CAMPING Autumn gear hiking and camping tips

BY DAVE BROWN

This is the time of year when families and friends enjoy more hikes and camping outings. The sunny days mixed with cool temperatures make it all very comfortable. So with that in mind, here are some commonly asked questions, which may pertain to your outdoors life. Take note, make adjustments and get outdoors!

Q. With this autumn weather I want to take my 11-year-old child backpacking into Gatineau Park. But how much weight should he carry?

A. It’s always a great idea to get your children used to carrying a pack when hiking. Often they’ll have their food and maybe some play things stuffed away. But if the trail is flat they may be comfortable carrying 4.5-6.5kgs if they’re solid.

For example, if you want to picnic you could have the child carry a sleeping bag, some clothes and his water bottle as well, and you’d be close. Or if they’re like my son, we’ll end up bringing home some really nifty-looking rocks or fossils. Obviously don’t overdue it first time and get them excited about the experience.

stick out beyond the walls of the tent catching the rain. The main reasons why campers prefer footprints are: it’s much easier to dry out a footprint of ground vapours instead of the actual tent; it keeps dirt, pine needles and stains off the floor of your tent; it’s easier to wash or clean a ground cloth instead of repeatedly washing your tent; it can help protect your tent from small sharp rocks. So ya, they’re pretty useful and perhaps worth the extra weight in your pack.

Q. Do I have to hang up my sleeping bag in-between camping trips? Can’t I just leave it in its stuff sack?

A. Considering you’ve taken the time and expense to choose the perfect sleeping bag for you, then yes you do have to hang

Q. I want to do some autumn camping; do I really need to purchase a tarp footprint for my tent?

A. You don’t have to, but you may choose to do so. Even if you don’t want to buy one you always have the option of making one. Just remember to cut it a few centimetres smaller so it doesn’t

it to take care of it. Just find a closet where it can hang out of the way and you’re good to go. Why? Because if you just leave it crunched up in its stuff sack you’ll be wasting money. Whether you have a down or synthetic sleeping bag, the insulation will lose its loft and ability to puff up. This renders it close to useless, or at least less effective than it should be. With the cooler nights ahead it’s imperative you get all the warmth you can from your sleeping bag. It can’t give you what you need if all the insulation has been crushed. It needs to be fluffy so the warm air can flow freely through it keeping you nestled in for the night. If you can’t hang it in a closet you can store it under your bed, or put it in a large, breathable sack or in a box with holes in it so it’s not crushed and allows airflow when hanging out at home.

Q. My inflatable sleeping pad has a slow leak in it, but I’m not sure where it is. Help!

A. Yup, the slow leaks can be the hardest to spot. Try this: inflate the pad as firmly as you can and submerge one end of it in a tub of water (or pool or lake); then fold the pad to add greater pressure; you’re looking for air bubbles as you meticulously submerge separate sections. If you don’t see results from one side, flip it over to the other. The second you spot the leak mark it some way and continue checking for additional leaks.

Q. I’m going camping with a group on a weeklong excursion, and where I don’t have to haul

the cooking materials, I do have to bring my food and tent. I own a 35L pack and would like to get it all to fit.

A. That’s not a lot of room for a trip this big, but here’s what I would do: pack your down sleeping bag into a really good stuff sack and tie it with your sleeping pad to the outside of your pack; then add your clothes to the bottom, one piece at a time remembering to push it all the way down to take advantage of every space. Make use of all your outside pockets placing tinier items in your hip belt pockets of the pack. Keep essential go-to items like a headlamp or toiletries and snacks in the top pouch. The concern for trying to push this weekend pack into a multi-day pack is pushing the weight capability of the pack. With about six kilograms of food and two litres of water (two kilograms), all coupled with your tent, pack and clothing, it’s getting tight. And seeing as you’ll probably do more weeklong trips, might be worth upsizing. • ~ Originally published in Dave Brown’s OUTDOORLIFE column ofthe Ottawa Citizen.