posted Mar 9, 2021, 2:44 PM by Dan Walton
[
updated Mar 11, 2021, 8:21 PM
]
Look Below for Pro Hiking Tips of the Day!
#1 PACK AS LIGHTLY AS YOU CAN
Every little bit counts:
- Instead of a full-sized
towel – bring a hand towel or rag (if you even need it)
- If you don’t have a
hiking pillow, just bring a pillow case (you can stuff it with
clothes)
- If it’s not going to
rain on
your trip – leave the raingear out. This includes the built-in
backpack rain cover you can remove
- If your sleeping bag is
heavy, bright a light blanket & sheet
- Smaller Everything – If
you bring Mosquito repellent, sunscreen, soap, bring small
bottles/quantities.
- Don’t bring a full
change of clothes – bring extra socks and a shirt
- Don’t use heavy bags,
use zip-locks (plus they’re water proof)
Get your backpack weight between 10%
and 30% of your Body Weight
#2 HOW YOU LOAD YOUR
BACKPACK MATTERS
- Keep
things Close to your Back – If you attach anything heavy to the back
of your backpack, it will constantly pull back on you and cause your
abdomen muscles to tire out.
- Heavier
things Higher – When you load heavy things down low, it too pulls on
your back. Better to load those
higher.
- Center – When you load water in your side holders, load evenly, so that you don’t
constantly pull to one side.
- NO
DANGLING ITEMS – Dangling items will irritate you and your fellow
scouts, as well as waste energy
- Keep
Hiking Things Accessible – Keep things like water, snacks, chair (or
plastic), knife, compass, flashlight where you or a buddy can easily get
to them.
- Organize
– Use your side pouches and back pouches for smaller items to
organize. Inside your main bag, use
zip-locks to organize
FOUR STEPS TO PUT ON YOUR BACKPACK: - Put on your Shoulder
Straps
- Have a buddy lift up
your backpack so there’s no pressure on your shoulder straps (or use a
tree or stump, or hike it up yourself and lean over to hold it in place)
- Suck in your gut
- Put on your waist belt (and tighten if needed)
#3 BE READY TO EAT!
You
will burn a LOT of calories when backpacking, and need to be ready to eat
- Prepare to Cook – Each trip has it’s
own cooking needs. For this one,
you just need your FOIL REFLECTOR OVEN for making Pizza Bread, and a METAL MESS KIT to cook eggs, hash browns
& bacon for breakfast (or a lightweight pan).
- Bring a Cup – Bring a lightweight
drinking cup. That way you can use
drink powder (troop has) to mix with water in your cup to make a refreshing
drink.
- Bring a Rag – Super handy is a small
rag, bandanna, or dish towel. Good
for a napkin, and for helping to rinse/wipe your mess kit when done.
- Bring Utensils – Don’t forget eating
utensils. You need them to both eat
and cook your food
- What about my
lightweight Plastic Mess Kit? – You are welcome to bring it on this trip, but you still
need a metal mess kit (or lightweight pan) for cooking over the fire.
- Bring a Trash Bag –
This can be a small trash bag or grocery bag. You need something for leftover trash
from the troop dinner & breakfast.
Everyone needs to hike out.
TRAIL SNACKS DO’s
and DON’Ts
Having
trail Snacks is not a requirement, but it can help you maintain energy, and it’s
fun!
- Not Too Salty – Super salty snacks
will make you super thirsty, and make you drink too much. For instance crackers, pretzels, or a
bag of salty chips aren’t the best choices.
- Moderation – You don’t want to fill
your belly while hiking. That makes
you slow & hot. Don’t make a
meal out of it.
- Ideas – Jerky, Healthy Bars,
Nuts, Apples, Oranges
- Avoid Chocolate – In Florida, things
melt, including M&M’s and Chocolate chips. Avoid these in trail mix if possible.
PRO HIKING TIP OF THE DAY #4:
#4 PREPARE FOR POOPING!
When go gotta go, you gotta go!
- Wipes are your Special Friend – T.P. is Awesome, but with no sink and running water, wipes are your friend!
You don’t need the whole pack, just put a few in a small zip-lock.
- Troop Has a Spade – The Troop has a spade you can use for digging a “Cat Hole”
- Troop Has Extra T.P. – Don’t pack a whole roll, you can also just use wipes, or a travel pack of Kleenex.
GO BEFORE YOU GO!
We are on the Trail for only about 26 hours. If you Go before you Go, you may not have to Go on the Go!
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