Anyone do any Backpacking? looking for advice

[straittactical]

My old lady wants to get into backpacking we love going on vacation and doing scenic tours. but she thinks backpacking will be a great way to combine camping and sight seeing in one. we are not really looking to stay in indiana but she was thinking like, grand canyon,machu picchu,smokey mountains, ect. we have done some short hikes in the smokey mountains but not much.
but i would like to get some advice on some good equitment for the money, and places to go. If you have any pics or stories from past trips that would be awsome

 

[IndyMonkey]

The wilderness of Idaho is the best place I have ever been hiking. All the trails are maintained and well marked, even 30 miles from the road. Topo maps with trails marked are available too.

 

[IndyMonkey]

Lowa boots are the best that I have used yet. The pair that I wear now is 5 years old. Well worth the 300.00 that they cost.

 

[snapping turtle]

Get an REI catalog or go to the webs site. Campmor has cheaper stuff but it is more buyer beware. REI's stuff is tested and bought in bulk, Not going to get many lemons there.
Boots need to be worn before you get out on the trails do not skimp on the boots. A good 4 season tent weight is heavy but worth it. Like using a 45 acp over a 25 acp it is good to have when you need it. I like hiking sticks some don't. they are best going down hill believe it or not.

this is the very best trail in the east coast. Enough here to keep you going a few years. Interactive Map - Appalachian Trail Conservancy

I have done georgia to west virginia. Upper virginia to new york. I still need maine to new york and the rest of virginia to complete but I have kids now.
I used the greyhound bus back in the day for transport to trailheads and back home. The greyhound is very slow way to travel in the south.

 

[den57]

The Colorado Trail thru the Rocky Mt's. of Colorado is some of the most beautiful country that you will every see..... anywhere!!!!!!

 

[MikeBear]

I do section walks of the Appalachian Trail and the best place I believe you might want to try is the Shenandoah National Park. There are a lot of side trails that range from one mile on up. The section of the AT is 108 miles. You can make one day trips to week long trips. There are camp grounds throughout the park or you can sleep on the trail. Overall, I think it is a great place to start to get in to backing.

 

[Balinor]

If you go to REI in chi- town go to the REI 1466 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 951-6020
ask for Bryan hes a backpacker that will give you the scoop on what to take whats junk and whats the next step up if you have the money.
you can try on sleeping bags and mats (if you are hiking and spending the night you want a good bag) they have lots and lots of stuff also validated parking (90mins) in the garage attatched to the store (go around back). They also have free and some with small fees semminars on all sorts of things.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. from where i live (south bend) it cost me with gas and tolls 35 dollars, but i thought well worth the money. they also have a membership that is 20 bucks but you get 10% back at the end of the year.
I do not work for them as this stretch may sound like i do. I was very happy to see the variety of things. I probably wont go to the physical store again for awhile but i will buy from the website a lot!! They also have books and such but i chose to get stuff from amazon, it was a lot cheaper. The people that work there are campers hikers and outdoor people and they KNOW their stuff. Read the books to get general knowledge , then get out and see what works for you. I would go very short trails till boots get worked in then off to the wilderness if thats how you like it.
(sorry for run on sentences, poor spelling and unbearable punctuation)

 

[redneckmedic]

Start small, as Backpacking is one of those... I like it or I don't. Will she be able to stomach the outdoor facilities? Not shower, or bath in cold snow melt ponds? Eat reconstituted food? Deals with soreness, or pain well?

I would start with an over nighter in a local forest using a buddies gear or Army surplus.

My best hikes were all in the Sierra's, Continental Divide, and Prince Creek.. WA. The Smokies are nice, but can't touch the West Coast.

HTH
RNM

 

[darinb]

I used to do alot of backpacking. Make sure to not have unnecessary weight. I learn the hard way one time I packed way too much weight and it started to rain and that extra got wet and double its weight. It sucked I seriously considered ditching the pack and coming back later. Make sure you have a good map of the trail you are taking though at times the trail is overgrown. It is fun and my wife and I had a great time the few times she went with me. Good fitting boots are a must as well as good shoulder straps.

 

[junglerogue]

There are two REI's in Chicago. The other is right past Woodfield Mall on Golf Rd. If you're going to get yourself decked out, it's worth getting the membership card that REI offers. They give you a rebate/cashback check at the end of the year. Also as everyone else has said, they are VERY knowledgeable. Also, do some walking in your boots beforehand. You NEED to break them in. Don't skimp or 'yer gonna limp! Use google if you find something you like but it seems expensive.

 

[clt46910]

Load up your backpack, walk about two miles from your home and back, camp in the backyard. Work out your gear first before you tackle a trail. Do this a few times before you try your first trip. Work out most the bugs(and there will be) before you hit the trail. Much easier that way then learn to hate it the first time.

I use to love to backpack but deteriorating hips keeps me to short day hikes anymore.

 

[Ashkelon]

Good boots, good tent, good bag.

I would recommend ASOLO boots. About 200 bucks. - I have walked many a mile on rough trails in these things. Great boots. Put a gel insert in any boot you buy. You won't regret the extra 20 bucks. Especially at the end of a 15 mile day.

Don't bother with the Timberland Brand. Welting falls apart and rest of construction is made more for looks than for function. Learned the hard way.

I would recommend Kelty tents. Durable and come with lifetime warranty if you break a pole. American Company too.

I also have a NEMO tent which is fantastic for summer camping but it was a bit pricey.

Sleeping bag - check out Slumberjack or Marmot. Reasonably priced.

Most importantly just get out there and have fun.

 

[snapping turtle]

Vasque boots. I finally had to give them up after enough miles to walk the country twice. The most important thing in boots is fit/function. I alway choose med/heavy hikers as i tend to need ankle support. I think they were 12 years old when i finally had to get rid of them last fall. I will admit hiking boots/sneakers have come a long way since I bought the vasques. I will look for some more this year but most likely Vasque will be in the running and get bought.

Tent I have the eureka K2 dome tent. Like I said it is heavy but when it rained cats and dogs for 2 days straight in Georgia at the beginning of my trip there was enough room for me and the hippie chick for get comfortable and wait out the rain. We could also cook in the rain in the vestibule. It is more of a mountaineering tent. That chick could carry a pack like a mule so as a pair we did well. I bet her pack was at least 80% of mine and she was 110 pounds wet.

The app trail has lots of hiker friendly shops along the way but one thing you always need to keep in mind is safety and not getting ripped off. (very common in most areas unfortunately) We would get a room every once in a while at a cheap hotel or hostel or a good shower at a trail head at a camp store ( for a fee like at a truck stop). Makes the tent sharing more enjoyable for both people.

we had a watchman TV/radio and it was a godsend when you could get a signal. In the mountains Am radio was all you could get. Now I have yet to see a digital watchman tv. sounds extravagant for a hiker. A good used paperback book makes for TP and fire starter material. Cheap at goodwill stores. A windup radio now sets in my camping gear am/fm/weather band no batteries.

Believe it or not I used a external frame backpack. It fit well and held lots of bigger items that do not fit as well in the internal frame packs. I now use a Kelty backpack. Packing up a backpack is not as easy as it seems. I doubt they sell many external frame backpack anymore. It worked for me well back then.

On the second trip she received a hiking staff that was very well carved from a fellow hiker who I hear carves them all winter and gives them away to people on the trail. It is one of her prized items and now her daughter uses it to make tents out of bed sheets in her room.

 

[Woodsman]

Packs: Make sure you get it fitted when you buy it. It will make a lot of difference instead of buying one off the rack. I'm looking at a couple of Kifaru packs now trying to decide which one to get.

Sleeping bags: Wiggy's. I love that bag!

Boots: Can't help there. I'm torn between Lowa and Asolo and trying to decide.

Water filter: MSR Mini-Works EX.

Tents: Thinking more along the lines of a Hennesy hammock instead.

That's my .

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Packs: Make sure you get it fitted when you buy it. It will make a lot of difference instead of buying one off the rack. I'm looking at a couple of Kifaru packs now trying to decide which one to get.

He beat me to it.

I haven't backpacked in YEARS... Since I was a teenager in the Scouts...

But even then, I understood the necessity of having a pack of the right size.

Whether you go external frame (my preference) or internal...it HAS to fit your body.

Back THEN, it was the case that you could get a larger interior volume with an externally-framed backpack than you could on an internally framed pack. At least that was the general rule, if you will.

Of course, more room isn't necessarily "better"...

Everything else, like so much in life, is completely up to you. Your budget, fitness, desires, needs, and wants.

Outfitting yourself for a 2-night weekend trip is a whole universe away from outfitting yourself for a 2-week un-re-supplied trip way out in the boonies.

 

[Sailor]

Before you spend uber money on expensive ultralight equipment, lose the spare tire around your waist if you have one. Cracks me up when I see guys with ultralight equipment that they spent a ton on and have man boobs.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Before you spend uber money on expensive ultralight equipment, lose the spare tire around your waist if you have one. Cracks me up when I see guys with ultralight equipment that they spent a ton on and have man boobs.

That reminds me of an anecdote I once read...

It had to do with the 5'8" 250lb guy who spent $3k on a titanium exhaust system for his suped up Vette...in order to save 20lbs of weight to assist in auto-cross...

 

[shibumiseeker]

Lots of folks have posted good advice. I'm going to +1 a few.

First off, good boots that have been broken in properly. Wear them around town every couple of days for a few weeks before your first hike with them.

Second, start on easy overnight hikes. My girls and I don't think twice about rim to rim at the Grand Canyon with an overnight stay at the bottom, or starting out on a 6000'+elevation gain 22 mile round trip day hike, but that sort of trip is not good for starting out. Start with 5-8 miles, easy elevation gain/loss per day.

Third, there is no need to buy the most expensive gear you can for starting out, however, a good fitting pack and a quality tent are well worth the money. Like another poster, I am partial to external frame packs, but they are definitely in the minority now (I started hiking when all you could get in quality packs was external frame). Cheap wallyworld tents are ok next to the car in good weather, but really, really suck for carrying longer distances in inclement weather. Good boots, good pack, good tent, and everything else you can buy cheap now and upgrade as you understand what you need.

Fourth, don't worry so much initially about spending a lot of time and energy on cooking. Buy ready to eat foods and forego stove and pots and the like. You can get by without them for overnight hikes and the like and can save some money starting out.

Fifth, buy a copy of "The Complete Walker" by Colin Fletcher (RIP). It's in fourth edition and is the hiker's bible, one of the best written overall guides to starting hiking. I wore out my second and third edition copies when I started hiking in my teens. This man was doing things like through hiking the AT in his 70s. He died last summer in his 80s after a relatively short disability and illness, he'd been an active hiker until shortly before his death.


Start slow and don't make them death marches. Try to plan fun and interesting destinations so's to make a reward for the effort involved, and above all, tread lightly. Nothing sucks worse than thinking you're in pristine areas only to find that yahoos have trashed the place.

 

[tom1025]

My old lady wants to get into backpacking we love going on vacation and doing scenic tours. but she thinks backpacking will be a great way to combine camping and sight seeing in one. we are not really looking to stay in indiana but she was thinking like, grand canyon,machu picchu,smokey mountains, ect. we have done some short hikes in the smokey mountains but not much.
but i would like to get some advice on some good equitment for the money, and places to go. If you have any pics or stories from past trips that would be awsome

Pick up a copy of Back Packers Guide to the Wilderness. Its a great book full of info for the beginer.

 

[jeremy]

Before you actually go try your kit out. Make sure you understand how everything works. Make sure the pack rides well also... If anyone thing does not fit, feel, or function well either adjust, modify, or replace it... And try it all out again...

There is nothing worse than being 20 miles into a trip and going this does not work like I thought it would...