The planning stage of a trip

I try not to get too romantic about the notion of camping. I don't call it anything fancy, just good old camping. I also try not to get too fancy about what I bring, after all, the idea is to get away from all the hustle and bustle isn't it? So lets get started and work through the thought process when planning out the equipment needed for an overnight camp.

There are always some considerations when planning out a stay.

• What is the season?
• What is the weather forecast?
• Will I be alone or are there others coming too?
• How much activity am I planning on doing?
• How isolated will I be?
• What is the terrain like?

These are all important factors as they will dictate the equipment you will bring. If you will be with others, you can share the load and have 1 first aid kit for the group and one large tent instead of seperate tents... I am planning a trip for just myself in the late stages of Winter / early Spring in an area about 1 km from the nearest person. The weather forecast is good except it's predicted to dip to about -10 C in the night. So lets look at the gear.

Sleep System
I always put a great deal of thought into what sleeping gear to take. Since it will be so cold, I opted for a self inflating mattress, my winter bag /with a comfort rating of -18 C), my trusty pillow, bivy bag and poly sleeping bag liner. Everything but the sleeping bag and mattress is standard kit and accompanies regardless of season.

Food
I always like to take a little extra food when it's cold. This consists of a hearty meal for dinner (3 packets of noodles mixed with milk powder and cantarell soup), teabags, sugar, coffee, chocolate bars, porridge with raisins and powdered milk for breakfast and my thermos. I keep things simple and use a standard anodized aluminium 1 litre pot with a lid. Since there was loads of snow I didn't bother bringing water. All the food and the pot goes into a water proof bag to keep things dry and organised. I fill the thermos with water before I pack it. If I was to be going above the tree line, then I'd pack a stove too. I use a Coleman Feather 442 because it's robust and can be run on unleaded which is cheap.

I use a plastic spork made by Sea to Summit:

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Sea_to_Summit_Spork.jpg

I highly recommend this spork as it has a good handle length and is tough. I have dummy chorded mine so I don't lose it and can hang it from a branch while I cook or wash up. I don't worry about a bowl as I eat straight from the pot and the cup I use is the thermos lid.

Miscelaneous
I always take a first aid kit. This kit is able to deal with splinters to major cuts and sprains. If you take an axe with you, consider beefing up your kit so that if you chop your leg, you can manage the injury. I also include pain killers and plastic bags so that a lost digit can be sealed and hopefully saved. I also have a personal hygeine kit. This has toilet paper, a tooth brush, bicarbonate of soda which can be used as tooth paste (plus a multitude of other things), matches, a lighter and a disposable poncho. I always take my headlamp too and check the batteries before each outing.

Cutting tools
People tend to go nuts when it comes to knives and axes. I don't really need a machete, folder, fixed blade, scalpel and Swiss Army knife, so I just carry 1 knife. It's a Scandinavian style knife I made that is small, light and sharp. I also take an axe and because it's cold, I take my 26" axe as it processes firewood much faster than a hatchet.

Camera
Last but not least I always take a camera and my mobile phone. My camera is just an old Cannon. I always check it has fresh batteries and suitable storage space on the SD card. I make sure my phone is charged too.

Clothing
Because it was going to be cold, layering was necessary. I had a poly T shirst, wool sweater and a jacket made of GX-2000 over the top. This was a warm, dry and wind proof combination. I wore poly longs and  teflon coated cotton pants. I also used my winter shoes which are water proof and have a woolen inner boot. I expected to have to walk through some snow so I wanted to be prepared. I also took wool socks and a woolen beanie.

When I pack my gear, I make sure that the heaviest items are in the small of my back, as close to my body as possible. This means that I am not going to feel "tippy" because of being top heavy or have to lean forward because everything is at the bottom of my pack. I also tighten up the compression straps to make sure everything is secure and the bag sits securely on my back. My first aid kit is always in my top pocket on the pack and I make sure it can be accessed with 1 hand. This is important, just ask this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston

People tend to like the latest and greatest back packs too. I am content with my Katmandu Interloper which is 75 +10. For some reason it didn't get great reviews but it is made from Cordura, is water resistant and very adjustable. I have taken mine around the world twice and it's seen some really rough treatment. In 8 years I have no complaints. They can be bought cheaply and in my practical experience, are a great pack.

All that sparkles isn't gold

Advice is free, often for a reason. It can often sound like it's professional and well founded, but in reality is dribbling from the mouth of someone with no clue. I had to accompany 16 school kids on a winter trip and it involvd some cross country skiing. I am pretty lousy at skiing having grown up in Australia. I mean, if hell froze over, it would still be too warm for skiis in Queensland. If you can't picture that, then imagine that this is the opposite to what I know:

Since I know nothing about skiing either, I sought the advice from those around me regarding which equipment I needed. I was told:

1. cross country skis will do fine
2. use second hand shoes, save your money
3. you'll be ok, it's only 8km to the cabin

Now normally I would have the opportunity to test things out for myself, but, my son was ill so I didn't have a chance. This was my second mistake. The first was getting advice from people who really couldn't care less about wether I enjoyed the trip or not.

We began our trip at 10.00am and it was blowing a gale. The temperature was -6 celcius on the mountain however the wind-chill made it feel much colder. It began fine and I thought I was doing quite well. I had good ski poles too, which was a plus. That was, until they began collapsing on their own. I didn't have a screw driver to tighten the clamp so I trudged along without using the poles much as they couldn't support me at all. Luckily, one of the students had a canned drink so I used the ring pull to tighten the screws. Once this was fixed, I had to contend with the soft snow.

I am a fairly big guy. I weigh about 100kg and with my pack on that went up to 116 kg. The skiis I had require a track consisting of compressed snow, without which they are very unstable and difficult to use even for a seasoned skiier. I am not a seasoned skiier. It sucked. Badly. Falling is bad enough, but doing it with a pack in loose snow is worse still. My foot would roll, the ski would sink and I'd go over. this happened quite a few times. The fact was, I received bad advice because what I really needed was mountain skiis. They are wider and allow my foot to be closer to ground and are therefore much more stable. If I was to buy them, I would also need to buy a pair of shoes as the bindings are different to cross country skiis and shoes.

I was about half way, thanking God that I hadn't twisted an ankle or knee. I realised my shoes started to feel quite loose. On close inspection, my shoes had begun to crack. Snow was melting and running into my shoes. The leather of course stretched and I ended up with clown shoes for ski boots. there was no stability at all. I received these vintage ski shoes from my father-in-law who had the best of intentions, but unfortunately had not treated the leather shoes in 30 years. They were brand new but had seen 30 winter / summer cycles which had damaged the leather and the sealant's integrity.

Thank goodness for friends with snow scooters.

My friend drove me the last 2km to the cabin as my shoes and skiis were unusable.

I am active and enjoy physical pursuits. It's humbling when this kind of thing happens. I have not had much luck because the first time I tried skiing, the guide used the wrong wax and I ended up plowing the track with stalactites on the bottom of my skiis. This forced me to walk 7km as the skiis would not slide along the snow at all. I am not sure if this is natures way of telling me to stick to the temperate and desert climates that I am used to, or just to hold off until spring. I am no quitter but I tell you, I am no fan of raging in the frozen wastes when bad advice and poor equipment collide on the same timeline. One of the reasons I started this blog was to try give some information and advice that I have learned (often the hard way), that I know works. Of course my advice is free too, so you take your chances. The difference is though, I care enough about this information to post it on a blog instead of just mentioning it in passing.

Here is my advice to those just starting out in winter sports.

1. Take your time and figure out what you need carefully. If the sport or activity is something you are sure you want to continue, spend money on it. Buy what you need and make sure it's decent quality. Your enjoyment, and most likely a small degree of sanity will hinge on the ability of your equipment to perform.
2. Test your gear before you go.
3. Be realistic about your skills. If you are unskilled or out of practice, have an escape plan and people who can help.
4. Be careful who you get advice from. Bad advice can get you killed. If the advice is bad, remember that the return trip is always harder, therefore turn around early and make the journey home while you have the energy.
5. Take plenty of food. It's amazing how a hot drink from a thermos and a couple of biscuits can lift your energy levels and spirits.

This list is not exhaustive, but it's what I will be following in the future. Stay safe.