Been thinking this trip over a lot over the past two weeks; I think its decided we will probably limit the group to a maximum of 20 (First come first serve) 5-10 of which need to have some to a lot of experience. The people I have chosen to be leaders are Ex-Army, Still Army, friends with experiences the same as mine and whom I personally trust. And Scouts. I have a rather good site for backpacking, of which a guy recounts the important things to remember (Great for newbs) which I am handing out to the people; it covers how the packs should be done, what to and not to bring; importance of: etc.

We have 3-4 surplus stores in my area that sells excess army clothing (Thermals) I am probably going to be picking up a pair of them for myself, urging the others to buy some as well. I will also more than likely be picking up a tac vest; first hand experience tells me those vests are very convenient for keeping multi-tools, knives, first aid kits and other doo-dads for quick access.