My Gear Locker

In case anybody's interested, I started all this the beginning of last summer (2010), in Washington state. I've been staying a week (or thereabouts) at a campground, then moving on to the next one -- a process that has taken anywhere from a single day to nearly a week -- using various combinations of Greyhound, hitching, and hiking.

In between, I've spent some nights in motels of widely varying "ambiance", others camping out a little way off the road. In the cases when I've camped, I make an honest and sincere effort to get permission from the landowner whenever possible; simply making that effort seems to do wonders. That I'm (mostly) clean-shaven, reasonably clean, polite, and generally presentable pretty much takes up the slack. I've been turned down a couple of times, but that's all.

If there isn't any easy way to tell who owns the land, I find a workable spot as short a distance across the propertly line as possible, and make only minimalist arrangements (using a poncho as combo ground cover and "tent", etc) - and always ready and willing to move if told to.

Most of the camping I do is in state parks - preferably away from the folks that think "camping" involves sleeping in some kind of wheeled vehicle (5th wheel, towed camper, motorhome [!!], converted bus, whatever). Um... folks... if you're sleeping in something with wheels on it, you're not camping, mmm-kay?

Anyway, with my preference to get the hell away from people, I have to carry everything I need. To give you an idea of how little one person can get by with, here's a list of my gear:

• Everything has to fit in or on my backpack (the field pack), which I got during a Veteran's Standdown (yes, I'm a military vet).
• Other than the on-the-road nights mentioned above, I stay in my tent, in or on my sleeping bag. I also pack along a military surplus wool blanket, which can serve double duty as either or both of ground pad or blanket.
• I cook with, and eat out of, a cook set the stuff I've prepared over an alcohol stove. The advantage of the stove is that I can get the alcohol for it at about any home/camping supply, or even use Heet(tm) fuel additive from any auto parts store. No, I don't use my fingers; I have one of these.
• While in the parks, I keep from getting lost the old fashioned way: a compass and downloaded-and-printed map (courtesy of the USGS). Whether on the road or hiking in the camp, I wear cargo-type pants (long - I'd just as soon not get any closer to ticks and the like than necessary); in one pocket, I always have an emergency blanket, something I can start a fire with, a loud & annoying whistle, signal mirror, and a couple of energy bars.
• Once I've set up my tent, I set up a power source so I can keep the batteries for my flashlights, tent lantern, and other electrical stuff charged up.
• When it rains (several times) or snows (once!) or I'm not quite sleepy, I can use my laptop to watch movies. I've also got a 32G MP3 player, and an e-book reader (along with a couple of SD cards, holding nearly 1,000 assorted books).
• Around camp or walking around the park, I carry a cutting tool, and something to look around with. Sorry, it's only recently that I thought to be able to memorialize my travels and activities.
• Not all the places I camp at have "city" water, so I have to deal with being thirsty some other way. Even so, I hedge my bets.
• There's no benefit to being uncomfortable, so I've made other arrangements.

Of course, that list doesn't include such things as an e-tool, a couple of 2-quart canteens, collapsible 5-gallon water jug, a couple of small tarps (one for groundcloth for the tent, the other for a sitting-outside cover), a little bit of clothing (enough to make a single LARGE load), first aid kit, food, soap/towel, parachute cord, pocket knife, knife sharpener, two different kinds of tent stakes, bear spray (I've seen them from a distance, and was careful to keep it that way), a walking stick of my own creation (1-1/2" PVC pipe, 5-1/2' long; inside are two 2-1/2' long wooden dowels - the whole thing is used to support the end of the "outdoor" tarp that isn't fastened to my tent), insect repellent, etc, etc.

Food is a mix of freeze-dried (available in Wal*Mars, camping supply, etc) and canned. Roughly half the liquids I drink are mix-with-water sports drinks. I have a small thermo-humidograph I hang in my tent just for easy reference.

I'm passing on using a GPS unit for a couple of reasons: first, in my price range, they aren't reliable enough. Second, solar flares and other things outside my control can make them all but useless; the old Mk I Mod I compass and map work without batteries or satellites.

I was in the Boy Krauts when I was younger, so my camping is as low-impact as I can manage: cat-holes for "personal needs", easily biodegradable for single-use disposable whatevers, firewood from deadfall, and so on. My goal is for nobody to be able to tell I was there a week (or the first good rain) after I've left.

Anyway, that's what I've been getting along with, and how, the last several months. If you've got any questions about anything in particular, shoot me an email -- I'll either answer it directly, or respond here... eventually.