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Post by CompassRds on Oct 26, 2016 9:03:32 GMT -8
Since this thread has gone for awhile without further comment I thought I would chime-in with a slight de-rail, in that I would like to say what zeke noted above is great advice. I got something similar along the way and started carrying extra food and water for a just in case. But, at a certain point I was beginning to think I would never use it. Then I took a spill down the rocks and busted my foot. Though I was still able to tape it stable enough to hobble out, and never activated my PLB, it was nice to know I had the option to sit and wait for help.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Oct 26, 2016 9:06:23 GMT -8
I carry about 1.5 pounds of food per day. My First Aid Kit (FAK) is less than 1 #. I would not leave home without those 2.5 #s, ever. I'd rather leave my bag and pad home.
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grace
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Post by grace on Oct 26, 2016 9:22:35 GMT -8
I'm sure I bring too much food, but I tend to do that anyway. Even for lunches, etc. I'd rather have it with me and not need it than not have it, and I like choices.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 12:24:12 GMT -8
I got something similar along the way and started carrying extra food and water for a just in case. But, at a certain point I was beginning to think I would never use it. My wife and I carry one extra day of food, always, when we go hiking or backpacking. We have learned that by carrying an extra day of food, we do not need it. We feel that we'd rather cary an extra of food and not need it then to not carry the food and need it. An extra day of food is one of the 10E's.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Oct 26, 2016 12:52:35 GMT -8
Even on day hikes, I carry enough food to get through the next day. I seldom carry a tent and sleep system when day hiking though.
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Post by CompassRds on Oct 26, 2016 13:25:11 GMT -8
Honestly, @idahowalker , I hadn't read "Freedom of the Hills" until recently, but I seem to have picked up the 10E's and several other points along the way... Sometimes I am just not sure when or how.
I am not sure how many of us would ever presume we could coast for a few days without food, but (un)luckily when I started to think this the hiking-gods pushed me down a hill (but didn't kill me). I have taken and extra few liters and an extra day of food, even when "just dayhiking", since.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Oct 26, 2016 13:34:58 GMT -8
IMO, the best skill anyone can learn is Map & Compass. Always have a paper map of the area, in enough detail to read contours and line of sight features. Teach your kids this, and they will be OK most of the time.
Carry a good filter, or chems. Water is essential, and it is seldom good & free flowing. Teach them to stake out the tent so it is taut. Use a knot that you can adjust from inside the tent, so you don't need to go out in the rain or snow to adjust.
A proper food bag hang will save your food, even when not in bear country. It is the little critters that bug me.
For the least frequent event, teach them how to make themselves look big, so a cat won't mistake them for food. Open their jackets, raise their arms over their heads, yell, scream, avoid eye contact, etc...
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Post by CompassRds on Oct 26, 2016 13:43:31 GMT -8
Thanks zeke , I edited down, but as you saw I often worry that I picked up bad habits along with the good ones, and will pass them on to my kids.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Nov 1, 2016 5:52:22 GMT -8
Personally, I would never counsel someone to not carry enough food to bring back home at least 1 day's worth. Sometimes things happen out there that require a day or 2 longer stay. What you have done is remove any room for error, IMO.
Expensive is relative. Yes, commercial Fd is more expensive than home dehydrated, or grocery store instant mashed w/ foil tuna. Still a matter of what you can afford. I try to carry only the water I need to reach the next source, or the one beyond that one. In the SW desert country, that means 8 -10 pounds of water is in the pack most of the time.
Sorry, I was counseling to not overload on food primarily. My experience is that new people tend to way over pack on food. Fatigue from pack weight, besides reducing range and enjoyment, can contribute to a fall, back or knee issues. Secondarily you need to know, although uncomfortable and not optimal, you can survive without food for even more than a few days as long as you have water. But I would say this is very situation dependent. Summer hiking in temperate climate where there are loads of other hikers you can push the light on food thing. Hiking the AT a lot of other hikers contributed food to me. I have contributed food and water to other hikers as well. When going winter camping in a remote area you HAVE to have extra food. My apologies that I was assuming the original poster was probably more towards the previous than the latter. Also extra food is only good if you have extra water. Food needs water to digest. If you eat just food without appropriate water you will dehydrate yourself. Headaches, dizziness, possible confusion and reduced ability to generate heat due to dehydration can just make your emergency situation worse. I doubt you are recommending carrying a very heavy reserve of water to go with the food for emergencies. Ernie
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Nov 1, 2016 6:19:51 GMT -8
If you aren't counseling them to "go without food the last day (or so)", then you are saying you can mooch off of others because they will feel sorry for you? Not my way of thinking. If I found a thru hiker low on food, it would not hurt me to give away that food I had as spare. If I had packed less food, I would have none to give to the needy, underprepared.
I would always tell people to carry enough water to get them to the next source. When my source was 3 days away, I carried 3 gallons of water. Yes, it was heavy, but it was absolutely necessary. IMO, so is enough food to carry 1 days worth back home.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Nov 2, 2016 17:35:20 GMT -8
If you aren't counseling them to "go without food the last day (or so)", then you are saying you can mooch off of others because they will feel sorry for you? Not my way of thinking. If I found a thru hiker low on food, it would not hurt me to give away that food I had as spare. If I had packed less food, I would have none to give to the needy, underprepared. I think what I trying to say is that it is important to know that no food for a couple of days generally won't kill you. Going hungry on the trail and seeing how it affects your individual performance is a good thing to know about yourself. If the emergency time comes you will have some practice on operating under no food situation. Easy to know how to over pack on food. Harder to know what the lower limit is. The original poster was asking about saving weight. Reducing food and particularly water can save weight. A little hungry at the end may be worth the weight saving depending on your individual goals. Too little water is bad but water is pretty heavy. But the caution should be well taken if you push your limits with food and water.
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Post by Westy on Nov 2, 2016 21:33:52 GMT -8
Weight...hmmmmm........... eat the bulky, heavy stuff first?
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Post by ErnieW on Nov 3, 2016 4:48:54 GMT -8
Maybe an example. You go on a 7 day trip with the extra food for an eight or ninth day. You wake up day 6 and something like a marten or squirrels got into you food hang. Most of your food has been eaten or contaminated (rodents pee in delight when they get in your bag of food). There is only light food for day 6 and none for day 7. Plenty of filterable water.
Do you go home? If you are still two days from the trailhead do you start trying to call rescue because you have no food?
Before you go to the trouble of flaming me for not having a good food hang, I will retort with plenty of situations where you have to accept less than optimal food hangs no matter how rigorous you are about hangs. Would you not do a hike because you can't fit the extra day for your party in the bear canister?
To get back to the original post, less food to save weight is an option IMHO. I would love to hear of any example where the extra food in an emergency situation was lifesaving more than comforting. When you start packing for comfort that means you are packing heavier.
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Post by CompassRds on Nov 3, 2016 5:10:48 GMT -8
Who is flaming ErnieW ? You specifically asked for others to chime-in on the concept of trail fasting for weight savings the last few days. Sorry that some of us disagreed. Sorry you didn’t like that.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2016 5:20:46 GMT -8
Ok, so I get it. You like to go backpacking without carrying enough food. HYOH.
To answer the above question, I head to the car. I may go hungry.
But on purpose, going out without extra food is a path that I am not going to take. The 10 essentals list was made for a reason.
My gear weight for my last backpacking trip was 10.7526 pounds (I like being a gram weenie), including extra food. Carrying extra food and water is not much of a big deal to me.
I put my food in either a Ursack/Opsack or a Cuban Fiber/Opsack bag. I have watched critters try to get into the Ursack/Opsack without any luck.
In the last 6 years, we used our extra food 2 times to extend the trip by one day and to suppliment our rations. We do tend to dip into our extra water.
Most often, when we return back to the car, we have a handful or two of snacks left and our extra food. I have begun planning the food for our 2017 backpacking trips and I have begun to receive the items to make up our meals.
When we use freeze dried meals, before a trip, we repackage the meals into freezer bags. The foil pouches weigh too much to cary around.
For me, in the realm of ultralight, there is going ultra light and there is stupid light.
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