THE BACKPACKER’S FIELD MANUAL by Rick Curtis
Copyright © 1998, 2005 Three Rivers Press, New York
GENERAL GROUP EQUIPMENT LIST
Shelter
•Tents or tarps and ground sheets
with 75-foot tarp lines of
1⁄4-inch
braided nylon (22 meters of 6 millimeter)
•Small tarp to set up for cooking
(optional)
Cooking
•Stove—one for 4 to 5 people.
Carrying multiple stoves gives you more cooking options and are needed
for larger groups
•Fuel bottles and fuel
•Funnel
•Strike-anywhere matches, waterproof
matches, or lighter
•Nesting pots with lids—a 2-liter and
4-liter work well for groups up to 12
•Frying pan—8 to 12 inches depending
on size of group
•Spatula
•Mixing spoon
•Pot gripper
•Biodegradable soap
•Strainer
•Plastic pot brush
•Ziploc/plastic bags for repacking
food
Hygiene
•Water purification (have at least
one backup method)
•Toilet paper (optional)
•Trowel
•Waterless hand cleanser
•Whistle
•2 square feet aluminum foil (for
tampons)
•Aspirin tablets (for tampons)
•Medical waste bag
•Chlorine bleach (for medical waste
and dishwashing)
•Blue personal plastic bags
for toilet paper/tampons
•Yellow plastic bags for recycling
•Heavyweight plastic trash bags
(plenty—double as em
ergency rain gear and for hypothermia wrap)
Travel
•Compass
•Maps and guidebooks as needed
•Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
receiver (optional)
•Waterproof map case (optional)
Safety
•First-aid kit
•Cell phone or satellite phone
(optional)
•Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
(optional)
•Weather radio (optional)