Greetings, <br><br>Well, since backpacking season is well underway, and I have an AT section hike coming up, I took some time to update and post my comprehensive HTML BOB / Backpacking Gear Checklist. It includes links to product web pages, item weights, and Altoids contents, of course. ;-) Maybe it can help you prepare your own checklist for such things. I'm somewhat experienced, but always welcome any advice. There's always room for improvement! Here's my page: http://www.roblester.com/rob/backpacking_gear_checklist.htm<br><br>Regards, <br>Rob

Rob, looks pretty similiar. I like the survival cheatsheet, I know others who will appreciate it. Thx. Have fun on the hike, what section are you doing?

We're starting out at Springer Mountain and we'll only be out for 2 nights this time.

Wow. Be safe and watch those ankles!

Rob: fwiw, I'm afraid I don't think much of your "first aid kit". Not one triangular bandage, field dressing, or gauze roller bandage; only a couple of small sterile dressings. You're better equipped to treat a head cold than you are to treat a broken ankle or severe gash.<br><br>Have you taken a first aid course lately?<br><br>I also note that you're carrying 3 pounds of food and approximately 2.6 pounds of stove and fuel. Seems a little out of whack to me, especially as most of your food seems to be in the form of ready-to-eat snacks that don't require cooking. Just an observation.<br><br><br>Hope I don't sound snotty or superior, just questioning why you made some of the choices you did.

Dear Aardwolf,<br><br>Firstly, I think you have missed the entire spirit of this forum. Your reply was totally uncalled for, as it was distinctly vitriolic. What is your point anyway? So what if he carries so much fuel and stove? Have you heard of hunting or fishing? Do you normally eat meat and fish raw? I, for one, am thankful that he actually took the trouble to share his very methodical system with us. If you cannot make a positive contribution, then don't respond at all.<br><br>Oh, and I hope I haven't sounded snotty or superior, just questioning the way you replied.

Many of us are much better at putting together a selection of gear that we are at putting together a well crafted public posting of our thoughts. It is a reasonable question "why carry so heavy a stove and fuel supply?" It is a reasonable answer "to cook found food." Some personalities are not given to mellow thought-out word crafting (or even re-reading before posting) <br><br>Survival in a written forum for both the poster and the forum requires a certain level of restraint and tolerance as well as a moderatly thick skin.<br><br>Take care folks that this forum doesn't sink in the mire for flame wars and bickering. Choose carefully the words you use and think twice before taking offense, please.

Aardwolf and Thor, MELLOW! This is a tough medium to communicate in. We all come across a little rough at times. Sandpaper tongues rarely smooth out those comments ;O)

Hi, <br><br>No sweat, fellas. I welcome all input, even if the tone is presumptuous. I'm always willing to learn. Let me clarify: I don't carry something specifically called a "triangular bandage," because I carry 2 large bandanas that serve that purpose. The sterile dressing I include is what you call "field dressing" and yes, I'm competent with first aid, and have treated other people's injuries quite effectively, even when they have surpassed that of a head cold. I also know my limitations, and don't carry sutures, scalpels and the like because I'm not trained to use them and would probably do more harm than good. If I have a injury more severe that I can treat with my supplies, then I need my hiking partner to help me get to a hospital ASAP. <br><br>As far as the food to fuel ratio, I sometimes cook for more than one person, so we really don't carry more fuel than we need. I agree that the WhisperLite is not the lightest stove out there, but I've never had any complaints about its performance.

gear freak,<br><br>I could not agree more about the stove choice. I use both the MSR Whisperlite and the original multifuel (G/K?) stoves. I find both to have been completely reliable, have great performance and most importantly are easily field maintainable. Only once have I had to repair my G/K in the field, (really dirty kerosene), and it took me about 5 minutes before I was cooking at full roar once again.<br><br>There are many reasons to carry surplus fuel for such stoves, big time tea drinking, melting snow, hot chocolate for the entire Boy Scout troop you find by the lake....boiling up water after you have broken your leg, and waiting for your companion and the SAR team to arrive...