steps i take pre-trip

A good friend of mine asked me to write about the steps I take when preparing for a trip. He was thinking that there are things I do subconsciously, that I might not ever mention because it has become routine.

Great Idea! It might also aid me in remembering things I have long over looked, here is my routine.

Really I start about a week prior to the trip by looking at the map and weather report to see where I will end up and what the conditions will be. Then I gather all of my gear and lay it out neatly on the floor, this includes clothing and food. Then I look over each item and determine if it will serve a purpose for the trip. Once I have whittled down my gear I do it all over and usually can ditch more stuff. As I do this I check all of my gear to make sure it is in working order and no repairs/replacement is necessary. All the while making a list of things I need to get.

I always test my stove and head lamps as well as my compass. The reason I test my compass is if I had inadverdantly stored it next to something metallic or dropped it, it could be not reading accurately.

My survival gear is a bit different because I consider this little kit to be as valuable as my life (it could save it!) so I always double check the contents and check my content list I created to make sure I have everything. If my survival kit is not complete I will not leave until it is.

Now that I have my gear ready (including the items I needed to go out and get) to be packed, I pack my bag and make sure it fits nicely as well as making sure the gear is packed so that it is easily accessible and the items are packed with like items. For instance I keep my fuel, stove, lighter, windscreen, cup, spoon, hot cocoa packet, and instant soup all together. This is separate from the rest of my food because if the weather is poor or I am wiped out I want to have a quick food source with my stove. And I do not want to dig through things looking for multiple bags.

I am not going to go into how to pack your bag in this post, but I would like to say think through your trip from start to finish and make a list of things things you will need.

Remember to keep your wet weather gear as well as a warm layer easily accessible. In the top pouch of my pack I keep my rain gear, a lighter, headlamp, knife or multi-tool, and a snack. There are other things in there but those items are always easily available.

I guess for me I look at the basics and make sure I have them, everything else is fluff.

The basics are shelter, food and water. Plain and simple. Get these things and go from there.