The
Dirtbagger's Deluxe
Home What's New? E-Mail the Guys
|
The
Dirtbagger's Deluxe Home What's New? E-Mail the Guys
|
|
Lightweight Hiking Food Hiking Techniques Trip Journals Links NEW! Where To Go NEW! A Lesson From the Trail |
Dirtbaggin' "And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse." Mark 6:8
I first became interested in dirtbagging when I read an article in Sports Afield Magazine (yes, I CAN read!) about a paleontologist who would spend months at a time out in the desert lookin' for bones with nothing more than food and a few odds and ends. What!? He would wear the same clothes for a month at a time or until they fell apart. He bathed about every two or three weeks. Huh!? But get this, when it came to food he would bring salmon steaks and hooch and stuff like that. This is my kind of guy! I too hate to take baths and if I could get away with it I'd have only two pair of clothes, my churchin' clothes and then my Carhart bibs with Dale Earnhard t-shirt. After reading that article it really got me to thinkin', "What is it that we really need to survive on a trip?" The answer I kept coming back to was, "Not much." The guy's basic ideal was that if you take just the basest 10% you need for survival (first aid, shelter, warmth, and food), then take the most ludicrous 10% (like salmon steaks, beer, a book), and just leave the middle 80% at home. What a concept! Why spend the time and effort to cut the handle off yer toothbrush when you can just leave the darn thing at home. So I tried it. And ya know what? It was the most fun I'd had hiking. It was also the simplest time I've had hiking. No extra clothes to lug along. No stove to tinker (Nigal likes tinkerin') with. No tent to rassle with. Just the simple life! I went when it was summer and I don't think that dirtbaggin' such a hot idea when it gets real cold. The basic doctrine from the article for dirtbaggin' is this: The Dirtbag Manifesto 1)Dirtbaggin' is a process- This ain't just somethin' that ya jump right into. Ya got to know what your doin' out there and know how to be safe. Dirtbag in safe places first. After ya got some skills then hit the backcountry. 2)Leave yer pride at home- A dirtbag has no need of worrying about how he looks, smells or what others may think. This ain't no competition ya know. 3)Dirtbaggin' is best done in the dessert- Like I said the dessert is the safest place for true dirtbaggin'. The conditions are a lot more predictable and easier to deal with. The weather is the biggest factor that makes dessert dirtbaggin' best. 4)Live by the 10-80-10 rules- Again, the rule is to bring the basic 10% (food, warmth, shelter), bring the frivolous 10% (flask of hooch, book, gourmet food, book) and chuck the rest! 5)Be happy enduring the basic necessities- Sometimes we aren't going to have the best of everything. Be happy eating just rice for dinner if need be. Sometimes deprivation is the icing on the cake. 6)Buy the best equipment you can afford and be sure you have tested it before headin' out- This may seem like an oxy-moron (huh, huh, that's Nigal!) but if your out there on the edge ya have to have stuff that works. If you can find cheap stuff that works just as good as the high end stuff, use it. The biggest places I spend on is the sleeping bag. As long as you can stay warm you'll live through anything. 7)Learn to do what's necessary- This goes back to the pride thing. If you have to do extreme things that you wouldn't normally do, you have to do it. This includes brushing your teeth with charcoal from the fire pit or rubbing mud on ya to keep the skeeters away (I've never had to but I'd do it if I had to). 8)Hike with other dirtbags- It is most fun to hike with like-minded folk like yourself. Being dirty and stinky isn't near as much fun if your surrounded by perty smellin' clean folks (Nigal fits this prissy category!). Styles can clash on the trail if everyone isn't open-minded. 9)Always have duct tape- Duct tape can do anything! It is the single most important gear you have. While I'm at it, add trash bags to this list. You'll see why on the gear pages. 10)Don't live by the world's definition of hygiene- One of my favorite things about dirtbaggin' is that ya ain't gotta take a bath at the end of the day or rinse your clothes out. You don't have to brush your teeth (heck I don't do that at home!). You don't have to have extra clothes but be sure you can stay warm if you get into trouble.
|
Dirtbag Hikin' Gear Food Hikin' Techniques Trips N' Stuff Linxs |
