Tupperware & Kitchemaid sell big plastic boxes or tubs with snap-on lids, pretty handy for packing & organizing. One for grub-related stuff,, one for shelter-related, etc. Maybe one for the toddler, makes for easy clean-up.
Don't forget the airholes....

Eric

WrenPilot wrote:If you plan to fly in Alaska, you are (or at least were) required to carry a rifle..it needs to be 30 cal or bigger and have at least a 30" barrel if I recall.

A firearm is no longer a required piece of equipment when flying in Alaska -- but I wouldn't step in my plane without one.

I always include a bivouac bag in my survival (backpacking) gear. Try surviving without one in a 60 kt wind and rain at 34F with your tent flattened around you. I have, and consider the bivvy-bag an essential element of my gear -- always.

Following is the minimum survival equipment required by Alaska law when flying Part 91 in the state.

Alaska Law requires the following minimum equipment to be carried in the summer time:

1. Rations for each occupant for one week
2. One ax or hatchet
3. One first aid kit
4. Fishing tackle
5. One Knife
6. Fire Starter
7. Mosquito head nets for each occupant
8. Two small signaling devices.

In addition to the above, winter flying must also include:

1. One pair of snowshoes
2. One sleeping bag
3. One wool blanket or equivalent for each occupant.

Happy backcountry flying

Nizina

Scolopax wrote:I saw this little cot in a motorcycle gear catalog and thought it looked pretty cool. Looks like it might be a nice alternative to the roll-up inflatable sleeping pads, which aren't very comfortable, though they do insulate you from the ground nicely. Anyone ever used one of these cots? It's pretty spendy. Aerostitch has a lot of nice lightweight gear that my be useful for airplane camping.

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Hig ... 18894.html

I first laid out on one a couple weeks ago at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Very comfortable and super light, bit of an erector set sort of set up. Not hard, but not just unfolding it. Plan to test one for real later this spring at a not so primitive outdoors event I'll be attending.

kevbert wrote:Camping gear keeps you comfortable. Survival gear keeps you alive.

IMHO, I don't think they are mutually exclusive. My standard suggestion is a vest or other means to carry the essentials on your person. This is truly survival gear in the most basic sense. OTOH, my typical Survival Paks I assemble are geared to making your survival experience more of an unplanned camp out. They are geared to those with minimal experience and no real desire to prove they are tough enough to take it. That doesn't mean all the comforts of home, or even car camping, but it is a far cry better than what you will experience with just the gear in a vest.

In both these I emphasize ultra-light gear, since most of my clients are pretty weight conscious. I use titanium gear and other tricks and gear borrowed from the ultralight backpacking crowd.

In any case, it's a different story when you fly where there's a good chance you can be weathered in for a few days. Then you need camping gear that might also be used in a survival situation in the same manner as one of my Survival Paks. It really can't be vacuum packed (except food, for example) and needs to readily usable and reusable. You really are camping. However, you can still save a lot of weight using ultralight gear. On the down side, the cost can often triple to save a few ounces or a pound, but at other times it is not any more expensive.