RE: [Philmont]: equipment needs (suggestions??)

On the button. Mom's go crazy when I say underwear is optional:-)

You HAVE to do laundry. Try to do it every chance you get. Finding
dry times and days is tough. Dirty clothing causes sores and lowers
morale. If you wait, you can be sure it will rain for 3 days in a
row.

I never washed my sleeping clothes.

Kirk Barley

Virginia Beach

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-philmont@troop47.com [mailto:owner-philmont@troop47.com]
On Behalf Of CCPineoIII@aol.com
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 10:56 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
Subject: Re: [Philmont]: equipment needs (suggestions??)

My first trip to Philmont was in 2003 at age 56. Here are some
thoughts/opinions:

I currently live in northern Georgia near Atlanta, about 1000 feet
above sea level. We have the southern Appalachians with several
3000 - 4000 ft peaks within a couple of hours' drive. We cannot
duplicate the elevations at Philmont (base camp 6,500 feet). Our
trails are "softer" (less rocky and not as hard packed) than
Philmont trails. Our crew was well prepared for Philmont because we
hiked and worked together as a crew, we had done several practice
hikes, and we took our jobs seriously in camp and on the trail. We
had shed extra pounds (I dieted and exercised and lost nearly 30)
and were in shape when we got to New Mexico. A few of the crew
participate in high school sports; but not all. A couple of the
crew had ADD or ADHD, so we had to accommodate their needs. We had
an odd number (11), so one youth crew member took his own, one-man
tent. That also meant we carried food for 12 (Philmont food comes
in 2-person kits per meal). We did not mandate attendance at our
prep hikes and not every crew member made every hike. Our crew was
made up of scouts from our troop and venture crew. The two advisors
were the troop scoutmaster and an assistant scoutmaster (me).

I've been active in the outdoors most of my life, so I tried to make
do with well-tried equipment I already had when I prepared for
Philmont. I did buy some new equipment (see below), but not much.
I strongly recommend coolmax or similar wicking shirts for hiking
and sleeping. I saw adults hiking in bib-front denim overalls, but
cannot imagine doing so myself. Plan your wardrobe accordingly.
Philmont's dry climate will keep your clothes dry unless you're in a
rain storm. You will sweat a lot, but it dries fast. Plan your
clothes with layering in mind. Your rain suit should double as your
outer layer for wind, rain and/or cold. Whether you have long
sleeved or sleeveless fleece is your decision. I do well in the
cold; others don't. My fleece is sleeveless. Your crew must
educate itself on such matters before it gets to Philmont.
Remember, not everyone reacts to cold the same. Clothing needs will
vary. Hypothermia isn't a fun thing.

For packing and waterproofing, our crew used the very large Zip-Loc
bags (10-gallon) inside our packs to provide an extra layer of
waterproof protection. [Recommended/discussed on this list last
year, these large bags are available at some auto parts stores,
Walmart, etc but probably not in your local grocery store]. One bag
per crew member. They helped keep personal gear dry and also
separate from crew gear and food in packs. They're very durable and
they can keep pack fabric from becoming a smellable in the event you
have a leak or a food pack breaks open, depending on how you pack
your load. You don't want to be hefting all your packs up on the
bear cable every night, believe me!

Of the 11 packs, there were 3 external frame Kelty packs. The rest
were internal frame.

I used my old (mid-1960s) model Kelty external frame pack with
updated (late 1990s) shoulder harness and belt. I took spare parts,
but did not need them. I supplemented the relatively small (by
today's standards and Philmont expectations) 1960s pack volume
(single compartment with about 2700 cubic inches) with a day pack,
which I rigged to attach to the top of the packframe with a couple
of bungee cords. It wasn't pretty, but I didn't have to look at it.
The day pack held my two water bottles, our crew first aid kit, and
my rain suit for easy access. Total pack volume was acceptable for
my share of crew gear, food, etc. For those of you who have never
been to Philmont, the food issues are bulky. If you have a crew of
12, for example, you'll have to figure out where to pack away 5
days' of meals -- that's 5 x 3 x 12 = 180 meals -- before you hit
the trail. That's in addition to your personal gear and crew gear
(stoves, fuel, tents, pots, etc). I was the heaviest person on our
crew at 180 pounds, and my pack weighed 55 pounds (including water)
on departure from base camp; 35 pounds on return from the trek.
[Note, first aid kits don't get lighter very fast, one bandaid at a
time.]. And, yes, we did have our ranger carry some of the food as
we left base camp ... it's fair, he/she will be eating some of it,
and he/she is part of the crew for a couple of days.

Trekking poles are a useful accessory for advisors, and many of our
crew used them, too. If you plan to use trekking poles, practice
hike with them before you go to Philmont. I used a pair of bamboo
cross country ski poles left over from my college skiing (New
England) in the '60s. They were light weight, strong enough for my
purposes, and worked fine on the trail. I wrapped 2, 3-foot
sections of duct tape around each pole as a way to carry the tape on
the trail and to strengthen the poles. Equipment phreaks, take
note.

As for sleeping clothes, just leave 'em inside your sleeping bag
without a plastic bag. I used boxer-type nylon swim trunks for
sleeping (and also hiking) plus a long sleeved cool-max type shirt
to sleep in. Unless you have a really huge sleeping bag, finding
your clothes each evening, even in the dark, is not a big deal.
Doing laundry isn't convenient or, in my opinion, necessary for your
sleeping clothes. Water is precious enough; do your laundry at a
camp with facilities, e.g., Beaubein. I'd plan to leave sleeping
clothes in the sleeping bag for the entire trek. Throw in a fleece
or other lightweight pullover cap if your head gets cold. I'm bald;
it does. Put other clothing into the stuff sack each night for a
pillow, if you use one. Your needs will be slightly different if
you're camping/hiking at low elevations at Philmont (below, say,
9000 feet) or at higher elevations (8000-12000 feet).

Have 2 sets of clothes for hiking. I hike in a boxer type, nylon
bathing suit. They have adequate pockets. Swim shorts as hiking
shorts are not for everyone, but they do have mesh liners, they're
light weight, and they dry quickly. If they work for you, great!
You can make a real fashion statement with hiking shorts carrying a
BSA Lifeguard patch in the Sangre de Christos of New Mexico. For
long pants, I recommend you look for nylon zip-off type; these
double as a second pair of hiking sorts AND long pants. I found
mine (ex-Officio brand) on sale at REI in the off season for about
1/3 the normal retail price.

If you have the budget, you might look at a 3/4 length Thermarest or
similar inflatable sleeping pad. I splurged on this item, but found
one on sale on Campmor.com. In its carry bag, my 3/4 length
Thermarest and repair kit fits inside the stuff sack with my
sleeping bag. It's lightweight, compact, comfortable and durable.

Boots. If the scouts are still growing, put off the final purchase
until Spring. Adults, get yours sized right (leave ample space in
the toe. Your feet will get bigger as they muscle up during your
practice hikes). Get feet and boots broken in before you arrive at
Philmont. Our crew was well conditioned, but still our biggest
first aid concerns were feet and nosebleeds (due to dry air). In
hindsight, we should have had twice as many 2 x 2 gauze pads and
tape to hold 'em on. Boot material varied in our crew from
synthetics, to leather, to GoreTex. Key is to protect the foot and
ankle.

Rain Suit. My rain suit is a polypropylene Frogg Togg (choice of
tan, blue or green) -- web site http://www.froggtoggs.com/. Works
great, it's lightweight, it breathes, it's a wonderful wind breaker
.. and it's relatively cheap compared to GoreTex at less than $100.
You'll recognize other Frogg Togg clad hikers on the trail at
Philmont and be able to comment on their spiffy attire.

Have fun.

Charlie Pineo
Crew Advisor
Philmont 2003, 721-B2, Trek 4
Woodstock, Georgia

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Received on Mon Nov 17 20:54:48 2003