Trip Planning & Preparation · 7 min
Gear, food and water for a party
Why this matters
The exam names 'equipment selection and use'. The job names it too: your clients will arrive with what they own, some of which is dangerous, and you are the one who fills the gap.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Build a party gear list separating client, guide and group items
- Plan food and water quantities for a party and a duration
- Explain the layering system and why cotton is the wrong choice
Three lists, not one
| Client carries | Guide carries | Group gear |
|---|---|---|
| Boots, layers, rain shell, hat, gloves | Map and compass, and knowing how to use them | Stove and fuel |
| Water, lunch, personal snacks | First aid kit sized for the party | Water treatment |
| Headlamp | Repair kit and knife | Shelter or tarp |
| Personal medication | Emergency shelter, spare warm layer | Bear canisters where required |
| Sun protection, insect protection | Communication device, spare batteries | Trowel or waste kit |
| Pack that fits them | Client roster, medical notes, emergency numbers | Rope or throw bag near water |
Check the client's gear yourself, at the trailhead, before you start. Not by asking. Cotton hoodies and running shoes are the two most common problems, and both are much easier to solve in a parking lot.
Layering
- Base layer moves moisture off the skin. Wool or synthetic
- Insulating layer traps warm air. Fleece, wool, down or synthetic fill
- Shell stops wind and rain. Waterproof and breathable, with a hood
The point of layers is that they come off. Sweat is the enemy: a party that overheats on the climb gets cold at the summit. Teach clients to start slightly cold and to shed a layer before they sweat, not after.
"Cotton kills"
Cotton absorbs many times its weight in water, loses essentially all its insulating value when wet, and dries slowly. Wet cotton against skin in wind is a hypothermia machine, and New York's shoulder seasons, wet and 40°F, are more dangerous than deep winter for exactly this reason. Jeans and cotton sweatshirts are the classic pairing that puts clients on a litter.
Food and water
- Water: budget roughly 3 to 4 litres per person per day in summer, more in heat or at altitude, and remember that cold weather suppresses thirst without reducing need
- Food: roughly 2,500 to 4,500 kcal per person per day depending on effort and cold. Weight matters, so aim for around 100 kcal per ounce of packed food on longer trips
- Timing: small, frequent intake keeps people warm and functional. Waiting for lunch is how a client bonks
- Extra: carry an additional day of simple food for the party. It costs ounces and buys a night
Water quantity multiplies fast: eight people for three days at 3.5 litres is 84 litres. Nobody carries that, which is why the real planning question is where the water is on your route and how you will treat it.
From the field
A client arrives in jeans, a cotton hoodie and trail runners for a November ridge walk. You have a spare fleece and a spare shell in the truck, and that solves the top half. The jeans do not have a fix. This is the trip you cancel or downgrade, in the parking lot, politely.
This lesson is part of the NYS Licensed Guide Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.