I started getting ready for a quick overnight trip this weekend. As I gathered all my gear and spread it out on the bed, I started to question what I really needed to carry, and what I wanted to carry. Do I take my stove and cook set or leave it at home and cook over an open fire? Do I carry the water filter or just boil all my water? Should I really take a tent or would just a tarp be fine?
Most people (myself included) who head into the woods take too much gear. I'll happily carry a bit more gear to make my time there a pleasant experience but I don't want to haul a 40 pound pack if I don't need to. So I stared at all the stuff in front of me and asked myself "What's the purpose of this trip?". The answer to that question pretty much answered all the rest of the questions I had.
A buddy and I are taking this trip to hang out in the woods, practice some bushcraft skills and just generally bum around for a day or so. My basic kit was already going so that covered the bushcraft practice part of the trip. The rest of the time will hopefully be spent relaxing and hanging out so a hammock went into the bag. I'm a much happier camper when my morning coffee is ready shortly after waking up, so the stove and cook set got thrown in. I'd rather spend my time practicing with a bow drill then boiling drinking water so the filter was a go. Finally, as I have had a few people tell me that the area we are heading to had a fair share of rattlesnakes, I decided that a tent that zipped up tight might just be a good idea.
I packed everything up and set it on the scale.... 25lbs... Just about perfect, not too heavy and hopefully, containing everything I needed for a comfortable couple of days.
I'll post a trip report when I get back, I'm pretty sure there will be some item left at home that I'll wish I'd brought but I'm hoping it will only be a minor annoyance. Until then... Have a great weekend!
Good post.
ReplyDeleteRegards.