Packing my fears

[squeezebox]

Within the last few days someone responded to a post about gear that said, " we pack our fears."
It really hit a note with me. After reading a few stories about hypothermia, I'm really afraid of it.
So my winter gear list is extra heavy, 5* sleeping bag, 1 lb heavier down jacket, heavy wt. fleece top & pants, with the wool longies.
2 man tent, so I have enough room. Extra kitchen stuff so that I'm food comfortable
If it was not for these concerns I could probably drop at least 5 lbs gear wt. maybe close to 10.
So I'm thinking !!
1) trust the folks that have been out there, that are saying " Trust me you'll be okay without that stuff, I'll be near by, I'll look out for you."
2) Bring it all with me and slowly push my comfort zone, and send stuff home when I realize I really can do without.

I'm over 60, my fears have been with me a very long time, I'm looking forward to releasing them.

[PD230SOI]

SB,

in this post I don't see when and where you are going. Without that info I would recommend option two. Bring it with you but be prepared to very quickly send it home.

you shouldn't start a new adventure with a rucksack full of fears. So be comfortable, but I would think very quickly you will learn what you really need.

also when taking advice from people on the web keep in mind their situation is different from yours. The guy I was at 18 has changed into this slightly slower, smarter, guy.

[4shot]

I agree with the poster above. Option 2 is better.Also, take things you read here with a grain of salt. Most of the advice here IS sound, but not all. Better advice is to go to an outfitter, go to a hiker get together and/or meet up with somebody who has experience. Have them do a shakedown of your pack and gear. Just a thought - I remember reading or hearing that hypothermia is more common in spring and fall hiking seasons than in winter. probably because winter hikers tend to be more experienced and/or are expecting cold temps. Good luck.

[daddytwosticks]

Option #2. This is why I would not start a long distance hike, such as a thru-hike, without the experiences of several section hikes and shake-down hikes learning about my equipment and picking up skills. :)

[Tipi Walter]

Within the last few days someone responded to a post about gear that said, " we pack our fears."
It really hit a note with me. After reading a few stories about hypothermia, I'm really afraid of it.
So my winter gear list is extra heavy, 5* sleeping bag, 1 lb heavier down jacket, heavy wt. fleece top & pants, with the wool longies.
2 man tent, so I have enough room. Extra kitchen stuff so that I'm food comfortable
If it was not for these concerns I could probably drop at least 5 lbs gear wt. maybe close to 10.
So I'm thinking !!
1) trust the folks that have been out there, that are saying " Trust me you'll be okay without that stuff, I'll be near by, I'll look out for you."
2) Bring it all with me and slowly push my comfort zone, and send stuff home when I realize I really can do without.

I'm over 60, my fears have been with me a very long time, I'm looking forward to releasing them.

A winter pack is always gonna be heavier than a summer pack because we have more to "fear" in the winter---deep snow, loss of traction (so we bring microspikes), much colder temps (remember the polar vortex of last January?---and so we bring more geese and heavier bags/jackets), long blizzards with high winds (4 season tent with ample stakes to weather a 60mph snowstorm on top of a mountain---Spindrift) etc etc.

And more hats and gloves and fuel and clothing etc.

"We pack our fears" is a good thing, and represents having enough experience in the outdoors to know what to expect and prepare for, being that "preparation" is another word for "fears". A better phrase would be "We pack our comforts" when it comes to carrying excessive weight. As you say, extra kitchen stuff so that you're food comfortable.

What we don't want on a backpacking trip are Surprises---caught in a sudden cold rainstorm but I can't get warm, a tent pole broke cuz I didn't put them together fully before setting up, didn't bring enough tent stakes and my tent collapsed in a windstorm, my sleeping pad leaked on frozen ground with no repair kit or backup, my boot sole came off, etc.

You get the idea.

[garlic08]

"You pack your fears" helped me lose a lot of pack weight over a decade ago. I was afraid of being hungry and thirsty. It wasn't unusual for me to arrive at a resupply with over a full day's worth of extra food, or to always have an extra liter or two of water. It was liberating the first time I ran low on food, went to bed hungry a couple of nights, and I didn't blow up. With a bit of a start, I realized I'd lived over forty years and had never had that experience before in my life. I felt a touch of solidarity with much of the world's population. I lost my fear, and quite a few pounds of pack weight. Your phrase "food comfortable" is a big one for many.

[Tipi Walter]

High mile days on a "linear" long trail usually allows a backpacker to carry minimal food weight in the 3 to 5 day range, but of course not all trips have the chance for resupply. Ergo more food weight.

[Another Kevin]

"We pack our fears" is a good thing, and represents having enough experience in the outdoors to know what to expect and prepare for, being that "preparation" is another word for "fears". A better phrase would be "We pack our comforts" when it comes to carrying excessive weight. As you say, extra kitchen stuff so that you're food comfortable.


The inexperienced and ill-informed also do "pack their fears." While failing to prepare for common contingencies, they pack against contingencies that are untinkably remote.

But Old Man Winter is not to be trifled with. Ultralight goes out the window when the winter winds blow in. You do need to answer the questions: "Can I get dry?" "Can I get warm?" "Can I get out?" That means you need the warm clothing, the sound shelter, and the traction gear. The list squeezebox posted looks very much like mine in the winter for a low-elevation trip. Rainsuit, puffy, fleeces, and long johns - and if the weather turns nasty, I may be wearing all four when I stop, and contemplating bundling up in the sleeping bag as well. The 0 degree bag, my regular Thermarest and a blue foam as well. Mittens and liner gloves. Balaclava and tuque. Extra dry socks, and extra extra dry socks. Goggles. The two-person freestanding tent, with extra stakes and wind guys. The Whisperlite, and an ample supply of white gas, because I may well have to melt drinking water. This isn't packing fears: this is packing the experience of having been on trips when I've used all of that stuff.

Up here in the Northeast, microspikes are 'shoulder season' stuff, or what we wear to negotiate shoveling our driveways and walking around town. Most leaders for winter peak-bagging expeditions around here require participants to show up with full crampons, ice axe, snowshoes or skis, and poles. Only at the trailhead do they decide what, if any, traction gear can be left in the cars. We also generally don't do long hikes in the winter - even the long-distance hikers among us switch to peak-bagging mode, and do overnights or long weekends so that there's ample opportunity to warm up and dry off in town after only a few days.

I don't know where squeezebox hikes, so I don't know what's needed. It does vary with the climate. I hear that what they pack down in Georgia for full-on winter resembles what I carry in, say, April or November, when I might get snow but it's unlikely to last, and cold rain is the greater hazard.