[three_fourths_first][box_green]Risk management is defined as “the process of reducing potential loss to an acceptable level”.

It is an extremely relevant time to be finding out a bit more about managing the risks present in any outdoor activity.[/box_green]

This weekend I attended the Risk Management Course organised by the Mountain Safety Council. A 2 day course based at the Motu Moana Green Bay Scout Hall. Having already attended the Outdoor First Aid course there, and met Alex, the tutor at the Advanced Bushcraft and River Safety courses, I knew it was going to be an informative weekend.

Essentially, the course focuses on managing the amount of risk involved in outdoor activities, not only in a documented ‘health & safety’ focus, but also in finding the right balance of challenge and safety when leading group in the outdoors.

Part of my job at Allproof Industries is looking after the Health & Safety aspect of the company, that, combined with a mother who is a Department of Labour Inspector, means I entered into the course with a little bit of prior understanding of the need to quantify and identify the risks involved in activities - be that in a warehouse or a bush-walk - it is necessary to ask ‘what if’ – and plan accordingly.

In addition though, and particularly in regards to activities that in some ways require at least a small amount of risk to be rewarding, an adventure, a challenge; there is a necessity to be able to manage the amount of risk integrated into an activity and to be able to modulate that risk, with the goal of creating a ‘peak experience’ for the individual – that level of challenge where the participant is in the ‘zone’. This is done by reducing the Absolute Risk (worst case scenario), providing an acceptable level of Residual Risk (the amount of realistic risk left over), and then playing with the notion of Perceived Risk.

The course was a balance of theoretical classroom style teaching and hands on practical exercises and activities.

It becomes apparent quickly, that there often isn’t a necessarily right or wrong answer – as levels of risk, their causes, and results are fluid – changing potentially from moment to moment as the situation develops. Rather, the majority of the material is there to make you think, and fuel discussion, as each participant is encouraged to provide relevant examples from their own experience.

In relation to experience - it was also nice to have quite a diverse range or participants attending. From people working with youth, to the blind, to people running tramping clubs or planning solo tramps, the variety or perspectives and insights provided a well rounded approach to what we were learning.

The first day was primarily spent in the classroom, with the second a chance to put our learning into practice, by creating an activity and developing the risk management plan around it.

Apart from the activities being quite a lot of fun (ever put your tent up blindfolded?) – it also, for me at least, brought home another very important lesson that mother taught me long ago – the necessity to also be educating and taking care of the caregivers. By that I mean; It is very interesting and insightful for the group leaders to also become involved in the very activities that their students go through under their tuition. This might seem obvious – but sometimes that is exactly why it can be overlooked.

I enjoyed the course. Alex paced it excellently, keeping levels of interest up while covering a pile of information and providing even more resources to keep on learning from.

A couple of things that also came up that I would suggest anyone evolved in outdoors activies check out -

• The National Incident Database – An online record of incidents experienced by groups active in the outdoors – unless we have this information, it is impossible to identify trends and try to implement systems and most importantly provide training to address them. Please check it out. The more people involved, the more useful it becomes.
• There are piles of little groups around the country working with youth, the disabled or simply those who want to better themselves through exploring this wonderful country we live in. Go get involved. There is massive reward to be had in working and helping others.[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]Summary

Course: Risk Management

Facilitators: MSC

Location:  Motu Moana

Time: 2 Days[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

Some more useful links -

• http://www.dol.govt.nz/news/adventure-tor.asp
• http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/
• http://www.adventuresmart.org.nz/
• http://www.supportadventure.co.nz/
• http://www.outdoorsnz.org.nz/
• http://www.nzoia.org.nz/
• http://www.watersafety.org.nz/
• http://www.eonz.org.nz/

While the 1st Line is the bare necessities on your person in pockets as part of your EDC, the 2nd Line is the equipment that you want to be carrying with you nearly all the time.

After my experience in a MSC Bushcraft course last year, I became aware of the necessity of splitting my equipment into layers – meaning I could drop the heavier aspects of my carry when stopping to go check out lookouts, explore side paths and so on. Additionally, I had been reading about load distribution – and was keen to move some of the weight from around the back of me, onto the front.

I had stumbled upon Aarn body-packs -  which addressed the distribution issue, but I essentially wanted something that easily separated from the main pack, and also came in more subdued colors.

As I often do, I ended up looking to the military, to see what system they had developed, and quickly started reading up about Assault Vests and Plate Carriers.

For it is a continuous balance between functionality and weight – I have to carry all this on me, so the notion of a fully loaded up vest, with a pack on top, not only screamed out weight overload, but also a lot of heat buildup.

Then I happened to stumble upon Ribz – what seamed like the perfect middle ground between a full on Molle Assault vest, and a belt bag, which (for my tastes) is slightly too small.

[box_green]The Ribz front pack is made of 210d water resistant ripstop nylon. The front pack weighs approx. 250 grams. All components are water resistant and have proven durability in the most extreme of conditions. With an average storage capacity 10 liters, you can comfortably carry up to 4.5 kg in the front packs.

The use of a front pack re-positions a portion of your weight forward which reduces your overall shoulder stress and increases comfort, mobility and balance. A front pack also creates the illusion of carrying a lighter load.

Though the Ribz front pack was designed with ultralight backpacking intentions, any outdoor activity where easy access of equipment is critical is where it proves beneficial. Ribz front pack can be used alone as a vest but is primarily designed to work with your existing backpack as increased functionality.

(copied from the Ribz site, and changed to metric)

There is already a pile of Ribz reviews online – the one that put me onto them is here – [/box_green]

[three_fourths_first]Like most people, I know I am carrying excessive amounts of equipment at the moment, but, I am sure as I become more comfortable with my level of knowledge, I will start to be able to leave some of it at home.

I wanted to know that I could happily make do for at least 72 hours with the content of my 2nd Line Carry.

While I will no doubt go more into the individual items over time – here is a quick listing, broken down into rough groupings, of the contents of my 2nd line at the moment.

• Kannad Marine – Safelink Solo
• Ironclad Ranchworx Gloves
• SVORD Peasant Knife
• Fenix Headband & 4Sevens QMiniX123
• Icebreaker Merino Beanie – Grey and Orange
• Ridgeline Hi-Vis Vest
• Space Blanket
• Wound Dressing
• Bandage
• Gauze Pads
• Painkillers, Antihistamines, Anti-Nausea, Anti-Inflammatories
• 10m Blaze Orange Paracord
• Silva Compass
• Bug Repellent
• Surgical Tape
• Light My Fire Lightstick
• Toilet Paper
• One Square Meal
• eTrex30 GPS
• Lighter wrapped in Gaffa Tape
• Candle
• Wetfire
• Char Cloth
• Mini Guide to New Zealand Birds
• Mini Guide to New Zealand Native Trees

[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]You are possibly wondering to yourself, ‘why on earth does he carry so much stuff on him?’.

Well. I decided I wanted to be prepared, regardless of what might occur. I tend to prefer to do some of the less travelled tramps, and often will be a fair way out, even just for an overnight. While I could put my faith in the mighty cell-phone – I also know they tend to run out of coverage about 5 meters from your parked vehicle once in the bush.

Also, I want to make sure I can also look after anyone with me. The reality is, many people are happy to wander out with the bare minimum – heck – its all extra weight isn’t it! So it becomes a matter of self reliance, and also care-taking.

I have no doubt I will whittle this down over time, then add some new bits, and reduce others again – these things always seem to organically grow and shrink and you learn more and gain more experience.[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

Refinements

Well, anyone who knows me, knows I cant help by try and switch/change/alter and edit things trying to make them work better.

As much as I like the Ribz system, there are a few things I would like to change.

The first being modularity. I really like the concept of being able to add or remove from a system depending on what I am up to.

So, with that in mind, I am looking, yet again, at a Molle Vest style of arrangement, with compartmental pouches, depending on what I am up too.

[three_fourths_first][box_green]For the majority of New Zealand trampers, you will spend most of your time on well established and marked tracks. However, the ability to know where you actually are, at any given time, cannot be underestimated. Especially if at some point you plan of evolving into bush bashing or unmarked explorations.[/box_green]

During my sessions with the Mountain Safety Council, we spend a lot, even the majority of time, focusing on location awareness and accurate navigation while in the bush.

The MSC navigation courses teach you how to read a Topo Map both with and without the assistance of a compass. After a while practicing, you start to gain an understanding of what all the squiggly lines over the map actually means, and how that relates to where you are.

While I still pack my Topo Maps and Compass whenever I go out (as should you) – I wanted to have a device to record my trips, as well as provide a easy way of finding out where I was at any given time. Hence my interest in getting a GPS unit.

Previously, I had owned a NavMan unit, and used in extensively in the car. To be blunt, I suck at remembering road names, even had lived in Auckland most my life, I still don’t know which road is which, and a unit like that was a god-send.[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]

Mountain Safety Council Courses

The MSC offer several courses that incorporate Navigation into their teaching – however, they also have one specific to GPS usage – and its coming up soon!

Check out more info over here – look for the Bushcraft, GPS Course.

[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

However, I had a few additional considerations

• Weight – I have to carry everything I take with me, and because I am already lugging around a pile of camera equipment, I try to reduce weight wherever I can – yes, I guess really, I could not take one at all, but then you wouldn’t get all those cool GPX files at the end of trip reports – would you?
• Battery Life – at one of the MSC courses, another participant was keen to show off a new Garmin he had been lent to test out – a Montana – large touch screen, heaps of gizmos, lots of weight, battery dead with 8 hours. No thanks. Besides, I don’t need to be carrying around yet another camera with me – I have a Digital SLR that weighs a ton, my phone has one, my GPS doesn’t need one.
• Weatherproofing – I expect it get get muddy, and potentially wet – we are in the bush, after all.

So, I did what most people would do, and read every single review I could find on the internet in a quest to find the best GPS unit on the planet.

Man was that confusing.

However, in the end, I did find the Garmin name pop up again and again, and the had a couple of new models that seemed to fit my requirements. After a couple of false starts (it was pre-release when I started trying to order one) – I got my mits on a unit, and was soon trying to figure out how to use it.

First thing – you don’t have to pay for maps! Pop over here – NZ Open GPS Project – and have a good read. Sure – if your not overly technology orientated, then just pay for… wait – you have a digital unit, that you are going to rely on to tell you where you are in the bush, and you can’t be bothered learning how it works? Come-on! Go over there – learn how easy it is to install custom, open source maps, and get to know your technology a little better at the same time!

Anyhow – loaded up Topo Maps, as well as a turn-by-turn street map for NZ. Fairly easy, just downloaded Basecamp from Garmin and installed as instructed – good to go!

I would suggest you just take the Garmin with you on a couple of day walks, to work, around town, anywhere just to get comfortable with how it works, and how to ‘drive’ it. The last thing you want to do is get out into the back country with it, and not know how it all works.

It now goes out with me on any trip into the bush – and here are a few things I have noticed;

• I tend to use it simply as a quick way for find out my current Grid Reference – then I get out the Topo Map, confirm my position, and work from there – I still prefer looking at a bigger map, than that screen.
• The ETA times seems to be somewhat random – I need to read up online and see how they are calculated. The have been observed to be hours (up to 4) out at times.
• It gets as much use on the Motorbike as it does on Tramps
• I will probably never use half the features on the thing

[box_grey]On the Bike

I didn’t really buy the unit thinking I would use it other than in the bush, but the realisation came to me that I had a GPS unit that could be used in the rain, for example – on the back of a motorbike. I ordered one of the bike frame clamps, attached it to the triple clamp on the Triumph with some cable ties – and suddenly had an excellent dual-use GPS.

This is where the profiles come in very handy – I can quickly switch map (Topo/Turn by Turn), back light options, data fields and several other options in an instant. This makes it easy to switch from one to the other, as I don’t have to re-setup the unit depending on how I am using it.[/box_grey]

Reviews

There are already plenty of ‘feature’ reviews on these units – here are links to a couple -

1. GPS Tracklogs Review
2. GPS Information Review
3. Amazon Reviews
4. Garmins Site

Good video review here too -

[three_fourths_first][box_green]The plan

A simple overnight stay in the Mataitai Forest.

[/box_green]

I am really enjoying finding little spots to spend the night in the great little retreat.

I am getting better at setting up the hammock, and ended up leaving the tarp only half over, staring up at the stars through the trees.

[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]Summary

Location: Mataitai Forest

Grade: Easy

Time: 1 Night

Party Size: 1

[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

[three_fourths_first][box_green]The plan

Spend the week at Muller Hut as Volunteer DOC Hut Wardens in the Mount Cook National Park

[/box_green]

Through a MSC tramping partner (Josh @ Wilderness Magazine) we heard about the volunteer program for Mueller Hut around September 2011. My partner and I decided that a one week stay up a mountain presented a good challenge and goal for us, so signed up, and started to work on getting fit enough to carry everything we would require for one week, up the side of a mountain.

Mueller Hut sits at around 1833m above sea level, and most of the walk up there ‘seems’ to be at around a 45 degree slope. Combine that with my propensity to carry around a pile of heavy camera equipment, and it soon dawned on us, that we needed to get a bit fitter if we wanted to get up there in one piece.

However, we took it on as the challenge it was, and spend the next few months getting out whenever we could, and learning as much as we could about dehydrating foods, trying to reduce our pack weight however we could.

After flying down from Auckland and spending one night in Queenstown, and then another night at Unwin Hut, a well set up ‘Base Camp’ run by the New Zealand Alpine Club, we were picked up by Anthea, a DOC Ranger. She delivered us to the Information Center in the Mt Cook Village, where we went through a thorough induction process. Our role at the hut was to welcome people, make sure they were entered into the Park Intentions System, report back to Base and clean the hut and toilets each day. Critical information, such as the appropriate use of the ‘shit stirring stick’ was passed on. Full of knowledge, we were given a radio, dropped off at the camp ground at the base of the mountains, and wished the best of luck.

Climbing the first part of the track, we discovered that it was mid way through being upgraded with wooden, gravel filled steps, but at that time, sans the gravel. This turned the steps into more of a ladder climb, but we made a slow progression up to our first real stop, the Sealy Tarns.

We stopped here, filled up the water bottles, sterilised them with the SteriPen, had a quick bite to eat, and carried on our way.

From this point, considered around half way, the track stops being a ‘track’ as such, and become a route indicated by regular markers. It also gets steeper, harder going at this point. A combination of bolder scrambling and loose scree provides a challenge for the day walker, let alone someone carrying (as it later turned out) around 30kg on their back.

However, the final challenge presented itself as we reached the ridge, and felt the first of the alpine winds. Enough to blow you right over, these winds have been measured reaching up to 220 kmph, and due to coming straight of the Ice Glaciers, are cold.

Suddenly, the packs seems to serve an extra purpose of providing some extra ballast, so, with Icebreaker Hoodies zipped right up, we carried on. The first sighting of the Hut was extremely welcome. At this point we were both very tired, and ready for a feed and rest.

Mueller Hut itself, is a simple, but well built wooden structure – one that provides gas cookers, solar powered lights, bedding for 28 in two bunk-rooms and a separate wardens quarters. In addition it has a dual ‘long-drop’ toilet, separate from the hut.

Ah, the toilets. DOC has a policy of removing all solid waste from the mountain, this includes human waste. This means the two toilets are feeding into large tanks, and once full, they are helicoptered off the mountain and dumped into the local sewage treatment system. While I fully support this idea, as the notion of everyone crapping wherever they like, and quickly turning the area into a giant toilet-bowl (toilet paper and waste degrades at a much, much slow rate in alpine areas, and really doesn’t belong there in the first place), it has to be said, they stunk, especially when they are getting full. However, really, it is a small price to pay, considering the incredible environment we are trying to protect.

We soon settled into our quarters, and slept very well that first night.

While I could fill pages with things observed or experienced up there, I will restrict it to a few for this post – some highlights included -

• John ‘the Viking’ Warden - during our induction, we were advised that the water tanks were getting low, and some serious conservation may be required – or at least, we might have to use snow for our water source for the week. When we were heading up, about half way up the track we met the two outgoing wardens – John and Izzie. It seems John (who was sporting one hell of a beard) spend a large part of the week shovelling snow into the tanks – resulting in us arriving with full water supplies at the hut. If you know how much snow you need to melt into a cup of water, you will appreciate exactly how much of a legend the man is.
• The Storm – shortly after getting there, the winds started to kick up, eventually stopping people getting up the mountain, and resulting in us having the Hut to ourselves, and experiencing 140-160 kph winds buffeting the hut. It moves, and creaks and groans – but stays standing. Within a day though, the wind had died right down, and we really only had light breezes for the rest of the week.
• Nearly stepping on an Mount Cook Flea, also known at the Alpine Weta. During one of our many daily excursions around the Mountain, Alice suddenly exclaimed ‘STOP! Look down, right by your foot’. Next to my foot – sitting in the vegetation, was a Weta. Slowly, I switched the camera over to the macro lenses, and managed to get a series of shots of the fella, which graciously sat completely still until I had finished shoving a camera in its face.
• Getting continually distracted by the view – all you needed to do was look up, and half an hour later you would realise you had been staring out at the mountains. This continued right up until we left – the mountains, the glaciers, the avalanches all serving to provide continuous eye candy.

We were lucky to be able to experience nearly every type of weather while up at the hut – from gale force storms, to hot, windless days sunbathing on the deck, to minimal visibility due to clouds, nature served up a phenomenal experience of spending time in the mountains.

When it was time to head back down, it was with a mix of excitement and sadness. Excitement of being able to have a hot shower, flushing toilets and electricity again, but a sadness of leaving a truly wondrous place, and a simple, soul satisfying way of living for a while. We are are already planning our next trip to the area.

[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]Summary

Location: Mueller Hut, Mt Cook

Grade: Harder than indicated, especially if you are planning on taking a full pack. Not technical mountaineering, but a hard climb. Well worth the sweat though.

Distance: 8.9km (there and back)

Time: 1 Week

Party Size: 2-35 (had a couple of nights with a full hut)

[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

Download GPX

[three_fourths_first][box_green]The plan

Photography Tour of Skipper Canon, Queenstown

[/box_green]

Hosted through Queenstown Heritage Tours, the ‘Unforgettable‘ Tour provided as an alternative to the adrenaline pumping pursuits Queenstown seems to be overly obsessed with.

This was an excellent tour, in our case lead by an extremely knowledgeable guide, Arthur, who seemed to know a limitless supply of stories about the area.

Highly recommended – check out more reviews at Trip Advisor.

[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]Summary

Location: Skipper Canyon, Queenstown

Grade: Easy - Vehicle based tour

Distance: -

Time: 4 Hours

Party Size: 2

[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

[three_fourths_first][box_green]The plan

Head back to the trail we did during the MSC Advanced Bushcraft course – following the main loop around 1000 Acre Clearing in the Waharau Regional Park, on the east side of the Hunua Ranges.

[/box_green]

I am getting a progressively heavier pack. There always seems to be some new toy or gadget to include and carry out with me. The last major addition was the 400mm 5.6 Lens, which has added 1250 grams of weight. Latest was a very cool little seat from ALite designs – The Monarch Chair.

We set off, potentially a little later than we should have, and headed for our campsite. We were debating keeping going through to the little hut at the Trig Station, but in the end decided to stop at the camp site – I had my hammock on me, and was keen to use the underquilt again.

In hindsight though, I don’t think I would do the walk again that way. Stopping (relativity) soon at the site means the next days works out at roughly a nine hour tramp. Which is a bit of a killer, and unnecessary. The thought was to reverse the trip next time, stopping at the Trig Hut, and therefore more evenly splitting the trip in two.

Setup wise, we were brought out the Sea To Summit Double Bug Net – while I was safe in the built in mossie net of the hammock – we wan’t to get something to protect anyone under the tarp – after several previous nights of getting eaten alive.

Tarp camping presents one significant disadvantage (also an advantage) over traditional tents – no walls. For many sites, and in the middle of winter, this doesn’t pose too much of a problem, but come summer, and particularly it seems, in the Waitakeries, the Mossies come out with a vengeance.  The Bug net is a simple solution, for not much weight.

We simply ran an additional ridge line under the tarp, and fixed the mossie net to it. This particular net gets pegged out, but could equally be stuffed under the bed pad to keep it in place.

Food wise – we had a combination of favorite snacks and the dehydrated foods that Alice has been experimenting with – and while the dehydrated chocolate pudding didn’t exactly set, it was still a great after dinner, thick and rich drink, especially when combined with some digestives!

We have also come to the conclusion that a bowl of cereal really isn’t enough of a breakfast if you are planning on any serious backpacking, as evidenced by our yawning mid morning. Arriving at the Trig Hut, the decision was made to cook up the spare bag of dehydrated risoto   we had brought with us. With a decent amount of fuel in us, we felt much better, and headed on our way.

We had made a somewhat late start (shock horror – 10 am!) so realised that we needed to get back to the car before the gates were locked and we had to spend an additional night in the park. In the end though, we made it back with around half an hour to spare.

All in all, it was a good, but hard tramp – the pack isn’t getting any lighter, buy I do feel my overall fitness is improving, which can only be good.

[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]Summary

Location: 1000 Acre Clearing, Waharau Regional Park, Hunua Ranges.

Grade: Moderate / Difficult – some very overgrown areas, lots of mud, some step climbs and descents.

Distance: 18.3km

Time: 2 days

Party Size:2

[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

Download GPX

[three_fourths_first][box_green]The plan

I wanted to head back up to Mataitai Forest, to the same campsite we visited on the MSC Intermediate Bushcraft Course.[/box_green]

I planned to take a shorter route than the MSC Course, cutting through the middle rather than going around the outside loop, but surprised myself by getting there in and hour and a half. As there was still many hours till sunset, I decided to track back around the outside on the opposite loop end, which we had decided to shortcut previously. I found most of the dark Ponga Forest next to what seemed to be private land somewhat depressive, and was happy to come back out the other side to a bit of elevation and green.

I found myself back at the beginning of the track, and debated heading back into town, but I also had my new Warbonnet Underquilt to test out, so decided to walk back in a bit and find somewhere suitable to set up.

Headed back in, I remembered there was a nice clearing I should set up in, somewhere with a little bit of a ‘view’.

Pleased to report the under quilt worked wonderfully and I was snugg (actually, overly hot – I need to get a ‘higher’ rated sleeping bag), although I woke up at 5:30 for some reason, well reseted, but unable to get back to sleep. In the end though, I happily made myself a coffee and settled in to read the kindle. I am currently reading the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire‘ series, and strongly suggest you get it if you enjoyed the Game of Thrones TV Series.

[/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_red]Summary

Location:Mataitai Forest

Grade:Moderate – well maintained and marked tracks, steep in places.

Length:10.2 km

Time:2 days

Party Size:1[/box_red][/one_fourth_last]

Download GPX

[three_fourths_first]For anyone spending any serious amount of time in the bush, learning to safely access and potentially cross rivers in their many shapes and forms is a valuable skill.

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council run a River Safety Course – a day of both theoretical and practical lessons, focused on dealing with rivers in their many shapes and forms.

No matter what your skill level, from someone getting into more tramping, to experienced backpackers and group leaders, the skills taught are applicable. This particular course had a wide range of backgrounds and previous experience, so many of the exercises were backed up with practical exercises and stories being shared by both the course instructors and participants.

The course starts with a some Hydrology theory – explaining the many forms and factors involved in the flow of a river; understanding the flow of the river, turbulence factors, what causes an eddy, different hazards both seen and unseen, and what you should consider before, during and after any potential river crossing.

Once the theory is covered, it is put into practice. Starting with some dry land based practice, you learn how to lock together with your fellow trail mates to form a stable base for crossing over, in addition, you learn some tips for solo crossing, and how to deal with different sized groups.

After a bit of dry footwork, into the river you go. Although the course is held in a controlled, safe environment, the river is still real, so it is the perfect opportunity to learn, while still having the backup of instructors up and down the river, should you happen to have any issues.

Several passes through the river, in different conditions and group sizes makes you quickly realise the strength in numbers, and the slightly uncomfortable act of locking together is quickly rewarded with the additional stability it provides.

Also addressed is the issue of strainers – seen and unseen obstacles with the potential to snag either yourself or your equipment. In what ends up looking like a forced forwards baptism, you quickly learn what could be a scary and daunting prospect – being held face down in the water with a pack strapped onto your back, is actually simply, and quickly solved.

One interesting, and surprising factor in all this, is the amount of buoyancy a loaded pack actually provides. Considering all your equipment should be safety stored in water-tight (and therefore generally air-tight) dry-bags, there is a large amount of air trapped with the average tramping pack, and this was further highlighted by the final exercise – pack-flotation. Again, both solo and in groups, the packs provided a ready to go raft, already strapped to your pack.

[box_red]The course highlighted the simple fact that, most of the time, it simply isn’t in your best interest to be crossing a river, but when you decide that it is the best option, knowing how to cross is certainly critical in remaining safe. Highly recommended.[/box_red][/three_fourths_first]

[one_fourth_last][box_green]The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) is a national organisation and incorporated society with a mandate from their member organisations to encourage safe participation in land-based outdoor activities.

The organisation operates from the high tide mark to the peak of Aoraki/Mount Cook and is principally focused on abseil techniques, alpine skills, avalanche awareness, bushcraft

(walking, camping, tramping and survival), firearms safety, outdoor and workplace first aid, outdoor safety, risk management and river safety.

The Council currently consists of 25 Member Organisations and 1 Associate Member organisation with a vested interest in safety, including Government agencies, national youth organisations and industry associations; an Executive Committee whose role is to provide governance; a National Office with full and part-time staff; a number of technical advisory and standing committees as well as 28 regional branches supporting more than 1500 instructors.[/box_green][/one_fourth_last]

On an MSC organised Bushcraft trip earlier this year, after a group of us wandered out in the dark for a night tramp, we reached the lookout, and we were posed the question by the instructor…
[box_red]“If something should go wrong right now, what do you have on you to help you survive the situation?”[/box_red]
The answer for most of us? Nothing.

As it happened, one of our party had just slipped down the stairs, thankfully not hurting themselves, but it did highlight one vitally important point – we had all just walked straight out of the hut, leaving our packs, and therefore all of our equipment behind. The only person still carrying anything of any use above a flashlight was the instructor, who was carrying their belt-pack- a pouch that never left their side when in the bush.

This got me thinking. While it’s all well and good carrying everything bar the kitchen sink in your pack, it all becomes relatively useless if you leave that fully loaded heavy pack when you head out for a quick side trip, or in a worst case scenario – lose the pack in a river crossing or some other unplanned event.

So, what can you do to prepare yourself for these kinds of situation?

After a quick bit of online research, as it often does, the military came up with a predefined solution to this problem – The ‘Line Gear’ concept.

No-one knows a stupid heavy load like the Military.

While I will go into a more detailed description of the seperate lines in subsequent articles – the overview of the concept goes like this:

1st Line – The bare essentials you permanently carry upon your person, in your pockets or clipped directly to your belt. This is also know as your EDC, or Every Day Carry. This is your bare minimum carry.

2nd Line – In military terms, this is your ‘fighting load’ – your weapon(s), additional ammo and tools. Still lightweight, this is the stuff that is going to make your existence a lot easier beyond just having the basics. Often this is carried in either a small belt-pack or vest. This is what you are likely to carry, even when you leave you big pack in the hut or at camp.

3rd Line – Also known as the ‘sustainment’ level – this is all the additional equipment that you are likely to carry in a pack, not essential for survival, but certainly a lot nicer to have. In the case of a backpacker – sleeping bag, tent, additional food and cooking equipment and so on – the equipment we probably spend the most time thinking about.

While it is nice to always assume you are going to have your pack on you, the idea of the Line system, in regards to backpacking, means that you can drop or leave your pack, and still have the majority of what you would need to survive for a period of time in the bush. Should you also lose the 2nd Line, then you still have the bare essentials on you.