Fight Gravity's Drag

Murphy's Law of the Inconvenient Migration of Stuff means that dense items (especially waterbottles, hydration systems, large cameras, and fuel) tend to gravitate to the bottom of your pack, especially when the pack is not full and tightly packed. Those are precisely the items that often need to be handy and whose weight should be up high and close to your back between your shoulder blades for easy carrying.


Pin a stuffbag inside the pack to stop dense items from gravitating downward


Here's a simple solution:

• Suspend a stuffbag to form a pocket inside the pack at an appropriate height. Attach it with safety pins to the strong internal seam that encircles the top of most packs. That way the pins do not pass through to the outside skin of the pack, and it's usually easy to push the pins through just the binding tape on the seam.
• If you use a waterproof stuff sack, such as Outdoor Research Hydroseal bags (various sizes and prices, www.orgear.com), you have extra protection against a leaking bottle or hydration system wetting the pack contents. Just don't put the camera in with the water bottle!

Camp Kitchen

Keep it simple to get as much versatility as possible from the items you pack.
Cooking over an open fire should only be done in designated areas. Camp stoves are more practical and easy to use, cook food faster and have less impact on the environment.
A two-burner stove offers families the most efficient use of cooking time. You can choose from a variety of stoves that burn different kinds of fuel (white gasoline, propane, butane or kerosene). Base your choice on the availability of fuel in areas where you intend to camp.
When available, block ice will generally last longer in your cooler than cube ice. But count on any ice to leak water into the bottom of your cooler – always store perishable foods in watertight bags or containers.
Always have plenty of water. For clean-up after meals and general use you will find extra water containers nearly indispensable. For consumption, three quarts per person per day is a good rule of thumb. Purify water from natural sources.
Resist the impulse to feed the animals. Early instruction in the wisdom of low-impact camping will reward future generations with sightings of wildlife in a healthy environment.