Backpacking With Style

By Bill Schneider, 8-11-05

I define Backpacking with Style as performing little random acts of courtesy, things that usually go unspoken, but make a trip more pleasant, convenient, and safe for everybody—and fit naturally into the wilderness environment instead of conflicting with it.

Here are a few examples of Backpacking with Style, but this is by no means a complete list. After you get the drift of this, you’ll think of more.

· In the wilderness, safety always trumps convenience, vanity, or speed. Don’t suggest anything to the contrary.

· Even if this does not fit your character, strive for the highest level of organization, regardless of how disorganized or messy your office or garage is. Whether you’re on the trail or in camp, know where every single piece of your equipment is at every second of the day and night. Spend the appropriate amount of time planning out what you need to take along and packing your pack so it is as light and efficient as possible. Know how much you have and where all items are in your pack at all times.

· Don’t have stuff hanging on your pack or belt. It looks tacky and unorganized, and backpackers strive for extreme organization. Instead, pack everything neatly inside your pack or in appropriate side pockets.

· Avoid neon colors in your clothing, tents, sleeping bags, and other gear. Instead, go for natural colors. A drab, dull wardrobe is quite stylish. Avoid T-shirts with editorial messages others might not want to read in the depth of the wilderness.

· If you have to stop on the trail, say “pack down� so others know you have stopped and can also unload, but have a good reason for stopping because others in your group might want to keep going.

· Don’t make others wait while you constantly pack or repack or look for something in your pack in the morning or on rest stops. Keep the items you need during the day easily accessible and know where they are. Be ready to go when others are ready to go. Don’t suddenly remember to do something or get something after others have already hoisted their packs.

· If you’re one of the slowest in your group, volunteer to go first to keep the group together (especially in bear and mountain lion country) and to make sure nobody gets too tired, including you while trying to keep up. Again, safety and style outweigh vanity in the wilderness.

· People go to the wilderness to escape noise, so please respect the silence of others. Try to be as quiet as possible at all times. There is nothing better than the sound of silence.

· Drink profusely during the day to stay well-hydrated but back off in the evening so you can avoid getting up at night and waking up your tent mates.

· If you don’t have a well-behaved dog that you’re sure you can completely control, leave it at home. A barking dog can destroy the wilderness experience. If you take your dog, don’t let it chase wildlife or bother other hikers or their equipment.

· Pleasantly greet other hikers on the trail, but if they don’t want to be social, don’t take it personally. Many backpackers want only to enjoy a wild, people-free experience, so don’t babble on when they want to be alone with nature. However, always warn hikers you meet of any hazardous or confusing sections of the trail.

· If you’re among the most fit in the group, help weaker members of the group and be careful not to wear them out. You can run hill sprints or do push-ups at night if you don’t feel like you had a good enough workout during the day.

· If you’re a weaker member of the group, don’t be vain and reject offers from stronger members to help you or lighten your load. This will help improve the progress of the entire group.

· Always take care of your own stuff only. Don’t try to be helpful and organize other people’s stuff. While backpacking, everybody takes care of his or her own stuff.

· Help others get their packs on.

· Always do your share in communal activities like cleaning camp, cooking, filtering, washing dishes, setting up tents, or cleaning group equipment. But don’t do more than your share, lest you cause others to develop bad habits or make them feel uncomfortable about not doing their part.

· Don’t sleep late and make others do more than their share of the communal work or wait for you.

· Don’t take radios, CD players, PDAs, iPods, or other electronic gadgets. If you take a cell phone, leave it off and plan on using it strictly for emergencies, not to call Mom or check stock quotes or sports scores.

· On rocky trails kick off a rock or two when it’s convenient to do so. If every hiker does this, the rocky trail will no longer be rocky.

· If possible, pitch your tent where other campers or hikers can’t see it.

· Avoid wearing a bear bell unless your really need it for your self-confidence; even then put it away in areas where there is obviously no chance of encountering a bear, or when in camp. Keeping your group together and practicing other proven bear awareness techniques can keep you safe without annoying others.

· Eat your own food unless you’ve packed food as a group, and eat only your share of communal food—and of course, never, never, ever pick the M&Ms out of the gorp.

· When taking a rest, don’t block the trail, bridges, or entries to stream crossings with your pack.

· Remember the stuff you need so you don’t have to sponge on others. Use a checklist.

· Make sure your equipment works and is in good shape so it doesn’t break on the trail and inconvenience the group or create a hazardous situation. In severe weather a leaky tent or a stove that won’t start could kill the entire group. Ditto for a compass that doesn’t work.

After becoming more stylish, you might enjoy your backpacking vacation a little more than you expected—and others in your group will, too. [End of article]