While I thought nothing as a kid of spending the entire day hiking in the canyons near my home with only a BB gun and a pocket knife, as a parent, my primary job is keeping my own kids safe, and I wanted to be prepared for any contingency that might occur on the trail. A couple of years ago, I discovered geocaching, and after our first find, my two youngest kids (Sabrina, 9, and Anthony, 11) and I were "hooked". But as our "find" count increased, so did the difficulty level of many of our cache excursions. While I thought nothing as a kid of spending the entire day hiking in the canyons near my home with only a BB gun and a pocket knife, as a parent, my primary job is keeping my own kids safe, and I wanted to be prepared for any contingency that might occur on the trail. I also felt that it was a good lesson to my kids to leave nothing to chance when venturing into the great outdoors. The question was, how could I carry supplies sufficient for a possible unplanned overnight stay in the wilderness, while maintaining a pack that's light enough and convenient enough for even a short one-hour hike?

Fortunately, today's backpacking technology makes it possible. The first item purchased was what is known as a "hydropack". These are relatively small backpacks with an internal "bladder" for water, and are available in many sizes and configurations. Mine is only 8"w x 16"h x 6"d, and my son's is 7"w x 14"h x 4"d. Each has multiple pockets, padded shoulder straps, a waist belt, and a two-liter, freezable water bladder with a hose and "bite valve" allowing you to drink without stopping or removing a cap. An inexpensive "ball" style compass attached to one shoulder strap and a GPS carry case on the other strap completes each pack. Shop around for prices and styles; ours are good quality and yet cost less than $35 each.

A first aid kit is a must for any long hike, and with careful planning, a small but full-featured kit can be assembled. While mine only measures about 3.5"x3.5"x5", it includes an instant icepack, Ace bandage, various sized band-aids, butterfly closures, gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic, bugbite swabs, iodine swabs, alcohol pads, cotton balls/swabs, CPR mask, eyewash, smelling salts, Tylenol, chapstick, moleskin, and a snakebite kit. My son carries a bit smaller, less extensive kit as well.

And believe it or not, my pack weighs in at only about 12 pounds, including water, which makes it convenient as well as effective. If you do end up stranded and must spend the night, a few well thought out items can make a huge difference. A 99 cent rain poncho, a silver mylar survival blanket, a couple of cyalume light sticks, and disposable handwarmers make an overnight stay bearable, even in inclement weather. Add a decent compass, a signal mirror, a whistle, a small flashlight, firestarter sticks, waterproof matches, and some rope ( I carry 50 feet of 1/4"nylon) and you're set. I've also added a couple of straps to the bottom of our packs that allow us to easily carry a tightly rolled sweatshirt or jacket. You never know when the weather is going to take a sudden turn for the worse!

Of course, don't discount the value of simple creature comforts. I carry a small roll of toilet paper (roll it up and put it inside an empty cardboard toilet paper tube), a washrag, a hotel-sized bar of soap, bug repellent wipes, and sunscreen wipes, along with a good pocket knife, a leatherman-style multi-tool, a backpacker's cable-style saw, nylon cord and strap hardware (for pack repair), and some duct tape. Geocaching-specific items include ziplock bags, a trash bag (CITO!), a logbook and pencils, maps and cache notes, a credit card-style calculator, spare batteries, and of course SWAG. To finish it all off in a high-tech way, a pedometer, cell phone, camera and mini-tripod, and two-way FRS radios. For munchies we usually carry some beef jerky, granola bars, and trail mix, along with a couple of extra bottles of water if it's particularly hot out or we are planning on a longer hike.

Overkill? Some would certainly say so, and hopefully I will never need 90% of what I carry. But, what if I do? I've known people who have spent an unplanned night in the wilderness without being prepared, and they were not a pretty sight when they came out the next day. And believe it or not, my pack weighs in at only about 12 pounds, including water, which makes it convenient as well as effective.

So, take it from me, with a little thought you can pack heavy while still packing light!