Packing your pack. Food, water, batteries and so on.

[self-deleted_user]

I currently have two food projects in the works, specifically for caving.

I'm good at baking so I thought I'd try my hand at basically a granola bar but with yummy stuff and actually filling. And I am working on pastys as well, something I ran into in the UK, miners developed that, so I figure must work well for caving too! Then I just found out apparently in the UP of Michigan pastys are a big thing too, but I guess that makes sense as if I recall there are a lot of mines up there. So kinda two variations of things. One for a quicky more traditional type thing folks carry now, the other, an actual meal meant to be easy, hold up well, and you never have to touch it with muddy hands if you unwrap it right! I will post my recipes and results as I get them perfected how I want them.

A third project once I'm done with these two is more of a scone/granolabar crossover type thing. aka not crumbly like scone but more scone-like.

Should be finished shortly, will test underground at Speleofest

[Chads93GT]

I don't understand why you would put batteries in a container. Zip-lock baggie--sure. But, a container is just something else to carry.

Because the caving I do is rather violent and gear in packs that isn't protected tends to get hammered and ruined. Id rather keep my rechargeables safe from getting punctured and banged up since I need them to get out of the cave alive if shit hits the fan. Its just my preference as I have ruined batteries only in ziplocks in my pack before. Ive even shattered one of the otter boxes protecting my batteries before. the batteries were safe but Shit happens.

[self-deleted_user]

I don't understand why you would put batteries in a container. Zip-lock baggie--sure. But, a container is just something else to carry.

Because the caving I do is rather violent and gear in packs that isn't protected tends to get hammered and ruined. Id rather keep my rechargeables safe from getting punctured and banged up since I need them to get out of the cave alive if shit hits the fan. Its just my preference as I have ruined batteries only in ziplocks in my pack before. Ive even shattered one of the otter boxes protecting my batteries before. the batteries were safe but Shit happens.

Yeah I use rechargables too, and I keep them in a waterproof box. Doesn't add that much weight and I know they are safe. I can drop my pack down and climb down after it and know the batteries (and my camera also in a case) are gonna be fine.

[LukeM]

As far as watertight boxes go I've had a lot of luck with the one I purchased from Dick's Sporting Goods.

Cheap, yet it seems subjectively to seal as well as, and be as nearly as durable as much more expensive alternatives. I've only used it on maybe a dozen trips so far so I can't attest to how it performs in the long run, but it doesn't show signs of wear yet. The gasket is very beefy and durable looking.

[Scott McCrea]

Just for giggles and science, how much of your pack contents is packaging or containers?

Maybe take a picture of the contents piled up. Then another picture with the contents without containers or packaging.

[Chads93GT]

Unfortunately, lots of my stuff is in cases. My disto is in a case. My clino/compass is in a case. Ive ruined both because they werent protected. My batteries are protected. When I take a side flash for photography in, its also in a pelican case. My pack bangs off the floor on half mile crawls over cobble where we clip our packs to our feet for dragging, the packs bang off walls in canyon passages or stoop walking, sometimes i simply fall down and land on my pack. Not having hard cases to protect expensive gear seems a bit silly. Its cheaper to replace a case than it is what its protecting. Sure it makes my pack heavier, but im not a wimp so I don't worry about it. On long survey trips we all have lots of gear, we dont just take water and sandwiches like we do when we go pit bouncing in tag.

[self-deleted_user]

I pick case size carefully. Pelican 1010 fits my camera exactly, and I have my migraine med in it too.
A waterproof container from REI my friend uses for his batteries I use for mine, I put all 3 backup sets (12 AA's) in it perfectly, it fits them side by side and 8 high.

So uh...no...really no extra bulk other than the bit 'o padding and protective plastic and waterproofness. Totally worth it to protect those bits of my gear.

[Spike]

If I'm on a short bop trip, like the 4-6 hour range, I may bring a snack, and 16 oz of water. Often I never touch the water. I just don't want the pack wieght, I try to hydrate well before and after the trip, and I don't get hungry much while caving. 12-18 hour survey trips in either Carroll in MO or Mammoth KY are different. Generally I take 32 oz of water, with some staged for the way out when in KY. I'll eat a snickers when I'm starting to get eye strain, doing book or reading istruments. I'll have some food for lunch(usually around 5:00PM), like canned beans, tuna, beef stew, and then another snickers in a few hours. Total calories is usually around 600-700 for the day in the cave. I'll eat more and rehydrate once I'm out of the cave. On long multiday camp trips, I try to drink fluids as often as I can and my calorie intake goes way higher.

[self-deleted_user]

I have learned that even if I'm not hungry or thirsty (and often, when I'm doing something physical, eating or drinking makes me sick to my stomach) but I can cave better for longer if I eat a bit here and there. If we pause for a moment even if it's not a break I might take a few bites of Snickers or have a few sips of water. I've learned doing a bite or two and a sip or two at a time makes my stomach not get queezy and nauseous but if I don't at all I wear out in a couple hours. I tend to not eat or drink much on even a normal day - I eat here and there throughout the day but not often actual meals (Had to learn to do that because I don't often get hungry, so I would go for 2-3 days without eating, and if I don't eat I forget to drink, by day 2 or 3 I wonder why I feel like crap and realize I've not eaten or drinken in days! I do eat meals socially though lol like if we go out to eat after capoeira, or after caving, or whatever, I'll eat just to eat heh. And I've learned to sometimes just lie and say I'm hungry when I'm not because I'm sick of people claiming i'm anorexic. Even had to fight my doctor on that. I'll eat if I'm hungry, sheesh! If not, why should I eat?) Anyway, I feel the "not eating" more when I cave so keeping up that "few bites here and few bites there" mantra seems to work the best for me.

Also oddly enough, when we take actual breaks when caving for people to sit and eat, I get chilled fast. Not if I just sit, but if I actually eat too. So I actually don't like taking breaks like most groups seem to "oh lets chill here 10-15 min" not so much a fan of.

[Batgirl]

I guess I am the odd woman out, but I pack a good amount of food because my standard trips are usually around 7-8 hours and depending on the intensity of the trip, I need the fuel. So here are some of my choices:

20 oz bottle Gatorade (2 or 3) - replenishes the electrolytes and also serves as pee bottle.
Tuna sandwich
Cheezits
Orange or Apple
Cliff Bar
M&M's
Beef Jerky
Tuna Salad Lunch Kit by Bumble Bee (Wal-Mart sells these and includes fruit and a cookie).
I have also recently learned that a thermos full of soup or ravioli works great for wet multi-drops when the cold can eliminate your energy on impact. My little thermos has a fold up spoon that fits into the top of the cap. So nothing extra to search for or lose.

In addition to food, I typically carry:
2 extra headlights
8 AA batteries
Small first aid kit
large garbage bag/emergency blanket
3:1 haul system with extra biners, pulleys and 2 prusiks
compass which I wear

The food and equipment are packed into 2 separate dry bags and fit nicely in my pack without too much weight.

[Kendalcaver]

LukeM:

As far as watertight boxes go I've had a lot of luck with the one I purchased from Dick's Sporting Goods.

Cheap, yet it seems subjectively to seal as well as, and be as nearly as durable as much more expensive alternatives. I've only used it on maybe a dozen trips so far so I can't attest to how it performs in the long run, but it doesn't show signs of wear yet. The gasket is very beefy and durable looking.

I have a box that's very similar, if not identical, to the one illustrated. Shortly after I got it, it fell out of my pack and bounced off down a 35-ft pitch . . . would it be worth retrieving? In fact, I found it lying in a puddle, having landed on solid rock and bounced a bit; it was undamaged, and the flashgun inside it was dry and still worked.

[LukeM]

Thanks, that good to know Kendalcaver! They do seem quite sturdy to me. And for $10 you seemingly can't go wrong.

[NZcaver]

I have a box that's very similar, if not identical, to the one illustrated. Shortly after I got it, it fell out of my pack and bounced off down a 35-ft pitch . . . would it be worth retrieving? In fact, I found it lying in a puddle, having landed on solid rock and bounced a bit; it was undamaged, and the flashgun inside it was dry and still worked.

Thanks for the testimony. Those Outdoor Products brand boxes are the cheap-o ones Wal Mart has carried for the last few years. They seem reasonable quality for around $9 for the medium one and a little more for the larger one. I recently noticed they now stock a smaller, flat Outdoor Products "cell phone" size dry box too.

If you have a Samsung Vibrant smart phone or iPhone or something of that size, unfortunately it will be about 10mm too wide to fit in this little box. A Suunto Tandem won't fit either, but the smaller Suunto Twin compass/clino will. Despite this tiny wee design flaw, the boxes are a pretty handy size for relatively flat point-and-shoot cameras, batteries, and other small items. Personally I don't have any flat cameras and I keep my batteries in ziplock bags, but I have other secret gadget plans for these little boxes anyway.



Anyway, at around $6 these are a pretty good deal. (Dick's sporting goods also stocks them, but for $10 each.)

[Caver John]

Anyone ever tried clif shot bloks? There great for caving!


Features & Benefits:
Clif® Shot® Bloks™ They're simple-to-handle, easy-to-chew: Provides similar nutrition to SHOT® gel, so they'll fit seamlessly into your training and racing nutrition program
Nutrition: Carbohydrates and Electrolytes
3 Bloks™: Provide 100 calories. That makes it easy to track caloric intake during long outings
6 Bloks™ to a single serve package: So one package provides 200 calories
Clif® Shot® Bloks™ are USDA certified organic: Which means that each flavor contains a minimum of 95% Organic ingredients

[LukeM]

I've had them shared with me. They were definitely appreciated for a quick boost of glucose (and with some, caffeine) toward the end of a long trip. Definitely not something I'd use constantly because of the cost and lack of complex carbs, but I could see having them around for certain times.