Sgathak
2003-06-22, 15:18
Does anyone here follow the concepts of 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd ine... when hiking?
1st line = the gear you ALWAYS have... ALWAYS. Survival kit, SMALL first aid kit, knife, compass... and in some parts of the woods, a pistol and ammo. If you have nothing else on you, this gear will keep you alive and well.
2nd line = Gear you have with you all the time in case you need it. Militarily, its usually just water and ammo, but hiking wise... it could be water and camera with film... for example. Alot of people alos throw in some bug juice, a little food, and maybe some sunscreen. But... its easy to dump incase you have no choice.
3rd line = Gear you brought for your general comfort... Tent, Sleeping Bag, Gloves, Gore-Tex, stove, extra ammo (or film, or drawing pad, or...), big(ger) first aid kit, cell phone, etc. This gear is left at base camp or stashed away when off looking around for that perfect shot.
Now... most people I know RARELY have a "1st line"... usually just a pocket knife and maybe a 1st aid kit. Fewer still have a "2nd Line", puting alot of that type of gear in the places where a good survival kit should be living, and still usually forgetting extra film :) And on top of that, most people usually carry ALL of that in their backpack when on the move. Given the current lightweight trend and the views of most people here, thats not a wholely bad thing... as a jaunt down a side trail can easily be done with a full load... but I worry about what people may do if their bag was stolen, washed away in a stream crossing, or otherwise made unavailable.
That GoLite tent is usless if its been stolen, and that Gecko GPS is also of little use if its floating down the river... but worse, there goes your food, water, signalling aids, and quite possibly your first aid kit and survival kit.
1st line = the gear you ALWAYS have... ALWAYS. Survival kit, SMALL first aid kit, knife, compass... and in some parts of the woods, a pistol and ammo. If you have nothing else on you, this gear will keep you alive and well.
2nd line = Gear you have with you all the time in case you need it. Militarily, its usually just water and ammo, but hiking wise... it could be water and camera with film... for example. Alot of people alos throw in some bug juice, a little food, and maybe some sunscreen. But... its easy to dump incase you have no choice.
3rd line = Gear you brought for your general comfort... Tent, Sleeping Bag, Gloves, Gore-Tex, stove, extra ammo (or film, or drawing pad, or...), big(ger) first aid kit, cell phone, etc. This gear is left at base camp or stashed away when off looking around for that perfect shot.
Now... most people I know RARELY have a "1st line"... usually just a pocket knife and maybe a 1st aid kit. Fewer still have a "2nd Line", puting alot of that type of gear in the places where a good survival kit should be living, and still usually forgetting extra film :) And on top of that, most people usually carry ALL of that in their backpack when on the move. Given the current lightweight trend and the views of most people here, thats not a wholely bad thing... as a jaunt down a side trail can easily be done with a full load... but I worry about what people may do if their bag was stolen, washed away in a stream crossing, or otherwise made unavailable.
That GoLite tent is usless if its been stolen, and that Gecko GPS is also of little use if its floating down the river... but worse, there goes your food, water, signalling aids, and quite possibly your first aid kit and survival kit.