>>Male Presenter: Hey everybody.
Thank you for showing up today.
I see we've got a full house, which is awesome.
I can see you guys are very excited about
Andrew's talk today, as I am.
Andrew Skurka is kind enough to join us today.
He is a trekker, as many of you probably know.
Described as "adventurer of the year" by Outside
and "a superman among trekkers" by National
Geographic.
He's gone on a number of long treks all across
the country.
We're very happy to have him today to talk
about his new book and go over the clinic.
Thank you, Andrew, and here you go.
>>Skurka: Okay, cool.
Thank you.
[applause]
>>Skurka: I'd said I never expected to get
a standing room only turnout at Google.
Thanks very much for coming out.
Thank you, Andrew, for organizing it.
I'm not sure how it normally works if you
want to speak here at Google, but I'm thankful
that my sister and brother-in-law are friends
with Andrew and Andrew was able to push it
on through the system and get this thing going
today.
Today's clinic is going to be mostly about
backpacking gear, supplies, and skills.
I give another presentation where I tell a
lot more stories, but today, I want to give
you guys some how-to information so that you
guys can go out there and enjoy your own backpacking
trips a little bit more.
Let's go ahead and just walk through what
we're going to do.
The first thing, just quickly, a quick introduction.
I want to understand who you guys are and
what sort of backpacking you do and what sort
of backpacking you want to do.
I'll just give you a little bit of context
for who I am too.
Then I'll introduce three questions that I
always ask before I go on any backpacking
trip.
Those three questions are really helpful in
understanding the gear, supplies, and skills
that I'll need once I get out there.
And then, the bulk of the presentation will
be on this stuff that I have in front of me
here, where we'll come up with a hypothetical
trip that everyone can relate to.
For example, we'll say, "We're going to go
for a 4 day trip in the high Sierra in August."
We'll talk about the conditions that we're
going to experience on a trip like that.
Then we'll talk about the gear that I would
take with me on such a trip.
Let me start off with you guys.
Why don't you-- would someone be willing to
raise their hand, tell me who they are, what
sort of backpacking you do, and what you'd
like to get out of the clinic today.
Yes, sir.
>>male #1: My name's Justin.
I'm a hiker.
I have hopes and aspirations for a hardcore
trip, but I have a 5 year old and a 7 year
old.
[laughter] We're mostly relegated to 2 mile
round trips to try to keep the kids happy.
I would just love to hear the family aspects
of getting out there.
>>Skurka: Okay, I'll do my best to address
some of the family-- I have to say that without
a wife or children, it'll be a little bit
difficult, but I can wonder.
Who else?
One more person?
Yes.
>>male #2: My name is Spass.
I'm interested in a lightweight backpack.
What's the minimum gear you can take.
>>Skurka: What was your name again?
>>male #2: Spass.
>>Skurka: Spass.
Spass was interested in basically knowing
what the minimal amount of gear you need to
take out there is.
I need one more person.
Yes.
>>male #3: EJ.
I've known you for 5 years on the forums.
Ex military, ex Boy Scout, now a hiker and
backpacker.
I'm interested in learning the more advanced
technique for upper gear
>>Skurka: All right.
EJ is basically interested in figuring out
how to lighten up his load and still be safe
and comfortable at the same time.
Just to give you guys some context about where
I'm coming from, I'm known for doing really
long, really light, really fast, long distance
backpacking trips.
This was my first mega long distance trip
I did back in 2004-2005.
It was the Sea-to-Sea route.
It was 7800 miles.
It took me 11 months.
I started up in Gaspé, Quebec in August and
finished in Cape Alava, Washington in July,
which means I spent winter on the trail.
I snowshoed 1400 miles that winter, through
Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota during
the months of January, February, and March.
My second mega long distance trip was the
Great Western Loop.
It was 6875 miles in 7 months.
I averaged 33 miles per day for 208 days.
Then, my last big trip was the Alaska-Yukon
expedition, which was 4700 miles in 6 months.
Skis, foot, and pack rafts.
That was in 2010.
I've done a bunch of short trips in between
all those, but that gives you a pretty good
feel for where I'm coming at.
I should point out that even though I'm known
for doing these crazy trips that not many
people can relate to, I also do a lot of these
clinics.
I also guide trips.
I answer a lot of questions via email from
people who are much less experienced and who
aren't-- who don't have the ability to go
out for 6 months at a time.
So I hope that I can relate to you and give
you some information that is valuable.
Let me go over the three questions that I
always ask myself before I go on a trip.
The first one is: what are my objectives?
I think it's a really important question that
not too many people ask themselves.
I'll go a little bit into each question a
little bit more in a second.
The second question I ask myself is: what
are the environmental and route conditions
that I'm going to be encountering?
Temperatures, precipitation, water availability,
wildlife, insects.
Then the final question that I always ask
is: what are the gear, supplies, and skills
that I need to help achieve my objectives
while keeping me safe and comfortable in those
environmental and route conditions.
The way I think about it, gear, supplies,
and skills are just tools.
They're just enablers.
They're just means.
But the whole reason I go out there is for
that objective, whatever that is.
Let's talk about objectives a little bit.
When you're on a backpacking trip, you can
basically break it down in two different types
of activities.
There's hiking, and then there's camping.
Hiking is literally just putting one foot
in front of the other.
Camping is either camping or any extracurricular
activity that doesn't involve hiking: birding,
journaling, bird watching, hunting, fishing,
photography.
When I look at all the backpackers out there,
I put them into three different categories.
The first category I call an ultimate camper,
which is someone whose objective is basically
just to walk between campsites in order to
do something else.
They don't really-- It's not really relevant
that they know what sort of environmental
and route conditions they're going to be getting
themselves into because they can carry as
much as they possibly want.
They're not carrying it for very far.
And they also tend to carry really heavy,
luxurious, extraneous items.
These are the people you see set up in camp
at like 2:00 in the afternoon having a steak
lunch.
They're basically mobile car campers, I think
is maybe a better way to describe them.
They prefer, when they go for a backpacking
trip, they're in the pursuit of type 1 fun,
which I say is fun to do and fun to talk about
later, which is very different than the way
that an ultimate hiker approaches a backpacking
trip.
An ultimate hiker looks something a little
bit more like this.
When they go on a backpacking trip, their
primary objective is to walk.
They need to know the exact environmental
and route conditions that they're going to
be encountering because that way, they can
take the gear, supplies, and have the skills
that they need to be safe and comfortable
in those conditions.
They optimize their pack for the on trail
experience.
They're packing light, but they're not packing
stupid light.
Then, maybe more importantly, they rely on
the stuff between their ears to keep themselves
safe and comfortable.
A great example of this is when an ultimate
hiker versus an ultimate camper chooses a
campsite.
An ultimate camper plods along the trail and,
after a couple miles, finds himself a campsite
that's right next to a water source, that's
been camped on by tens of thousands of other
people.
It's denuded of topsoil or of leaves or anything
like that.
They set themselves up and they create this
big sprawl of stuff.
Then they get out their really thick sleeping
pad and their double-walled big tent.
They hang out there and then they go to bed.
Whereas an ultimate hiker, they'll hike all
day and they'll choose a campsite that very
few people have slept at, if any.
It has this nice, thick bed of needles or
moss or leaves.
They won't camp near a water source because
that's where the bugs are.
It's also-- The water source or the drainage
is usually where the cold, wet air accumulates
at night.
So they'll camp somewhere else where it's
drier, less buggy, and warmer.
That allows them to take less gear than they
would need otherwise.
Then, an ultimate hiker is in the pursuit
of type 2 fun.
Not fun to do, but fun to talk about later.
It's kinda like the way an athlete or a runner
approaches a marathon.
There's nothing fun about running a marathon.
It's type 2 fun.
It's something that afterwards, at night when
you're in the bars, you can be like, "Wow,
that was-- remember, at mile 22, where I vomited
all over myself?
That was [laughter] That was awesome, man."
[laughter]
Then, there's this third category of backpacker.
I call them a camper by default.
This is a classic shot.
This is a picture of a Boy Scout that was
sent to me actually last night.
I just had to include it in this.
They actually don't really understand the
primary objective.
They haven't figured out whether they want
to go hiking or whether they want to go camping.
And even if they did think about that, they
don't understand how that objective translates
into the gear, supplies, and skills that they
need.
Then they don't understand what they're getting
themselves into.
They don't understand how cold it is, how
likely it is that it might rain, what the
insect situation's going to be.
So they end up saying, "Well, I don't really
know what I'm getting myself into, so I'll
take a lot of things just on the grounds of
'what if' or 'just in case' because I can't
rule out those scenarios."
They take a lot of heavy stuff, stuff that's
really easy to use, and just too much stuff.
Unfortunately, they oftentimes experience
type 3 fun, which is not fun to do, and it's
not fun to talk about later either.
[laughter] Which you might say, "Well, then,
how can that be fun?"
But this is an outdoor educator thing.
Everything is fun when you're outdoors.
Okay.
The presentation today, this clinic here,
is designed for any backpacker who wants to
at least sometimes be more like an ultimate
hiker.
I am here to help you enjoy your hiking experience
more.
I don't want it to be an arduous activity
between campsites.
I don't want you to sacrifice your comfort
or your safety if you want to enjoy that hiking
experience.
[sighs] Okay, let's talk about gear and supplies
for a little bit.
This is where the interaction starts a little
bit more.
Put yourself in the shoes of an ultimate hiker
and think about the characteristics of gear
and supplies that you're looking for.
[pause] Please offer me some characteristics.
What do you guys think are the most important
things?
>>female #1: Lightweight, durable.
>>Skurka: Lightweight, durability.
>>male #4: Waterproof.
>>Skurka: Depends, not necessarily.
>>male #5: Multi-use
>>Skurka: Multi-use.
Come on.
A few others.
>>male #6: Just barely enough.
>>Skurka: Yeah, sure.
Sufficient.
Okay.
So let me run the list down.
Functionality is important.
Comfort, efficiency, durability, reliability,
ease of use, value cost, and then lightweight,
but not stupid light.
These characteristics aren't that different
from what every other backpacker looks for.
You still-- I think the ultimate hiker thing
oftentimes gets caught up in this lightweight
backpacking thing, which I understand.
But it's not all-- Don't be blinded by the
weight of an item.
A great example of that would be I once did
a-- I was attempting a speed record on a Colorado
trail, which runs from Denver to Durango.
I expected it to take me about 11 days or
12 days.
To save weight, I didn't carry a sleeping
bag.
[laughter] That's a great example of going
stupid light, because I didn't sleep at all
the first three or four nights.
I was so incapacitated by not being recovered
at night that it undermined my entire efforts.
The skills are what you carry between your
ears.
For the ultimate hiker, skills are really
important because we're carrying a minimal
amount of stuff.
A lot of the stuff we use requires skills.
So I need some interaction here.
What are the skills that you need if you want
to carry down insulation instead of synthetic
insulation, either in your sleeping bag or
a parka, what's the skill that you need?
>>male #7: Keeping it dry.
>>Skurka: You need to keep it dry.
That's right.
All right.
If you're going to carry just enough food
and water instead of extra, what's the skill
that you need?
>>male #8: Planning.
>>Skurka: Planning.
And what was the other one?
>>male #9: You need to know where water is.
>>Skurka: You need to know where water is.
Okay.
If you're going to use a modular tarp system
instead of a double-walled tent, what's the
skill?
>>male #10: The right camp.
>>Skurka: Campsite selection.
That's right.
Right.
And how to pitch it.
Absolutely.
Because it's not just as easy as putting one
pole in, another pole in, and then pop, the
whole thing goes.
If you're going to carry a minimal first aid
kit instead of ambulance-worthy supplies,
what are the skills?
>>male #11: Stay out of trouble.
[laughter]
>>Skurka: You know, everyone laughs, but that's
the best one.
I try not to ever use my first aid kit.
I don't want to be in a situation where I
have to use a first aid kit.
So yes, it's decision making.
And then certainly, if there is a first aid
situation, being resourceful and trying to
make do with what you have.
If you're going to take a map and compass
instead of a GPS, what's the skill?
>>female #2: Navigation.
>>Skurka: Yeah.
Navigating, knowing how to find north, knowing
what a contour line means.
I think you guys get the idea.
But what about this one: if you're going to
carry a closed cell foam pad instead of a
plush inflatable, what's the skill?
>>male #12: Campsite selection
>>Skurka: Campsite selection.
Yep. [knocking sound]
>>male #13: Clothing.
How to dress for it.
>>Skurka: Right.
Clothing would certainly help.
And then the other one I've always heard is
how to take a sleeping pill, for that one.
[laughter] Which I wouldn't recommend.
But it works.
All right.
Let's talk about these environmental and route
conditions.
Whenever I go on a trip, I do-- [laughs] Before
my Alaska-Yukon trip, I-- It took me, so it
was a 6 month long trip, and it took me 6
months to plan.
For about 5 months of that, it was basically:
the entire trip existed on my computer in
an Excel spreadsheet, a National Geographic
topo mapping file, and a Google Earth file.
But a lot of it was spent looking at these
conditions and understanding what I would
need while I was out there.
So we'll go through this list again very shortly,
but these are all the things that I look at
that inform my decisions about the gear, supplies,
and skills that I need.
[sighs] So now we need to come up with a hypothetical
trip.
I'm looking for suggestions about where we
should go, what time of year we should go,
and for how long you guys want to go.
Make a trip that everyone can relate to, so
don't say, "Baffin Island in January."
>>male #14: Hiking Mt. Whitney.
>>Skurka: All right.
Mt. Whitney.
Okay, and how long do we want to go for?
>>male #14: Two days?
>>Skurka: Two days?
Let's make it three.
[laughter] How much vacation time do they
give you guys around here?
[laughter] All right.
Three days.
What time of year would you like to go?
>>male #14: Maybe August.
>>Skurka: August.
Does that sound good to everybody?
Let's go in July.
The bugs are worse in July, so that gives
me a little bit more-- August, the conditions
are so good in the Sierra in August.
It's almost too easy.
You can go up there with not much more than
a pocketknife and some fire starter and you'll
be okay.
Okay. [laughter] I might have just exaggerated
that, sorry.
All right.
So let me go back to this slide.
Okay.
Now we're going to go climb Mt. Whitney and
maybe do a little bit more of a trip around
Whitney.
Three days in July.
Let's go in the middle of July.
Let's talk about the conditions that we're
going to encounter on this trip.
Let's start with temperatures.
What are we looking at?
70s, 80s?
Probably.
How would you find that out?
>>female #3: [inaudible]
>>Skurka: Exactly.
You look up-- there are weather stations all
over the Sierra.
Look up-- find a weather station that's near
Mt. Whitney.
Look at the historical weather data.
Sometimes, you can find the range on it that
will give you a pretty good feel for what
the temperatures will be like.
What sort of precipitation will we have in
July near Mt. Whitney?
>>male #15: [inaudible]
>>Skurka: Well, maybe.
If we do get rained on, what kind of rain
is it going to be?
>>male #16: Thunderstorms.
>>Skurka: It's going to be thunderstorms.
So we have to at least be planned for that
scenario.
How much daylight do we have?
Quite a bit.
The reason that daylight affects the things
that I'll take with me is because I'm-- In
the summertime, for example, let's say I'm
in Alaska in June.
I don't have to carry a headlamp with me.
But then if I'm in Minnesota in January, then
the days are really short.
I'm going to have to carry a lot of, a couple
of different lights, extra batteries.
I'll probably also take a slightly heavier
sleeping bag and clothing system because I'll
spend a lot more time in camp and I won't
be relying on my body heat to keep me quite
as warm.
What sort of ground cover will we encounter
in terms of-- Is it going to be snow covered?
Is it a nice, groomed trails?
Are they rocky, or are they nice and soft?
What's it like up there?
>>male #17: They have nice trails.
>>Skurka: Nice trails.
But they're pretty rocky.
What about snow coverage in the middle of
July around Mt. Whitney?
>>male #18: Some near the top.
>>Skurka: Some near the top.
But enough where you-- Are you going to need
skis or snowshoes?
Okay.
And again, you could find that out.
There's a-- The government runs a National
Snow Analyses and you can look it up.
You can see where the snow coverage is at
a given time of year.
What sort of vegetation is there?
It depends on the elevation.
You could get some pine.
A little bit higher up, what happens?
>>male #19: Over the tree line.
>>Skurka: Yeah, you're over the tree line.
So what's the sun exposure like up there?
>>male #20: Hot.
>>Skurka: It's intense.
You're at 13, 14,000 feet.
There's no shading, so you better be prepared
for that.
How much water is there in the middle of July
around Mt. Whitney?
Lots, yes.
You probably-- You won't have to carry much
water, if any at all.
And wildlife?
>>male #21: Mosquitoes.
>>Skurka: I heard mosquitoes.
You'll definitely have mosquitoes.
Anybody been in peak mosquito season up in
the Sierra?
Raise your hand.
Well, we can all sympathize for each other.
They get pretty bad.
So you'd want to be prepared for that.
Then, what about the wildlife?
>>male #22: Bears.
>>Skurka: That's right.
There are bears.
Are the bears problematic in the Sierra?
They are definitely problematic.
If you look up-- Go to the Sierra Kings Canyon
National Park website.
They'll tell you, "Yes, bears are a problem
here.
We require all people who are climbing or
all backpackers who are going up Mt. Whitney
to carry a bear canister."
Etc, etc.
All right.
How remote is Mt. Whitney?
[pause] It's more remote than here, but--
Are you going to have cell reception if you
get hurt?
Is someone going to come up on you within
half an hour?
What's the--
>>male #23: Yeah.
>>Skurka: Yeah, it's a heavily traveled area.
You're not going to need a satellite phone.
Your cell phone actually will work from the
top of Mt. Whitney because you're looking
right down on Lone Pine.
Then, any natural hazards we need to be worried
about?
Big river fords, lightning, avalanches?
Anything like that?
>>male #24: Lightning.
>>Skurka: Lightning is definitely a concern.
I don't think there are, depending on the
route that you're picking, there probably
are not big river ford problems on this trip.
Okay, so let's talk about everything that
I would take with me on this trip.
I'm going to step away from this.
So we'll start off with clothing.
[pause] Clothing system typically has three
different pieces to it.
Each piece has a specific purpose, but there's
always a little bit of overlap.
You have active layers, you have insulation,
and you have shells.
Your active layers are designed to manage
moisture, protect your skin against sun, brush,
bugs, and also to give you a little bit of
modesty.
The clothing system I would take with me on
this trip, or the active layer I'd take with
me on this trip-- I'll start off with the
top part.
Because I'm going to be dealing with bugs,
I would take a woven polyester nylon shirt.
The bugs have a harder time biting through
a woven fabric, which is different [pause]
which is different than, say, this knit shirt,
like the polyester knit shirt.
The bugs will bite right through this.
You can oftentimes find these woven shirts.
They look like safari shirts or travel shirts,
but they're great for bugs.
I would also make sure it's long sleeved.
Not only for the bug protection, but also
to protect my arms against the sun as well.
On my bottoms, I would probably wear a pair
of lightweight polyester wool underwear.
Boxer briefs would be fine, they're really
light.
And then a pair of nylon woven tracking pants
like this.
Again, this would be great for the bugs.
It keeps the sun off my legs.
And, if I was going to be doing any off trail
travel, the pants are really nice when you're
beating through the brush as well.
Your legs won't get all chopped up.
If it were a different time of year, say if
you were going later in the fall, like the
end of August or September, I might at that
point just go with a short sleeved merino
wool or a polyester shirt like this one here,
or a long sleeve.
This tends to breathe a lot better, so it's
not quite as stuffy because the fabric isn't
quite as tight.
But the bugs will bite right through this.
I wouldn't take this out until the bugs are
pretty much gone.
Any questions about what I would wear during
the day?
Okay, I'll keep on moving then.
The second layer that I'd take with me are
shells.
There are two different types of shells.
There's what the industry calls a water resistant
shell, like this one here.
And then there's what the industry calls a
waterproof breathable shell, like this one
here.
Let me give you a different interpretation
for these types of shells.
Water resistant, to me, means that it's fairly
breathable, which means that moisture can
move through the fabric.
But it's not water resistant.
Just get over it.
If you get stuck in a rainstorm wearing just
the wind shirt, you're going to get wet.
The reason that they say that it's water resistant
is because when they make it in the factory,
there's a coating on here that's called a
durable water repellent finish, but it gets
degraded very quickly due to abrasion, body
oils, sweat, dirt.
So it quickly loses its effectiveness.
This is nice for windy summits, for very,
very light rain, for dry snow.
The wind shell works pretty well.
Then the waterproof breathable shell, everyone
knows these by the brand name Gore-Tex.
This I would describe as barely breathable,
so it's like wearing a plastic bag.
It's water resistant for a while.
It basically will delay you getting wet.
But this is a good time to point out that
you're outdoors.
There's no way to control the climate.
You have to have some realistic expectations
about what your gear can and cannot do.
My experience is that when it's wet outside,
I'm going to get wet.
There are some things that I can do to minimize
or prolong getting wet and also try to be
comfortable when wet, but I'm going to get
wet.
So just get over that.
For this trip here, I would probably take,
in August, I would probably just take the
wind shell, or the waterproof breathable shell.
If I get caught in a storm, that's going to
be pretty short lived.
I can put this on.
It will keep me comfortable for an hour.
After an hour, the storm is going to leave
and I can take this off.
I probably won't-- I might be a little bit
wet inside, but no big deal.
That night, I can start a fire and dry out.
Any questions about waterproof breathable
shells, or shells in general?
Yes.
>>male #25: About hard shells and soft shells
>>Skurka: You might have heard water resistant
shells described as a soft shell, and waterproof
breathable shells described as hard shells.
It's just synonymous.
Yes.
>>male #26: Related to water, people have
umbrellas.
I heard some people using umbrellas and trading
that way.
>>Skurka: Right.
Umbrella's definitely another way to go.
Umbrellas work really well because of excellent
ventilation.
[laughter] But imagine being caught say at
13,000 feet in a thunderstorm and you only
have an umbrella.
Remember Mary Poppins?
[laughter] Then, I also don't like umbrellas
because I like trekking poles.
Trekking poles aren't compatible with an umbrella.
But umbrellas are also great out in the desert,
just to keep the sun off of you.
You can find umbrellas that have a-- It's
a radiant heat reflector.
It's that silvery space blanket material.
What's it called?
>>male #27: Mylar.
>>Skurka: Mylar, yeah.
So I know a lot of people who are big fans
from there, but again, I don't like it because,
as I'm carrying it, I can feel it holding
me back.
Like a race car at the end of a drag strip,
where the parachute goes out.
I don't want to lose-- I don't want to have
my pace dropped down from 3.3 miles an hour
to 3.2.
That'd be a tragedy.
[laughter] Hey, that makes a big difference
when you're hiking 6800 miles.
Okay, then the last layer that I would take
with me is insulation.
There are a couple of different types of insulated
layers you could take.
Fleece, like this here.
Or you could take a category I refer to as
puffies, which are-- It's a really thin or
lightweight shell fabric, really lightweight
interior fabric, and then sandwiched between
is either a synthetic insulation like PrimaLoft
or Climashield, or a goose down, which is
just a little film of goose down.
For the West, because it's so dry, I highly
recommend down as opposed to synthetic.
It's a lot lighter for its-- It's much warmer
for its weight.
It's longer lasting.
It's more compressible.
It's also not made of plastic.
And then, the fleece layers don't really make
that much sense here in the American West
either because they're pretty heavy for the
amount of weight that they-- for the amount
of warmth that they give you.
The one time I recommend fleece is in the
shoulder seasons around here, where you could
be up in the Sierras in October and you can
get cold and wet.
In which case fleece will do a much better
job of retaining its warmth when it's wet
than a puffy jacket like this one here.
Now oftentimes you hear people talk about
synthetic insulations, and they say, "Well,
they're-- synthetic insulations stay warm
when they're wet."
Nothing stays warm when it's wet.
My experience is that synthetic insulations
don't-- I'm sorry, down doesn't get wet from
me dropping it in a river or not protecting
the items in my pack from rainstorms.
Down gets wet because it absorbs ambient humidity.
In humid environments like the East Coast,
they don't work that well because they're
always absorbing that humidity, whereas here
in the West, it's usually really low humidity,
so down stays pretty dry and it's a really
effective insulator.
Any questions on insulation?
No?
[pause]
All right, let's jump to footwear.
The footwear I would use on a trip like this--
Does anyone have a pair of hiking shoes?
[pause] Like a pair of Merrells.
Probably not.
I see.
I'll take these.
Okay. [laughter] All right.
The pair of shoes that I would normally recommend
is a pair of lightweight trail running shoes.
These are a little bit skimpy for a backpacking
trip, but the reason I like trail running
shoes is because they're comfortable to put
on right out of the box.
They breathe really well so they're not hot.
They don't trap all my foot perspiration.
They dry out really fast once they get wet.
And they're also much lighter weight.
In the militaries-- I've seen the studies
on this.
The military has done studies where they figured
out that one extra pound on your foot is equivalent
to carrying an extra six pounds on your back
in terms of effort, because you're always
swinging your feet.
Your feet move a lot more, so there's a lot
more effort involved in moving them.
If you're not willing to go to a trail running
shoe, and again, I wouldn't recommend something
this skimpy, but something just a little bit
burlier, then you can go with a-- this is
more of a hiking boot.
But something like a low cut version of this
works pretty well too.
It's fairly supportive, good protection.
It's pretty durable, but still much lighter
weight than your conventional backpacking
boots.
Italian-made leather waffle stompers.
I recommend going with a non waterproof shoe.
My experience is that when it's wet outside,
there's nothing I can do about keeping anything
about me dry.
For example, if I were to wear a waterproof
shoe, when it's not wet, my foot is going
to be-- A lot of the perspiration from my
foot is going to be trapped in that shoe.
And when it does get wet, like if I have to
ford a creek or if I'm in a rainstorm and
water drips down my legs, then it takes a
long time for that waterproof shoe or boot
to get dry.
So it's much better just to go with a non
waterproof shoe that dries fast and that squeegees
the water out.
And then you have to deal with the issue of
just having wet feet.
Let me skip a few slides.
There are a few things that I-- I wasn't dealing
very well with wet feet that day.
There are a few things that I do as far as
foot care goes.
First thing, I always try to preemptively
treat my feet.
If I notice a hot spot coming on, immediately,
I stop and I take care of it, before it goes
into a full fledged blister.
If you start getting blistered, your trip
is greatly curtailed.
It's just too painful to be walking on blisters.
So really be proactive about your foot care.
I also try to keep my feet, to the best of
my ability, clean, warm, and dry.
I wash my socks.
Usually in the West here I carry two pairs
of socks.
I won't show you these, I won't pass these
around.
But just a pair of thin cycling socks.
I carry two pairs and I'll wear the first
pair through midday.
Then I'll stop and I'll put on my other pair.
I'll take that pair I was wearing the first
half of the day and I'll wash it and I'll
put it on the outside of my pack to dry.
But the time I arrive in camp, it's dry, it's
clean, and I can wear it to bed.
I also try to make sure that my feet are warm
at night.
In this photo here, my feet-- This was in
the Alaska range.
My feet had been wet for about 12, 13 hours.
I was wearing a pair of leather ski boots.
My feet, when I got up the next morning, were
totally fine because I gave them 9 hours where
they were dry, they were warm.
I was able to pound on them all day long the
next day, despite them looking like this when
I pulled into camp.
And then, because my feet are oftentimes wet,
I have to figure out how to deal with moisture.
[rustling sound in background] The thing that
I recommend is-- There are a couple of different
things you can use.
What I've been using recently is a wax-based
balm.
It's a company called Bonnie's Balm.
I put this on my feet at night after they
have dried out, and let the wax or the oils
absorb into my skin.
The next day, what that does is it basically
keeps some of the water out, and it also keeps
my foot moisturized.
The problem with wet feet is that your feet
get macerated.
They get pruny.
They get soft.
They're prone to blistering.
Wax like this will really help to minimize
that.
It won't eliminate it, but it will allow you
to deal with wet feet like this.
Then the final thing about footwear: I always
try-- I never try new footwear in a high risk
environment.
If I'm going to go on a long trip, I'm going
to have gone on a short trip before then,
just to make sure that my footwear system,
my socks and my shoes, are good.
>>male #28: Quick question about that.
>>Skurka: Yes.
>>male #28: When you're going on a 5000 mile
hike, I'm assuming you have one pair of shoes
if it doesn't hold up, that you have--
>>Skurka: One pair of shoes is not enough
for a 5000 mile trip, correct.
I rely on the US Postal system.
Before my trip, I figure out all these resupply
points, and then I, before I leave, I box
up a bunch of food and new supplies and shoes
and I mail it out to myself.
The pair of shoes that I was using on my Alaska
trip would last me for about 450 miles, give
or take, depending on the conditions.
I would just, approximately every 450 miles,
find a place to ship myself a new pair of
shoes.
>>male #29: Your mom helped you there, right?
>>Skurka: Right.
[laughs] If you're going to do one of these
long distance trips, definitely find yourself
a sympathetic spouse or mother who is willing
to send you all this stuff.
Make sure that she's a good baker too, because
receiving chocolate chip cookies [laughter]
in the mail after a long, hard trip is really
wonderful.
All right.
I told you a little bit about the socks, but
I generally prefer real wool socks as opposed
to polyester.
They deal with the funk a lot better than
polyester does.
Just a lightweight pair of socks.
That's enough for me.
But some people might need a little more,
something a little bit thicker to give themselves
a little bit more cushioning.
Then I'd recommend using a [rustling sound]
really small gaiter like this one here.
Some people look at gaiters and they say,
"Well, you're adding weight to your footwear
system."
This is a good example where I'm being more
efficient by using a pair of gaiters, because
I'm having to stop far less often to get stuff
out of my shoes.
And also, it keeps my feet cleaner, so that's
better for long term health and long term
success.
All right.
We're going to skip through here.
Any other questions about footwear?
Yes.
>>female #3: What if you're walking through
the snow?
Is that when you want the waterproof?
>>Skurka: Right.
If you're walking in snow, it depends on the
consistency of the snow.
If it's really wet snow, like in the springtime,
if you're wearing a pair of waterproof shoes,
your shoes are still going to get wet.
So I would just go with non waterproof shoes.
Your feet get wet, they get cold for a while.
It's tough, but you've got to deal with it.
>>female #3: So it's more a question of comfort
rather than-- like, comfort to your feet?
>>male #30: Soft will make it more comfortable
>>Skurka: I guess.
Let me explain it this way.
If you have a pair of waterproof shoes, I
would argue that in prolonged wet conditions,
your feet are going to get wet.
It's inevitable.
You will have to ford a creek.
You will be walking on snow all day long or
frequently enough.
That waterproof breathable material is not
indefinitely waterproof.
Water can and does move into the fabric.
And you also have this big hole for where
your ankle is.
So your feet are still going to get wet.
At that point, I'd just as soon have the non
waterproof shoes, which would dry a lot faster,
they're lighter weight, they're not as hot,
because they don't trap all that heat and
moisture inside my shoe.
I think the bottom line is instead of trying
to keep your feet dry, it's better off trying
to figure out how to minimize the effects
of wet feet.
>>male #31: What conditions are best for ankle
coverage?
>>Skurka: Regarding the ankle support, that's
always the thing with boots.
The way I look at boots: if you have a really
stiff boot, let's say you're wearing a ski
boot.
Your body still has to react to any abnormality
on the surface.
If you step on a rock and you're in a ski
boot, your whole knee is going to go like
this because some part of your body has to
absorb it.
So naturally or biomechanically, our ankles
are designed to absorb that stuff and to keep
us balanced.
If your ankles aren't strong enough yet to
support you and walking on that trail with
your backpack, then you might want to go for
something that does have some ankle protection.
But the ideal thing is definitely to let your
ankles do that work.
>>male #32: How do you know when your ankles
are strong enough?
>>Skurka: How do you know when your ankles
are strong enough?
That's a personal decision.
If you go up there-- I don't know, give it
a shot.
Bring a pair of trail running shoes, and if
you're carrying a lightweight pack and you
feel totally comfortable, then you're apparently
strong enough.
Maybe go on a day hike with just a pair of
trail running shoes and see what it's like.
Then maybe go on a one week trip or two week
trip with a pair of trail running shoes, after
you've proven them.
[pause]
>>male #33: Do you have any suggestion for
sole material?
I find vibram very slippery.
>>Skurka: So, recommendations for sole material.
You can't really choose your-- it's not like
tires, where it's like, "Okay, I have a Toyota,
but I want Goodyear tires."
You take what you get.
I think there are a lot of good rubbers out
there nowadays.
There're definitely some rubbers that don't
have the trade offs that they used to.
It used to be that if you wanted a sticky
rubber, it wasn't durable.
But if you wanted a hard rubber, then it wasn't
sticky.
So there's some rubbers that do a better job.
I tend to wear-- I have been wearing La Sportiva
shoes for a while now.
They do a pretty good job in that combination.
But it's something you have to find out the
hard way.
Then, once you find a pair of shoes that you
really like, buy 10 pairs of them, because
you know that they're going to change the
model next year.
And you'll be on the search again.
Yes.
>>female #4: Could you still use like trail
runner shoes for an extended trip, like a
month of hiking, with a 30 pound pack.
>>Skurka: With how heavy of a pack?
>>female #4: Maybe 30 pounds.
>>Skurka: Sure.
Yes, I would still wear trail running shoes
with a 30 pound pack on an extended trip.
I'm not sure if you were around for that.
That first slide was a photo from my Alaska
trip.
It was a 24 day stretch, 657 miles without
seeing any other human being, without crossing
roads, and I had on a pair of trail running
shoes that weren't much more robust than this.
When I left, when I started that section,
I was carrying two weeks of food.
My whole pack weighed about 45 pounds.
So it's doable, but-- Hopefully one of the
things I come across in the presentation is
that this isn't my way or the highway.
You need to make your own decisions based
on your own experience and your own strengths,
weaknesses, comforts.
If you want to try a pair of trail runners
for a month on that sort of trip, go for it.
But if you're really stuck on boots because
you know they work for you, I'd say just go
with it.
>>male #34: So it all relates to the issue?
>>Skurka: We'll get there.
Let me-- I'll keep going.
It's a few more slides.
Let me keep on moving on on some of this stuff.
After my-- We've done clothing, we've done
footwear, so we'll go to sleep systems.
Unfortunately, I-- The sleeping bag that I
would take with me on this trip, because we're
here in August, it's in the high Sierra.
I would take with me a down insulated sleeping
quilt, which is a lot different than your
traditional mummy bag.
It's got this open back.
The reason I like these sleeping quilts as
opposed to the mummies is because it's a lot
more versatile.
It's also a little bit lighter because you
don't have any of this material in the back
here.
But the nice thing about a mummy is that say
if it's a really warm night, I get to loosely
drape the quilt on top of me.
But if it's a really cold night, [pause] then
I can button this up, and there's a draw cord
I can cinch tight.
That would also keep me comfortable.
As far as the temperature selection of this
quilt, this quilt, they say it's technically
rated to 20 degrees, but that's not quite
true.
I would say, if I were to sleep-- Let's go
back to my clothing system here.
[pause] If I were to sleep, say, in my underwear
and my shirt, I'm comfortable in this sleeping
bag down to about, say, 35 degrees.
But then, if I also wear my pants, and I wear
my insulated parka, now I'm good down to about
20, 25 degrees.
I look at my sleep system as part of the system
that keeps me warm at night, but it's not
the only thing I rely on.
I'm trying to eliminate some redundancies
between these different categories, between
these different gear systems.
Then, for a sleeping pad, I would-- [rustling
sound] I'm not sure where it went.
I had a-- Usually, I recommend a closed cell
foam pad.
The limitation of a closed cell foam pad is
that they're not that comfortable if you sleep
on a really hard surface, because they're
only, say, 5/8 of an inch thick.
You need to find a good, soft campsite.
If you don't want to do that, or if you just
insist on carrying a little bit of luxury,
then you can take an air pad like this one.
This weighs 9 ounces.
It's about an inch thick.
You probably would still want to sleep on
something soft, even with this pad.
Then you'll notice it's only a-- [pause] It's
also only torso length.
At night, what I do is I take my backpack
and I put that down at my feet.
The padding of the backpack will keep my lower
half warm.
And also, because I'm sleeping on a soft surface,
say, pine needles, leaves, moss, that's not
a surface that's really thermally conductive.
It's not like hard-packed, wet ground that
seems to really just suck the warmth out of
you.
Any questions on sleep systems?
All right, let's jump to shelters.
I'm going to need a few [rustling sounds]
a few volunteers here.
Can I have one, two, three, four.
Five, six.
Or maybe, if you have your computer.
Can I get in here?
There are a couple of different shelters that
I might use for this sort of trip.
[rustling continues] Actually, I'm going to
bring you over here.
[pause] All right.
[pause] Hold this.
This one here.
All right.
If we can all raise it up.
So this is an A frame tarp.
It only weighs about 9 ounces.
The great thing about this shelter, in addition
be being really light, you have a tremendous
amount of coverage area for one person, and
also, great ventilation.
You won't have very many condensation problems
with this shelter.
Unfortunately, there's no protection against
the ground.
There's no protection against bugs.
And it has two open ends, even if you pitch
it down to the ground.
If you do want to use a shelter like this,
you need to know where to camp.
I usually try to pitch it right up against
a big bush.
I try to camp away from the bugs, and in a
more protected area where there's not going
to be a whole lot of wind.
Then what I'll-- Okay, that's probably fine.
I think that'll be good.
But hang up here one more-- I have one more
shelter to show.
You can let go of this one.
[rustling sounds]
Normally, what I'll do when I use an A frame
tarp is I'll take a water resistant biddy
sack like this one here.
This bivy sack has a waterproof floor, and
then a very breathable nylon top.
This gives me protection against the ground.
It provides bug protection, and also provides
a little bit of extra warmth, like 5 degrees.
But a bivy sack like this is really helpful
with that quilt, because the quilt can be
a little bit drafty.
The combination of these two systems is what
I describe as the modular tarp system, because
it's designed to work together.
All right, one more shelter to show.
This is another shelter that I might use.
[rustling sounds] It's definitely a more robust
shelter.
I need a center pole.
Can someone jump underneath?
[pause] All right.
Hold this end here.
All right.
Okay.
This is a 13 ounce shelter.
This is actually the shelter that I used with
me up in Alaska.
When I started this trip in March-- okay,
thanks guys-- I was 30 miles north of the
Arctic Circle.
I had a 13 ounce tarp with me.
Then I used the shelter for the remainder
of the trip, and the only time I needed to
change it up a little bit was when the bugs
came out.
Then, at that time, I added a bug nest like
this one here that fits right underneath the
shelter.
That shelter provided a complete protection,
really robust, 360 degrees.
The whole system only weighed about 22 ounces.
[pause] I think I'm going to skip it.
Any questions on shelters?
Yes.
>>male #35: Does more insulation at night
help if you're exhausted?
>>Skurka: More insulation at night would definitely
help if you're exhausted and can't produce
your own body heat.
I'd say that the best way to keep yourself
insulated, though, is a heavier weight sleeping
bag as opposed to a shelter.
A lot of people look at a tarp and they're
like, "Wow, it looks so chilly."
Which, true, it is, but in order to-- The
better way to look at it is let's say I need
an extra 10 degrees of warmth.
You can get an extra 10 degrees of warmth
in a sleeping bag by adding, say, 3 or 4 ounces
of insulation, whereas to get 10 degrees of
warmth in a shelter, you need to add probably
3, 4 pounds of material.
So it's much better to go with a lighter weight
shelter that is more functional to protect
you against the wind and rain and bugs.
And then use your sleeping bag and your clothing
system to keep you warm at night.
>>female #5: Why would someone want to buy
one of the more tent-like things?
>>Skurka: Why would someone want to take a
double-- a traditional tent with them?
I think that's a wonderful question to ask.
[laughter] I don't know.
I think most people walk in and they see it's
all set up and it's so easy.
You just slide a pole in that sleeve, then
slide a pole in that sleeve, and pop, there
it goes.
You don't need to think about where to set
it up or how to tie out some of the guidelines.
You don't need to think about any of that
stuff.
But there's a cost to that.
It's a piece of foolproof gear, but unfortunately,
it weights 3, 4 times as much as a system
like this does.
>>female #5: [inaudible]
>>Skurka: No, not really.
It just doesn't have two poles.
You have to use your trekking poles.
With a tarp, you have to use-- I mean, you
have these guidelines, but there's a really
simple way to do the guideline system.
Could I just have an arm?
[laughter] Okay, just hold that.
With the guideline system-- Let it slide a
little bit.
I just have a bowline knot here, and then
I use this trucker's hitch system.
Now I've got a 2 to 1 pulley.
And then to tie this thing off, I just use
a slippery half hitch.
That's that system.
I did it instantly.
So it's really fast and easy, but it's a little
bit of a skill.
People, a lot of backpackers, for some reason
don't want to learn the skills that allow
them to take pieces of gear like this.
Let's keep moving through here: maps and navigation.
I highly recommend learning how to use a map
and a compass.
With a map and a compass, I can do everything
that a GPS can do.
I can pinpoint my exact location, at least
to a relevant degree of accuracy, maybe not
within 3 meters.
But in a backpacking application, that sort
of accuracy doesn't matter.
Also, by tracking my progress, I can figure
out how fast I'm going and where I'm going.
But maybe the more important thing with map
and compass is that there's some big advantages.
It's more reliable because it's not electronic,
it doesn't rely on batteries.
It's also a lighter weight system.
And then, with a map-- The maps that I print
out are on-- This is an 8.5 X 11, but the
maps that I print out are normally 11 X 14
inches.
That amount of map provides me way more information
than a GPS with a high resolution screen that's
this big.
What do you want to be looking at if you're
traveling across a landscape?
You want to be looking at a hard piece of
paper.
And then, finally, the big thing with map
and compass is that a GPS can only tell you--
If you're at point A and you want to get to
point B, it'll tell you the distance and it'll
tell you the direction, but it won't tell
you how to get there.
It might have you swim across the deepest
part of the river, and you might have to go
in and out of a canyon, and it might take
you through the thickest brush.
Whereas if you understand, when you look at
a map, what all of that means, you can pick
a path of least resistance.
So we asked a question earlier about trekking
poles.
I always take trekking poles with me, especially
on backpacking trips.
They help propel me forward, they help propel
me upward.
And then, on the descent, they help to take
it easy on my knees a little bit, because
you're always doing those one-legged squats
down, especially on steeper terrain.
So the trekking poles are really helpful.
I also use them to set up my shelter at night.
I've used them even to fend off grizzly bears.
[laughter] No joke.
I should get the video.
You guys can go to another slideshow sometime
about my-- On my Alaska trip, I was up in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
I'm hiking along, at it's midnight but there's
still plenty of daylight.
I go on up this valley and I just have this
moment where I'm like, "Wow, you should really
just turn around and see if you can see a
bear grazing on the hillside."
So I look up, and I look this way, and I see
a grizzly bear charging at me out of the brush.
[laughter] I squared up to it, yelled at it.
It paused and then realized that I probably
shouldn't be messed with.
Then it ran away.
Half an hour later, I have that same sense,
so I-- [laughter] I turn this way and there's
a grizzly bear charging at me across these
gravel braids where there's a creek.
I was a little bit above it.
I was probably 10 feet above it on the bank.
The grizzly bear was so close by the time
I saw it, it was like at that pole.
So I took my trekking pole, and I threw--
I was walking like this and I threw my trekking
pole across my body because I didn't have
time to square up and throw it.
It landed right in front of the bear.
I was also yelling at the bear.
Between me throwing projectiles at it and
yelling at it, it made a 90 degree turn.
As it was running away, it crapped itself.
[laughter] Then there was this 30 foot long
streak of red berry crap along the gravel
braids.
It was a great video, which I like.
I'm retelling this story.
Halfway through the video, it just dawns on
me that I've scared the crap out of a grizzly
bear.
[laughter] You look at it and you're like,
"Wow, that guy has been out there for a while."
[laughter]
All right.
Food and nutrition.
As far as food, one ounce of carbohydrates
or protein has 100 calories.
One ounce of fat has 240 calories.
If you wanted to go with two extreme types
of diets-- Every day, you need about 3000
calories if you're going to be backpacking.
If you only want to take protein or carbohydrates,
you could carry 30 ounces of gummy bears.
Alternatively, you could carry 12 1/2 ounces
of butter.
[laughter] The better thing to do is find
some balance of fat versus protein and carbohydrate.
Usually, for most people, it's in the range
of 125 to 150 calories an ounce.
If you're going to be on a really long distance
trip, you probably will need a little bit
more.
If you're just out there for the weekend and
you're a petite male or female or, say, a
teenager, you probably will need a little
bit less.
But that 3000 calorie per day is a pretty
good starting point for most people.
[pause]
All right.
As far as food types, I've never, ever, ever
taken enough chocolate on a backpacking trip.
[laughter] During the day, I'd say 2/3 of
the things that I eat have some sort of chocolate
in them.
It's chocolate-covered raisins, it's chocolate
bars, it's an energy bar with chocolate in
it.
Not like the fake soy chocolate, but like
chocolate chocolate.
I've just found-- I have the incinerator theory,
where basically, if I put nutrients into my
body, my body will burn them.
So I just feed my body what it wants.
And typically, it always wants chocolate.
[laughter] Then, for dinners, I make a hot
meal at night.
I just-- The typical routine is that I boil
water, throw in something that cooks really
fast, like potatoes, beans, rice, couscous,
ramen, and then I add butter, oils, cheese,
and spices.
Basically every night looks like glop in a
bowl, but at the end of a really long day,
it still tastes really good.
I would also point out it's probably possible
if you're going up to the Sierra just for
a short trip, you might want to just run over
to the cafeteria and pick up yourself a couple
of dinners.
You can just pack them.
Because it won't be that much weight, and
it probably would look a lot better than glop
in a bowl.
>>female #6: Do you ever bring meat?
>>Skurka: I do bring meat with me, but it's
always not like uncooked meat.
It's beef jerky, salami, that sort of thing.
I usually eat it during the day.
Sometimes-- Actually, this meal, this is one
of the best meals I ever made.
This one here.
It was cheese-filled linguine with some sort
of fancy sausage and pesto sauce and olive
oil.
What that doesn't sound awesome?
Come on! [laughter] Trust me, it was.
[clears throat]
>>male #36: We're spoiled a little.
>>Skurka: You guys are spoiled at Google.
All right.
[exhales loudly] It's okay if I start a fire
in here, right?
[laughter] I'm going to just clear some room.
[scraping sounds] All right.
The first-- The stove that I recommend, I
actually made out of a Fancy Feast cat food
can.
This is it.
Actually, this was the stove I used on my
Alaska trip.
It weighs 3/10 of an ounce.
It will never break.
It will never clog up.
It only cost me $1.50, including the hole
punch I had to by in order to make it.
It burns denatured alcohol, which you can
get in the paint department at the hardware
store.
Then I made a wind screen from Reynolds wrap.
[scraping sounds] It just folds up nicely
in the bottom of my pot.
The alcohol you can just keep in a water bottle
like this one here.
I generally need about 3/4 of an ounce of
alcohol per meal for about a cup and 1/2,
2 cups of water.
I like the start the stove with matches because
a lighter, you have to get your finger down
in there, and it's a good way to burn your
hand night after night.
It takes about 7 to 8 minutes for the stove
to boil water.
But basically-- I don't have any water in
here, but if I had water, I would just put
a pot right on top, and then I would cover
the whole thing with the wind screen, let
it sit there for 8 minutes or so to come to
a boil, then I'd add my meal.
The only problem with this stove: you can't
put it out, which is why I didn't put very
much alcohol in it.
You can also see that the flame's not very
bright.
So if you're going to use this in the daytime,
just be careful.
When you start it, you'll hear a pop when
it lights up.
Then, if you put your hand over it, you'll
feel the heat.
But just make sure that you don't-- I have
had a friend who started her stove, lit it
up, and was like, "Oh, it hasn't started yet",
then took her fuel bottle like this.
[laughter] [mimics squirting noise] It's not
a very explosive fuel, but you don't want
to-- it'd be easy enough to start a fire with
it.
The first time I ever gave one of these lightweight
clinics, I was in Boulder at the Eastern Mountain
Sports store.
I started this stove.
It's a neat thing.
It's homemade, it costs you $1.50.
I put the pot on top and I didn't have any
water in it.
The pot got pretty hot just sitting there.
After 30 seconds of just saying how cool the
stove was, I took the pot and I put it down
on the carpet, [clanging noise] like that,
and I hear [makes hissing noise] [laughter]
It's this black smoke coming from the edges
of the pot.
I give the pot a tug and it won't move.
So I really tug it hard, and I pull it up.
There's a bunch of carpet on the bottom of
the pot, and this black burn mark on the carpet.
I look up at the store manager, and I'm like,
"Eee, sorry!"
He's like, "Oh, no big deal, no big deal."
After the presentation, I'm like, "I'm really
sorry about your carpet.
I'd be happy to replace it for you, whatever
you need."
And he's like, "Dude, it's really no big deal"
and he just grabs a rolling rack and puts
it right over the burn mark.
[laughter]
All right.
All right.
Water purification.
>>male #37: I was wondering if you had an
extra box for the [inaudible]
>>Skurka: Yes.
>>male #37: That uses alcohol.
Just like that red adhesive tape around it
so you know it's not water.
>>Skurka: Oh, right.
The gentlemen suggested if you're going to
bring alcohol with you, somehow mark the water
bottle.
That way, you don't try to drink it.
I generally don't have that problem because
I use these soft sided platypus bottles like
this one.
These platypus bottles are great.
They weigh 1/6 the weight of an Algium bottle
for the same amount of volume.
They're collapsible, so they don't take up
any room in my pack if I'm not using them.
At night, they're soft, so I blow them up
with air or water and I throw them in a stuffed
sack, and I can use them as a pillow.
Pretty slick.
Then, for water treatment, I use these Aquamira
drops.
This is enough for 30 gallons of water, so
I usually put these in separate smaller dropper
bottles so I don't have to carry the whole
thing out with me.
You take the mixing cap right here, 5 drops
of A, 5 drops of B-- I'm sorry, 7 drops of
A, 7 drops of B. Let it react for 5 minutes,
put it in 1 liter of water.
Within 15 minutes you have purified water.
I was just told, this week, that Aquamira
is now approved as a water purifier if you're
in the state of California, so you'd be able
to find it at REI, among other retail stores,
in the water purification section.
Yes.
>>male #38: How would you-- Thoughts on [inaudible]
>>Skurka: Right.
Another good option, especially if you're
with a group, is to use these UV lights.
It doesn't rely on chemicals.
It's also really fast.
It's like 45 seconds.
That's a great option if you're with a group
or you're doing a lot of purifying and you
just want to do it fast.
The problem with the lights is that you can't
get them into these platypus bottles.
You need a wider mouth.
And it's also subject to failure, so you don't--
you still have to carry something as a backup,
because you might, if the batteries run out
or if it malfunctions for some reason, you'll
need something else.
>>male #38: [inaudible]
>>Skurka: Like I said, there's some-- you
definitely need a backup, because they are
prone to failure.
Okay.
Small essentials.
I'm not going to go through all of this, but
I have my foot care kit and my first aid items
up here, if you want to take a look.
Inevitably, you need a bunch of these tiny
items.
Try to keep them to a minimum.
Then, as far as first aid, there are four
principles that I use.
The first is that every first aid item I take
with me can't be improvised in the field.
I take with me, especially on group trips,
I take with me some latex gloves, because
I can't improvise these in the field.
I also take things that are multi-functional.
Instead of taking [rustling noise] those square
pieces of gauze, I take roll gauze, because
I can make square pieces of gauze out of roll
gauze, but I can't do the opposite.
Square gauze, a little bit more versatile.
Also, every first aid item is relevant to
the trip and the environment.
I'm not going to carry altitude drugs for
a hike in the Appalachian Mountains.
I'm not going to carry a snakebite kit for
the Arctic.
It's just not going to happen.
Then, finally, I have to know how to use it.
You'll see a lot-- A lot of the campers, by
default, you'll look at their first aid kit,
and they will have things in there that they
have no idea how to use.
They'll have a, not a respirator, a CPR mask.
And you'll say, "Do you know how to give CPR?"
And they're all like, "No, but maybe someone
else around will know how to give CPR."
Just don't-- If you don't know how to use
it, just don't take it.
It's the same reason I don't take a suture
kit.
I don't know how to give sutures, so I'm not
going to take needle and thread for that.
Generally, there are two types of first aid
scenarios.
One scenario is that I can treat it in the
field.
That's like small cuts, burns, scrapes, maybe
some minor infections.
I can do all that in the field, and I have
the equipment to take care of that.
But for those bigger medical emergencies,
like, say someone-- This is always far-fetched,
I hate using a scenario like someone breaks
their femur while backpacking.
It'd be really hard to do.
You'd have to do something really dumb.
But let's suppose someone does.
There's nothing that I can carry with me out
there that is going to help someone with a
broken femur.
My job at that point is to stabilize them,
to get them as comfortable as possible, and
then to get help.
I need to get them out.
In that case, I usually take with me some
sort of satellite communications device.
What I've been using recently is one of these
Spot communicators, or Spot connects.
It hooks together with my phone via Bluetooth.
I can call for help.
I can call for help.
I can also call 911, which goes to all search
and rescue teams.
I can also send "Okay" messages, just the
let the folks back home-- "Hey, I'm camped
here tonight.
Everything is good.
Don't worry about me."
Then, with the Spot connect, I can actually
send out messages.
This was a 4 day trip I did up in Alaska last
summer.
The last message that I-- When I arrived at
the trailhead I said, "Out.
Safe and happy.
Excited about dinner."
My mom, she gets the message, and within 5
minutes I have a phone call from her saying,
"Hey, really glad that you're out.
Have a great dinner.
Talk to you later."
I can't remember the Spot slogan, but it's
something about "rescue when you need it and
for all the other times, peace of mind."
It's a pretty inexpensive investment, pretty
lightweight, and it works pretty well.
Yes.
Hold on one second.
We have two questions.
Yes.
>>male #39: Do you have to worry about batteries
running out?
Do you have anything to charge them?
>>Skurka: The batteries last a really long
time.
With the newer units, there's also an indicator
about battery life.
The first generation-- This was the second
generation unit, but the first generation
unit I had, I think I used it for 2 to 3 years
and never had to replace the batteries.
So I wouldn't be too worried.
>>male #39: If you're using your cell phone
with it--
>>Skurka: That's a-- Yeah, it's-- I was doing,
last summer, I was guiding a bunch of one
week trips, and my cell phone had no problem
for a week.
In that case, just bring an extra battery,
too.
That's not necessarily a bad idea.
It weighs 1/2 and ounce, maybe an ounce.
Easy thing to do.
Yes.
>>male #40: [inaudible]
>>Skurka: The Spot works worldwide, but it's
mostly only on landmasses.
If you're going to be sailing across the Pacific,
this isn't the system for you.
But it'll work pretty much anywhere on the
world's landmasses.
Okay.
Maybe, I think, last subject is backpacks.
There are a couple of considerations with
backpacks.
The first one is that backpacks-- Let me rephrase
that.
Backpacks have to serve two functions.
They have to carry all my stuff, they have
to fit it all, and also to support it all.
I pick a backpack at the very last minute.
It's like, "Okay, here's all the stuff that
I need to bring with me.
Here's how much it weighs.
Therefore, this is the backpack that I need."
You don't want to work the other direction,
because you'll end up getting a backpack that's
either too big, or it won't support the load,
or it's just too excessive for what you're
using it for.
There are generally two types of backpacks
that we use nowadays.
Ignore this.
This is a little bit of a funky backpack,
but it works.
This backpack here is called a suspension
backpack, or a framed backpack.
It's given a rigid suspension system with
these aluminum stays in here.
There are two of them.
But you also might have a backpack that has
a frame sheet, which would be like a plastic
sheet inside of here.
There are also ones that have these peripheral
rods.
It would be this metal rod around the perimeter
of the backpack.
The whole point of that suspension system
is to transfer weight from your shoulders
to your hips.
If I put this backpack on and I take all the
weight off of my shoulders, this backpack
still sits right on my hips.
If I'm carrying a heavy load, I want it on
my hips because my hips are supported by my
glutes and by my ab muscles.
In comparison, my shoulders are really puny.
I don't want to-- having to support a lot
of weight with my shoulders.
The other type of backpack is a frameless
backpack like this one here.
It doesn't have anything rigid in it at all.
If I try to do that same exact thing, the
backpack will just fall over.
Now, it doesn't-- Not all of the weight gets
supported by my shoulders, but I'd say probably
3/4 of it will get supported by my shoulders.
But my shoulders are strong enough to support
25, 30 pounds.
But as soon as I go over that threshold, I
want something with a more rigid system.
Then, to waterproof my backpack, I just take
a plastic trash compacter bag.
You can buy a whole bundle of these.
I think this was years ago, I bought a 50
roll for 15 bucks at Walmart.
They last about a month.
They're very waterproof.
I just put it on the-- [pause] I'll take my
sleeping pad [swishing and rustling noises]
and by putting the sleeping pad in here and
then putting this inside the backpack, it
gives my-- [rustling noises] it gives what
is otherwise an unrigid backpack some structure
and some shape.
It also protects my back against anything
that might be hard on the inside of the pack.
National Geographic did a beautiful 16 page
spread on my Alaska-Yukon expedition.
There were signed copies available.
Are there any more left?
No.
Okay, that's fine.
You can all, if you'd like, you can grab--
I still have some for sale on my website.
Then, finally-- Here, let me give you that,
I'll pay for it.
I mentioned it a few times, but I do guided
trips.
This year I'll be offering three 7 day trips
up in the high Sierra in Yosemite Valley.
I'll also be doing one 3 day trip that's much
more a beginner/intermediate trip out at Henry
Coe State Park.
It's the middle of May, I believe it's the
14th through the 16th.
It's a Friday through a Sunday.
The whole objective is to learn about and
apply the gear, supplies, and skills that
we've discussed today, plus a lot more.
If you're interested in one of those trips,
on one of the tables or one of the chairs
back there, there was some pamphlets.
But I'll leave some up here as well.
Just some information.
That's all also up on my website.
All right.
Thank you very much, guys.
Appreciate it.
[applause]
