What mandatory items do YOU carry in your pack?

slip several nice microbrews (insulated in my extra gloves, hats and balaclava) in my partners packs

I did that to my partners at the slush cup this year - only got large cans of Foster's - what a scam!

There are these meat nugget things you can get at Costco which I do not remember the brand name of. They are usually with the bags of Jerky, which I used to take but have long since tired of.

These nuggets are thicker bite sized meat that is cooked/dried and then coated or marinated in some kind of sweet coating. They are much easier to eat than jerky, much more tender and have a better flavor. If that is all you brought, I am sure that anyone would get tired of them, but I can tell you that we sometimes pack then for road trips with the kids and they like them. While they are probably relatively low in fat compared to beef stick and certainly slim jims, since they are meat they must have some fat and are good sources of protein, which some would argue is less than desirable on strenuous endeavors. It is easy to get the carbs with other foods.

I will tell you what is absolutely the most fabulous thing to bring on overnights. Especially if you have a friend along. Get one of those pre cooked grocery chickens! It will keep till that first night and I will tell you that after a long tough haul it is just great to have real meat. If it is too cumbersome to stick that plastic container into the pack, just pull the chicken apart and repackage into zip locks, vacuum bag style.

Alan

When I was on my college cycling team we usually rated energy food on the calorie/cent scale since we were eating in a car before a race. If you like this scale check out those awesomely gooey delicious horrible cookie encased fruit pies (in the waxed paper). They're incredibly cheap and if you get the right flavor they pack about 400 calories for about a dollar.

Little Debbie's creme cakes (or cookies?) are pretty good too, I think they're more on the order of 200 calories per dollar (this needs confirmation).

I also found out last week that Sunkist brand orange pop gives you 52 grams of sugar per can.

nick

In my pack you will find a: shovel, probe, snowsaw, down jacket or wool sweater, xtra goggles, gloves with functional layers, water, 5 almond joys and duct tape, which acts as safety/repair kit.

How do you use the almond joys as a repair kit? ( I always carry a 77% bittersweet chocolate bar in my bag, but it is for gastrointestinal repair ) Seriously, in addition to the things already mentioned, I also have a spare one of those long Voile-type straps (I got mine from Couloir magazine) that I have yet to need but looks like it could hold multiple things together (broken boot buckle is one I can think of off-hand).

I just want to add to this thread, now that I bought a pack, the diagonal ski carry -- STINKS! BLEAH! POOOOOOHHHHH on the diagonal ski carry. And I mean it. Hits every friggin' thing on your left side, every rock, every branch, everything that sticks out. Knocks you off balance.
We need an emoticon for me being really really really annoyed with the diagonal ski carry.
~whew~ ok, THAT's off my chest...

Welcome to the French Technique'

Correct, The A-Frame is for the wooded approach and....

The Diagonal Carry is exclusively for the cool photos, quick turnaroud, and (if you practice)... the quck "quiver-Pull", which trumps any 'skis on skin removal'

Pin'

Still corn rippn' below the 45th.