Field Pack.

[pete repete]

So let's talk footwear. Is it reasonable to pack another pair of footwear?
Currently my Maximum total weight Field pack is 26 LBS, but is it worthwhile to pack another pair of footwear????

a light pair of go-fasters for use in camp at night, giving your boots a chance to air out and dry is a good idea. in a pinch they would be ok for around-the-camp use maybe.

 

[M118LR]

Are they hiking shoes that you can walk out of whatever situation your in, or are we talking JC Cruisers at a minimum weight? What about LL BEAN Muck boots?

Men's Bean Boots | Footwear at L.L.Bean

Free Shipping with $75 purchase. Explore details, ratings and reviews for our Bean Boots for men at L.L.Bean. Our high-quality men's shoes are built to last and made for the shared joy of the outdoors.

www.llbean.com

 

[SAWMAN]

Yeah right - ->>> ??
Have you ever worn the same skivies for more than one day. How about socks,teeshirt,head cover.
Have you ever worn the same boots,or coral shoes for several days in a row ??
THEN . . . just do it again.
But if you do deceide to carry a change of clothes,make sure you do not mix plaids and stripes. At least you can stay en vogue. ---- SAWMAN

 

[MAXman]

I’d pack a spare pair of boots, not because the worn pair get wet or whatever(If I told you the story, navcorpsman would have a fit), but because I broke a pair of danner acadias once(if I told you the story, I’d be called a liar).

sawman I wholeheartedly agree with cutting weight and bulk, and with growing old being my greatest enemy now.

 

[M118LR]

Yeah right - ->>> ??
Have you ever worn the same skivies for more than one day. How about socks,teeshirt,head cover.
Have you ever worn the same boots,or coral shoes for several days in a row ??
THEN . . . just do it again.
But if you do deceide to carry a change of clothes,make sure you do not mix plaids and stripes. At least you can stay en vogue. ---- SAWMAN

It's allot easier to wear the same set of outer clothes (BDU's) for a couple of days, but you ain't going to wear the same cotton skivies (tightly whites) without chafing. The wool outer socks can do much longer than the cotton wicking socks. While it's preferred to give the boots a day of rest for every day of work, a couple of sticks holding them upside-down in the smoke of the evening campfire can usually dry them good enough for the next days travel. The Old wear one, wash one, and have the last for emergency, works well as long as you have or make the time to keep the rotation. But boots always seem to be the neglected item. JMHO.

 

[MAXman]

Who the hell wears skivies in the field?

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

I had a shelf a few years ago, for a frame dedicated just for a water can. I should have never let that one go... I'm still looking for another shelf

On ebay. $15

 

[Tige]

So let's talk footwear. Is it reasonable to pack another pair of footwear?
Currently my Maximum total weight Field pack is 26 LBS, but is it worthwhile to pack another pair of footwear????

ABSOLUTELY! Always! Nothing like being in the back country in your bare feet. (Ever stick your boots too close to a fire?) I understand and agree with light weight backpacking. But a light pair of trail runners or even Crocs can save a trip. Not to mention help cross water obstacles. And as long as were talking footwear… Extra socks. IMHO.

 

[McMillan]

Who the hell wears skivies in the field?

Off topic- This reminds me of a commercial I saw the other day

birddogs | Shorts and Pants with a Comfortable Built-In Liner

Shorts and pants with built-in liners. Free shipping, free returns.

www.birddogs.com

 

[MAXman]

Yeah I hate built in underwear worse than just boxers.
the reasons I stopped bothering with underwear include not wanting to carry around dirty laundry, less layers to get soaked in swet and never dry(which resulted in not getting jock itch or heat rashes), and when I HATE when something gets folded or wadded or creased or whatever under packs straps or a flak jacket(always over a pressure point exactly when you can stop and fix it), or getting dirt/sand/grit in there and it has nowhere to go.

there’s draw backs, but they never outweighed the benefits for me. IF I pack any underwear, it’s maybe a couple pairs of silkies with the panty liner cut out, for the times you don’t have to be fully dressed but can’t be naked for whatever reason.

 

[Tige]

You pack what you fear. In my case: H2O, cold weather gear, water purification, wet weather gear, fire. Hypothermia is the big killer, and has tried to kill me more than dehydration, but both have had a chance.
I know that jacka_s in the mirror is my worst enemy.
IMHO

 

[Murfpcola]

I have not read through all the pages yet but wanted to add something. For the last couple years I have carried a ziplock bag of dryer lint in my dry bag while canoeing. Weighs nothing and will ignite very quick. A lot of good info here. I need to put a bag together.
Something else I carry that I just learned about a few years ago is clotting sponge.

 

[M118LR]

I have not read through all the pages yet but wanted to add something. For the last couple years I have carried a ziplock bag of dryer lint in my dry bag while canoeing. Weighs nothing and will ignite very quick. A lot of good info here. I need to put a bag together.
Something else I carry that I just learned about a few years ago is clotting sponge.

Leave the man made fabric lint in the trash at HOME. If you breath that in while blowing/sucking air during actual fire making it can damage your lungs. Just natural cotton fibers, they won't shorten your lifespan. JMHO. True survival isn't what is currently in vogue on the survival channels/networks. Keyboard Warriors have wonderful ideas, actual survivors rely on proven items. JMHO.

 

[Raven]

I will say though that for about 20 years now I've been quite fond of my lucky butt pack and H harness while on the river in my canoe (but not anywhere else) and that it is way heavier than most other butt packs and yes it has saved the day multiple times. Mainly heavier because it includes a chain and lock for the boat and yes I have had to use the chain and walk out of the swamp until I found Hwy 90. And I will also say that canteens are a whole lot easier to fill with water in a creek than a water bladder and you should definitely bring way more canteens than you think you will actually use, because chances are you will run out of water if you are mobile. Oh, and that had I stayed put like 911 had told me to while they triangulated my cell phone signal (without telling me that's what they were doing, as I was calling them to leave me alone and that I wasn't going to pay for it if they sent somebody to get me, after I found out through conversation that my wife and best friend had called 911 on me) that it would have been over a week before they would have come across me where I'd had my boat chained up (instead of the two days/one night it was until I found my own way to Hwy 90 six miles later)... this HUMINT straight from the mouth of the search party leader, a former chief of East Milton Fire Department... who went back with me to go get my boat and told me that 911 got the grid wrong somehow. So yeah, water and ways to acquire water and carry water trump everything else in my pack. Try to find noninsulated steel canteens that you can cook and boil water in. This Stanley model is like the 10th one of these Stanley's I've had. They have two lids... one as a cap for drinking and one as a wide mouth for use as a pot. Saves weight, leaving the actual pot at home

@dvr6

 

[Raven]

And these float whereas little metal coach whistles won't float. Try and find packs whose chest straps have a buckle with a built-in whistle. Two is one, one is none. I keep an eye out at the local thrift stores for stuff like this. Sometimes these chest straps are removable and can be used on your favorite packs, and you get the whole bag with the whistle buckle chest strap for like $5

@dvr6

 

[Raven]

So let's talk footwear. Is it reasonable to pack another pair of footwear?
Currently my Maximum total weight Field pack is 26 LBS, but is it worthwhile to pack another pair of footwear????

Yes. Very reasonable

 

[Raven]

a light pair of go-fasters for use in camp at night, giving your boots a chance to air out and dry is a good idea. in a pinch they would be ok for around-the-camp use maybe.

All terrain running shoes (for ankle support and traction while being lightweight) in Size 4E wide (to be able to let swollen feet rest)

 

[Raven]

but you ain't going to wear the same cotton skivies (tightly whites) without chafing

Cotton kills, period. On active duty I wore these silky PT shorts in the field. They don't grow the cure for cancer, they dry fast and they don't chafe. Twenty years later I still wear these silkies every night on duty, walking miles on 12 and 16 hour shifts for 70+ hours a week. I love them. Highly recommend these on the trail. They are available on mail order in black and blue too, not just OD green. The bonus is that they're technically an outer garment, not underwear, so I can strip down to these on the sand bar or beach if I want to and go swimming

 

[Raven]

there’s draw backs, but they never outweighed the benefits for me. IF I pack any underwear, it’s maybe a couple pairs of silkies with the panty liner cut out, for the times you don’t have to be fully dressed but can’t be naked for whatever reason.

Silkies are awesome

 

[M118LR]

Silkies are awesome

Expedition weight poly/ wool thermals for folks traveling to the frozen wastelands replace skivvies.