Bumming Consumables

[Aubrey J]

Has anyone here hiked with folks who pack heavier / different than you who end up wanting to bum gear or consumables? If so, how do you nicely / tactfully put that you aren’t into sharing because you packed so light?

“I forgot my toothpaste” in a scenario where you brought the correct amount of dried out dabs for just your days on trail comes to mind. I’m sure there’s a wipes/TP case in there too somewhere. What do you all say when / if this has happened?

[Frederick Allington]

This is a conversation you need to have with your group before you start your trip. If they know your philosophy ahead of time, then they can’t complain when you refuse to share.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Just be like “look at the size of my pack… does it look like I brought any extra anything?”

[Cole B]

Anybody can forget something once in a while, but If it happens more than once, I would say you’re hiking with the wrong people. In any case, if it’s truly something of which you don’t have any extra, just tell them that: “Sorry, I only brought enough for one person (and that person is me.)”

[Lester Moore]

When backpacking with folks who pack heavier, I’ve found that the bigger problem is me wanting to bum stuff off of them. After espousing how light my pack is, I get to quietly watch them enjoy their brownies, fresh crunchy fruit and brandy.

[Kattt]

I have only seen people packing heavier having extra goodies and being willing to share. Never been around someone with a heavy pack asking an ultralighter for anything.

[Gerry B.]

Hang around teenage boys and you will see them trying to bum food off of each other or anyone for that matter. Yes, I know they have big appetites but I just say sorry, I brought just enough food for me.

[Kattt]

Gerry makes a good point. On a trip to the Trinities a few years ago I did not realize how much my teenage daughter would be eating and even though I gave her 75% of what we brought I ended up bumming food from Ken T….

[Ken Thompson]

Well Kat, on another trip to the Trinities I only took some snacks and a dinner. Everyone else brought too much food. Ate well. That gamble paid off. Those that I went with are sure to bring too much.

[Matthew / BPL]

?Derail Alert?

I’ve heard stories of a Boy Scout that used to be in our troop who once took no food other Cracker Jacks on a three night trip. He then proceeded to trade boxes of CJs to other scouts at every meal and ate very well with a relatively light (although huge) pack.

[Aubrey J]

These are all helpful/entertaining/useful bits of advice. Thank you everyone!

I love this community.

[Franco Darioli]

Anybody can forget something once in a while
Yes, we need to be flexible because the next time could be oneself that forgets something.
But if it does happen as a rule, find a different partner/group.

[BlackHatGuy]

I’ve never been good at figuring out how much food to bring, generally because I undereat when I’m backpacking. So I always have extra food.

But I won’t share any of it. For any reason. I’m just like that.

[Edgar H]

Sounds like an opportunity for a learning experience.

I’m inclined to always bring a little bit extra for emergency or unexpected developments,  and share and share alike.

If I needed something that I hadn’t brought along, and needed to lean on someone else I wouldn’t forget it.  If they made a big deal of it I’d retract my request, and wouldn’t forget that either.

[Ben H.]

I think in groups, you have to find out the group dynamics and see if you fit in.  You also have to realize you are a group and going to be miserable if anyone of you are miserable.  If this happens to you often, you should be packing a bit of contingent.  Split your toothpaste dots in half and share.  They will get pretty quickly get to know how much you packed and adjust there requests accordingly.

I have noticed that people who pack heavy are more likely to forget something.  They are packing so much stuff, it is easy to leave something behind.  I try to work together as a team.  If that means gritting and bearing it every once and a while, so be it.

[Francis DeRoos]

I find that if I have something that someone else needs or is asking for, I’m willing to give it up because this allows for a deeper conversation about packing “light” really meaning packing “smart” and being able to improvise and adapt multi-use items.  I got both my brother in law and his brother in an awesome conversation about ultralight philosophy while on a 4 day trip in the Gila Wilderness (great place btw) because I was able to manage their blisters far better with my 1.38 oz first aid kit than they were with their 10 oz one because I chose wisely and knew what to do with my choices.  My brother in law now has a new, and much lighter pack, and has started a spread sheet :)

[Edgar H]

I’m interested in learning more about optimized,  minimalist med kits.

My old standby has been:

-toilet paper (the cheaper and stronger the better), or paper towels from a gas station or fast food,

– ethyl alcohol,

– Neosporin,

– ibuprofen

– duct tape

-Moleskin.

-Sports tape.

Lots of tape and second rate,  multi use gauze basically.

 

[Sam C]

There is no nice way to say, “I only brought enough for me” when going out with others.

I also feel there is a jab in the OP;  so just come out and say it:  “You brought all of that [heavy] stuff you surely will never use, ever, and you forgot toothpaste!!?”

 

 

[Edgar H]

Going out with others isn’t the same as going out on your own.

I’d just bring a little extra for emergencies,  and share it,  and remind that it was meant for an emergency.

 

[AK Granola]

Some of the friends I hike with every summer are regular overpackers. They’re stronger than me, so they always have lots of extras and assume everyone else does too. It has caused some momentary awkwardness when someone in the group assumes I have something, and I don’t because that item was duplicated by someone else. We share a list ahead of time of who is bringing  what group gear, so there shouldn’t be difficulty, but sometimes there is anyway. For example, one person offered to bring the fuel canisters, and then assumed more people would be carrying them too although that wasn’t in the plan, so we ran a bit short. No biggie, since we could have a campfire. But this kind of thing happens often in our group. I love everything else about hiking with these people, so I don’t try to change it any more. It is what it is.

They also always bring tons of food to share, so I always pack light on food for myself, although I always bring plenty of whatever I agreed to bring for the group. I feel like a skinflint, but it’s not a lack of generosity, it’s simply my inability to comfortably carry more stuff! Not sure what they think but they keep inviting me!

[David Thomas]

The parasitic response to these requests is to comply with them, cheerfully, fully, and very publicly early in the trip.  Then impose your requests, again very publicly, at the end of the trip.

It ain’t about pounds.  It’s about pound-miles.

Over a longer time frame, that’s been my policy on family trips: I knew there were only so many years that I’d be carrying more weight than the kids.  That era ended in June of 2016, partly because I had a sprained ankle, but also because my son had his growth spurt.  The era of my having the heaviest pack was done.

[Matthew / BPL]

Yes, the moment you realize your kid can carry the shared shelter rather than you is a glorious.

[Ken Thompson]

Been great hiking with other BPLers. They’ve all shown up as ready, self contained units. No group gear, everyone seems happiest with their own stuff.

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