philmont prep tips and equipment

[IM_Kathy]

My son will be going with members of his troop the summer of 2011. He is already starting to prep himself working out at the gym until it warms up. Once it warms up other than working with his group and their prep-trips what would you recommend?

 

For those that have gone before I've heard some different suggestions on degrees for sleeping bag - so what would you recommend?

 

also he has never used hiking poles, would you recommend them and if so does he need 1 or 2?

 

we've gotten a lot of info from some of the members of the troop that have gone before, but would love to get all the little tips and suggestions so his experience will be great!

 

thanks in advance.

[Eagle69]

The best training for backpacking is to Backpack. Continue to work out at the gym, but start adding in walks around his neighborhood with a pack then if you have some nice hilly terrain move on to it.

[Eagle1982]

Hike a lot with the pack on for good training. Uphill if possible.

 

Poles are a personal preference issue. I borrowed some once and liked them, so I got a set. Some people don't like to use them. I'd say have him borrow a set and see if he like them. They do make hiking easier, they also fill up your hands.

 

To get the benefit, you need to use two trekking poles.

[John-in-KC]

Have him keep his shoes and socks in first-class condition!

 

For what he's doing now, adding raw weight to his ruck will help.

 

Unfortunately, the one thing you cannot do is acclimatize him to higher altitudes, short of moving someplace like Reno, Wyoming, or Denver...

[desertrat77]

Lots of conditioning hikes, increasing pack weight and distance incrementally....

 

True, it's tough to replicate the altitude and mountains of Philmont in Iowa...but any kind of hill or stairs (high school football stadium?) with a pack will be helpful.

 

Gym/weights are good, but as stated by previous posters, nothing beats putting that pack on and walking.

 

Shoes: to borrow a phrase from an old handbook/fieldbook "Broken in but not broken down."

 

What to pack: less is best. All those cool doodads add up to lbs that really take a toll after a long day...the Philmont prep guidance is best.

 

Sleeping bag: depending on what time of year your son is going, it can get chilly at altitude, especially if it gets rainy. My trek was in August and there were a few days/nights I was cold due to the weather and how high we were up.

 

Best wishes...completing a Philmont trek is one of those lifetime events that truly lives up to the great expectations.....

[GernBlansten]

Beat the feet.

That means long hikes with weight. 10+ miles. If you are able to carry weight for more than 10 miles without issues, you are ready for Philmont.

 

Hiking poles are great, highly recommend. Especially for the old guys. It saves your knees. That little bit of extra balance when you step over that log or across that creek with a 60 lbs pack will keep you from tweaking your back, knee or ankle. Also helps cadence. And can be your dining fly and spare tent poles.

[EagleBeaver]

If he's growing, buying boots too soon might mean needing another pair next summer. Maybe hold off to buy the boots he will use a few months before the trek.

 

There is just as much 'breaking in' your body as your gear. Your shoulders, waist, thighs, feet all should be used to the rubbing and pressure of your gear. This doesn't take 18 months though - starting a few months before the trek takes care of that. It's never too early to start working on strength, though.

 

Trek poles mean more weight, more bulk, and more impact on the trail. They distribute the work over more muscles, but require more overall work. They are helpful on Ups and Downs, but not flats. Borrowing a pair to try is a good idea if he can try them on more vertical trails.

 

For sleeping bags, it can freeze but it probably won't. A 30 degree bag on a foam pad is what I've used twice.

 

Scout On

 

[sbemis1]

If your son is in reasonable shape (sports) he could probably leave tomorrow and handle the physical aspects. Make sure he does some backpacking next spring in his broken-in Philmont footwear, with just a few more pounds than he expects to carry. During my own training (I'm no longer even near youth) I found when I added the final gallon of ballast water that the boots I was using were no longer adequate for me. I then had time to make a change and break in a new pair.

[Eagledad]

I think a 30 degree bag is fine. Long underwear can make up for a really cold night. Hiking poles are cumbersome because they are just two more things to keep up with and add more weight to carry. They are a blessing for hikers with bad knees and I would advise adults do a few long hikes at home to see if they have that problem. But I find scouts dont use them correctly because they dont feel the advantage polls give.

 

I agree with the idea of loading up a pack and hiking around with it. I think two or three mile neighborhood hikes are fine to get the body in shape for the weight, but the scouts must do at least two if not three longer overnight hikes to really get a sense of carrying weight on a hiking trail.

 

Your son is at the age and his trek is far enough away that he could outgrow his pack and boots, so watch that. Personally I dont think Philmont trails require the most expensive boots. Many of the Philmont rangers just wear tennis shoes or even hiking sandals. A boot with a firm sole is about all that is required and can be found for a lot less than $100.

 

But as far as fitness goes, I found that most active kids are fit enough for Philmont, its generally the mental fitness that seems to make scouts struggle. We ask our scouts to run 3 miles three times a week for cardio fitness of the mountains, but you would be surprised who seem to have the fitness problems. We had the most trouble with the very athletic most fit scouts. Philmont backpacking is really is a mental thing that should be watched during the practice hikes.

 

Watching the hundreds of scouts at Philmont, I find that overloaded packs are by far the main cuprites of misery for most scouts. I would suggest that your troop practice lightening up, even make a contest of who can pack the lightest. No pack should weight more than 30 pounds before water, food and crew gear. And really 25 pounds is a much much much better. That five pound is a huge difference in comfort and fatigue because food, water and crew gear will add a minimum of 15 pounds. Some of the more experienced backpackers just bring 20 pound packs. Thats why I say if you dont have bad knees, saving the weight of hiking polls by leaving them home gives most scouts a better advantage.

 

Also, when buying a pack, less experienced backpackers tend to pack until the pack is full. So, dont go buy the biggest pack out there. Smaller packs are lighter and they force the packer to leave bulk at home. My first pack was gigantic compared to my next pack that was a 3rd smaller even though I was going on longer hikes.

 

To make it even more fun for your son, get him more involved by researching gear and backpacking techneques. This will give him something to do for the long wait until the summer of 2011.

 

Barry

 

[Ohio_Scouter]

Do a search on the camping and high adventure forum using the word "philmont", and you'll find hundreds of previous posts on this subject. Good luck.

 

IWGBTP

Ohio_Scouter

 

(soon to be West_Virginia_Scouter)(This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

[GKlose]

I wish I could find the link right now, but I saw a page once, written by an ultra-light backpacker, a dad, who went to Philmont. He had an interesting perspective (and a gear list).

 

As far as hiking poles go, I like them (I was a staunch holdout too!), but I found that one by itself was useless for me. A pair worked better.

 

Guy

[GKlose]

Thought of this just as I hit "submit" :-)

 

My older son always seemed to have trouble with depth perception when hiking on rocky terrain (such as our hikes in the White Mtns). So I bought both of us a set of poles. He moves much faster now.

 

BTW, I found two sets of discounted "closeouts" at rei-outlet.com. Good price. Under $50 each set, at the time.

 

Guy

[le Voyageur]

I agree....you gotta be out doing load bearing hikes prior to going. However, for treking poles those can be cut from saplings, dried overtime and heated up a bit to take a coating of beeswax.

 

Also, have him look at some ultra light techniques to cut down the weight. Else, a heavy pack at altitude will make for a miserable day.

 

Would also suggest learning how to do rest steps, and pressure breathing when climbing hills. This'll make the first couple of days at Philmont a little more pleasant while getting use to the altitude...

 

http://www.bodyresults.com/e2altitudecoping.asp(This message has been edited by le voyageur)

[boomerscout]

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/philmont.html

 

[GKlose]

boomerscout -- that's it! That's exactly the link I was mentioning.

 

Thanks,

Guy