Because I have not really had all my supplies in one place at one time yet, I have not quite figured out exactly HOW I will be packing my pack. I got the food I ordered today, which is about a month’s worth if I actually listen to their portion sizes … probably half of that if I listen to my stomach. And it is taking up quite a bit of space, forcing another batch of pack remodeling.
All part of the fun really.
I still need to get some external strapping, since the food is forcing even more dangling things. I am starting to wonder if this eating thing is really worth the space it takes up. How am I gonna bring all my cool toys if all that unnecessary food gets in the way? Besides there are plenty of leaves and branches to gnaw on along the trail. Maytag has some similar packing dilemmas … after a test run WITHOUT a tent, his equipment survived a rainy night with everything nice and dry, so he is now debating if he even wants to bring a tent.
I planned a snow test run the other day. It was the perfect night for a test (some sort of precipitation, and snow on the ground), and I was all set to snuggle up in my tent and see how I survived the night. I quickly was reminded of exactly how NOT to set up a tent in the snow. My attempts of getting a little backyard camp set up were no doubt rather amusing … for anyone crazy enough to stand out there and watch me. Fortunately, my masterful bit of fumbling has me pretty convinced that everything will work fine … and barring full plunge into a pond … should keep nice and dry.
I also ordered a backup pair of glasses, presuming I might want to be sure to actually see where I am going being a visually oriented kind of guy. Of course I forgot to take into account the wonders of health insurance bureaucracies. I might not actually GET them before I leave. Not that I expect to break my glasses … but ya never know. I also got the OK from my cardiologist … seems the battery is working up to par. Of course the personal pharmacy I need to take along is also being fouled by the bureaucratic demons, but we wouldn’t want things to be TOO easy would we?
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Well bud, there are a couple different ways you can make food space for yourself depending on how much room you need to save, and with at least a month’s worth of food at a time you probably need a lot! haha
• all along the AT there’ll be stop off towns where you can resupply so really a week or so worth of food is all you might need to carry at a time. Those MREs are great but you’re also going to need room for snacks too! Try and utilize “bounce boxes” at the post offices along the trail in said towns, you can mail yourself all your food, take what you need and re-mail or “bounce” the box all taped up again to the next town you’ll stop at and I don’t think the post office will charge you more…
• take a sewing needle and poke a hole in the packaging just above the resealable zip lock and expel all the air out of the packages and place a small bit of scotch tape over the hole to keep it fresh. That should save you a little room…
• remove each meal from their original packages and put them in resealable sandwich sized (or slightly larger) zip lock baggies. On the trail, soak the food in the required water (usually one to two cups per meal) for 20-40 mins prior to cooking and roll boil and stir for about 8-10mins. They cook up better than the set and forget packaging 😉
Also, if you’re pack juuust isn’t big enough, there’s a handy accessory you might consider:
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Tribe-One-LP-PackNet/productDetail/Multi-Day-Packs/prod999901364007/cat100854
It’ll help keep all your external items nice and tight to your pack’s exterior.
Hope this was helpful!
~Tim
Thanks!! Definitely a lot of useful tips there! I suspect I will be using most of them 🙂
Don’t forget the food waiting here in good ole SC for you to pck also. My wife ( bless her heart) keeps telling me we need to make a dolly to pull our gear on. I make a deal with you. I will make the damn thing if you will pull the damn thing, (just to shut her up) I mean to ease her mind a little.
Maytag
We might need a couple of sherpas haha. Specifically because of that extra food, I am thinking the bounce box is the way to go. Just gotta figure out where to send to first.!