Meals are planned by each patrol, and one or more patrol members
are responsible for buying the food and cooking each meal.
The food and troop equipment are divvied up among the scouts before leaving
Stamford, so leave room in your pack.
Each scout is responsible for bringing the rest of his necessary equipment,
as described below.
We hike mostly in the fall, winter and spring. Nights, and often
days, are cold, at times below freezing.
You will get wet. You will get cold.
With the right clothing and equipment,
these conditions can be experienced in relative comfort.
So synthetic or woolen clothing is essential. Not just preferred
— essential! Hats, gloves, and heavy socks keep the
extremities warm. Breathable rain gear keeps you drier and reduces
the chill that sweating can cause. Mummy sleeping bags (synthetic
or goose down, never cotton) keep you toasty at night.
Sweaters, jackets, long underwear, thermal pants, applied in layers,
help keep your body warm and comfortable. Remember: it is much
colder at higher elevations than it is back home. Pack for cold,
wet weather.
So with all this in mind, here's what we suggest you bring on a
typical Troop 11 overnight trip:
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Walking
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Hiking boots
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Essential. Lightweight or medium-weight boots are best. When
shopping for them, make sure that you try them on with the liner
and wool socks that you'll be wearing on the trail. Boots with a
waterproof Gore-tex (or equivalent) lining can be more comfortable
in wet conditions; alternatively, leather boots without Gore-tex can
be cooler on warm days, and can be reasonably
waterproofed with commercial wax or silicone products. Sneakers
and street shoes do not provide enough support and protection to
the feet and should not be used for backpacking trips except as
optional in-camp or post-hike footwear. Leather boots must be
broken in before any trip.
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Wool socks
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Essential. Socks keep your feet warm, help keep them dry, and protect them
from blisters. Bring one pair for each day on the trail. Wool
socks run the gamut from relatively thin, stretchy, "Smart Wool,"
to super thick, tough heavy European wool.
Cotton socks are brought only for changing into for the drive back home.
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Wicking liner socks
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Optional.
These are worn under your wool socks, and are used to keep your
feet warmer, drier and prevent blisters. They come in many
varieties, including thin, silky socks for warmer days, or thicker,
more insulated socks for cold days. Bring one pair for each day on
the trail.
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Lightweight shoes or sandals
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Optional. For lounging around in camp at the end of the day.
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Walking staff(s)
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Optional. This can be as simple as a stick, or as fancy as a pair
of specialized telescoping metal poles. Helps support your knees,
and helps keep your balance on narrow trails and while crossing
streams.
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Carrying Stuff
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Internal or External frame backpack
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Essential. Must have a hip belt, and must fit so as to rest all of
the weight of the pack on your hips, not your shoulders. A
sternum strap helps with comfort.
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Keeping Dry
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Rain jacket
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Essential.
A waterproof, breathable jacket made with Gore-tex or similar material.
It should have a hood; if not, then a separate rain hat should be
carried.
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Rain pants
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Optional.
Waterproof and breathable is good; you can get away with plain nylon,
or even rain chaps (if you have a long-ish rain jacket).
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Rain cover for backpack
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This can be as simple as a garbage bag, or as elaborate as a specially
designed waterproof nylon cover.
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Waterproof bags for pack contents
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Essential.
Even with a rain cover on your backpack, water can get in. It's
important to pack your clothes and sleeping bag in some kind of
waterproof bag within the backpack. Plastic garbage bags and big
ziploc bags are fine for this. Alternatively, special waterproof
nylon sacks for this purpose are now being sold at camping stores.
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Clothing
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Fleece jacket and/or wool sweater
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Essential.
Synthetic fleece is warm and dries fast. Wool is the next best thing.
Two of these (or one, plus one insulated jacket) will be needed for
most fall and spring hikes.
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Fleece pants
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Optional.
Bulky, but great for staying warm in camp on mornings or evenings.
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Hiking pants
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Essential.
Lightweight, synthetic pants. Dries fast. No cotton. Since jeans
are made of cotton, no jeans.
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Long underwear top
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Essential. Polypropylene or other synthetic is best. No cotton!
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Shirt(s)
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Optional.
Some people skip this and use their long underwear top as a shirt.
Whatever you bring, it should not be cotton.
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Long underwear bottom
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Essential.
Helps in camp at the end of a cold day, and also to keep warm on
really cold days, and sleep in on really cold nights. No cotton!
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Underwear
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A synthetic, wicking type material, like polypropylene or COOLMAX,
is best. Brands to look for include Under Armour, Duofold, REI,
ExOfficio, Patagonia and Wickers.
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Wicking t-shirts
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Optional.
Nice on a warm day. Dries quickly, minimizing chilling.
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Wool or fleece hat
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Essential. A good hat is one of the keys to warmth and comfort.
You should be able to pull your hat down over your ears. There are
dozens of variations of this type of hat. A hat with a windproof, waterproof
nylon or Gore-tex shell is even more versatile.
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Gloves or mittens
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Essential. Wool or synthetic. A Gore-tex or nylon shell is important
for snowy environments.
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Sun hat
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Optional.
Used on warm days to keep the sun off your face, ears and
neck. Can be a baseball cap, or a hat with an all-around wide brim.
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Water
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Two 1-liter canteens
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Essential. You will need to carry 2 liters of water on any strenuous
hike, and 3 liters when hiking in hot weather. Two separate canteens
means that you are not entirely without water should one canteen
develop a leak.
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Water
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Essential.
You will need to start the hike with fresh water. We do not
stop en route to fill canteens — this is done once we get to
camp at the end of the hiking day. You must fill your
canteens at home before arriving for the drive up to the trail.
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Eating
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Eating utensils, bowl, mug
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Essential.
These can be commercial products designed for camping, or (strong)
plastic intended for household use. The nested mess kits that are
sold in camping stores are overkill. The metal plates and cups in
most of these drain a lot of heat from the food in cold weather;
plastic is better. Wide, shallow, plastic Chinese food containers
with lids make decent bowls/plates, as long as they're not used as
a cutting surface. Add a sturdy plastic mug and spoon, and you're
all set. Less is definitely more in this case — less to wash,
and less to carry. Minimalist backpackers bring just a bowl and a
spoon.
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Biodegradable soap and pot scrubber
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For cleaning your utensils after meals. The pot scrubber is optional;
usually a finger or tongue can be used. This soap can be the same
soap that you carry for hand washing (see Bathroom, below).
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Bag lunch
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Essential.
For the first day on the trail.
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Trail Food
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Essential. High energy snacks to eat on the trail. You can also
bring food to supplement the meals that your patrol cooks.
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Bear bag and 50 feet of light rope
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Essential.
This is a stuff sack or plastic bag into which all of your food and garbage
is put at the end of the day and hung from a tree, to keep it out of
reach of bears and other critters. Food and garbage must never be
stored in your tent.
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Garbage bag or container
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Essential.
"Leave no trace" is the motto of any backcountry camper. We take
this seriously in Troop 11. No trash is left in the camp site. Bring
a sturdy plastic garbage bag to bring it home in.
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Sleeping
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Mummy sleeping bag and waterproof stuff sack
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Essential. A bag rated at 20-25 degrees or lower will keep you
comfortable in the spring or fall. Warmer bags (0 to 15 degrees)
are necessary when camping in Winter. Synthetic bags keep more of
their warmth when damp; goose down is lighter, but has no insulating
qualities when wet. No cotton bags, and no rectangular bags.
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Sleeping pad
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Essential. Sleeping pads are placed between the sleeping bag and
the tent floor to insulate the bag from the ground. Popular pads
are made either of simple closed-cell foam (RidgeRest or Z-Lite)
or of open-cell foam in a self-inflating bladder (Thermarest or similar).
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Pillow
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Optional. A small, compressible synthetic pillow can make sleeping
more comfortable.
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Bathroom
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Toilet paper
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Essential. The outhouses that we encounter on our trips often do not
supply toilet paper. Bring a partial, flattened roll in a ziploc bag.
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Liquid soap
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Essential.
For washing hands and face, and dishes. Liquid soap is neater than
bar soap. Dr. Bronner's
is a good brand. Carry it in a small, strong squeeze bottle,
and put the bottle in a small ziploc bag to prevent spills.
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Hand towel
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A small "pack-towel" made of quick-drying viscose cloth works well for
the light-duty drying that is usually done in camp.
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Toothbrush and toothpaste
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Staying Healthy
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Personal medications
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Allergy medicines, inhalators, aspirin.
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Band-aids, moleskin, blister bandages, antiseptic wipes
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For minor cuts, scrapes and blisters. The troop carries a full first aid
kit for more serious cases.
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Hand sanitizer
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With no running water, it is important to keep your hands clean, especially
after going to the bathroom.
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Sunscreen and chap stick (SPF 15+)
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Most of the time when we hike, there are no leaves on the trees.
This results in more sun exposure than you would expect. Wind and
cold also take a toll on lips.
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Insect Repellent
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Necessary from late spring until early fall.
Carry in a small ziploc bag to prevent spills.
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Relaxing after the Hike
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Extra shoes and socks
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Optional.
Keep these in the car and change into them at the end of the hike.
Can make the trip home much more comfortable.
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Complete change of clothes
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Optional.
Again, keep in the car. If you're cold and wet, you'll appreciate
this.
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Miscellaneous
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Compass
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Along with a map, essential.
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Pocket knife
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Essential, but can't be carried without having first earned a Boy Scout
"Totin' Chip"
card. Even handier than a plain knife is one of those little
multi-tools (e.g. a Leatherman).
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Firestarter or waterproof matches
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Essential.
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Flashlight with extra batteries
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Essential. LED head lights leave hands free and are very bright.
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Something to sit on
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This can be a square of closed-cell foam, a small Thermarest seat
cushion, a collapsible stool, etc. As long as it keeps your tush
warm and dry and reasonably comfortable. Optional.
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Sunglasses
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As appropriate to the season. Optional.
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Stuff Sacks
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Optional. Can help organize gear, and double as a bear bag.
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Assorted ziploc and garbage bags
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For packing clothes, keeping things dry, holding food, etc.
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25-50 feet of light rope
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This is in addition to the rope for hanging the bear bag. Good for
stringing tarps, hanging clothes to dry, or reinforcing tents.
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Books, games, deck of cards
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It gets dark early, and we retire to the tents at around 8pm. It's
good to have something to do until you get sleepy.
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Camera
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Whistle
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Useful in attracting attention if you find yourself lost or separated
from the group.
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Main
Backpacking