net
Nylon cord
Matches and candle
Machete
SAK
Extra clothing
Cooking kit
Camera
Notebook
Film
Pens
Dictionary
Maps
Toothpaste, brush
Hairbrush, razor
Soap, towel
Poncho
First aid kit
Raisin nut mix (GORP)
Tea
Sombrero
...

Indian gear :

Water bottle
Machete

Cheers,

David
 

ChrisKavanaugh

Need to contact Admin...
From an american perspective the most overrated, underused, social liability bit of steel generating more passion than the ultimate knife is a 'camping' firearm. Sorry, but I have seldom encountered killer grizzlies, satanic cults, marauding biker gangs or moonshiners. I had one shooting incident years ago when my archaeological survey blundered into a marijuana plantation where I was carrying a rifle. We have 'kit guns'- small frame .22 handguns for small game, plinking and self defense, 'survival rifles' based on lightwieght strategems inspired by military logistics on up to dedicated 'bear stopping rifles.' I've carried firearms on extended trips where they were actually legally required ( Alaska and Canadian aviation actually has required lists of survival gear) but otherwise it seems to reflect social perceptions instead of reality. I hiked with a friend who carried a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum with enough bandolier laden ammunition to impress a mexican bandit. He was wrapped a bit to tight and was ready to blast everything at a moment's notice. Eventually he developed a list to starboard and had to have that knee operated on :p My SMLE stays at home unless I'm recreating The Mad Trapper of Rat River :eek:
 

Squidders

Full Member
Aug 3, 2004
3,853
15
48
Harrow, Middlesex
The getting rid of things you don't use approach is ok... just don't throw your FAK just because you didn't use it ;o)

P.S. I always pack loads, sure you can carry less by knowing more and all that but I don't want to. i'm on a quest to bring choice to the masses with their kit. If you want to carry more, go for it, it's not a bad thing or some sort of taboo.

It's choice, i can quite happily carry my bergen fully loaded for miles and miles without it bothering me, sure I could travel a little faster with a lighter pack but i'm not in a race usually.

I'm all for more kit personally, I like kit.
 

Abbe Osram

Native
Nov 8, 2004
1,402
22
61
Sweden
milzart.blogspot.com
I think the easily most underestimated and useless weight is the bush-crafters own body fat.
I got nearly 100 kg on the scale at one point and thought how stupid the whole thing is to carry the whole lot around hurting my knees. Its funny to see how sometimes people would choose one item over the other because it has 200 gram more weight but themselves they don’t count in at all, the body fat they could spare. I got down to 85 in the first round …and saved in that way 15 kg, :) which I don’t have to carry all day around. Now.. after I stopped going my trap line I got up again to 89 kg. :( But my plan is to get down to 80 kg as a standard and that would save me 20 kg I would not need to carry around all day. :D

Cheers
Abbe
 

jamesdevine

Settler
Dec 22, 2003
823
0
48
Skerries, Co. Dublin
I try to keep things very basic.

My sleeping kit(sleeping bag,bivvy bag and basha), spare cloths(this can be anything from a spare of socks and a tshirt to a full set), FAK, Swedish army mess kit + fuel, 2x58bottles, Crusader mug, Poncho(Mac in a sack) and SAK.

Then theres the food and water and thats it.

The rest I wear: Knife, camera, possibles pouch with fire kit etc. It very rarely is heaver then a stone and I my biggest bag is only 50ltr so space is limited.

My kit is not the porblem as Abbe said it's my fitness that is the problem. My personal weight and aging body are what make things un comfortable hence why I am learning canoeing. :)

James
 

match

Settler
Sep 29, 2004
707
8
Edinburgh
Yep - just come back from a weekend away, and my kit consisted of:

Sleeping bag + mat
Basha
Bivvy
Clothes (I always take three of everything (pants, socks, tshirt) as then you can be wearing one, washing one, and drying one every day :)
Knife, lighter, FAK, mug, bowl, cutlery, torch.
A good length of rope.
A Pocket Kite (OK, this wasn't strictly necessary :) )

All of this fits easily into a 30 litre rucksack - I usually tend to strap a second bag with food/water to the outside as this way it can be detached and carried easily if you're camping well away from your cooking spot, and its also the thing you tend to want access to most throughout day :)

Things I used to often take but now I dont bother:

Hammock - I only take this if I definitely know I'll have somewhere to hang it - its either this or the bivvy, and only now is the weather getting nice enough that a hammock is practical.

I used to often carry an axe, but now I tend to carry a folding saw/wire saw instead, but in most cases this is not needed if dead wood is plentiful - you can find pieces that break easily enough.
 

NickBristol

Forager
Feb 17, 2004
232
0
Bristol, UK
What to bring and what to leave is always going to be a bit hard to decide with the climate we have in the UK, especially in the regions that a lot of us choose to practice our skills. For example, Dartmoor in Spring can have all 4 seasons in as many hours and you need equipment to cope with all 4. How often have we heard a newly air evac'd hypothermic tourist in shorts & a t-shirt say "Well it was sunny when I set out..."

Saying all that, the bottom of my bergen collects all sort of stuff that I cram in thinking it might be useful, or that was necessary in a completely different part of the world. As an example, I have an Arabic phasebook, (probably dead) batteries for a torch I no longer have, some short fins (used for wide & deep river crossings), several incomplete sets of cutlery and the lid for a pan set I lost. Of course, if I take any of these out I can guarantee that the next time I'm out somehow I'll need that exact item during an emergency :rolleyes:
 

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