The Boy Scouts’ motto is the right one. Anyone setting out on a journey or planning an expedition should follow it by discovering as much as possible about the situations likely to be faced and the skills and equipment called for. It is the most basic common sense to prepare yourself, to take appropriate gear and to plan as carefully as possible.
Your kit could make the difference between failure and success, but, especially when back-packing, many people initially take too much and have to learn from bitter experience what they really need and what they could have done without. There is no fun in struggling with a huge pack full of superfluous items while wishing that you had a torch or can opener with you. Getting the right balance is not easy.
Make sure that you are fit enough for what you plan to do. The fitter you are, the easier and more enjoyable it will be. If you are going hill-walking, for instance, take regular exercise beforehand and wear in your hiking boots. Walk to and from work with a bag weighted with sand and get your muscles in condition! Mental fitness is another factor. Are you sure that you are up to the task, have prepared enough and have the equipment to accomplish it? Eliminate any nagging doubts before you set out.
Always prepare contingency plans in case anything goes wrong. Things rarely go quite according to plan. What will you do if you are prevented from achieving your objective? What will you do if a vehicle breaks down, or if weather or ground conditions prove more severe than anticipated? If in a party, how will you regroup if separated? What happens if someone becomes ill?
HEALTH CHECKS
Have a thorough medical check and ensure that you have all the necessary injections for the territories through which you intend to travel. There are vaccinations against yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, smallpox, polio, diptheria and tuberculosis, and an anti-tetanus injection is a must. Allow plenty of time for jabs – the full anti-typhoid protection requires three injections over the course of six months. If travelling through a malarial region take an adequate supply of anti-malaria tablets. You must start taking these two weeks before your journey, so that resistance is in the system before you arrive in the risk area, and should keep taking them for a month after your return.
Go to the dentist and get your teeth inspected. Teeth that normally do not hurt can cause considerable pain in cold climates. At least start out in sound condition.
Make up a medical kit that will cover all your likely needs and, if travelling with a group, ensure that any particular individual medical needs are covered. If a potential member of the group is not fit, should they be dropped from the party? A difficult decision among friends, but one that must be made for it is best in the long run. Consider, too, the ability of each member of the group to deal with the challenge of hardship, risk and endurance that you may meet. Stress often brings out the unknown side of a person, and in planning any group expedition some form of selection is needed when choosing your companions.
RESEARCH
You can never have too much information about a place you are going to. Contact people who know it already, read books, study maps – and make sure that you have reliable and up-to-date maps to take with you. Find out about the local people. Are they likely to be friendly and helpful or are they wary of strangers? Are there local customs and taboos?
The more detailed your knowledge of the way people live – particularly in non-westernized societies, where life is linked much more closely to the land – the more survival knowledge you will have if you come to need it. Local methods of shelter building and fire making, wild foods, herbal medicines and water sources will be based on an intimate understanding of the surroundings.
Study your maps carefully, get a feel for the land even before you see it and gain as much knowledge of the terrain as possible: river directions and speed of flow, waterfalls, rapids and difficult currents. How high are hills and mountains, and what are their slopes like – are they snow covered? Which way do the ridges run? What kind of vegetation can you expect, what species of trees and where? What might temperatures be and how different at day and night? When are first and last light? What is the state of the moon, the time and height of tides, the prevailing wind direction and strength? The weather that can be expected?
Knowing your terrain before you set out is very important for planning what kit to take with you.
PLANNING
For a group expedition get the members together for frequent discussions of what you aim to achieve. Nominate people for particular responsibilities: medic, linguist, cook, special equipment, vehicle maintenance, driver, navigator and so forth. Ensure that everyone is familiar with the equipment and that there are spares where needed – batteries, fuel and bulbs especially.
Divide the project into phases: entry phase, objective and recovery. Clearly state the aim of each phase and work out a time scale. Plan for emergency procedures such as vehicle breakdown, illness and casualty evacuation.
In estimating the rate of progress, especially on foot, allow plenty of time. It is always better to underestimate and be pleasantly surprised by doing better. Pressure to keep up to an over-ambitious schedule not only produces tension and exhaustion but leads to errors of judgement and risk-taking that are frequently the reason for things going wrong. You cannot carry all your water requirement with you but must replenish supplies as you travel. Water sources will be a major factor in planning any route.
When the route is planned and agreed make sure that others know about it so that you can have expectations of rescue if anything goes wrong. If you are hiking in the hills inform the police and local mountain rescue centre. Tell them your proposed plan and give times of departure and expected arrival. If touring by car, log the route with the respective motoring organization. If sailing, check with coastguard and port authorities.
Always make sure that someone knows what you are planning to do and when, and keep them informed at prearranged stages so that failure to contact will set alarm bells ringing. Boats and aircraft are strictly controlled in this respect and, if overdue, a search is raised and the route checked out, effecting rescue. Get into the habit of telling people where you are going and what time you expect to return or reach your next destination.
EQUIPMENT
Being prepared for any eventuality is a tall order if you are on foot and have to carry everything you need yourself. Whatever you carry, you must ensure that it is up to the job, versatile and robust. It’s a fine balance between what you would like to carry and what you must carry. When preparing for any adventure, you must take into consideration what the dangers are and how you can overcome these. This is what is called contingency planning.
The climate, weather and time of year will all help you to determine what to carry, but you must ensure that everyone with you knows how to use and maintain the specialist kit you decide to take with you. Armed with information from your research you will be able to select your equipment, matching it to objectives and conditions.
CLOTHING
The correct choice of clothing is so important. If you start out right the chances are that you will succeed. Man is a tropical animal and can only survive as we are born in the tropics. The moment we leave this area we have to provide our bodies with this tropical environment, hence the need for clothes. There is no heat in clothing, it only traps what the body produces.
The wind and rain are the most dangerous elements in a temperate climate and the cold in extreme areas like the polar regions. If the heat that is trapped in the layers of clothing you are wearing is continuously being replaced by wind and rain, you are in danger of hypothermia. In cold climates layering is the answer so pull on a jersey if it turns cold and waterproofs if it rains. However, if you wear an anorak while carrying a heavy pack, there is a danger of wearing through the shoulders and lower lumbar region allowing the ingress of water to soak the body. You need a change of clothing and additional warm garments for when you stop.
In hot climates it is very difficult to get the balance right between comfort and practicality. There has always been a danger of overheating in extreme conditions caused by wearing heavy clothing while carrying out physical activities. When on the move wear the least amount of clothing possible and avoid walking in waterproofs if you are too hot, as the condensation generated will soak the inner layers.
Clothing should give good protection and be well-fitting without being restrictive. It must keep you warm and dry but have plenty of ways to keep the body ventilated so you don’t overheat (if it gets colder you can always put on more).
With all the great breakthroughs in recent years in fabric technology it is worth understanding the pros and cons of the different materials on offer. Gore-tex™ is an excellent material because it is breathable and so keeps you warm and dry while ventilating the body, but it does have limitations. Breathable materials can only work if they are kept clean. Once they get covered in mud and accumulate grime they are less effective. Gore-tex™ is not robust or hard-wearing and must be looked after. The best way to use Gore-tex™ is to walk or climb in windproof garments and when at rest, put on the breathable kit.
Synthetic materials such as fleece are very popular and in certain conditions outperform natural materials like wool, down or cotton. Having a zipped front makes a fleece easy to put on and take off and they are also comfortable to walk in. Choose one that is windproof as this is often all that is needed in most conditions. If it gets colder they can be worn under an outer waterproof giving good insulation. There are also garments which act like an animal’s skin, using the buffalo system. They have a windproof outer with a man-made fibre pile inside. When wet they perform like a wetsuit. They are good for walking in cold/wet conditions, and are ideal for boating, canoeing and caving.
As for natural fabrics, wool is still an excellent choice for jumpers as it retains its warmth even when wet. The downside is it stretches and becomes heavy, so it’s not a good choice for socks. Down is the warmest and lightest of all natural insulating materials but loses all its heat-retaining qualities when wet. Cotton acts as a wick and draws up all the moisture. So it’s good to wear in the tropics but not in the cold/wet regions.
Footwear is an important consideration and for serious walking give your feet priority. Break in new boots gradually and harden up your skin with surgical spirit, starting two weeks before you set off.
For the enthusiast the major consideration in choosing clothing is cost. Surplus stores are very popular for the younger adventurer who loves to parade in camouflage clothing. Although ex-military kit is good, and cheap, it is already obsolete. The big drawback of wearing camouflage or dark clothing is the risk of not being found when lost. The reason soldiers wear it is so they cannot be seen which contradicts what you are trying to do if you get into trouble. Most outdoor clothing is blue or orange, some is reversible, so a contrasting colour will always stand out wherever we find ourselves. Buy the best clothing you can afford, and take advice from a reputable outdoor shop.
REMEMBER There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
SLEEPING BAGS
Two types are generally available. One kind uses hollow fill, man-made fibre, the other (and more expensive) is filled with down. Down is very light and gives much better insulation – provided it stays dry. If it gets wet it loses all its insulating properties and is very difficult to dry out. For conditions that are likely to be wet the man-made fibre will therefore be the better choice. Avoid getting your sleeping bag wet, however, as sleep will be seriously affected.
Excellent bivouac bags made of breathable material are also available that will keep you dry in place of a tent, but in the long term you cannot beat a tent which can also be used for cooking and communal activities. Keep your sleeping bag inside the bivy bag and stow it inside a compression sack to make it as small as possible. Keep the bag clean and use a kip mat or poncho to lie on.
Sleeping bags of man-made fibre will stay much drier in wetter climates than the down-filled variety.
PACKS
You need a strong and comfortable backpack to carry all your clothing and equipment. Choose the very best you can afford. It should have tough and fully adjustable webbing, well secured to the pack’s frame or fabric. Heavy loads can quickly loosen poorly made webbing. It must have a comfortable hip belt. The secret of wearing a pack is to take the weight securely on the hips – the body’s strongest pivot – not on the shoulders and back, which quickly strain and tire.
Do you want a pack with an external or an internal frame? Internal frames are lighter and make a pack more easy to stow, but external frames are stronger, ensure a more even distribution of the load and are especially useful for awkward or heavy equipment – including, in an emergency, a sick or injured person. A good external frame should carry the pack high up on your body, putting less strain on hips and shoulders, and it should be designed to allow an airspace between the pack and your back to minimise contact perspiration. A frame adds weight and is more prone to snag on rocky projections or branches, making progress through dense vegetation a little more difficult, but its advantages more than compensate.
Finally, choose a pack made from a tough, waterproof fabric, preferably with a lace-up hood inside the main sack to prevent water leaking in and the contents falling out. Side pockets are always useful, but they must have secure zips rather than straps or drawstrings, which do not hold equipment safely.
Choosing a backpack is very important – make sure it’s tough and comfortable to carry.
STOWING KIT
If you expect to get wet, stow everything in polythene bags. Pack so that you know where everything is and so that the first things you need are not buried at the bottom. The sleeping bag is probably the last thing you need so that goes at the bottom. Your tent should be on the top, so should heavy kit such as radios, which are more easily carried there – though try not to make the pack too high, if you have to cope with strong winds, for a very high pack will be more difficult to balance and you will expend a lot of energy just keeping upright.
Pack a stove and brew-kit in a side pocket so that you have easy access when you halt. Make sure that foodstuffs that can be easily squashed or melted are in suitable containers. In a warm climate you can carry food to eat cold and make plenty of hot drinks. In a cold climate make sure that you have plenty of fats and sugars. The exact rations depend on your taste, but they should be chosen to give a good balance of vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Take into account the extent to which you will be able to live off the land and carry a supply of anything unlikely to be available locally.
G.P.S.
A G.P.S. (Global Positioning System) is an excellent piece of equipment and has taken a lot of skill away from the navigator. Basically these systems receive radio signals from satellites and can locate your current position, anywhere in the world, and are relatively easy to use. It is also useful to note that they are reported to have 95 per cent accuracy rate. However, in order to work, the satellite transmission must not have any obstructions in its way, such as a tree branch or movement, so to receive a clear signal you need to be standing still and out in the open. However, if we depend solely on technology our basic skills will suffer and we will become unstuck if it becomes unserviceable or is lost. G.P.S. is not effective unless you can identify where you are, so stick to the basics. Map read and navigate normally and use the G.P.S to confirm your navigation or correct it.
When looking to buy a G.P.S there are several considerations to think about: what you’ll be using it for – if walking you will want the unit to be as light as possible and compact; where you’ll be using it; and if you need it to be waterproof (this is usually a feature of the heavier models with extra gadgets). Battery life should also be taken into account. Some G.P.S are more complicated than others so choose the model that you’re happy with. Most have the facility of being able to put in
