BP Get Out More PDF prep

GETTING
ORGANIZED
THE ANCIENT CHINESE GENERAL SUN TZU said that every battle is won
or lost before it is ever fought. Now, backpacking isn’t war, but sometimes
packing for a trip certainly can feel like preparing for a military
expedition or a jaunt down the Oregon Trail. How do you get all that
stuff sorted out and into your pack How are you going to get up the
mountain this weekend without a mule train to carry it all
For the skilled general, or the intrepid backpacker, the key to success
is always going to be organization before you begin. It is as
much a mindset as anything else. Realize that the first stop on your
trip, long before you ever hit the trail, is going to be your closet.
Here’s how to make it a breeze.
Finding the Time
Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out: The
Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home, Your Office, and Your Life, says,
“If you can organize one thing, your job for example, you can organize anything.”
The key “is to take as much thinking and remembering out of the
packing process as possible.”
Don’t think “storage,” think “retrieval.” The goal is to create easy,
quick, hassle-free access to everything you need. Think carefully about each
piece of gear’s function and how often you’ll need it, then store it accordingly,
putting the oft-needed items readily at hand. For example, don’t pack
your only tent beneath the telemark boots you use twice a year. Keep the
tent at hand and those ski boots packed away.
Store all your backpacking gear in one place. Don’t bury long
underwear in a box with your winter sweaters; keep it with your pack and
stove so it’ll be handy for midsummer trips to the mountains. Morgenstern
recommends using clearly labeled, see-through plastic bins that keep items
clean, dry, and accessible.
Inventory your backpacking gear and post a master list on the
door of your gear closet (see Organize Gear for Faster Packing).
“When you don’t see your stuff all the time,” cautions Morgenstern, “you
tend to forget what you have and where
it is. That wastes time and money when
it comes to packing.”
Planning a Trip
Without a clear, step-by-step plan
that considers potential snags, an ambitious
goal will never become a reality.
Every successful backpacking trip has
three steps: pretrip planning, the trip
itself, and a post-trip wrap-up.
PRETRIP PLANNING
Do the research. After you call the
land manager for information, log on to
www.backpacker.com/trailtalk, and
check the message boards for the latest
scoop from hikers recently in the area.
Identify and plan for possible
barriers to success. Are you physically
ready for the terrain and length of
the trip Can the slowest person in your
group maintain the pace Do you have
the skills and gear to handle the worst
weather you could encounter If you
answer no to any question, modify
your goals.
Think one day at a time. Instead of
picking a site as a goal and then calculating
the miles you’ll have to hike per
day, turn the process around. Estimate
what you can accomplish each day
under given conditions. By breaking
your trip into daily chunks, you won’t
be tempted to make sweeping generalizations
that overlook important factors
like elevation gain and trail conditions.
The Trip
Be flexible. Surprises will happen,
but if you’ve done your homework, you
can improvise the rest. And realizing
Organize Gear
for Faster
Packing
AOption: Closet
■ Hook to hang backpack
■ Bin labeled “clothing”
■ Bin labeled “miscellaneous”
for the little things you take
on every trip, like a flashlight,
toilet paper, toiletries, and a
knife
■ Bin containing only winter
gear: wool mittens, balaclava,
etc.
■ Bin containing cookware,
stove, and fuel
■ Unrolled self-inflating sleeping
pad, with valve open,
across the side or top of the
closet
■ Sleeping bag hanging from
ceiling in a big, breathable
sack
■ Air-tight tin containing nonperishable
food
■ Laminated gear list and
erasable marker on the door
BOption: Bins
Don’t have a spare closet Buy
three large plastic bins and
label them “cooking/food/toiletries,”
“sleeping,” and “clothing.”
Store them somewhere
that’s dry and safe from mice.
Then, you’re three steps ahead
when it’s time to pack.
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