Starting Out

I am looking to start out in overnight hiking and i was wondering what equipment should i use for a weekend trip?

There are a number of threads down the page a bit asking this very question and there is a lot of information of a general nature in the FAQ (click on "FAQ" at the upper right of this page).

The question itself is very open-ended. Part of the answer is to find a group like the Sierra Club, Appalachian Mountain Club, Seattle Mountaineers, or similar (if you are over 18 yo), or a youth organization that does backpacking like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, or go to one of the major outdoor stores like REI or EMS. These all have beginner classes. If you are in college, most colleges have outing clubs and even if you are not, many colleges have outdoor programs with introductory courses. Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership Schools (NOLS) do have introductory courses, with some specifically directed at youth.

Another part of the answer is to post a little bit about your background (have you done hiking or other outdoor activities, for example), how old you are, and where you live and intend to go backpacking.

The basic answer is to get together with someone experienced as a mentor. Start out on easy trips - first some car camping, then some short (1-mile) backpacks, and work your way up to longer and more challenging trips. Look at the gear that other people have and read some of the better books (Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills is the bible of hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing, rock climbing, and mountaineering, published by the Seattle Mountaineers along with expanded sections on specific topics like first aid, setting up camp, and so on. NOLS also has some very good books on the basics. Colin Fletcher's book, now in something like the 5th or 6th edition, is great, but probably a bit too much detail for a starter).

Let us know more about you. The group here range from people who just started a year ago to some Old Greybeards who have been backpacking for 60 years or more (and still hard at at it).

Like Bill says, this is the kind of question that is hard to answer. It's like asking "how long is a piece of string?"

What you need at a minimum is stuff that will keep you warm if it's cold, cool if it's hot, dry if it's wet, food if you get hungry, water if you get thirsty, and something to put it all in. You can spend anywhere from nothing (by borrowing everything)to several thousand dollars outfitting yourself for a weekend. A visit to one of the many online retailers or a store like REI will introduce you to the vast array of available backpacking gear in all price ranges.

There are dozens of books for beginning hikers; I'd bet many of them are available online at Amazon or similar retailers. There's even Camping for Dummies. Also, there are plenty of backpacking websites that have info for beginners, including sample gear lists.

Eastern Mountain Sports used to rent backpacking equipment, if there's a local mountain club perhaps you could rent or borrow some gear from the club or a member (most backpackers are friendly folks, and most of us would love to expose newbies to the outdoors). Some scout troops have their own gear - and some of them are more than happy to rent or loan it out - of course you could volunteer as an assistant leader - take some courses through scouts and learn camping techniques and out-door skills by helping at their troop campouts. Even if you don't want to volunteer for scouts - their basic handbook is a good, simple to understand reference for many outdoor skills.

There are two critical things that you're going to really need - one is good, solid, comfortable boots - this is one place where cutting corners can be a "blistering" experience. Get fitted at a good shop - late in the day (your feet swell during the day) wearing appropriate socks and don't "over-boot" - the other is some form or rainwear - it can be as simple as a poncho (avoid the plastic cheapies - they tend to fall apart before the rain stops) or as complex as a nice, goretex rainsuit -

Oh - a third thing you'll need - a great attitude - camping/backpacking/mountaineering is a lot of fun - but you will run into stressful situations from time to time - I kinda enjoy them (especially in retrospect) - so get out there and have fun!

Steve

Tom said "It's like asking 'how long is a piece of string?'"

I suppose that depends on how much it's stretched. You can survive with a knife and a fire starter or you can carry all the king's royalties into the backcountry; it depends on your desires.

It's been stated three times; find a like-minded soul with backcountry experience. Absorb their knowledge and you will form your own opinions of gear and backcountry styles. I shouldn't tell you what car to drive...

Steve the Folkie brought up a good point. sopelak, you did not say what your age was. If you are an adult (my guess), even one as "old" as Blackbeard (a 50-something newbie backpacker who has asked for a lot of excellent questions for advice here), you can volunteer as a Boy Scout or Girl Scout leader, whether or not you have kids of your own of age appropriate for those groups. Both groups offer lots of excellent training for everything from the first-timer to the moderately experienced levels and for topics ranging from gear and skills for the outdoors to how to deal with adolescents (male and female - lots of good info that most of us parents should have had *before* our kids got even to the Cub and Brownie stages). You would start as an assistant leader, of course (and in GSUSA, if you are male, you may only be an assistant leader, always with a female adult leader present and in charge - that's not a joke, that's GSUSA's rule).

I work with BSA as a trainer, long since my son graduated out. We have courses starting with outdoor fundamentals and going through High Adventure backpacking (50-milers, 2-week long trips), rock climbing, canoeing (BSA runs a high adventure canoe base at Boundary Waters), sailing (again, a high adventure sailing base in Florida), etc. It's a great way to learn and lots of fun (well, given the challenges of working with adolescents).

So, let us know your background so we can provide more advice.

well thank you for your input i am 17 years old and have been doing many day trips for as long as i can remember and i have overnighted a few times. I am looking do do a weekend trip on a northern part of the appilachian trail such as MA.

The very basis should get you by comfortably:

a sleeping bag to fit weather and moist (no down if are in a very moist and/or rainy area)

light to med. weight bag for starters - try golite for gear: backpackinglight.com for tremendous information and gear.

synthetic clothing (layers) wind/rain outside; polartec for warmth; nylon/silk base layer against your skin.

to begin with - one pot, packaged meals (easy, can't go wrong to start out with till you feel comfortable in the "kitchen"); titanium cookwear (expensive but worth the investment).

light weight tent or tarp, again reflecting what conditions you'll be in (above web site).

Do some reading, check some web sites, have fun and enjoy!

If you're 17 then you've probably got a few things going for you (especially over geezers like my - at 48) - like good muscle tone, few nagging, residual injuries from past exploits, the ability to not notice discomfort at night (when I was a kid I could sleep danged near anywhere, anytime) - you just lack experience.
On the downside, most 17 year olds I've known (and the one currently living in my house!) don't have much dough - so you've got to be careful about where/how you spend your money.
Priorities (at least how I define them to scouts - who tend to rely on the "parental national bank") are the fit of those items that come in contact with your body - we're talking boots and your backpack.
After that - you can't overstate the value of a good nights sleep - so a decent synthetic sleeping bag (mummies are warmer and lighter than rectangular) and foam pad (closed cell - ensolite or ridge-rest are both fine) - 3/4 length is more than enough for most folks. A decent three season tent with a groundsheet (footprint) can make life nice - I tend to be a tarp camper - but black fly season can drive me into a tent in short order.
Rain gear is a matter of preference - in the summer I'd prefer (when it's warm and humid) to just get wet - I'll dry out - as will my clothes. If it's cool (below 70) I'll opt for a poncho - below 50 I tend to use a rain suit - for overnight or weekend hikes you really don't NEED anything more substantial than a poncho (at least in the summer) -
At 17 you might want look into explorer posts in your area -while still part of Boy Scouts they tend to attract older kids with focused interests. Your local BSA district should have information about posts and troops in your area -
The main thing to remember is - people have been enjoying the outdoors for a heck of a long time - for most of it they didn't have the plethora of gear that "experts" will insist you need - the main thing is to get out there and have a good time - if that means hiking in workboots with an old external frame pack and a heavy car-camping sleeping bag - hey - if you're having fun - that's all you need.

Steve

Thanks Bill (I think you were being complementary).

As a newbie who still hasn't made it out on an overnighter, and who originally wanted to do this solo, I can only advise that this stuff almost has to just fall in your lap the right way to turn out the way you want it to. That's probably a lot of generalization, but in my case I find it to be pretty accurate.

I knew a lot of the equipment I needed to start out with. I just didn't know about the technical equipment. I had owned a true backpack tent since the early seventies, and used it, though not for backpacking. So upgrading what equipment I had already, either because of its age, or because it was more car-camping types, meant reading and reading and more reading and then asking.

My health was the real surprise, though, so far. When I started asking questions here, I was a two pack a day smoker, and really didn't feel that bad. Since then, I have quit smoking, had a physical (probably the first in 15 years), starting taking cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood pressure medication, and can't seem to control my weight. I hike with a hiking club, and find I really don't have my wind yet, and don't know why my weight is staying up.

I have overplanned everything, and feel I'm ready to take off once I get the time (my wife is totally disabled, so I need to plan around that - things like how long, where and how far away, etc). I have changed my mind about the solo stuff for now, and agree with the "pick other's brain" idea to tailor my own ideas. I'll probably end up solo, though.

What I have discovered is that every thing about this sport/hobby is so unique and individual. No two people will do things alike, and though there are accepted ways to do certain things, everybody will mold each thing to be their own. For instance, I know some who find long trails only to hike in a few miles to set up camp for a few days and never, ever finish the trail. I know some who carry all their water they will need, while others use filters and carry only what they need to get them to the next watering hole.

Just look at any question asked here and you will see a mix of answers so varied, that you wonder how flame wars aren't started. But all experienced hikers seem to know that there is no "right" answer. Sure there are wrong answers, but most of the advice you receive here can be molded into something your own.

Take what you are offered here, and consider each morsel of knowledge. You'll soon find that you are making decisions based on what you have heard, and learned on your own.

Sorry for the windiness, but it's been a while since I piped in.

Blackbeard

One thing to keep in mind is - you're just walking. Man has been doing that for over a million years - in one evolutionary form or another. For the great majority of that time man didn't carry much, and he adapted what he had at hand to the particular situations he ran into. It's a long way from Africa to Patagonia - especially when your route goes over the North Pole - mankind made that migration well before modern backpacking gear was even dreamed of.
My reason for mentioning this is - concentrate on the adventure - on the joy of being out there. The equipment is just there to support your walk - it's not an end in and of itself (although it can become one for some people). Self discovery can be a wonderful outcome when one finds oneself in stressful backcountry situations - sometimes you like the person you find, sometimes you loathe the individual who comes out, but you always come back from the woods knowing yourself better than when you headed into the woods.
Don't let the "gee-whiz" aspect of gear interfere with the experiences - some people love to "make miles" - I prefer to absorb the experience.

Sorry for prattling on so long -

Steve

Steve, as usual, hit the nail on the head. Although for some, hiking can be some aggressive athletic event- which is good if that is what you want- for most of us it is the way to be "out there" and "away from here".

Steve said "At 17 you might want look into explorer posts in your area -while still part of Boy Scouts they tend to attract older kids with focused interests."

A slight correction - Exploring in Boy Scouts is primarily career-oriented these days. The part of BSA that does more outdoor, high adventure activities these days is called Venturing. The youth are 14-21 years of age, both male and female (Explorers are also the same age group, and there are Explorer Posts that are Search and Rescue and some High Adventure). Use of the Venture terminology brings BSA more in line with the terminology used by the international Scouting movement.

The Appalachian Mountain Club (headquartered in Boston) is a good organization to get associated with for where you are located. They have shelters at many places in the New England mountains, which you can use instead of a tent while starting out. But as Steve the Folkie has alluded to, New England has lots of black flies and no-see-ums starting about this time of year and extending into late summer. So add a good insect repellent to your list of items to have and use (the shelters are lean-tos and Adirondacks which are open in the front). EMS and REI have a number of locations around New England, and do rent some gear. This gives a good chance to try out gear without the commitment of buying and then finding out what you got doesn't work for you. Both conduct classes in the basics, as well.

In addition to Scouts, many of the hundreds of colleges in New England have outdoor courses and clubs, and will welcome a 17-yo. Dave and Alicia who own this site are based in Maine and may be able to point you to some of these organizations.

items that I now consider "must have" (and wish I had purchased a lonnnnnnnnnng time ago)...

Jetboil PCS Stove (make sure to have a lighter at all times):

I took two 110g fuel cans with me - used only one. I boiled water for breakfast and dinner for four days and still had fuel in the used can.

Mountain House Pro Pack meals:

I absolutely love how the package fits perfectly into the jetboil mug. You can actually lay back in your hammock and eat without burning your hands and when your done, just pull the envelope out of the mug, zip it closed and into the trash. No mess, no fuss.

Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter:

No more waisted time around camp while I boil up 4 litres of drinking water.

The charcoal filter doesn't eliminate the taste of sulphur, but a decaff tea bag kept in the water bottle sure does.

Bill is correct - the last explorers post I was involved in was S&R oriented - I taught CPR and First Aid to them -

I just keep thinking to when I started backpacking - it was a lot easier to figure out what to take - 'cause there wasn't much available! I can't imagine myself heading out, say, this coming weekend, wearing blue jeans and a cotton "T" shirt, workboots on my feet, carrying a canvas tarp, basic rectangular sleeping bag (complete with cotton cover and flannel lining!), heavy surplus poncho all jammed into a canvas BSA "Camper" backpack on a packframe with no hip belt and unpadded canvas shoulder straps - but at the time that was the norm rather than the exception.

The thing is - I must have enjoyed myself back then - because 37 years later I'm still going at it. So it's not the gear - it's the experience. You'll remember your first mountain top sunrise many years after you've forgotten freezing your tush off or watching your dinner fall into a campfire .... and you'll come to know yourself better through all the experiences the backcountry has to offer you.

Enjoy

Steve

Some of the experiences are fleeting but very special - this past Sunday I went on a fairly tough day hike - first "long day" of the year for me -

I was taking a rest break by some low-land that'd partially flooded - there were a few ducks and a pair of wild turkeys down in/near the water, tree frogs were singing - and then everything went silent - heard a gruff "hrumpff" sound behind me - and sat stock still as a female black bear and her cub emerged and headed to the flooded land - about 40 yards away from me.

The wind was right - and I watched as they dug around for roots and stuff - then the wind shifted - the sow caught my scent. She stood on her hind legs and looked right at me - I sat very still (figuring she could cover that 40 yards a LOT faster than I could get my fat, tired butt off the rock and make a dash for it!) - batted at the cub a bit to get it motivated and the two of them headed back up the mountain.

This wasn't a wilderness area - we were within a couple miles of a resturant - perhaps a half mile away from a major road (PA 34) - but it was a heck of a special moment.

The memory of those bears is going to stick with me a lot longer than the sore muscles or wet feet (from misjudging the depth of a stream) - sometimes the magic just comes your way ...

Steve

A nice sleeping bag may be most costly entry item. A bag rated forty-degrees may be optimal & may be cheaper and lighter than a twenty degree-type bag. Get down if possible, or don't if not. You can later boost warmth with bivvy sack, which, with added winter clothes and some luck, might get you down into the mid-to- upper teens.

did I mention a JetBoil PCS Stove and Mountain House Pro-packs?