Packing for Slackpacking?

[JumpMaster Blaster]

For those of you who have slackpacked, what would you carry for a full-day slackpacking trip that would last from sunup to dusk? The mileage doesn't matter- lets just assume you'll be on trail for the better part of 8 hours.

I understand bringing water system & filtration and enough food to eat, but what else would you bring along? This is assuming temps are mild- (60s-70s during the day and 40s-50s at night).

Rainjacket?
Headlamp?
Emergency shelter?
Fire making material?
First Aid Kit?

Curious as to what everyone's list would look like.

[Walkintom]

Depends on conditions. But generally not much. It's slackpacking, not half full packing.

[GoldenBear]

I carry rain gear, matches, first aid kit, whistle, flashlight, and emergency blanket if I'm going for a back country hike even as short as one hour.

I have become almost immobilized -- I thought I MIGHT be having a heart attack* -- less than a mile after being dropped off for a day of slack packing. I was "rescued"** only because I had a cell phone -- bizarrely, it was the first time I was carrying one.
Good hikers tend to be pessimists, and thus plan for worst-case scenarios. For me, this means always being ready to spend one night on my own with rain coming down.


* Don't worry -- it was just a sudden stomach bug, resulting in vertigo so severe I couldn't walk through the woods without fear of falling.

** I'm reluctant to use that term, simply because I think I COULD have gotten back to the drop-off point. But the EMT who met me was VERY clear that I did the right thing by dialing 911 instead of hoping to walk back.

[Trailweaver]

Yeah, it's better to get off the trail when you become sick rather than "tough it out" and get worse. I had to hike out early once, and was ever so glad I did - ended up being sick with an upset stomach for days. The fact that you had vertigo made that more serious. . . if you'd fallen, you could have had really serious problems.

I haven't ever slackpacked, but I rather imagine I'd take the first aid kit, rain gear, whistle, and something for warmth. (food & water too)

[fastfoxengineering]

Pack like you would for a day hike. That doesn't mean you should be I'll prepared. I bring the essentials. Bring enough to survive the night in the woods. However, don't plan on it being a comfortable night if the situation arises

[slbirdnerd]

I would probably still bring the 10 essentials, especially if the area is remote, although some of those essentials would be different items than I'd pack for a week-long trip (such as emergency shelter and space blanket, vs. a good tent and sleeping bag).

[BillyGr]

At the least, calling first then, if you thought you could, returning to the start point (having told 911 your plans) would make sense - at least that way someone would be en route in case you got worse, and could probably meet you partway and accompany you back.

I have become almost immobilized -- I thought I MIGHT be having a heart attack* -- less than a mile after being dropped off for a day of slack packing. I was "rescued"** only because I had a cell phone -- bizarrely, it was the first time I was carrying one.
* Don't worry -- it was just a sudden stomach bug, resulting in vertigo so severe I couldn't walk through the woods without fear of falling.

** I'm reluctant to use that term, simply because I think I COULD have gotten back to the drop-off point. But the EMT who met me was VERY clear that I did the right thing by dialing 911 instead of hoping to walk back.

[GoldenBear]

In addition to the vertigo, I vomited three times in the space of five minutes. It was at this point that I dialed 911.
The dispatcher was VERY CLEAR that I was not to move from my present location.
I found out later there are two reasons for this:
1) If someone IS having a heart attack, s/he should not walk even ten steps. After medical help is on its way, sitting or laying down and relaxing (a LOT easier said then done!!) is the best thing.
2) People in a medical emergency often get disoriented, and THINK they are moving in one direction when they are actually moving in another -- or moving randomly. The LAST thing EMT's want to happen is to get to the place where the person in need is supposed to be, only to find s/he has moved somewhere else -- and they have no idea of the direction or distance to "somewhere."

Anyway, while waiting for the EMT's to arrive and after hearing the sirens for my "rescue," I lost more food from the OTHER end of my digestive tract*. At this point my vertigo and miasma dissipated and, although I was VERY tired, I felt I could walk the mile back to the trail head. In just a couple of minutes I met the EMT, and his first words were, "Please lay down while I take your vitals." I was eventually taken to the ambulance in a truck designed for driving on wooded, back country trails.

If I had thought, from the start, that I could walk back to the trail head; I would have done so. But it wasn't till help was almost there before I felt that I was able to do so.

I conclude the best thing to do is follow the directions of the dispatcher. This usually means STAYING PUT if you can do so without any risk of further injury.


* Don't worry, I got far off the Trail.

[peakbagger]

The ten essentials are always a good start

http://hikesafe.com/index.php?page=full-gear-list

In the whites if you get in trouble and don't have this gear its almost a guarantee you get to pay for the rescue (odds are you will anyhow unless you buy the rescue card).