ROPE: Sam Gamgee was right, ‘What about a bit of rope? You’ll want it, if you haven’t got it,’ he opined, and you would be foolish if you didn’t agree. Some cordage is an essential on the trail: You need thread and needle for those torn trousers or wounds. I always have dental floss […]
The Leatherman Micra is the greatest mini-tool I have encountered so far (@51 grams). I always have one in my pocket AND in my hiking pack. NOTHING I have discovered is as good for cutting one’s toe-nails – a vital safety precaution on multi-day hikes when toe-nail problems can lead to disaster! http://www.leatherman.com/20.html If you
If you have difficulty buying stuff online, check out http://www.shipito.com/ They are just great. You can (for example) buy that stuff on Amazon (which has free US shipping but which they won’t send to Oz) and have Shipito forward it (very cheaply). We do this all the time. We usually use Shipito’s cheapest freight rates
These folks have some pretty neat stuff, suitable for presents (NOT a hint), survival & etc, eg miniature compasses & signalling mirrors, springers for fishing, a great range of knives – & this is ‘peanut lighter: http://www.countycomm.com/splitpea.html
14/08/2011: Just to lighten up a bit, you might want to bookmark this one. Knots are very handy and this site shows how to tie them easily. There MAY be a hangman’s noose there as well, which could be handy in this political climate: http://www.animatedknots.com/
When my son was planning to go backpacking overseas I made this list of essential items for him to have in his pack. A useful list for anyone who is interested in ultralight backpacking. ———– You need to start ordering around six months ahead as some items may take a while to be made/arrive. It would be
