When you鈥檙e in the听backcountry, what you have in your pack can mean the difference between being comfortable or听freezing鈥攁nd听in some cases,听life or听death. For the best packing advice, I turned to听my friend Richard Bothwell,听owner of听the . He鈥檚 been guiding in the backcountry for 20-plus years and teaching AIARE avalanche safety courses for more than ten听years. Here are six of his top tips.
#1:听Keep Your Safety Tools Separate and Easy to Access
This is a fundamental rule because you鈥檒l need quick access to your shovel and probe in an avalanche rescue. To keep them accessible, invest in a backcountry pack, like the听,听that features a dedicated safety-tool pocket. Don鈥檛 repurpose your hiking bag. Bothwell also likes to keep his safety gear handy for constant diagnostic use, which helps him avoid an avalanche. 鈥淚 use my probe all the time. I鈥檓 constantly probing the snowpack to check for layering and [snow] depth,鈥 he says.听
#2:听Compartmentalize
Bothwell听also听likes to keep the main pocket on his backcountry pack organized, because fumbling听through a messy听bag on a cold, windy ridge is not fun. Constantly looking for gear also slows you down on the skin track. To keep things orderly听and dry, use simple Ziploc听bags鈥攐ne for your lunch, one for your first-aid kit, and another for your repair tools听or anything else in your backpack.
#3: Pack with Your Objective in Mind
鈥淚n backcountry skiing,听there are a thousand essentials, but we only choose [a few] on any given day,鈥 Bothwell says. For example, you might pack radios if you鈥檙e skiing in spots where you lose line of sight. If you鈥檙e on a long tour,听you should think about carrying听a bivy sack, sleeping bag, and extra food in case you get stuck. And during the spring, when temperatures rise,听packing extra water might be necessary.
#4: Don鈥檛 Overpack
鈥淚t鈥檚 essential that all听your gear fits inside your pack,鈥 Bothwell says. He never ties anything to the outside of the bag; it鈥檚 too easy to brush against a tree听or fall in the snow听and knock off those items. If that happened to your water bottle听or shovel听deep in the backcountry, there could be serious consequences. It鈥檚 also important to avoid nonessential items like giant camera lenses鈥攅xtra weight slows you down and tires you out.
#5: Consider What You鈥檒l Carry on Your Body
鈥淚 think about what I鈥檓 putting in my backpack and what I鈥檓 putting on my person,鈥 Bothwell says. He likes to carry his beacon in his pants pocket听because it鈥檚 easier to access, more comfortable, and farther away from the cellphone in his pack. (Most companies suggest keeping beacons and phones at least 23 inches apart so the听signals don鈥檛 cross.)听He also carries his听AIARE Field Book, which he writes听notes in constantly,听in a pants pocket.听