Equipment Outfitters

Pre-trip checks

The first step is to take pen and paper and make a list of each and every item you intend to take, including food and water. Put in quantities and weights.

When I buy any new item I enquire about the weight. When I get home I weigh it again, both as a check, and to get a filled weight for such items as petrol stoves and water bottles. The new item and its weight are added to a list I keep pinned behind the equipment cupboard door. This list has proved extremely useful over the years and I suggest you prepare one.

Having compiled the list for the trip, criticize it. Is there anything you can leave out? Add up the weights. It concentrates the mind wonderfully to realize you may be planning to do 20 miles a day over mountains carrying 5o lb. of gear. Should you reduce the load, shorten the stages, change the route, or abandon the trip? Take only what you need, for it soon becomes clear that something must be changed. Having reduced your load to a reasonable, but not dangerous level, check every item carefully.

Does the stove work? Are the matches damp? Are all the socks and underwear clean and free from darns? Have all kit deficiencies been made good from the last time? Check that every item is in good order before loading it in your rucksack, and then check the rucksack itself. Is it comfortable and the load well-balanced?

You may perform this ritual a hundred times without concern, but sooner or later you will spot one item which, by being missing or malfunctioning, could embarrass you severely in the field, so make a list and check it. Outdoor activities are more subject than most to Murphy’s Law. This is the law which says that a dropped piece of bread always lands buttered side down. In outdoor terms it means that if something can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible moment.

Weather reports and route cards

Start collecting current weather information several days before the trip. Decide on your route and prepare a route card. If the forecasts is snow and high winds, that trip across the mountains had better be routed in the leeward side or the valley floors. Every route card should have a note of ‘escape’ routes. If you are on the hill and for some reason the route can’t be adhered to, it is much better to have charted a way down than plunge blindly down the hillside. Have the route card checked by a companion and leave a copy behind with some responsible person. Once you have selected a route, try and stick to it.

Packing the rucksack

Everything should go inside the rucksack or be firmly strapped to the pack-frame. No mugs, bits of rope, or socks should be dangling on the outside, or at least not to begin with. The principles of load carrying are that the weight should be high and close to the back, which is where your knowledge of weights comes in useful. Once the main pack is shut in the morning, it should stay shut until the evening. All items needed during the day should go into outside pockets.

On your early trips, always unpack the rucksack completely when you return. Your packing skill will grow and each time you pack it, you will be left with more room. Learn to fill out corners and remember, the bigger the item, the sooner it goes in. Pad the metal items to cut out any rattles which will otherwise drive you or your companions crazy as you walk along.

Putting on a rucksack

Quite a number of people overstrain themselves when putting on a loaded pack. Bend the legs and let the strain fall on them, not on the lower back. If possible, lift the loaded pack up first on to a wall, or have a friend hold it while you back into it. The hip harness should fit on the hips, and be belted really tight. The tighter the belt the less the apparent weight on your shoulders will be. Check around to see that you have left nothing behind, like your gloves, compass, or any rubbish before you set off.

Walking

Walking under a load takes practice. For a start, your weight has probably increased by up to one-third, and your balance may be affected, especially if you are carrying a high loaded pack-frame over rough country.

People new to the outdoors usually betray the fact by starting off at a great rate and burning up the miles for the first hour or two, after which they collapse!

Start slowly. Give your muscles time to warm up and aim for an even rhythmic stride at a pace you can readily maintain all day. You should not get out of breath, or run up excessive perspiration. If you are with a companion, you should be able to chat to each other without difficulty.

After about half an hour, stop. This is the time to check loads, to silence that rattle in the pack and check the feet and boots. Many people, while wanting to stop, are reluctant to do so, for fear of ‘letting the side down‘, so don’t be afraid to take the initiative. If you call a halt you will find that the others are only too glad to follow your example.

This said, avoid continual stops. If you have, say, fifteen miles to cover, you can expect to walk for seven hours or more, depending on the terrain. Allowing an hour for lunch, and one half-hour stop in the morning and another in the afternoon, you can expect your time from striking camp to pitching tents to be not less than nine hours, and this is quite long enough to spend on the road without adding to it by further delays. Walk at a pace which enables you to see the scenery, but keep going. It is generally conceded that 22 miles (4 km) per hour across country carrying a loaded pack, is fair.

When going uphill, shorten your stride, and lean into the slope. Keep up a pace you can maintain, but keep moving until an obvious halt presents itself.

If you are following very narrow trails, like sheep or goat tracks, beware of the drop below and watch your step. The wind can offer considerable resistance to the loaded walker, and on a windy day crests are to be avoided. Winds can slow you down and a hard gust near a cliff edge could blow you over. Plan your course to stay out of the worst effects of head and side winds, but use tail winds to help you along if they present themselves.

When going down, beware of slips. Keep the weight firmly on the whole foot and don’t lean back. Slips are a major cause of hill accidents, usually because the boot heels have been allowed to wear down. This again serves to demonstrate the link between good maintenance and safety.

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