Hiking

[Mercury]

So, recently I have decided to get into backpacking and hiking in the wilderness. While I have always enjoyed tent camping, I had never really thought about going into the ... WILDERNESS! :eek

But, recently it has been a real interest of mine. A week ago, I went on my first backpacking expedition where, my cousin and I, were to hike along a path for 9 miles to reach the tip of a butte and then camp there. Well ... the pack was so incredibly heavy and causing such pain to my shoulders and neck, we made it about 5 miles in and I was ready to just setup a camp and stay. So we did. (In all honesty ... I'm surprised I made it that far.)

So, is anyone into this? Any suggestions on what type of pack may be more desirable: External or Internal frame? I would really like to get more into this and would appreciate any advice or websites that may offer information on backpacking in the wilderness.

 

[Kakapo Dundee]

I hiked from the car to a hotel once, worst 100m of my life.

 

[Mercury]

I hiked from the car to a hotel once, worst 100m of my life.

-.- Thank you Kakapo ....

 

[Joe the meek]

Long time ago I through hiked the AT. My pack weight NEVER got over 35 pounds.

Weather, temperature and elevation will be a big factor on how much weight you will have to pack. That said, way to many people IMO pack stuff they don't need.

To keep weight at a minimum, you will have to spend some money. The weather will also determine how much you'd need to spend on a decent tent to hold up to the conditions your hiking in. A good sleeping bag and stove will make all the difference in the world.

Nothing beats going to a good "outdoors" store to actually put your hands on looking what you want to buy. I used to work part time at Eastern Mountain Sports long time ago. Like REI, they have a unconditional return warranty policy (at least they did back then, don't think they would change). We would have people come in TWO YEARS LATER and return boots because they didn't "fit" right LOL Have a buddy who goes to REI now, and he says they have the same policy.

For packs, it's all personal preference IMO.

Do you know how much weight you were packing? That's the first question. The second question is what didn't you need or what could you of substituted for heavy, bulky items? Next question would be how many days do you plan on spending out?

My two packs were Lowe Alpines. Looking at their website, I was more of a "technical day pack" kind of guy because I made sure what I could carry could fit in it. Sleep bag and tent had some "homemade" changes back then to carry tent and sleep bag outside of the pack. I had a nice expensive internal pack from back then, but I rarely used it being I spent most of my time hiking on the east coast and I could never find enough items to fill it and when I went out west to camp, it was more of truck camping.

Took some multi day white water kayak trips where I had to carry everything in the boat. Again, it comes down to a nice warm lightweight sleeping bag and tent. From there, you can whittle your weight down.

My two sleeping bags were Sierra Designs. The winter bag I could be out in the snow without a tent and had no problem staying warm. Problem was getting out of the bag LOL

Then again, I never really did care what I smelled like coming off the trail

 

[Mercury]

Hey Joe!

Wow, that is crazy about the return policy!

I'm not really sure what the weight was. Now, I did have a rather large tent that I packed ... which I thought was supposed to be small but it ended up being much larger than needed. Fortunately, I had just borrowed the tent from a family member and didn't purchase it. Now, I did end up purchasing a mummy sleeping bag rated at -20 F and I wonder if a tent is really that necessary, but at the same time, here in the Northwest, it usually is rather wet. So perhaps a small, single tent would be a wise move? I also packed a "hoodie" type sweatshirt (which I ended up not needing) ... I suppose I will need to find better clothing.

The water was another HUGE weight. I packed 8, 16oz water bottles for both drinking and to use for cooking the dehydrated food. Which was the first time I have ever had dehydrated food ... beef mac and cheese ... it wasn't that bad. One thing about this hike was that I knew we were not going to be around any water sources so I wanted to ensure I had plenty. I couldn't believe how much water I was drinking!

Another thing I am starting to try to use is the topo maps. Now, since being a private pilot, I was used to the "VFR Sectional" charts which are like the topo maps I have found. So, I imagine that by planning out the area that I will be hiking in the future will also determine how much water to pack.

 

[hart]

Sounds like fun. I like camping and I like walking. I personally used to go Volksmarching a lot. They are 10k walks. Most I did though were 2 in one day, but haven't done them in a while and I'm not in the shape I used to be so I would have to work back up to them. I'm in the Pacfic NW too, but I'm in E WA so it's pretty sunny here. Can you take a pup tent?

 

[Joe the meek]

Hey Joe!

Wow, that is crazy about the return policy!

I'm not really sure what the weight was. Now, I did have a rather large tent that I packed ... which I thought was supposed to be small but it ended up being much larger than needed. Fortunately, I had just borrowed the tent from a family member and didn't purchase it. Now, I did end up purchasing a mummy sleeping bag rated at -20 F and I wonder if a tent is really that necessary, but at the same time, here in the Northwest, it usually is rather wet. So perhaps a small, single tent would be a wise move? I also packed a "hoodie" type sweatshirt (which I ended up not needing) ... I suppose I will need to find better clothing.

The water was another HUGE weight. I packed 8, 16oz water bottles for both drinking and to use for cooking the dehydrated food. Which was the first time I have ever had dehydrated food ... beef mac and cheese ... it wasn't that bad. One thing about this hike was that I knew we were not going to be around any water sources so I wanted to ensure I had plenty. I couldn't believe how much water I was drinking!

Another thing I am starting to try to use is the topo maps. Now, since being a private pilot, I was used to the "VFR Sectional" charts which are like the topo maps I have found. So, I imagine that by planning out the area that I will be hiking in the future will also determine how much water to pack.

Just remember, without a compass, a topo is useless, and vise versa (funny, taking my private flying lessons now LOL).

If you don't know the weight of the pack, it was probably overweight.

I forgot all about water. Over 2k miles on the AT and not once did I ever pack water other than a bottle. However, ALWAYS have a water filtration system on you when you do come across water.

If it rains a lot and doesn't get to cold, think about a waterproof "lean to" to carry. VERY lightweight and easy to put up and will protect you well from rain, although if it's a torrential downpour with heavy winds, all bets are off.

Tents can be amazingly light, but amazingly expensive.

To many people nowadays try to "look the part" and spend big bucks to deck themselves out. Spend your money right, and you should find you can travel surprisingly light.

 

[Mercury]

Sounds like fun. I like camping and I like walking. I personally used to go Volksmarching a lot. They are 10k walks. Most I did though were 2 in one day, but haven't done them in a while and I'm not in the shape I used to be so I would have to work back up to them. I'm in the Pacfic NW too, but I'm in E WA so it's pretty sunny here. Can you take a pup tent?

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of looking into because that tent was way too big. Ah, East Washington, I imagine it is like Eastern Oregon where the sun does seem to shine more often than west of the Cascades. Of course, for Eastern Oregon it is more desert type land and prairie.

Just remember, without a compass, a topo is useless, and vise versa (funny, taking my private flying lessons now LOL).

If you don't know the weight of the pack, it was probably overweight.

I forgot all about water. Over 2k miles on the AT and not once did I ever pack water other than a bottle. However, ALWAYS have a water filtration system on you when you do come across water.

If it rains a lot and doesn't get to cold, think about a waterproof "lean to" to carry. VERY lightweight and easy to put up and will protect you well from rain, although if it's a torrential downpour with heavy winds, all bets are off.

Tents can be amazingly light, but amazingly expensive.

To many people nowadays try to "look the part" and spend big bucks to deck themselves out. Spend your money right, and you should find you can travel surprisingly light.

Yep, got a compass. The only thing with topo maps is I wish they could get a little closer in their "zoom" (for lack of a better word.)

(Taking private pilot lessons, huh? It's amazing how fun and addictive flying is, isn't it? Where are you currently at in your training?)

The lean-to's look pretty good but with the weather in this area, I'm thinking they probably wouldn't be much help, except for summer. Yeah, the tents I have been looking at are AMAZINGLY expensive! Unfortunately, with such a tight budget that I have for this, there is no way I could get some of the tents that I would like without saving for quite a while. Of course, at the same time, I haven't gone to the "way out" wilderness as of yet and don't plan to for a long time so maybe that works out well, hehe.

"Look the part." I know that one. I can be guilty of it at times and have to remind myself that I am not some explorer headed into the Yukon lol. I guess, in all reality, the only thing I really need at this point is a large enough pack since the rest is pretty much good-to-go. Except for water treatment ... the only thing I can do at this point is boil water.

 

[Joe the meek]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of looking into because that tent was way too big. Ah, East Washington, I imagine it is like Eastern Oregon where the sun does seem to shine more often than west of the Cascades. Of course, for Eastern Oregon it is more desert type land and prairie.



Yep, got a compass. The only thing with topo maps is I wish they could get a little closer in their "zoom" (for lack of a better word.)

(Taking private pilot lessons, huh? It's amazing how fun and addictive flying is, isn't it? Where are you currently at in your training?)

The lean-to's look pretty good but with the weather in this area, I'm thinking they probably wouldn't be much help, except for summer. Yeah, the tents I have been looking at are AMAZINGLY expensive! Unfortunately, with such a tight budget that I have for this, there is no way I could get some of the tents that I would like without saving for quite a while. Of course, at the same time, I haven't gone to the "way out" wilderness as of yet and don't plan to for a long time so maybe that works out well, hehe.

"Look the part." I know that one. I can be guilty of it at times and have to remind myself that I am not some explorer headed into the Yukon lol. I guess, in all reality, the only thing I really need at this point is a large enough pack since the rest is pretty much good-to-go. Except for water treatment ... the only thing I can do at this point is boil water.

Flying lessons was actually by accident. Helped a guy at a small local (rural) airport and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse LOL

Cheap alternative to boiling water for water purification is iodine tablets. Never had a problem, but perhaps luck.

Point about "looking the part" is that sometimes you don't have to pay big bucks, but sometimes you do get what you pay for. That's one nice thing about REI. You could by a tent, take it out on a hike and if you don't like it, you can take it back. My Sierra Designs tent is pretty sturdy for the elements and if I remember correctly, it came in around 8 lbs, and it can be set up literally in minutes.

Don't forget a good pair of hiking boots. Personally I like the soft boot over the leather due to the break in time of leather, although the leather will probably hold up for years to come.

Learn to layer your clothes, with an outer shell for rain and a liner for when it gets colder. Polypropylene undergarments was the only thing I really used under a coat. You want fabrics that wick the water away from your body and dry quickly. Still have my Helly Hanson rain coat from 30 years ago, and although $125 was a crap load of money for a coat back then, never had to replace it yet. Learning to layer your clothes will help you cut down on weight and space.

On a side note, the only extra weight I ever carried was my sandals. After a good day hiking, it was nice to get out of the boots and into a pair of sandals.

And if you haven't thought of it, get a good head lamp. Nice to have the light on your head so you can still work with both hands, particularly if it gets dark quick (one of the most stupidest things I ever did was take a flashlight up to Denali to go hiking in the summer months:24. Didn't get me the second go round though