(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)
First-Aid Kit – This is another area where I’m way out of the norm. My first-aid kit is based on the medical emergencies I’ve experienced throughout my life including backpacking and wilderness camping. None of those would have been helped by a first-aid kit: mostly broken bones (5), kidney stones (107), and a huge one which required hospitalization. For all other incidents requiring first aid my bandana was it, mostly to stop gushing blood. (As a side note, a bandana is one of the most versatile items in my GHB.) Any serious wounds will be treated with the antibacterial cream I’ll have for my feet. Fortunately, I have quick-clotting blood, a high pain tolerance, and a long list of “coping words.” So based purely on probabilities, my only first-aid supplies will be the moleskin and antibacterial cream already mentioned. All other wounds are in the SUB category and will be cleaned with soap and water. Total 0.22 lbs.
Tools – The only tool I’ll be carrying is the Tinker Swiss Army Knife I’ve carried all my life, with a backup in my pack (0.13 lb.) Free advice: never, ever loan your knife to another person, offer to cut the thing for them. Never, ever lay your knife down, it’s either in your hand doing a task or in your pocket.
Repair Materials – I’ve never needed them on the road or trail except for a sewing needle and paracord so no duct tape or repair kits for me other than a few sewing needles and some dental floss for sewing.
Paracord & Twine – 50’ of paracord, 100’ bailing twine which is nearly weightless yet strong and versatile for rigging tarps among other things. Weight: 0.2 lbs.
Mess Kit – just my 16-oz steel mug with a wire handle. Not the sierra-mug type but shaped like a pint salsa jar. Great for hot chocolate, scooping water, cooking ramen. Weight is heavy at 5.3 oz. but it’s heavier duty than the mess-kit kind. No spoon, I eat a lot of food with chopsticks including popcorn (no greasy fingers!) so whittling a pair has always worked for me on the trail.
Map – State map only to see the side roads and shortcuts I don’t normally use. Weight: 0.1 lbs. No other navigation aids except for the road signs along the way and the button compass sewed onto my hand-lens cord. I hitchhiked coast to coast as a teenager with just a gas-station folding map of the United States so I consider detailed maps unnecessary in a get-home situation.
Flashlight – Based on my experience a flashlight isn’t a necessity, just a convenience, and I’ve only rarely had one while backpacking. I recommend the teeniest-weeniest one you can find. Many of the newer keychain types are very highly rated (92%), costs less than $1.50 in 5-packs. They’re the size of a quarter and weigh 0.16 oz. The most you should need it for is peeking into your backpack at 1:00 AM after the campfire burns down, and even then, most things you can find by feel alone. No, I won’t need a signal light or headlamp. It’s difficult to backpack from sunup to sundown so I won’t be making or breaking camp in the dark. 0.0 lbs
Miscellaneous – Water tablets, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap (two hotel-sized bars), and an emery board. My shoes and socks are my lifelines so an emery board is necessary for trimming sharp edges off my toenails before starting out. When walking so many miles each day, nothing makes holes in the toes of your socks more quickly than sharp toenails. My collapsible reading glasses and their bombproof case are a must. My empty 1-liter Nalgene water bottle is only a backup and my main water supply will be carried in my hand as I’ve always done, in a 1-gallon milk jug. No, they’re not durable but they weigh next to nothing and have never let me down yet. The Nalgene bottle is in just case it does let me down. Total for this group, 0.6 lbs.
Fire Lighting – I’ve never understood the whole ferro-rod mentality. Yes, they’re fun to play with but for a GHB and survival packs, forget the very remote possibilities and stick with the probabilities. A butane lighter is hands down the most reliable and best fire-igniting tool ever invented. Don’t keep the flame lit for too long or use it as a flashlight else the plastic melts and the striker falls out. I’ll take two mini lighters, one in my pocket and the other in my pack (10 g), plus the credit-card size Fresnel lens I always carry in my wallet. It can ignite a fire with leaves or newspaper (among other things) on a sunny day in 15 seconds and costs 30¢ in the 20-pack. No blowing necessary, these tinders will burst into flame on their own. In case of rain, 20 (5 g) DIY paraffin-soaked-cloth fire starters. J.M.’s twig stove is very lightweight and a great way to go since it can also be used inside a tarp lean-to if it’s raining, but I prefer to skip the stove and build a twig fire between two flat rocks to heat water in my steel mug. It does make a soot and creosote mess so a storage baggie is required. 0.1 lb.s
Binoculars – My mini Bushnell binoculars come in at 0.49 lbs.
That’s all I’d take though there may be few others that I’ll remember once I go on a trial run to test out my bivvy bag. The total (including backpack weight) on my spreadsheet is 23.5 pounds. Food represents 65% of the total weight but as mentioned, my load will be getting lighter by 2.2 lbs. every day and I can probably jog the last ten miles home.
Comparing Ultra-Light GHB’s Using Equalization Factors
After seeing J.M.’s list I thought it would be interesting to compare some of the same items we both have on our lists, as well as compare his overall ultra-light version to mine. This required equalizing things in some way. If I can call his friend “Betty” and her husband “Tom” it will simplify things.
In comparing the gear in each backpack, the biggest surprise was that, not counting food, we both have almost the exact same base weight, mine at 8.4 lbs. and Betty’s at 8.6. So even though I’m not carrying her lengthy list of “stuff,” J.M. has selected very ultra-light equipment while my list has very frugal but heavier everyday items I already own. I’ve discussed the comfort and security all the “stuff” provides to people who are non-minimalists and not as comfortable as I am being out in the woods or on the road with lots of unknowns. The biggest difference in weight is socks if I’m reading correctly. Betty has a single pair of socks at 3.2 oz. which is certainly doable (even if they’re not washed out every night) based on J.M.’s selection of high-quality wool socks which have lots more cushion than normal socks. I have eight pairs at 1.0 lbs. as I’ve explained above. I’m also carrying my 8 oz. mini-binoculars which I never carry backpacking but this is the one item which I consider for a “possible” event instead of a “probable” one. If something does come up however, I’d rather be checking it out from distance, not finding out when it’s too late that I should have gone with Plan B to get around it.
So again, we both surprisingly have the same base weight without food. One big advantage Betty has that I don’t is her ability to spread her backpack weight over two groups since she has a second location along the way where she can stash some food and supplies. My list assumes I have to pack everything in one load to make it home.
In order to equalize our loads to make a similar comparison, I’ve done some calculations.
Betty’s daily calorie intake was a little lower than what’s recommended so using averages from online calorie calculators for backpacking, I increased her total number of daily calorie needs based on her weight to the recommended 3,915 calories per day. Mine was already at the recommended 5,000 calories per day for my weight.
Next, I compared the average calories/oz. for each of our menus. Then I calculated the amount of food her husband Tom would need he and I were the same weight, both packing food for seven days, but with him using Betty’s menu and I using mine.
After punching in all the numbers, Tom’s total pack weight was 34.9 lbs. and mine only 23.7 pounds. Then a major revelation occurred. The only difference between us is that my food has 71% more calories/oz. (142.7) than Tom’s compared to his paltry 83.3. That difference in calories/ oz. was the only thing responsible for Tom’s pack weighing almost exactly half again as much as mine. That’s a whopping difference so keep calories per ounce in mind as the foremost consideration when planning your menu.
Calories Per Ounce Calculation
Figuring the calories/ounce for each food is very simple. Do an internet search for the label if you don’t already possess the food item. The label will have the serving size listed, usually in cups or by serving size. Whichever it is, in parentheses will be the total number of grams for that serving size. When you divide those grams by 28.35 then multiply it by the calories per serving, you’ll find out the calories/oz.
As an example, for a can of tuna packed in water, the serving size is ¼ cup with 56g in parentheses. Take 28.35 and divide it by 56 grams, then multiply the answer by the number of calories, in this case 50.
28.35/56 grams = 0.51 0.51 x 50 calories = 25.3 calories/oz. At 25.3 calories/oz. tuna is something we want to avoid in our GHB’s.
Conclusion
Thanks again to J.M. for putting his qualifications to use and writing a very realistic article on GHBs with lots of idea-generating thoughts, and for me personally his mention of the bivvy bag. Hopefully more people will come to the realization that in a SHTF situation, walking speed is more important than anything else if you really need to get home ASAP, and backpack weight is the only factor we have much control over in accomplishing that.
In my original article before I saw J.M.’s list, this is where I made the point that all that extra gear being carried which had almost no chance of actually being useful: hatchets, fencing tools, Where There is No Doctor and edible plant books, snares, etc., takes up way too much weight. Then after seeing J.M.’s ultra-light list, to my surprise the difference was negligible when comparing each of our lists.
So the big take-home message of this article is this: use specialty ultra-light gear if you need to take a lot of gear along, but the single most important factor when putting together an ultra-light get-home bag is the number of calories per ounce of the food you’ll be taking along. Skip a lot of variety. Skip yummy. Skip visions of sugar plums dancing in your head (17 cal/oz.) and pack very calorie-dense food instead.
And don’t worry, you’ll survive and get home all the more quickly and be able to regale your family with tales of your incredible journey.