Pack a daypack someone will actually carry

A stuffed lead pack plus a partner with empty hands is how you get “I’m tired” at the trailhead. Give the other person a small pack with a job.

The only things that belong in it

• Their water bottle, in a side pocket they can reach
• One layer they chose
• A snack they picked (and a backup you hide)
• A bandana or sit pad
• A tiny “found thing” pouch for rocks they will abandon later

If it does not fit, it stays in the car or on you. Do not hand off the first-aid kit until they ask.

The five-minute packing lesson

1. Dump everything on the floor
2. Water goes in first
3. They choose the snack
4. You check the weight on their shoulders, not in your hands
5. They zip it. That is the ceremony.

Weight check: they should walk ten steps and still want to talk. If the pack wins, you unpack.