New Guy says hello!

[Paul Martin]

Hello everyone. I've been backpacking since early childhood (37 now). New convert to going light. Loving what I'm reading here and soaking in all the suggestions. Have no idea what my pack weight is now, but is assuredly over 20 pounds easily.

I'll do a lot of reading and searching first before asking questions, but just thought I'd say hello. Looking forward to hitting the trail this year.

[Dana S]

Welcome to BPL!

You'll find a mountain of resources available to you! :)

– Dana

[t.darrah]

From a fellow PNW hiker I say hello to you and welcome to a great site. Enjoy and stay awhile.

[Don (Biloxi) Carter]

hey Paul WELCOME…this is a great site with some of the most knowledgable gear freaks you will ever encounter in one place..look around ask question, you have come to the right spot..good luck in your quest for enLIGHTment..

[Paul Martin]

Thanks! I LOVE backpacking. I HATE feeling like I'm about to collapse at the end of the day due to pack weight. I want to enjoy the scenery, not obsess about gear (that's what being home is for).

A big part of shedding unneeded weight is losing body weight. An office job and family life have done me in and I'm looking to get back in the game. I love the hiking and change of scenery, but not big on hanging around camp. I just want what will keep me alive and comfortable in the wilderness. Sleeping warm is essential though.

[Tom Clark]

Paul,
Welcome! I highly recommend this article as a good starting place.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00034.html

Tom

[Kendall Clement]

Hey Paul,

Welcome to BPL! I'm not only new to UL backpacking, but new to backpacking period. I've been a member for just about year and only recently started participating in the forums. I gotta tell ya, I wish I started in the forums a year ago. The people here are really encouraging, fun and nice. You can ask about anything and you'll be shocked at how much people step up to help you. You're gonna like it. So, welcome!

[James Bahner]

Might as well sneak in here and introduce myself as well, just started backpacking a bit ago(22), my girlfriend and i have fallen in love with it. we also run and rock climb. yes we also bring our dog with us everywhere, sorry if that bothers you. always looking for new people to hike with if anyone is interested from Pennsylvania.

[Kendall Clement]

Hey James,

Nice to meet you :-)

[Paul Martin]

Thomas, that is a great article! I read it last night and am ready to begin a first-look at my current gear. My first thoughts are to eliminate the "extras" and see what is left. Being a Gear-head on a Dirtbag budget right now, I am really intrigued about the things I can either make or get relatively cheaply to see how I like it.

I need to get a decent scale first to see what I actually have for gear. My pack is probably the heaviest thing. Thanks again for the welcome.

[Kendall Clement]

Paul,

I got a decent postal scale that weighs up to 76lb on Ebay for around $39 and change I think. Of course you'll never need up to 76 lbs for backpacking, but you never know what else you could use it for. Also, I decided to make my own gear last week and picked up a 35 year old sewing machine, that was well taken care of, on Craig's list for $10!!! It came with the case, accessories and original manual! The woman told me she gets it serviced about every two years and the only reason she was getting rid of it was that she finally decided to get a new one. I'm starting my first project in about 2 weeks. So, there are ways to get it done on a budget.

I'm telling you I can hardly sleep thinking about all the lightweight gear I want to make to get out there this year. The rest of the gear I need totals about $800 – $900 retail. I'm gonna be able to make it for about $200. There are great instructional articles on sewing here. And, the in the MYOG forums are VERY helpful.

[Paul Martin]

Kendall, what are you making? I'd love to see pics of the process and final results.

My daughter has a pretty decent sewing machine, so I'd love to learn to make some things.

[J B]

Welcome to BPL! I'm sure you'll like it in here. Also, your pack weight is sure to drop dramatically ;-)

[Kendall Clement]

My first project is a Climashield XP quilt. Then a cuben fiber G4 pack, a silnylon poncho tarp and a bivy sack with a cuben fiber bottom and a momentum .90 top with bug netting. Some of the people in the forum say that quilts are the easiest to make. So, because I don't have ANY sewing experience, I thought I'd start with that. Of course, any of this could change as I learn more, but this is the current plan.

[Kendall Clement]

Paul,

Check out the MYOG forums. The Make Your Own Gear people have plenty of pics of their projects. They are of all experience levels, beginner to decades of experience, and they'll answer any questions you might have. I have to warn you though, they're a pretty encouraging bunch and they they can get you pretty fired up. I'm telling you, you wont sleep after you talk to them!

I haven't started yet. I have to take my sewing machine in to get serviced first, then order materials and kits. If you want get an idea some of the kits and materials you can buy AND the SAVINGS check out these two sites.

http://www.questoutfitters.com
http://www.thru-hiker.com

[Tom Clark]

James,
Joe Geib & I have started a PA BPL subgroup in Facebook if you're interested in joining. Not sure where it will go, but wanted to try it. Backpacking Light: Eastern PA Members

Also, you might want to allow emails thru BPL.
Tom

[James Bahner]

I put in the request to join the facebook group, I am not on facebook a whole lot but figured why not join.

[Jeremy Hockin]

Don't want to start a new thread, but another new guy here saying hi. Been reading these forums for a few weeks and am really impressed with how active they are, plus tons of great information. I'm trying to get my pack weight down with the help of this site, I tend to pack very heavy thanks to all the camera gear I usually lug around. But the last few weekend trips I've taken this winter I've gone without any camera at all. It is a bit sad to not carry one but kind of liberating.

So hello, and thanks for this wealth of information to keep me busy when I'm stuck inside at work.

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