I have been prep’ing for a 3 hour hike near Mt Rainer with my wife and two young daughters and taking lessons learned from the recent Orlando tragedy and similar events in the mountains I wanted make sure I was ready for what might come our way. Because as innocent as a body of water seems or as well paved as a street or hiking trail might be; animals so not know or follow our rules.That said I have put together my first ruck. I happen to be using a 30L EarthPak drypak because it’s yellow and I imagine highly visible. It’s also waterproof and so carrying clothes, poncho, gloves, hats and things that need to be dry until used. I also have my five Cs at the bottom.One thing I have discovered is that the bag itself is heavy and when I added my Cs it got even heavier.The contents:100ft Cordage and 4 zip tiesnylon work gloves4" mora bushknife10 aluminium stakes10x10 lightweight tarp with stakes and some cordage10x10 lightweight blanketreflective blanket100pc first aid kit3,5" folding knife300lm flashlightDC4, CC4 and honing roda small fatwood, cotton balls, and a yard of jute twine.The ruck is half full and might weight between 5 and 10 lbs. I’m reminded of Joe Robinet’s recent 9-day canoe trip. He carried a similar 60L ruck and he had a tent, sleeping bad, mattress, fishing gear and two or three 1-gallon Ziploc bags with food and snacks. What I’m amazed by is that while there may be one or two things I can get rid of; the bare minimum is still quite voluminous. Everything in and of itself is pretty small. It’s the aggregate that is overwhelming.When the remainder of the gear arrives I’ll reevaluate my kit.