basic,advanced and essential skills

[gaga]

I got the idea from Cuffs post, in the humor section,and i think that is a serious issue that many of the members here could comment and advice on the matter from experience ,trial and error,or practice. already there is a article on : Tips and Tricks ,and it should be Tips,Tricks and Skills. So the questions is:> Do You Have Skills? for hiking, camping...of course. post your best or whatever you prefer.

[Summit]

My skill is "Stayin' Alive" - to the tune by the Bee Gees!

[Cuffs]

Know how to pitch your tent/hammock/bivy in bad/rainy weather. And practice this at home first!

[Summit]

Watch the Food Channel a while . . . learn how to cook something besides water without burning it!
Learn the skill of "don't be in such a hurry" . . . slow down and enjoy life!

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I think my most important backpacking skill is the ability to think outside the box. Things go wrong out there and being able to use what you have to make things work is an important skill.

[Montego]

when confronted with the unexpected, stop and think before you act. A lttle common sence rather than panic goes a long ways.

[take-a-knee]

there are no advanced skills. If you want to be "high-speed" in any endeavour, master the basics.

[Summit]

when confronted with the unexpected, stop and think before you act. A lttle common sence rather than panic goes a long ways.

That's actually been "the draw" for me in being a backpacking enthusist for 34 years. I call it "taking what mother nature throws at you and dealing with it successfully." Dealing with the elements and the unexpected creates an adrenaline rush challenge for me!

[kayak karl]

"PATIENCE" time fixes many things!

[SGT Rock]

Skills that one should aquire and attitudes are slightly diferent.

Skills:
- Build a fire. You may not always want or need one, but if you are ever up the creek so to speak, this could be invaluable.
- Navigate using a compass and map - again, this is something you probably don't need to do all the time, but when you do need it - a map and compass are useless unless you know how to work them together. And really, this is more than knowing a compass points north and a map is the paper with the squiggly lines on it.
- Dig a cat hole. Really, I mean it. Some folks that already hike need to learn.
- First Aid. Enough said.
- Set up a shelter. In the rain too.
- Gear repiair. Nice to know how to fix or at least temporarily repair some of your gear like a stove.
- Cook - well maybe. I don't think most trail cooking requires you to know much more than how to boil water for the most part.

Attitude:
Flexability
Confidence
Questioning
Openness to new ideas
Willingness to help others - backpackers in general are still some of the best people I have ever met. Folks that still basically live by the golden rule.

[taildragger]

Knowing when and when not to push, this goes for farting as well

[gaga]

-backpacking = packing a b.pack properly,balance it right ,fit it right to your back,adjust it as you go whit different loads+ - food and water...uneven load=Pain
-chose and wear the right footwear,compatible whit the load in your backpack...
-know how to filter and treat water right,if your filter fails,or you lose your aqua Mira, - boil it.snow is water...
-basic first aid 101 skills, if you have hypothermia i could save you...or if you are dehydrated i don`t give you 1L of cold water at once to drink...

P.S. swiss army knives are for sissies

[Mags]

Learn to have an odd mix of flexibility and stuborness!

[map man]

The skill I've improved at the most since taking up hiking is hanging a bear bag. Practice, practice. I read a tip here at WhiteBlaze to use a partially full water bottle with ridges (Gatorade Undurance Formula one liter bottles work great) as the weight you use to tie your bear bag cord to, instead of a rock. Works great.

[ScottP]

Basic: walking
advanced: walking while carrying stuff
expert: walking while carrying almost no stuff

[CoyoteWhips]

P.S. swiss army knives are for sissies

Dude! You'll be answering a knock at your door and it'll be the Swiss Army and you'll be, like, "Oh, crap!" 'cause they're gonna want to kick your butt!

[gaga]

skill:
this depends on personal choice: to know how to chose,use and maintain a 4-6 inches full tang fixed blade knife,and recognizing that is a nr. 1 survival multi tool of choice ,and if a pocket knife that has a blade that i can brake of easily whit my bare hands... is a toy

[take-a-knee]

skill:
this depends on personal choice: to know how to chose,use and maintain a 4-6 inches full tang fixed blade knife,and recognizing that is a nr. 1 survival multi tool of choice ,and if a pocket knife that has a blade that i can brake of easily whit my bare hands... is a toy

Good point, cause with a "real knife" you can pick up a hardwood "baton" off the ground and use it to split (wet) wood.

[Ender]

I was going to write a lot of stuff, and then I read Rock's post... he said almost everything I was going to say. The only thing I'd add would be basic shelter making skills. Nothing fancy, just enough to get out of the rain if need be.

And I'd like to second the making a fire. In an emergency, this is one of the most important skills to know. At the very least, be able to make a fire using a single match.

[Cuffs]

And I'd like to second the making a fire. In an emergency, this is one of the most important skills to know. At the very least, be able to make a fire using a single match.

I agree with the fire making skills! I always carry emergency fire starter (vasaline coated cotton balls).

I started a fire one time... NO matches!!!