As I mentioned in a post Sunday night, this weekend we went on a hiking trip. We eventually ended up about 60 miles from the nearest town. Although we did not have any trouble and as always, were well equipped, however we did run into another couple who were truck camping. We spent about 10 minutes talking with them which during this time, I had a chance to have a critical look around their campsite and made some observations of their kit. Other than the kit listed below, the door to their truck was open and I did not see any other kit in there nor in the truck bed.

After we left, I thought of what would have happened if their truck broke down and they had to walk out based on the below scenario, options and the kit I seen that they had out in the open.

Let's assume for sake of this scenario, you do not have a PLB nor a SPOT nor did you tell anyone where you were going. Also, lets leave the politics of why someone would not carry such safety devices nor not leave trip/route details with families or friends. In a nutshell, this pretty much describes the quintessential Mr. and Mrs. Weekend Car Camper.

So Mr. and Mrs. Weekend Car Camper, your truck is broke down and as a non ETS forum member, you have a modest but not overwhelming car camping type of kit with you and your SO. (remember no PLB or SPOT)

Your route to safety is 60 miles away and there are 2 different options:

1) Fairly open semi-arid mountainous (up to around 4800') terrain that is not all that dissimilar to some areas of Eastern Washington State, Colorado, Idaho etc. The weather is around 85-90F daytime and lows of around 50F at night. The odd, cold spell is not uncommon and rain mixed with sleet can occur in July as we seen on Sunday morning. By lunch though, it had warmed up to 77F. This route to safety is along old logging roads and trails that may or may not be on some maps. Although there is plenty of creeks and rivers, this time of year with high winter runoff, the terrain and environment dictate that the water is heavy with sediment and filtering by various means is time and labor consuming not to mention that even with pre-filtering, your water filter will not last very long.

Option 2:
Hike out over a 6000' mountain pass along an old forestry access road. The terrain starts off much the same as the above but soon turns into cooler and higher elevation coastal mountain forest. With this type of terrain, there is much more abundant, cleaner water and the daytime temps are usually cooler. This route, while shorter is of more demanding terrain in terms of energy and calories burned. Again, unexpected cold weather is a possibility, if not much more then Option 1.

Kit available to take which we seen at the their campsite. Explain what you would to take and leave behind and the reason.

Mini BIC lighter - sitting on a table
Small pack of paper matches - sitting on a table
Old school kerosene hurricane lamp

Mixed food for 4-5 days - just a guess as from what the couple told us on Saturday, they would in the area until Tuesday morning. Lets assume though that when they set on foot, they had 3 days of food.

Various plastic plates and utensils
Large aluminum coffee percolator

Cheap C or D size flashlight. Keep in mind that daylight in this area currently comes very early and complete darkness is not until around 10:00 pm.

Large Coleman type cooler (around 30 quart)

Small Coleman type cooler - big enough to hold 10-12 cans of pop etc.

Collapsible water jug - about 4-5 gallon capacity

Several filled store purchased water bottles. 500 ML sized.

Tent looked to be about 9x7' Looks heavy, but has more then enough room for 2 people and a full fly to protect you both from the elements.

In the open to view, tent: 2 sleeping bags - appeared to be 3 season type but cheap and heavy department store quality

2 foam sleeping pads. Not the best type as they are prone to soak up water if they get exposed. Again, cheap, heavy department store quality.

1 Fleece blanket - Draped over the truck bed side, looked to be about a double size, definitely not queen sized

Various items of clothes such as extra jeans, shirt, sweater etc but no warm jacket visible for the cooler nights.

Both had on running shoes - no signs of any boots.

Small 13 inch hatchet - with no sheath sitting near a small amount of chopped firewood.
I folding knife - could not distinguish brand/model
1 fixed blade knife - On the male's belt, could not distinguish brand/model

Large scale off-road map book - No signs of gps or compass

Backpack or bag - No sign of either. All gear appeared to be transported in a couple of rubbermaid style containers.

I am sure there were a few more typical car camper items that were not immediate to my eyes that may be of some use that you would assume that the typical truck camper may have and would want to take so feel free to add to your hypothetical list.

Again, based on all this, explain if you were Mr. and Mrs. Weekend Car Camper what would take from the above from your walk out and how long would you expect it to take.

Lastly, I know the area very well as I have spent years around there and am very confident in my knowledge of the area, the terrain, environments etc. Based on this, I can give a qualified estimate of each route of about 60 miles if my SO and I were to walk out. Any guesses? I would expect that for Mr. and Mrs. weekend car camper this would be much longer.

The question really depends on whether you truly have the ability to actually walk 20+ miles per day and have the experience of walking over the terrain specified with a 20-30lb uncomfortable load. i.e. the rubber maid container can be converted into a basic back pack using the vehicle seat belt strapping.

The ability to navigate would be crucial. This scenario isn't really a question about kit (what you would take and leave behind) but about experience in suffering a little without giving up on the unplanned trek.

The scenario sounds pretty tough for even the folks from the US Army Mountain division. For others it would be a fun outing.

http://toc.hipcast.com/deluge/167d028d-85f3-c98d-73b5-ef1ca08588a0.mp3

The ability to navigate is not as crucial as it would seem. Remember these people drove in (small truck actually) and to me it would be prudent to walk out the way you came in via road in one direction or in the other direction over the pass along a forestry road that would be easier and safer then going cross country.

As for the scenario being tough. In reality, it is not a walk in the park but is doable (albeit slowly) by most people who are generally in fair to average shape.


The road (option #2) along the pass. The road in the other direction of option #1 is about the same condition and much better as it nears the town the road eventually leads to.

How well-travelled is the area? Option 3 is to stay with your vehicle, buckledown at basecamp, signal for help there and at strategically scouted spots, and hope someone comes along just like you did.

BTW - Looks like a gorgeous area!

[/quote]
I'll play...
Route 1, absolutely. If I'm really lost/screwed, I want as many factors in my favor as possible. #1, I should be more familiar with this route. #2, lack of elevation means easier hiking, and better temps should things go awry.

What to take:
Bic lighter, matches and lamp.

All the food we had.

All the water bottles we had, as well as the 5gal collapsible. Ideally, fill that at least half way (40 lbs is a big load of water!), preferably at night after I've stopped moving. Use it to top off the little bottles, as well as re-hydrate at night, and pre-hydrate in teh daytime. I'd leave this bag to one person, and carry the equipment on the second person.

The Tent poles, stakes and fly. If I was really in a bind, light is best. Potentially cut the floor from the tent so I'd have something to keep partially dry.

1 sleeping bag and the blanket. Again a compromise between warmth and weight, but if I was wiht my wife, we could open the sleeping bag, keep it or the fleece on bottom, and spoon for warmth. Plus save carrying 5 lbs.

Both knives - I have one, wife has one. Should be enough deadfall I wouldn't need the hatchet.

Relevant pages from map book.

Well, if my SO and I were out, we'd have used duffels instead of tupperware, but I digress. Typically we'd have at least one day pack and one hiking fanny pack... but if you didn't have those, I'd use the sweatshirts as bags. Tie off the sleeve ends, fill the sweatshirt. Tie the sleeves around my waist and figure a way to cinch the top closed and make some shoulder straps - salvage the seat belts most likely if I didn't have rope. Using the legs of the jeans would work too. My wife could do similar.

With the weight we'd be carrying, about 20lbs for her and maybe 30lbs for me, we'd be able to cover 20 miles a day over relatively graded roads. We're both military, in decent shape, she's done a few marathons and I've hiked the Sierra's as a kid and teenager. It would be a PITA but it would be do-able.

That being said, if something were to come up that stranded us (bad car,etc), chances are much higher that I'd leave when we realized we'd be stuck. Leave her with all the gear, I'd get going with that fleece blanket, some water bottles and a few power bars or something similar. Good chance that with a <10lbs load, I could be back in town in 48 hours or less, which leaves her with a full day of food extra to allow for the "oops" factor. Easy things like jogging on the downhill and walking on the uphill would allow me to make good time. The mild temps would be a blessing.

Now why would I let her stay, and me go? Even though she's done marathons and I haven't, I've got more experience in that sort of environment. She grew up in Wisconsin, me in southern Cali, but I did a LOT more camping as a kid. I feel more comfortable improving.

You don't mention what happens on Tuesday when they become overdue. If they assume they will be reported missing on Wednesday, then they should stay with the vehicle and tightly ration their food and supplies.

You also don't mention how well traveled the road is. Knowing this might sway someone to stay.

Based on the equipment they have, I think I could stay there almost indefinitely if there are fish or game around. But I'm not a Mr. and Mrs. Weekend Car Camper.

Back to the walk out... The low road is safer and warmer - that's the road they should take.

If they decide that staying with the car is hopeless, then the first thing is they need to stick together to walk out. They also need to leave a note about where they went. Third, they need to stick to the logging roads and not take any shortcuts. They should also figure on about 6 to 8 miles a day and ration their available food for a 10 day walk.

The items they should take... going down your list... they will need to build backpacks from sleeping bags. I say ditch the heavy tent but take the rain fly and cut the bottom of the tent out for a ground cloth/tarp. I would keep the hatchet and both knives. Ditch the coolers and dishes but take the water carrier - with only about 1 gallon or less, and bring as many of the small plastic water bottles they can full of water, and bring the percolator. Rip the one page that matters out of the map book and keep the rest of the book for tinder. Take extra clothes/layers to stay warm but ditch the fleece blanket and the foam pads. Of course, they need to take the matches, lighter, and flashlight. Overall, my idea is that they should be under 20 lbs of gear or less per person since they do not have boots.

They can't carry a 5 gallon water jug full of water. They should carry all of the small water bottles full of water - as many of them as they can carry up to about a gallon each, plus about one gallon in the big container.

They should also take some items from the car... a mirror, along with quite a bit of wire which could have multiple uses. A hub cap might become a bowl (I got that one from dual survival). What I would do is walk around the car very very slowly and meticulously go over it inch by inch and ask: What is this item good for, what are it's qualities, if I break it apart what are it's individual qualities... that exercise might yield surprises, like using the seatbelts for backpack straps. They might also find some good tinder items in the glove box. The tire iron might be handy for digging. One person could carry the hatchet and one carry the tire iron. They should also take some of the gasoline from the car and keep it in a water bottle. If they slow down and take their time going inch by inch over the car, it might yield a lot of goodies.

Another item from the car... Vinyl seatcovers could be cut out or vinyl backed carpet could be cut out to wrap the sleeping bag/backpacks to keep them dry.

They will need to create a first aid kit to take with them with one of the primary goals of preventing and treating blisters. Fresh socks and baby powder would be helpful. So would duct tape. Electrical tape from any wiring in the car could also become a blister bandage.

Once they've gathered supplies, they would split it all up into halves and put each half in a sleeping bag and then roll it up. Then roll all of that up in vinyl carpet for dryness, then tie on seatbelts... that makes up the two backpacks. Might need to make one of them lighter than the other for the lady.

A 10 day hike in those conditions... they would need to filter found water through a t-shirt and boil it. They would need to ration their 3 days of food over 10 days. They would need to leave signs of their progress as they move. They would need to stick to the logging roads. If they come across fish or game, they should stop and rest for at least a day and take in protein, then proceed. Otherwise, they should press on at least 6 miles per day.

That's about all I can think of for now. I think my main point to add to this discussion is that I think it would take them 10 days to walk out and they would need to realize this early on or they would become demoralized. Second to that would be my point that they should not carry more than 20 lbs. per person on their backs.

This is an interesting thread, as it makes you think about how to improvise when an emergency for which you are not fully prepared arises. My DW and I make several 'truck camping' trips per year into the Chippewa National Forest. Even though the landscape there is much different than the one described in this scenario, a similar event in my neck of the woods is something we plan and equip for, so we would never be in this sitation under-equipped.

Realistically, I also would not cannibalize my truck in the weather described, as I plan on surviving and the little bit of benefit I would get from ripping out the seat cushions/covers and wiring vs. the $3000 repair bill when we got home would make it a non-starter for me. I would take a mirror and seatbelts though.

I have limited (OK, none) experience in arid mountain camping, but here goes anyway:

Since the assumtion here is that staying put is not the best option, here is what we would do The road pictured is well-maintained and fairly well travelled as evidenced by the half dozen fresh tire tracks in the photo. We drove in on that road and we have a map, we would backtrack that road to civilization, camping at night along the side of the road and hoping to hook a ride along the way. The trip on foot would take us 5 days with good weather and a little luck.

Fire/signaling:

the lighter, matches, left side car mirror, hatchet, knives

Hydration:

T shirt section, 1/2 liter bottles, the 5 gal collapsible, and the coffee pot

Shelter:

Would carry tent depending on how heavy it was (I am a big brute in pretty good shape). If it was truly too heavy for me to carry a long way, would first opt to ditch the steel poles and stakes and carry the fabric. If that option is still not viable, I would dissect the tent and take the largest flat piece I could make, the rain fly, the ropes, and maybe the floor and fashion the screens into headnets. Would carry one sleeping bag (probably the lightest) and the blanket.

Clothing:

Would ditch extra jeans in favor of the heaviest shirts (one each)and socks. Would fashion hats from a pants leg if we didn't have them. Would cut cotton shirts onto bandanas for each of us.

Food:

Would evaluate the food. Carry the lightest most nutrient dense, and eat whatever was in the cooler, or whatever else we couldn't carry before we left.

You say you saw the truck door open? As in - discharging the battery thru the dome light??? They might be out there hiking even now! :-) (I am personally quite paranoid about that issue when solo jeep camping. And even more careful when I have company.)

Not sure why the scenario requires them to move.

It might be helpful to walk back out a ways (any intersections within sensible walking distance?) and put up some SOS banners or markings to encourage any ATV or dirt bike riders to come to the campsite to help. My Colo experience is that someone will likely be along on a weekend day. It's hard to get far enough away if travelling by road unless you're the last one in the forest before winter sets in.

Absolutely agree. Why would they have to hoof it back to town? If they are not equipped for hiking, and not experienced, they would do better to stay put. If they should happen to be proficient hikers, sixty miles would not be all that challenging, especially along a road network.

Waiting and signalling is not very exciting, and it doesn't make good TV, but it is more likely to get them out of the situation.