Backpacker Magazine – August 2004

Camping Toys: Summer Games

Hike, pitch your tent, then play like a pro with these new Frisbee and hacky sack diversions

by: Julie Cederborg

Turn up the fun factor during summer's long, easy days. Ultimate Frisbee pro Amy Little and former hacky sack champ Steve Goldberg show us how with these new twists on our favorite games.

Frisbee

When Little and her friends get together, they play Flutter Guts, a game that's ideal for small meadows.

The rules Two people stand 6 feet apart and toss the Frisbee so it wobbles. The idea is to make it difficult to catch. Throw the disc; if your opponent misses, you get a point and continue serving. If she snags it, she serves and no one gets a point (only the server scores). You must catch the disc with one hand, and you cannot trap it with your body but you can bobble it before catching it. Play to 11 points.

Little's strategy Toss the Frisbee lightly, like a rookie, so it's unpredictable.

The gear A 175-gram Discraft (248-624-2250; www.discraft.com; $10; NITE-GLO, $12)

Hacky Sack

Goldberg likes to mix it up with Four Square, a footbag version of the old schoolyard game in which the goal is to keep the sack from hitting the dirt in your square.

The rules Mark off two or four (depending on the number of players) 7-by-7-foot squares on the ground. You can kick the sack as many times as you want while it's in your square but it must be above knee level when you pass it to another player. The same player serves until he either kicks the sack outside the square or drops it; then the next player serves. Only the server scores. Play to 11 points.

Goldberg's strategy Control the sack before you pass it so you can aim deliberately.

The gear A 32-panel Juice Facile by Flying Clipper (800-366-8386; www.flyingclipper.com; $25)