Special Material for Outdoor Education Programs

These sections are not included in the retail version of the book but are provided here on-line for reference for outdoor programs: 

• Leader Training 

• Leadership & Group Dynamics

• Students with Special Needs 

• Observant Jewish Students
• Kosher 
• Vegetarian
• Food Allergies
• Eating Disorders 

The Backpacker's Field Manual Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Trip Planning

• Basic Trip Planning

o Group Size and Ability 
o Activities 
o Location & weather 
o Flexibility 
o Equipment 
o Food 
o Teaching plan 
• Trip preparation checklist 
o Pre-trip 
o During the trip 
o On return 

• Determining physical condition 
o Trip Difficulty Rating 
o Planning a Route 

Chapter 2 - Equipment
• Equipment Assessment 
o Personal Equipment 
o Group Equipment 
o The Twelve Essentials 

• Clothing 
o Regulating Your Body Temperature 
o The Layering Principal 
o Clothing Layers 
o Clothing Techniques 

• Boots 
o Fitting 
o Breaking In 
o Boot Care 

• The Backpack 
o External Frame Packs 
o Internal Frame Packs 
o Sizing a Pack 
o Loading a Pack 
o Putting on a Heavy Pack 

• Sleeping Equipment 
o Sleeping Bags 
 Temperature Ratings 
 Sleeping Bag Styles 
 Sleeping Bag Fit 
 Insulation types 
 Sleeping Bag Care 
o Sleeping Pads 

• Shelter 
o General Shelter Tips 
o Tarps 
o Tents 

• Cooking Equipment 
o General Cooking Equipment 
o Outdoor Baking Equipment 
o Backpacking Stoves 
 Stove Types 
 How Liquid Fuel Stoves Work 
 Stove Safety Guidelines 
 Liquid Fuel Guidelines 
 The Coleman Peak 1 Stove 
 The MSR Whisperlite Stove 

Chapter 3 - Food & Nutrition

• Energy and Nutritional Requirements 
o Caloric Requirements 
o Sources for Calories 
o Food Guide Pyramid 
 Servings 
 Grain Products Group 
 Vegetable Group 
 Fruit Group 
 Milk Group 
 Meat and Beans Group 
 Sweets Group 
 Complete Protein Combinations 

• Basic Fluid Recommendations 

• Menu Planning 
o How long are you going to be out? 
o Ease of Preparation 
o Weight 
o Packaging/Re-packaging 
o Spoilage 
o Cost 

• Special Dietary Considerations 
o Vegetarianism 
o Food Allergies 
o Kosher Meal Planning 

• Cooking Directions 

• General Cooking Guidelines, Ingredients, and Recipes 
o Sample Menu Items 
 Breakfast 
 Trail Food & Lunch 
 Dinner 

• Outdoor Baking 

• Food Equivalents 

• Measurement Equivalents 

Chapter 4 - Hygiene & Water Purification
• Keeping Yourself Clean 
o The Hand Washing Station 
o Personal Bathing 
• Washing Clothes 

• Washing Dishes, Pots, Utensils 
o Cleaning Equipment 
o Pot Cleaning System 

• Women's Hygiene Issues 
o Tampons vs. Pads 
o Disposing of Tampons or Pads 

• Water Purification 
o Biological Contaminated vs. Toxic Water 
o Boiling 
o Chemical Purification 
 Iodine Treatment 
 Chlorine Treatment 
o Filtration 
 PUR Hiker and PUR Voyageur Water Filter 
 MSR Waterworks II and Miniworks Water Filter

 

Chapter 5 - Leave No Trace Camping

• General Principles 

• Guidelines for Temperate Forests 

• Backcountry Travel 
o General Travel Guidelines 
o Travel Guidelines for Pristine or Highly Fragile Areas 

• Campsite Selection 
o High Impact Campsites 
o Pristine Campsites 
o General Campsite Guidelines 

• Dealing with Human Waste 
o Urine 
o Feces 
o Toilet Paper 
o Natural TP Materials 
o Locations 
o How to dig a Cathole or Latrine 
o Packing Out Feces 
o Women and Menstruation 

• Other Types of Waste 
o Medical Waste 
o Garbage 
o Waste Water 

• Campfires 
o When Not to Have a Fire 
o When to Have a Fire 
o General Guidelines for Fire Building 
o Fires in Highly Impacted Areas 
o Fires in Pristine Areas 
o The Mound Fire 
o Fire Pans 
o Firewood Selection 
o Cleaning Up After a Fire 

• At the End of the Trip 

Chapter 6 - Wilderness Travel

• Maps & Map Reading 
o Latitude and Longitude 
o Scale 
o Map Symbols and Colors 
o Map Legend 
o Contour Lines 
o Measuring Distances 

• Using a Compass 
o What is North? 
o Declination 
o Which North to Use 

• Using Map and Compass 
o What's your Map Declination? 
o Bearings 
o Map Bearings & Magnetic Bearings 
o West Declination 
o East Declination 
o Adjusting Your Compass for the Local Declination 

• Using Map and Compass Together 

• Wilderness Navigation 
o Check Your Position Regularly 
o Orienting the Map 
o Identify Terrain Features 

• Real Life Scenarios 
o Scenario 1 - Lost in the Fog 
o Scenario 2 - Heading to the Summit 
o Techniques for Walking a Bearing 
o Scenario 3 - Retracing Your Steps to Camp 
o Scenario 4 - There's a Swamp in your Way 
o Scenario 5 - Now You are Really Lost 

• Other Tools 
o Altimeters 
o Watches 
o Global Positioning Systems (GPS) 

• Backcountry Travel 
o Energy Conservation 
o Splitting a Large Group into Smaller Groups 
o Pace 
o Rest Breaks 

• Hiking Techniques 

• Stretches for Hiking 

• Off Trail Hiking 
o General Backcountry Conditions 
o Hiking through Thick Forest of Brush 
o Hiking on Rocky Slopes and Trails 
o Hiking on Snow and Ice 
o River Crossings 

• Setting Up Camp 
o Using a Tent 
o Tarp Set Up 

• Traveling in Bear Country 
o Bear Encounters 
o How to Bearproof Your Camp 

• Knots 
o Two Half Hitches 
o Bowline 
o Tautline Hitch 
o Square Knot 
o Sheet Bend 
o Truckers Hitch 

Chapter 7 - Weather and Nature

• Wind

o Mountain Winds 
o Coastal Winds 
o Changes in Wind Direction 
o Beaufort Wind Scale 

• Clouds

o Identifying Cloud Types 

• Barometric Pressure 

• Fronts 
o Warm Fronts 
o Cold Fronts 
o Occluded Fronts 

• Thunderstorms 
o The Physics of Lightning 
o Lightning Dangers 

• Predicting the Weather 
o Temperature Ranges 

• Natural Signs of Time and Direction 

• Common Trees 
o Leaf Attachment 
o Leaf Type 
o Tree Identification Key 
o Broadleaf Trees 
o Conifers 

• Common Plants 
o Wild Edibles 
o Plants to Avoid 

• Spotting Wildlife 
o Tips for Spotting Wildlife 
o Animal Signs 
o Hazards of Animal Observation 

Chapter 8 - Safety & Emergency Procedures
• Dealing with Emergencies - Who's in charge? 

• How Accidents Happen 
o Environmental Hazards 
o Human Factor Hazards 
o Sample Accident Scenario 
o Teaching the Dynamics of Accidents Model 
o Environmental Briefing 
o Reducing the Accident Potential 
o Accident Analysis - Closing the Circle 
o General Safety Guidelines 
o Preventive Measures to Minimize Accident Potentials 

• Sending for Help 

• Evacuation Procedures 
o Possible Evacuation Scenarios 
o Choosing to Evacuate 

• What to do if Someone Gets Lost 
o If the Group Gets Lost 
o If an Individual in the Group Gets Lost 
o If You are Hiking Solo and Get Lost 
o Signaling for Help 
o Locating Lost Persons 

• Extreme Weather Conditions 
o Lightning 

• Forest Fires 
o The Dynamics of Forest Fires 
o Fire Safety Plan 

• Wilderness Survival 
o The Five Elements of Survival 
o Shelter 
o Water 

• Accident Scenario Analysis 

Chapter 9 - First Aid and Emergency Care
• Backcountry First Aid 
• The Wilderness Context 
• Good Samaritan Laws 

• Patient Assessment 
o Patient Exam 
o Assess the Scene 
o Primary Assessment 
o Secondary Assessment 
 Vital Signs 
 Patient History 
 Assessing the Patient's Pain 

• Treatment Plan 

• General First Aid Principles 
o Shock 
o Swelling 
o Ischemia 
o Shell/Core Response 
o Bleeding 
o Wound Care 
o Universal Precautions for Working with Blood and Body Fluids 
o Basic Life Support 

• Moving a Patient 
o The In-line Drag 
o The Log Roll 

• Major Body Systems 
o Respiratory System 
o Circulatory System 
o Nervous System 
o The Musculoskeletal System 
 Sprains, Strains and Fractures 
 Tendonitis 
 Sprains 
 General Fracture Treatment 
 Fracture Sites & Treatment 
 Splinting 
 SAM Splint Guidelines 
 Sling & Swathe 
 Lower Leg Splint 
 Fractures at Joints 
 Angulated Fractures 
 Open Fractures 
 Femur Fractures & Traction Splint 
 Dislocations 
 Shoulder Dislocation 
 Kneecap Dislocation 
 Digit Dislocation 

o Spinal Injuries 
 Cervical Spine Injuries 

o Injuries to the Central Nervous System 
 Fainting 
 Head Injuries 
 Concussion 
 Skull Fractures 
 Seizures 

o Chest Injuries 
 Broken Ribs 
 Flail Chest 
 Pneumothorax 
 Sucking Chest Wound 
 Impaled Object in the Chest 

• Soft Tissue Injuries 
o Lacerations 
o Blisters 

• Thermal Burns 
o First-Degree Burns 
o Second-Degree Burns 
o Third-Degree Burns 

• Impaled Objects 
o Minor Impaled Objects 

• Rashes 
o Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac 
o Friction Rashes 

• Eye Injuries 
o Thermal Burns 
o Chemical Burns 
o Foreign Objects 
o Impaled Objects 
o Contact Lens Problems 
o Conjunctivitis 
o Snowblindness 

• Nosebleeds 

• Dental Problems 
o Toothaches 
o Broken Tooth 
o Fractured Tooth 
o Knocked out Tooth 
o Lost Filling 
o Infection 

• Environmental Injuries and Illnesses 
o Fluid Balance 
o Thermoregulation 
o Cold Challenge 
 Wind Chill Index 
o Heat Challenge 
 The Heat Index 
o Heat Illnesses 
 Heat Cramps 
 Heat Syncope 
 Heat Exhaustion 
 Heat Strokes 
o Hypothermia 
o Immersion Hypothermia 
o Drowning & Near Drowning 
o Cold Weather Injuries 
 Frostbite 
 First-Degree Frostbite 
 Second-Degree Frostbite 
 Third-Degree Frostbite 
o Immersion Foot or Trenchfoot 

• Toxins 
o General Treatment for Toxins and Poisons 
o Acids and Bases 
o Petroleum Products 
o Medicines or Plants 
o Iodine Crystals 
o Carbon Monoxide 
o White Gas 

• Animal and Insect Bites and Stings 

• Rabies 

• Snake Bites 
o Pit Vipers 
o Coral Snakes 

• Insect Bites 
o Black Widow Spider 
o Brown Recluse Spider 
o Scorpions 
o Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 
o Bee Stings 

• Anaphylaxis 

• General Medical issues 
o Abdominal Injuries and Gastrointestinal Problems 
 Conditions with Abdominal Pain Requiring Evacuation 
 Appendicitis 
 Constipation 
 Diarrhea or Vomiting 
o Gastrointestinal Infections 
 Giardia 
 Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora 
o Other Infectious Diseases 
 Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) 
o Genitourinary Tract and Women's Health Issues 
 Urinary Tract Disorders 
 Vaginitis 
o Diabetes 
 Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar) 
 Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar) 
o Altitude Illnesses 
 Acclimatization 
 Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) 
 High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) 
 High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) 

• Medications Profiles 
• Organizations Providing Training in Wilderness First Aid