10 good things to do before you trek!

Was reading a book on “Hints and Tips for Outdoor Adventure“. Pretty good book.

Here’s an excerpt of an interesting part.

Things to do before you trek:

1. Check that your (air) mattresses have no leaks. Invest in a repair kit if necessary.
2. Make sure that you check your cooking equipment. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to clean them.
3. Review your first aid skills, make sure you know what to do for things like bee stings, sprains and strains, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, fever, etc… and it would be useful to learn CPR!
4. Pack lighter - trim away the small things! The little weights here and there add up! For example, you may want to cut your toothbrush into half!
5. Make sure that your watch is working. Its important to know what time it is, so you can gauge how much sunlight you have left for the day. Its not advisable to trek at night!
6. Pack sufficient garbage bags. They are useful to be (1) backpack covers (2) rain coats (3) garbage bags … duh (4) waterproof bags (5) groundsheets
7. Scratch half cup measurings on cooking equipment. It would be useful for gauging when cooking. After all, after a long day of trekking, you would want nice food wouldn’t you?
8. Test your camera! Make sure batteries are charged and bring along spare batteries. If you are going on to a snow summit make sure that your camera can operate at that temperature!
9. Try cooking your outdoor meals at home first. Calculate how much fuel you need to get the food cooked. Always bring extra though. Remember you may be cooking at different altitudes and temperatures.
10. Pack enough clothing for the worst possible condition - well. Murphy’s law, as they say it. Be prepared for the worst all the time.

Tags: camera, clothes, trekking equipment