Getting my gear ready for 2009

For all you that leave them….what exactly do you do with them?

1) Leave them at home, but then what if you need them en route to the trailhead?

2) Lock them in the car….but I don't feel comfortable with leaving my iPhone in the car as it's a prime target to get stolen.

3) Hide them near the trailhead. Again, don't feel comfortable doing this as if that sucker gets wet it costs a lot to replace….

Since I like to have the iPhone for travel (gps comes in handy getting to-from trailhead) and I think the expense of replacing it is worth carrying it on the hike, I take it with me.

I leave my phone and wallet in the pants that I wore to the trailhead, and I store them in the trunk of my car while I am out.

I leave the phone in the center console. I have to call my wife when I return to the trailhead… just an agreement we have; otherwise I would leave it at home. I have insurance on the phone, so not a big issue.

Don't take my wallet at all. Just my driver license, a single credit card and some cash. I keep these with me.

I hide my cell phone(no signal out in the wilds anyway), money, car stereo, etc. in the trunk, under the bottom panel where the spare tire is kept in our Honda Accord. I arrange stuff to the edges where you can lift up the panel aren't obvious, so hopefully nobody bother to look there. Another good place is just stuffing money and probably even your phone in the gap between the seat and the seat back. Who's going to look there? Of course, if the car itself is stolen, none of this helps.

I bring my Drivers License with me, as well as a small card with a couple contact names and numbers on them, to aid whoever finds me should something happen that leaves me unconscious/dead.

"Q? Wheres the bandana listed?"
I wear it tied around my neck, helps with bugs, sweat, sunburn

"Magnesium Fire Starter (1.5oz) – really needed?"
Not NEEDED, but it has come in handy getting a fire going at a leanto in the rain twice now… and after slogging through the rain for a few hours the promise of a fire is about as good as it gets.

"The DRI-DUCKS jacket is 6 oz and 19 bucks"
I'll definitely pick up a set…

"Photon Microlight LED (0.24oz) – Your only light?"
would you advise I bring a backup in case of breakage/lost item?

"Gregory Z-pack 3500 ci (40oz) *can probably find alternative* – UUUGH! – With your minimal load, get a smaller pack."
Right now I have to pick up some other gear before investing in a new pack, but I'll keep an eye out on the clearence rack for an ultralight.

Dean, thanks for sticking up, I was taken aback for a second, but the "tough love" approach did give me the motivation to reall reaccess my pack weight. I was coming into this as a "light" packer, and will definately take some 30lb trips with less experienced friends, but I'm very excited about my first 12lb hike.

they way I look at it, there are times when I will go with a full tent, pillow, whiskey, etc, (mostly when relaxing/camping with friends)… but other times when I'll use a tarp and go ultralight and hike long distances.

thanks again everyone!

"Samsung SCH-u740 Cellphone (3.6oz) *emergency only* – NIX – To me, it's a philosophical thing, I love liberating myself from the outside world. People camped for all of human history without cell phones, until the las decade or so."

I'm not so sure that I buy this argument. Just because "we always done it that way" is not a valid reason to continue to do something. Campers got along just fine without 30d silnylon for tens of thousands of years, for example, but no one is advocating using deerskins as a tarp here, right?

Please pardon the reductio ad absurdum.

(And I will, however, accept the "liberation" argument- that's a personal thing. YOU GO, MIKE!)

Cellphones are a great choice for safety equipment for those who want it, assuming that you are hiking where you can get a signal. If nothing else, most people already own one. A phone can send a much more detailed message than a PLB, or even a SPOT tracker, so that rescuers know exactly what to bring along. Also, you can rescind a call for help if you need to. And many are wikid light, nowadays. (Especially the cheapo plastic pre-paid ones.) A PLB is sort of an all-or-nothing deal, y'know.

Obviously, most of us are comfortable with managing risk for ourselves. That sort of comes with the ultralight thing. But imagine the grief of someone who leads their spouse or friend into the wilderness and they get hurt. Bad. So bad that the 6-hour hike out to fetch help for them makes a difference. VERY unlikely, I know, but so is having my daughter kidnapped into child sexual slavery, and THAT thought nonetheless gives me ulcers.

Lots of use carry a really light GPS like a Garmin Geko or perhaps a GPS watch as backup emergency navigation equipment. I don't think that a cell phone is any more ridiculous.

Thus, I understand where people are coming from when they take their cell phone along on a hike. If you want "liberation", just turn it off until you need it. :)

PERSONALLY, however, I'm with Mike. I'm a surgeon, so my cell phone is actually an instrument of torture to me, and I would love to discard it for a weekend. The cursed thing never stops ringing. Unfortunately, it is rare that I can leave it behind with a clear conscience.

Here in the Pacific NW Cascades, and also in the Rockies, most of the time I lose cell phone signal before I even reach the trailhead in my car. It's a useless brick in these parts. It's the only item of any value that I leave in the car (I lock it so it can't be used).

My billfold stays home–I take out of it only what I need for the trip. Those items are carried in a sandwich bag in my pack. No way will I ever leave anything of value or that could be a clue to my identity in my car. I've seen too many smashed windows at trailheads! If people would stop leaving valuables in their parked cars, the car-clouters would go elsewhere and trailhead parking would be much safer!

I always leave my phone off when hiking, but it always seemed like a pretty good just in case item in the Catskills where a signal can be had from the top of any peak in the range. I'm still relatively inexperienced and hiking very near urban areas for the most part.

I'm not listening to music on it, or checking facebook… I've sent a txt to google from a peak to check the weather once or twice when clouds were rolling in, but that's about it.

When you do look for a new pack, I love my gossamer gear. Hey Mike does the word "chafe" mean anything to you?

Just read the outdoor #2 skills article and I humbly retract my chafe joke. Your a great writer Mike.

Hey Jack, shoot me an e-mail if you ever want to get rid of that trekker HaChayalBoded at g mail

went on a casual 3day/2 night trip this past weekend with my wife and some friends… Haven't spent more than $40 on additional equipment/item replacement.

my pack weight with food, 2 liters of water 20lbs.
wife's pack with food and water 16lbs.

I know that by pushing a little further I could easily be comfortable with a 12-15lb pack.

Youv'e all been really helpful and informative.

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