Traveling in Groups

=General Information=

Traveling in a group (or "party", as some may refer to it) is a great way to keep you sane and there is a remarkable advantage to safety in numbers, but it isn't always possible. Most of the references to rangers label them distinctly as individual wanderers, until wartime/campaign, when they banded together such as Halbarad's Grey Company, at the time of the War of the Ring. In short, most true rangering would have been done individually, or with few companions in a small group/patrol.

=Gear distribution=

A main highlight and/or perk to traveling in groups is the ability to move essential gear around amongst the group so that one person isn't stuck carrying all of the water, weapons, tools, cooking implements, food, and bedding necessary for the trip, as is with individual trekking.

Typically, all members of your party should be carrying their own bedding, water, and weapons. Other essentials, such as camp tools (axe for wood, etc.) and cooking implements can be reduced in number so that bases are all covered, and loads are lightened overall. A group of 3-5 rangers really only needs one or two cooking pots/boilers, one axe/hatchet for wood, and if a shelter tarp is present, one can suffice for the whole group.

If one ranger is carrying the tarp, for example, which can be a heavy oad to haul on its own, another might toss that ranger's blanket into their own pack to free up the other a bit to handle the tarp. Another might carry all of the uncooked food (not counting trail food to be munched throughout the day while moving) for the group, while another handles camp tools and cooking.