How
Not to be Hungry, Wet and Freezing
You find that you're starving because you've not brought enough food,
or that the food you brought isn't enough to satisfy your hunger. You
may have carried a can of delicious sardines up a mountain only to discover
that you've left your can opener at home. You may have brought a piece
of marinated meat, but you can't start a fire. Even worse, you may be
suffering from a swollen ankle after a bad slip because you didn't have
bandages.
We can
never graduate from being fully prepared. When you're exposed to the
elements in Nature's playground, you can only pray you're prepared for
anything.
Below is
a list of items that one should always bring along for a trekking trip.
If you're travelling in a group, then you can share the load of the
items.
| FASHION
STATEMENT |
Cotton
vs Synthetic T-Shirts
| Cotton
Ts |
Synthetic
Ts |
| go
for the lightweight and thin ones. Cotton absorbs sweat easily;
and acts as a cooler for the body heat. You might start trekking
in wet cotton Ts on overnight treks as cotton doesn't dry
quickly. Then again, you'll be sweating once you start trekking. |
absorb less moisture; traps sweat and heat. Great for rainy
days—wear one over the cotton-Ts to keep me warm.
When putting them out to dry, they dry real fast.
Thin nylon shorts are ideal for treks—and especially
good when crossing rivers. |
Fashion
won't earn anyone a Best Trekker Award. Clothing should be suitable
for the heat and humidity of the jungle. Wear light coloured clothes—black
and dark coloured clothes absorb heat easily. |
Sarong
The Multi-Purpose
piece of cloth. Apart from being worn, the sarong proves to be a
good changing room, towel, blanket, pillow, stretcher, wrap, and
probably many more uses that I've yet to discover. |
Hats/Baclava
Wear a hat to
keep your head warm when you're feeling cold. About 70% of body
heat is lost from the head. |
|
|
Hiking
Boots
Rivers Aviator Boots |
|
Sandals
Don't get me started
on the philosophy of waterproff shoes. Use sandals when crossing
rivers and so rest |
| Windbreaker/Jacket |
| Raincoat/Poncho |
| MEDICAL
SUPPLIES |
| No
one wants to get hurt, but it's important to be prepared if
for situations where one has to provided first-aid. Whenever
you go on a treking trip, it is sensible to carry a small
medical kit of your own. Your kit should include some of these
basic items: |
Paracetamol
or Panadol
general
painkiller for headaches, pain or fever. |
Yoko
Yoko or
Flanil
Analgesic Cream for relief of muscular aches. |
Oral
Rehydration Salt (ORS)
for treatment of severe diarrhoea. |
Antacid
for gastric
pain and heartburn |
Activated
Carbon
for
diarrhoea and stomach upset. |
Primperan
Anti-vomit |
A
Triangular Bandage
multi-purpose:
as a sling, or wrap. |
Povidone
Iodine and/or Salt
it
stings but it's great for cleaning cuts and grazes. |
Bandages,
Cotton
Buds ,
Gauze Pads,
and Band-Aids
for minor injuries. |
Surgical
Gloves
for cleanliness and for protection against blood from exposed
wounds. |
Dhamotil
or Lomotil
for diarrhoea |
Insect
Repellent
for
repelling insects (what else?) |
Pencil
for writing down important records and information about an
injury. |
Coins
in
case there's a need to make emergency phone calls from a public
phone |
|
Packing
Tips
Don
Mah says "Pack Light!"
It
is highly recommended that to keep your pack as light as possible, you
should re-pack ALL your food in ZipLoc bags. Minimize all the garbage
you will be carrying by getting rid of it right from the start. And
buy food that generally only requires water to prepare. Avoid canned
goods and glass jar products. Have at least 2 containers of 1.5L water
bottles. And you should only carry what you feel comfortable carrying.
Use
New Batteries
Make sure you put
on new sets of batteries on all eletrical equipments before each trip.
I've been on one trek when all my fellow trekkers' flashlights
run out at the same time, and get immobalised in the dark. That was
one of the stupidest thing to happen to me on a trek.
etc
etc etc.
more
to come...
|
