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Good Luck & Happy Camping!!!

It was not so awful long ago that while packing and

talking about an upcoming hiking trip that a buddy asked

if he could tag along. I was happy that he was

interested and grateful for the company. He asked how

long we’d be gone and I replied probably 3 days, 4 at

most and sort of laid out some loose plans for the trip. I

asked him if he had everything he needed and that if

he needed anything to check with me and I might have

something he could use. He said that he should be

covered, but if not, the trip was still a couple of weeks

away and he had plenty of time to pick up what he

needed. About a week or so went by when he called

asking if I had an extra cooler he could use. I said sure,

what do ya need it for? He laughed and said for our

camping trip. I said you mean hiking trip, to which he

replied hiking, camping what’s the difference. I said oh,

I would think 3 or 4 hundred pounds depending on what style of camping you’re in to. I told him on the

hiking trip we would cover just over 26 miles over 3 days, and I sure wasn’t up to dragging a cooler that far.

Sort of had it planned to take a casual hike, doing 8-10 miles a day depending on how we got along with

an extra day just in case. There was a bit of a pause and he said, I wouldn’t be able to do that, partially

because he didn’t have the stuff to do it with and mostly because he wasn’t going to walk 26 miles.

Let’s start off with camping, in other parts of the website I have already covered hunting camps or

extended camping with a group while on a week or more long hunting trip, so I won’t cover it again. We’ll

start with a little history, like many guys my age I started camping in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts which

was pretty easy in a controlled environment. By the time I was in my early teens, being a farm raised

country boy with access with some nearby woods and creeks, I was heavily drawn to camping… more like

vagabond camping. By vagabond camping I mean, I would eat a big supper at home, grab a couple of

snacks, and army blanket, a flashlight or lantern, a

knife and some matches or lighter depending on

how mountain man-ish I was feeling at the time. I’d

walk to the woods, build a campfire, lay on half the

blanket and coverup with the other half. That was all

it took. As time went on and my urge to camp grew

stronger to take a longer camping trips and not

being old enough to drive myself, I resorted to

backpack camping, keep in mind that in those days

there was no ultralight camping stuff. It was cast

iron skillets, canvas tent, with 100 aluminum pole

sections, six-volt battery flashlights, a Coleman

lantern, canned foods, a heavy sleeping bag, a

canteen, hatchet, skinning knife, a firearm of some

sort for protection, a bow saw, and several pounds

of essential camping gear until I couldn’t fit

anymore in or on my military “ALICE” pack. ALICE “All Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying

Equipment” Alice was unfaithful to me, mostly on the “Lightweight” part, but I kept her around because she

was all I had. Looking back, I would estimate that I often toted 40 or more pounds around in that pack,

walking as far as I could before resting and taking off again. Finally, when you found a spot that was just

right, or it was starting to get dark, or you couldn’t walk anymore… you made camp. Camp was complete

when you had a circle of bare dirt 45’ or so diameter, had your tent set up, a roaring campfire going,

chopped or drug up a dead tree to use for a bench, and had the pack empty so you could use it as a

pillow. The first night was usually the roughest with canned chili or pork n beans as the only thing you had

the energy to warm up over a fire that night. Life got easier after the first night, you started practicing

woodcraft, set bank lines in the creek, and depending on what was in season tried to bag some wild game

for supper. Life was good. Always in the back of my mind was I knew the more of the canned food I ate

the less weight ALICE had to carry home. I ate a lot of Spam, Pork n beans, Canned Chili, and Beef Stew

on those camping trips. The empty Chili can nested in the pork n beans can, which fit nicely in the Beef

Stew can, that gave me a lot more room in my pack to

drag my handmade or found treasures home. Nothing

fit into Spam cans. After 3 or 4 days of camping and

with the fear of starvation, I would drag my way back

home holding my head a little higher than when I left.

“How far’d ya make it?” Dad would ask. “10, maybe 12

miles I’d guess, down to the shallow end of the lake” I’d

say. “Boy”, He’d say, “that only 3or 4 miles as the crow

flies”. Let me tell you that when you’re 13 years old,

weigh less than a hundred pounds soaking wet, and

you’re carrying a 40+ pound pack, you don’t walk a

straight line…there is a lot of weaving and blind

stumbling involved, so I’m sticking to 10, maybe 12

miles.

That should bring you up-to-date regarding the early days of my camping. With that said let’s talk about

how I camp today. First, we’ll talk about car camping. Car camping, that’s driving to a campground, picking

a campsite, and parking there. When I car camp, it’s about being outdoors and being comfortable. What

all I take depends on if someone else goes with me

or not, and who it is that’s with me. Car camping

can and often involves a tent, hammock, ground

cloth, Coleman Stove, at least 2 Coleman Lanterns,

a stainless steel percolator, camp chairs, cots,

sleeping pads, Sleeping bags, pillows, GPS,

Coolers full of ice, Jugs of water, enough food and

drinks to last the trips entirety, an EZ-UP pavilion,

hiking poles, hot dogsticks, marshmallows,

flashlights, trash bags, batteries, toiletries, dish pan

and dish soap, radios, firewood, fire starters, dishes

and flatware, cooking pots and pans, a small

Weber grill, first aid kits, multiple changes of

clothes, boots and camp shoes, insect repellents,

citronella candles or mosquito coils, storage boxes

so nothing will be left out, books and magazines, guitars, assorted knives, saws, hatchets, and axes, and

anything else we may deem necessary for the 3day adventure. There is not a whole lot of discussion

needed for this style of camping, you take everything you need, right to where you’re going to camp. It

may not be the most adventurous camping available, but it’s all about getting outdoors and enjoying it.

The second type of camping I do is what I refer to as semi-primitive backpack camping. This style of

camping is a compromise of car camping and camping as you hike, taking the minimum while still trying to

be comfortable. This style of camping definitely has a lot of variables involved depending on how far

you’re hiking in and how long you’re staying. If it’s just an overnighter, you may eat a hardy meal before

taking off, so you can pack less food, possibly just a few snacks. This will give you more room for comfort

items. You most likely want a tent or shelter of some sort, a comfortable sleep system consisting of a

sleeping pad and sleeping bag or top quilt, a small led lantern and flashlight, ample water, compass,

insect repellent, something to start a fire, a small folding saw and knife, and as always, a small first aid kit. I

find this type of camping very enjoyable, it’s quick, easy, and really doesn’t take a lot of planning. I have a

few backpacks, so one is normally loaded with everything I need except for the snacks and water. Grab

your pack, a water bottle, and some snacks and you’re ready to go. You hike to your chosen spot, set up

the shelter and enjoy. Time at camp can be spent exploring, reading, or just relaxing listening and watching

nature. For multiday trips you start with the basic

overnight kit and building from there. The first thing

you’ll add of course is enough food for the trip, I find a

few MRE’s are handy for this style of camping and

although not the lightest option requires less thought

while covering your food needs. There are several

modern foods with a long shelf life that will last the

duration of the camping trip and longer. Dehydrated

meats and fruits, trail mix, single serve shelf stable

pouches of tuna, chicken, Spam, flavored rice meals,

breakfast bars, summer sausage, cheese, beef jerky,

beans, and many others if you check your local super

market. Some items can be combined to create very

good skillet meals. Water is heavy, so using a water

filter or some type of water purifying device is preferred

to carrying extra weight of water. Boiling is another

option for purifying water. Along with the extra food,

you’ll need a cook kit, flatware and some sort of alcohol

or other packable stove for cooking, perhaps a few

replacement batteries for items that require batteries, a power bank or solar charger for phones or USB

rechargeable devices, GPS, rain gear, a waste trowel, a folding pack stool, and any other comfort items

that you feel are necessary to enjoy the trip. Remember that your pack only holds so much, so

compromising is a necessity, you may have to downsize from two-man tent to a one-man tent or use a

more compact sleeping pad. I find that repackaging food sometimes allows you to carry the same amount

or more food in a smaller package. If backpacking with another person items can be divided between

packs, one carrying all the food and smaller items while the other holds the sleeping pads, sleeping bags

and larger items such as a multi-person tent.

My extended compact lightweight camping kit consists of a 55-liter backpack that comfortably holds

everything a need for approximately a week-long camping trip. The main component is my hammock

setup, consisting of the hammock with attached

bug net, underquilt, topquilt, camp pillow, and tarp

and although it may appear a bit bulky, it replaces

the tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and pillow,

actually saving a lot of space in the backpack. My

cook kit consists of a 24 oz., stainless steel

cooking pot with a 20 oz. stainless steel cup,

Trangia burner, stainless steel stove, lighter,

folding titanium spork, extra fuel, cloth to wipe it

down, a bandana for a napkin, small folding knife,

and a few other small items all nested together in a

6” long 4” diameter package. A pouch on the

outside of the pack holds my Mora knife, and

folding saw, a larger first aid kit stores in the hood

pocket along with my rain gear, external pockets

hold items such as my power bank, trowel,

toiletries, water filter, and items that I may need quick access to. The topquilt and underquilt stores in the

sleeping bag compartment at the bottom of the backpack, leaving a lot of room in the main compartment

for food and clothes. Fully loaded with everything I will need except for food; the pack has a base weight

of around 18 lbs. Although I do normally use hiking poles, my specific pack has a pocket and straps to

hold them securely in place if carrying a camera something else in your hands. Other things I would

suggest is a waterproof backpack cover, a strap long enough to wrap around a tree and hang your pack

from to keep it off the ground, a small ground cloth to put under the hammock to have a place to change

clothes or to take you boots or shoes on and off when getting in or out of the hammock. The small ground

cloth can also be used under the hammock in the event you are unable to find suitable trees to hang your

hammock from. Using your hiking poles as supports for your tarp, although not the most comfortable, you

can use the hammock and tarp as an improvised tent or bivy shelter.

Most of the food I carry is dehydrated or vacuum

packed, a point of interest is that money invested in a

dehydrator and vacuum sealer is money well spent in

the long run, often saving hundreds of dollars over a

few seasons of camping. With these items your meals

can be a lot more varied and take up a lot less space. I

have experimented with several food types and almost

everything I have tried as worked. One of my favorite

meals for cooler weather is dehydrated homemade

chili, vacuum sealed. 2 servings will vacuum down to

about the size of an oatmeal packet and can be

reconstituted by pouring a cup or so of boiling water

over it and letting it sit for a few minutes stirring

occasionally. Another example, a 15 oz. can of mixed

vegetables will dehydrate and vacuum seal down to about the size of a regular cereal bar. Dehydrating

also reduces the need for more bulky hard containers and carrying out the trash is much easier. By

dehydrating and vacuum sealing your own food you should be able to carry along meals that would

normally be too bulky, too heavy, or have too short of shelf life to carry along. I hope this helps with your

camping trips, more importantly take time to think out your trip and what you need or want, double check

that you have everything you need. Most importantly, let someone know where you're going and when to

expect you back.

Camping & Hiking