Beginner Backpack

Dude, periods are your friend.

For $70 you can probably get a much better quality used backpack from this site (Gear Swap forum) or ebay. If you are new to backpacking I'd spend a lot of time reading before making a purchase. I didn't do enough research and ended up re-buying many pieces of gear later, which was a huge waste of money.

Also, if you've been smoking for 12 years and haven't been in a habit of exercising you might want to try just going out for some day hikes before you dive right into hiking with 40 pounds strapped to your back.

Just my two cents.

Good luck!
-Dave

Hi Gamal,

Backpacking is a great sport- you'll love it (especially if you're carrying light loads).

Starting from scratch, I'd start by getting a pair of nice running shoes to dayhike in and a cheap daypack. And get the book Lighten Up! which is a great read for beginners. This will help orient your thinking. That pack at Wal Mart might be 6 pounds, for example, which would put you en route to a 40-50 pound pack. But it doesn't have to be this way.

By carefully picking items, you could easily start with a pack 20 pounds lighter. But it will take some work- not much of this stuff is available at Wal Mart…or REI for that matter. But the stuff is cheaper than nice heavyweight stuff usually.

No matter what you do, getting on the trail will be great. Have a fantastic adventure. Backpacking changed my life.

Doug

Frankly, I think you would do yourself a lot more good if you were to quit smoking than if you were to simply start hiking with a heavy pack.

I smoked for eight years and speaking from personal experience, quitting is not easy: It is, however, worth the effort. Both my father and my younger brother smoked all their adult lives and both died of lung and throat cancer before they turned 65. I'm glad that I quit while I was young.

Around here, cigarettes cost over $4.50 per pack. For a two-pack-a-day smoker that is at least $3,285 per year that could more profitably be spent on hiking gear once your lungs are clear. Worth considering, I think.

You could get a nice pack from GoLite that weighs 3 pounds or less and costs $175 or less… Definitely consider the gear swap on the forums here.

I think it's great that you had the initiative and foresight to come to this forum to ask about getting started. We can help make your trips a lot more fun! To be frank, though, you probably won't find anyone here who understands the "Ah, whatever. I don't care if I'm carrying an extra 20 pounds." Even seemingly inconsequential items add up to multiple pounds. One pair of socks weighs a quarter pound! My guess is you'll get plenty of exercise walking anything remotely like the distances you're talking about… even without a pack. Keep it light!

Since you are just starting, start out light. You can get a Gossamer Gear Murmur for $80 or The North Face Rucksack for $35. Inexpensive running shoes for under $50. You can make a stove yourself from a coke can for almost free. A poncho/tarp for under $100. The only expensive lightweight gear would be a sleeping bag or quilt.

If you stop smoking, you will start to feel the positive benefits in just a few days. And for the ton of money you will save in year one, you can buy some the most expensive gear available.

I must say i agree with everything people have said so far. And i started hiking/backpacking a year ago and i wish now i would of started by looking on here instead of buying gear that was on sale and what was popular with other day hikers in the area.
I believe i spend over $4,000 at just REI and now i am only carrying a few things that i purchased there. Especialy for summer backpacking trips!
I have found that the book Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking (Falcon Guide) (Paperback)
by Don Ladigan (Author), Mike Clelland (Illustrator)
probably helped me the most.
I wouldn,t buy a backpack right now if i were you but instead purchase a light but comfortable day pack to use while getting in shape and clearing your lungs so to speek.
I say this as i kind of jumped into this after loosing about 80-100 pounds and hiking has helped me get my knees in shape.
And just a warning on the hydration packs, you cannot tell how much volume of water you are drinking unless you remove them from your pack. This coused me some problems while doing a 30 day hike and i didn,t realize the bottom was pinched off so i drank only about 1/2 liter instead of the figured 2-3 liters! i now use the 1 liter platypus in their insulated sleeve atached to my waist belt and also simple plastic water bottles like the gatorade type.
Most people on her will be trying to help you and wont be trying to argue to much with you but there is allot of experience available to tap into so use it! I wish i would of. Started a year ago with about a 60 pound pack and now last weekend i went out on a over nighter and the base weight was under 15 pounds and hopeing to reduce that to 12 pounds. One of the things i noticed is that i don,t need as much water with the lighter weight and my feet and legs love me for it. Actually i don't sweet near as much either…..LOL!

First of all I want to say thanks for all the replies. Second thing is I am using a BlackBerry Pearl phone to type this so proper punctuation makes it harder and it would take another 30 mins just to add all the commas and periods and stuff. Ok has anyone even seen or handled the pack I'm talking about its not that heavy and I found out that I can take the inner frame out. I already got this pack basically free I took a bunch of used stuff back to Walmart and exchanged it for the pack. Its not that heavy of a pack and it seems pretty solid and like I said weight isn't to big of an issue until I get over 35lbs. I have been smoking a long time but I can walk at my own pace without stopping for atleast 5 miles or more without breathing hard and I mainly want the weight to build my legs up cause I have some of the smallest calfs muscles in the world. Right now my pack with everything but food and water is about 15lbs or so plus I'm sure I could still drop more weight if I wanted. My mind set is, "Its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
Here's my gear list so far.
Coleman MAX pack
2Ltr water bladder
1qt water bottle
Fleece bag liner
Fleece throw
Multitool, fixed blade, and folder knife, and a HoBo set (fork,spoon,knife)
Brass alcohol burner and sterno stove.
5 piece mess kit
.22 short revolver Small first aid kit.
1 6ft rope and 1 100ft rope.
Then a few other things like tape, spare carabiners, 2 flashlights, compass, whistle, matches and lighter.
I think that's it so far I have a regular sleeping bag but in the Mississippi summer I won't need it. I have enough stuff to stay in the woods atleast a week or longer. Indefinitely if I carried my rifle. Around here if I go camping its either gonna be a bushwhacking adventure, or rent a campsite at the local lake which is or used to be the biggest manmade lake in the US. If I want to do some trail hiking/camping I'm gonna have to drive no less than 100+ miles. I don't have a hatchet or machete. But I did find a WW1 jungle bolo made in 1917 it was in terrible shape when I found it rusted all over so I took a palm sander to it thinking it was a cheap knife you get at the carnival then I discovered that the same knife in mint condition is being sold for $300 with sheath which mine didn't have. So I can use that for a machete. But anyway now you know everything I have you can give me better ideas. When the pack is full packed with my camping gear then just stuffed with whatnot to take up room and add weight the bag feels real comfortable cause the hip belt takes all the weight off of my shoulders, and if I use it and find it to be uncomfortable or whatever I can take it back and get my cash back that's why I love Walmart if you haven't had the item longer than 3 months you can get your money back or a gift card. I've walked around my house and yard with the pack weighted down and it didn't give me any problems but in the woods can be another story. Well thanks again for the help and info but now that I've given you a better idea of what I have going on, now you can give me more info well thanks again

Why are you bringing a revolver? Those things weigh like a pound or more.

Well I live in Mississippi and most of my camping will be around water either a pond, lake, or creek and since at any given spot I would be willing to bet that within a 50ft radius of where you are there are probably atleast 3-5 of those deadly things crawling around. And anyway its a real small pistol its a .22 Short which is half the size of a regular .22 bullet its a real small pistol but I could hit anything within 30ft of me which is pretty accurate for a pistol that will fit in your palm it has a 2 and a half inch barrel length or maybe just 2 inches

I would take the machete and rifle because you never know when you may need them. You could also bring some flippers, a snorkel and a speargun if you are going to be camping mostly around water. As for a tent there are those really cool two room tents that would give you enough room to sleep in one room and skin/prep game in the other. Good luck and hike your own hike.

i dont think you NEED the rope…

I wish you would come here and try camping with a tarp out in the bush and the next thing you know you got a Bobcat, muskrat, or panther licking you in the face and a cottonmouth in your sack they love the warmth and don't think they won't chase you if you try and run. I've spent many of nights being woke up to the scream of a panther stalking me just outside the light of the fire, and the first thing I grabbed was my gun and this was camping on my own 60 acre piece of land with a 1 acre pond on it. and only the back side of the pond was wooded where I was set up was on the dam with open pasture behind me and when morning came and the sun got good and up high I decided to do a little bass fishing in the boat then spent 15 mins trying to kill a cottonmouth that's trying to swim into my boat with a wooden paddle. They would find you or pieces of you with that type of set up stiff as a board probably bloated and stinking. The eerie thing about a panther is they sound like a woman screaming as she's getting killed that high pitched blood curddling scream that cuts thru your head like a knife like fingernails on a chalk board

That wasn't directed to the last reply but to the genius before him. But anyway no I probably won't need the rope that often but I'm sure there are some times that I would need it.

gamal,

I made the newbie mistake of asking about carrying a pistol on a hike. Its a very senstive subject here. I would strongly suggest just dropping it. Also, I was warned the same in regards to toliet paper. I do know where you are coming from, I'm just east of you in the Florida panhandle.

as far as that pack, I know what you are talking about. I've seen it and i'm looking for a new pack. While its cheap, I think you could get a better one for not much more money. Walmart stuf is walmart stuff, cheap cheap cheap. I've never been happy with their crap. That said, I did buy my son their $30 pack and I know I got what I paid for. But he's only packing at most 8 pounds, and i'm going to lighten that up a bit. So I figured he could handle a cheap pack as the load will be next to nothing.
But in general, I stay away from walmart stuff. Same with tents.

It's a Coleman pack so it could be one of their good items, it could not. I just wouldn't count on it lasting you many years but since you already bought it, I don't see the point in asking about it. You already seem set on what you are bringing with you so I don't really see what you are looking for from us. Clearly you're set on bringing everything in your list and not looking to lighten up (thus the reason why others have commented about the gun, etc). I'm not trying to be mean, but you seem set in your ways and resistant to others help. You've already bought the gear and seem set to go, so get out there and hike. Then come back here when you've figured things out and have a more open mind on ways to lighten up or on items you want reviews on before you buy.

I suggest getting a hammock, it would be better for your humid climate anyway. The cottonmouths could still bite you in the butt, but I suspect they would just slither on under you. Get a good flashlight to check the ground before you get out.

Those things are bad enough in the Ozarks, I'm glad I don't live any farther south. There's nothing like catfishing in a farmpond at night and reeling in a big cottonmouth! They don't even have a pretty pattern, they're just ugly, mean snakes that smell like rats.

.

You're lucky if you have panthers there; it must be a pretty remote property. If you're sure you have panthers in the vicinity of your property, you should try to get pictures of it or at least its tracks. They appear to be extremely rare in Mississippi. Pictures of their tracks and more info on panthers in MS at:
http://www.wildlifemiss.org/magazine/sf99/feature.html

If you shoot one you may be in real trouble.
Are there other animals in the area that might sound like panthers?

Bugnet and bear spray…..

Ok first off I want to say thanks to everyone that has give advice and insight but to get things back on track this post was started because of a question about a backpacks quality and advice on whether it would make a decent beginner one or not. I am sorry that it got way off track. What I carry into the woods on a bushwhacking adventure and heavier than someone one a nice neat trail. I guess I don't need a machete when going thru a briar patch? Nor do I need a small pistol when a water mocassin "cottonmouth" one of the most poisinus snakes in north America. Comes swimming up to my campsite when I'm camped out by a pond. But anyway that's all for another post. Most of the stuff I have is lite the heaviest thing I carry is my messkit which is stainless still with a copper bottom but I could leave everything but the boiler cause that's all I would really use. As for the hammock I was thinking about that but I don't have the money for a real nice expensive one I've seen those on some military surplus sites the jungle hammock I think its pretty lite and its only $30 has anyone used the one I'm talking about? As for the panther. That's only happened to me and some other members of my family and people that lived in this area where my family had 60 acres. We reported it to the game warden and he said we we're not the only reported sighting in the area but since the panther is not officially listed as a species in MS they said a picture is suffiecent proof cause it can't be proved it was taken in MS, you can't kill it cause it would be a federal crime, And you have to have a license to trap it but since its not a officially registered species you can't get the license. To be 100% honest I'm not sure what exactly it was stalking me and then my bro in law on separate occasions it could have been big foot it was only when talking to 3 different people that live within a mile radius and all our lands back eachother did we discover what it was since we we're new to the area and the people we talked to had been living there for years. Put it this way when you wake up to a blood curddling scream and something stalking you outside the light of the fire and the beam of a medium sized mag light you don't want to be without some protection and it happen to my bro in law he was on a stake out for some beavers that kept blocking the mini spillway/run-off so the pond wouldn't overflow the dam well anyway he wa about half asleep parked on the dam headlights shining towards the runoff when he heard the same scream I described to him them he said he heard the thing come down the ridge towards him and he tried to spot it with a million candlepower spot light but couldn't see anything but it stayed stalking him he said it founded huge the way it stomped thru the woods breaking sticks and whatnot and we know its not a bear or it would have been spotted this thing seemed to stay out of sight but stayed to watch us. Well I'm back off topic again. I want to say thanks again for the people that helped and have advice instead of critisisim.

I am a huge fan of Granite Gear packs. I find them well priced, durable, very comfortable with good carrying ability (the framed versions) for heavier loads and somewhat customizable for the persons size. They are a great starting point until you decide exactly what you want in a pack.

http://www.granitegear.com

Alright since I already got the Coleman MAX backpack internal frame from Walmart but I can't seem to find any info about this bag anywhere on the net not even on the Coleman website. Does anyone know where I can find the specs like size, weight, etc… Has anyone used or even seen the backpack I'm talking about? If not I will post a picture of it. Maybe this will get my post back on topic. Here's a simple description of the bag. Its red, black and a little grey and there was also an orange, black and grey one. With 2 big side pockets, toploading drawstring with pocketed flap lid. Under the main compartment on the outside is a medium sized pocket about a third of the size of the top main compartment. On the front between the side pockets is a carrying handle between a set of daisey chain loops running vertically on either side of the handle and above the bottom compartment I hope that's not too confusing there's one on the coleman site that looks close to it but instead of the handle and vertical daisey chain loops its a single vertical zipper and different colors well I hope someone out there knows which pack I'm talking about thanks in advance for any and all help

Man, If you want people to read your posts, and take you seriously, Punctuate! If you already bought the pack, then our opinions on it are kinda mute, don't you think? Also appears you are quite capable of wandering way off topic all by your lonesome. Just saying….

Only dumb answers, and that old saying sure does fit this post. Yeah I can get off topic perfectly fine by myself. But I asked about some info on this certain bag does it matter whether I bought it or not? I don't know the capacity or anything, but I do know its not a cheap POS like most people are thinking. I admit it was cheap but it seems like a sturdy well made pack from what little use I have gotten out of it, its comfortable and holds everything I need and a few things I don't what more do I need? Other than the specs and that's out of curiousuty.