(951) 659-2145 - Idyllwild Town Crier

Outside Idyllwild
Backpacker’s checklist
We have now talked in
detail about backpacks,
tents, sleeping bags and
pads. These are the bigticket
items you have to
have for any overnight trip
into the backcountry. The
rest of this list contains the
10 essentials — which I
have covered in a previous
column — and clothing and
personal items.
Basically, it is a good
idea to have a list so you
don’t have any surprises.
I once had two customers
who came in looking for a
tent for a trip into the high
country. It seems they had
borrowed someone else’s
tent and when they got to
Idyllwild, they finally opened
the stuff sack to find tent
poles and laundry.
Actually, forgetting some
essential gear may just affect
the rest of your life. As an
example, I had a customer
in the store named “Boots.”
I asked him how he got the
name. During his college
days, he went on a backpacking
trip with his buddies and
halfway to their destination,
he remember that he left his
hiking boots on the curb in
front of his house.
After returning for the
boots, his friends started to
call him Boots and the name
stuck. Let this be a lesson
to you as you don’t want
to be called “Whisperlite”
when you forget your MSR
stove.
It’s always a good idea
to look everything over before
setting out from home.
By Bruce Watts
B e c a u s e
Idyllwild has
a good gear
s h o p , y o u
can pick up
anything you
forgot. Unfortunately, that
isn’t the case in a lot of
areas, so be sure to have a
checklist to help out the old
memory.
• Basic stuff: backpack,
tent, sleeping bag and pad.
• The 10 essentials review:
map, compass, flashlight or
headlamp, knife, space blanket,
first aid kit, matches or
lighter, whistle, water containers
and enough food.
• For backpacking, make
sure you have enough water
capacity to get from point A
to point B. If hiking in the
desert in winter or Southern
California in summer, have
at least 1 gallon per day
capacity. For meals, plan for
extra calories to replenish
the ones you will walk off
when hiking.
• Cooking: stove and
fuel, cooking pot and pan
lifter, cup, spoon and fork
or spork, and bear canister
(if you are hiking in bear
country).
• Clothing: shoes or boots,
socks, polypro T-shirt, polypro
long underwear bottoms,
pants and/or shorts,
fleece shirt, warm jacket, sun
hat, warm hat, gloves and
rain gear.
Some of the clothing
items can be combined, such
as wearing zip-off pants.
Also, be aware of the weather
conditions and take a jacket
that is warm enough for
Catch of the day
Aaron Wade of Temecula shows off his catch, a small-mouth
bass weighing about 3.5 pounds. He caught the bass recently
on the east side of Diamond Valley Lake about 10 feet deep
using a 10-inch AC plug bait.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Leatherman, DVLR
I.D. theft tip of the week
Review your consumer credit report annually.
the conditions and elevation
where you are going.
If wearing boots, you may
want to bring along sandals
or camp shoes.
• Personal items: camp
suds, toothbrush and toothpaste,
toilet paper, camp
towel, glasses, sunglasses,
bug spray, sunscreen, and
any other personal items you
can’t do without.
• For purifying water,
I have mentioned many
methods in a past column.
Whatever you decide to use,
be sure to bring it along.
Well, this list is a good
start. Everyone has their own
wants and needs but this will
get you through your trip in
good shape.
Idyllwild Town Crier, January 12, 2006 - Page 3