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What unusual and very useful accessory do you carry on hikes?

Bob & Chris: A collapsible plastic bucket — bright yellow — used for water, bathing, whatever. Sucker weighs at least 1 pound :)

Marmot: Maybe not unusual but no one ever admits to having one: a pee jar for the 3 a.m. pee. I hate getting out of the tent in the middle of the night. It’s worse than mosquitoes on the irritation meter.

Anton: A carabiner. Great for hanging food and emergency belays (maybe, never tried it).

Anonymous: Milk jug cut open. Works great for wash water- dipping, and carrying bread without crushing it. <>/p>

Frog: Bug carried Kermit the Frog from Mexico to Canada ’97. Pictures available as proof he is first PCT thru hiking frog.

Hal “GREEN HORNET” Margolis: Lately I am carrying a monocular, not very powerful, perhaps 4x, but light in weight. I use it as a navigation aid: to spot the trail ahead, to look back and see if I overshot it, to identify landmarks, to read a distant sign, and for interesting things that appear, e.g. a gulch that may have water in it or if that critter sitting there perched on that rock is indeed a marmot.

Paul C. Griffith: I’ve made a poncho that converts into a bivouac bag, pup tent, tube tent, or flat tarp. The main features are a long separating zipper to join the long sides of the poncho, drawstrings in the end-hems, and use of a waterproof/breathable fabric on half of the poncho (the seam runs the long way). I used Nextec EPIC ® and regular silicone-impregnated nylon, and got a 10 ounce weight. Zip up the sides, cinch up one end, lay it down with the EPIC ® on top; and it’s a bivy sac. I tapered it, but a regular rectangular poncho design would work. Replace one side of your old poncho with EPIC ® or Gore- Tex, add the zipper and drawstrings, and you’re set. This was my shelter and rain gear in the Sierras.

Wyatt Shudlick: For a couple years now I have never left without taking the tripod with me. It is so heavy, but the pictures are well worth the pain. If you just use a tarp the tripod could be one of the supports, but if you are serious about the shots you want to get you will be so happy you have a tripod with you. I carry one that is over 5 pounds, but they make little ones that are under a pound. With a tripod, you can blur water effectively, the focus will be sharp, and you can even experiment with star trails and other cool things. I rationalize this extra weight by skimping on the regular items, like extra clothes, tent, etc.

Jeff and Andy (ABasque): We have thought long and hard about this one and we would have to say that our unusual and useful accessory is our Oscar Meyer Wiener whistle. Not only is it a whistle for emergency purposes in case we get lost or need to signal for assistance, but if someone is being a weenie, they are jolted out of their behavior with a blast from the whistle. Any person in our hiking party is allowed to use the whistle on any other member at their discretion. Sometimes even the threat of having the weenie whistle blown on you will jolt someone out of their weenie-like behavior. We keep it attached to the outside of one pack so it is easily accessible for any emergency.

Ken Maddox: I don’t know how unusual, but I carry a few nylon spring clamps. Five of them weigh an ounce, and are used for clothespins, tarp clips, cloak clips, and for clipping my pole to my pack if I don’t want to carry it in hand.

Philip Vermeyen: Unusual equipment: I carry a pair of wet suit booties (available at diving supply stores). They are lightweight, fold up to a small bundle and serve two purposes: For river crossings - I do a lot of hiking in backcountry Alaska -they protect my feet while giving me a feel for the river bottom. Then, wrung out, and hung from the pack to dry, they make excellent camp shoes.

Brian “Charlie Manson” Booth: I carry a magic marker - it is useful for hitchhiking. When I need to hitch a ride, I write my destination on a page from my journal, in the biggest, fattest letters possible, so it is readable from a long distance away. I hold the sign in one hand and stick out my thumb with the other. I have found that some people will be more likely to stop & give you a ride if they know you only need to go 4 miles or whatever.

Roy “TrailDad” Robinson: Hydration is important on a long trek, so many of us (myself included) carry a Platypus or Camelback. I don’t think that qualifies as “unusual” but it is useful. We also like to eat often, perhaps constantly is a better word, and not miss those photo opportunities. For this reason, I carry a fanny pack worn backwards, i.e., pocket in front, that is large enough to pack my camera and a day’s supply of trail munchies. At least one of the new pack designs I saw this year at Wenatchee had small pockets on the hip belt that would serve the purpose.

Chris Townsend: Binoculars. I don’t think they’re unusual but other hikers seem to! I like watching birds and wildlife and they are also useful for route finding, especially when going cross-country, and checking whether that dark object Page 16 The Distance Hiker’s Gazette Winter 2003 up ahead is a tree stump, a deer or a bear. Once in the Yukon it was a grizzly and I changed my route accordingly. Sierracamp: As for unusual accessories, I carry a plastic/ screened coffee steeper for making coffee.

Anonymous: A condom. Because it really sucks to need one & not have one.

Namie Bacile: As far as unusual gear...I came up with the idea of sleeves when the only part of my body that was getting cold was my arms. A long sleeve shirt worked for the arms but caused my torso to sweat. After spending a dollar at the thrift store for a wool long sleeve I cut off the back to the collar and in the front just below the second button/pocket. This allows the sleeves to be worn as a shirt and removed and put back on as I walk, without removing my pack. Very helpful when walking up and down mountains on a chilly day!

Dick Vogel: Lately I have been carrying a pocket digital assistant (pocket computer). When they make a cord that will connect with my GPS (global positioning system), I will use it in conjunction with Colorado Topo map software to determine exactly where I am. You can download a series of maps to the pocket computer. This system will display a dot at your exact location. If I can’t get a cord, I’ll buy a GPS that fits in the compact flash slot of my pocket computer. I can use the computer to view the pictures I have taken during the day. You can listen to music on it to help you go to sleep at night. You can read books and listen to books with it. It functions as an alarm clock. You can use it for taking notes or for recording notes by voice. I have a solar panel for recharging the battery. It is a very compact light weight all purpose tool. It’s main problem is that you have to keep the battery charged up all the time. If you don’t, it is possible to lose your data and some of your programs. The pocket digital assistant has a secure digital slot that can hold an additional memory card. I plan to buy a 256 megabyte secure digital card to store my programs and data. That way if I lose power, I won’t lose my data or programs. I also have a light-weight folding keyboard that can be used for entering data.

Roberta Cobb: I carry a palm-sized piece of fleece to use principally as a washcloth but it has multitudes of uses. Another item I carry is a small size binder clip. It closes my food bag while the food inside warms up and hydrates, it works as a clothespin, it can hold my LED flashlight if I need the light stable.

Bill Gurwell: Unusual & useful: Cover for foam mattress of 1.1 oz ripstop; weighs 1 oz., feels soft, keeps mattress from sticking to me in hot weather, may increase insulation value of Z-Rest, gets washed every time clothes get washed. Cover has short pockets on each end to stretch and hold it in place.

Dave Sailer: Weightless sunglasses. Since I don’t often need them they might as well be light, and at about 50 cents a pair, they’re cheap, too. Made of mylar, they wrap around the face and can be used equally well by those who either wear or don’t wear eyeglass. They also roll up when not in use. Now if I could only get them to tuck me in at night.... See www.rollens.com/individuals.html

Scott “Trout Whisperer” Bischke and Katie “Larkspur” Gibson: Unusual accessories? Hmmm? How about this—a fly rod! Tremendous recreation after a hard day on the trail, plus a great way to supplement the food supply when you’re running low and having a nightly argument with your partner on who gets to scrape the bottom of the pot! We also made a small, zippered pillow case out of microfleece. Weighs nothing, acts as a stuff bag during the day, and an awesome pillowcase at night. We sleep so much better with a pillow, and thus are refreshed each morning and ready to tackle the miles ahead.

Highway John Hussey: Along with my little LED headlamp, I always carry, usually in my front pocket, a small “Streamlight SCORPION”. It is a smallish light, weighs 4.3 ounces, is of aluminum and is 5 inches long. Batteries are lithium, with a ten-year shelf life and when the end cap is pushed in it produces a light beam that almost turns night into day. It was designed for law enforcement to fit under the barrel of a handgun so as to be able to shoot at night. Without the handgun, though, I find it a very useful tool for momentarily seeing great distances at night, usually looking for that perfect campsite when I walk to long after dark. A frugal use of the on/off switch and I have an extremely bright light immediately available for weeks on end. I wouldn’t leave home without it!

Jane Dods AKA T.O.B. (Tough Old Broad): In regard to an unusual accessory: Last year when passing through Vidette Meadows my bear canister was lost due an encounter with a bear. The next day I was quickly re-supplied with food from fellow hikers, but had nary a utensil to eat with. In searching through my gear I came across a pocket comb (which had not been through my hair since I started). It worked remarkably well as a scooper, and I simply slurped liquids. From now on, I’ll always pack a trusty comb!