Camping gear and locations

I’ve lived out of a backpack for months at a time. I spent 3 months in Alaska in a tent on a mountaineering trek through the Chugach and Talkeetna Range, then another 2 weeks in the Kenai. The only night not in a tent was between the Chugach and kenai. Full packs of climbing gear, food for 4 weeks at a time. It was a great trip. I also spent 28 nights on a trip with my college Immersion class. I went to school for WIlderness Leadership and Experiential Education. I also worked for National Outdoor Leadership School and held positions as outdoor program Director for two different summer camps in Maine. You could say I’ve done my share of trekking too

 

That would be awesome. Not sure I can take off enough time at work to hike all 500 miles.

 

How do you carry food for 4 weeks at a time?

 

It’s all dehydrated.....but very heavily. Cheese, salami, and pepperoni get a little weird but doable. Bread is made on a stove, and powdered eggs become not so bad. It’s really not as tough as you’d think if all is made from dehydrated foods

 

exactly. i figure it's 3-4 weeks. considering the day job only gives me 2, i'm at a bit of a deficit.

 

I get that. But they still take up space. How many liters was your pack?

 

yep I used dehydrated food as well. after the trip I had lost a lot of weight on that diet...lean and mean and not an ounce of fat on me..lol..I was craving fresh food and dairies though

 

Yep. Tons of calories being burnt while backpacking.

 

All of them....

You pack in teams.
I person carries the 3 person tent and their minimal amount of clothes
I person gets all the food they can carry and pots/pans
Another gets the rest of the food, spice kit, and first aid kit, along with their clothes
And the remaining 1 or 2 gets all the climbing gear for the entire team

 

and not enough back from the dehydrated food. back then it was pretty basic vs today's food

 

Backpacks were around 60-75 lbs depending on who was carrying it. Think of how much gear they take to Everest base camp

 

Then I need tutoring on how to pack a bag . . . seems like I never have enough space. Also, I like redundancy so buddy carried same equip as me. So if one broke, we had backup. This came in handy when his water filter failed and we relied on mine.

 

Yep. Mine was about that weight. Plus fanny pack with some pew pew gear, knife, etc.

 

ONE of my favorite places the UP !!

 

We didn’t carry filters, and only had 2 quart water bottles along with 1 dromedary per group.
Liquid iodine is tiny, light, and more trustworthy than filters. I have one that I use when I go out with others because it tastes better, but if I’m shedding weight while solo then I take iodine crystals

 

I’ve never carried a pew pew, but always 2 small knives

 

Gonna look into this . . .

 

imo overpacking is very common. each location or environment requires a different set..ie..desert vs wet/rainy places or cold vs hot..etc..

 

K-Bar, axe and pew pew . . .

 

pew pew is good but ammo is heavy....also no need for Rambo knife...I would bring a folder or swiss knife

 

Polar Pure is the proverbial shiznit!!!

 

Protects against girardia (spelling?)?

 

It is beautiful up there! I need to get back up to my buddies again as they live in Escanaba, but they just had another baby so he won't be hiking for a bit. haha

 

also I didn't bring any pillow, I had a water bladder that would serve as pillow too...and remember the bigger the backpack, the more shit you will carry...I found 70L size is good.

 

I have a cinch sack that also serves as a pillow. Flannel on the inside. Used to carry clothes and then reverse it and fill with clothes again to serve as pillow.

 

Absolutely! It kills more than anything else, including boiling and is quick to treat the water. There are crystals in the bottle that you fill with non-potable water, let it sit 20 minutes and put a capful of the liquid in your water bottle and boom...you’re good to go in 10 minutes. You keep your Polar Pure in one of your full water bottles to keep it readily available and safe from cracking

 

Me too

 

1 pair of boxers for 2 weeks ?..who cares..I'm solo anyways...haha