First time backpacking

"it would be easy to get down to 2lbs for a pair of bags (like the wm summerlite)"

Well, yeah, it's really easy to spend a couple of thousand on the lightest stuff to try backpacking for the first time. I was just trying to help. If Natalie is convinced that her load is too heavy and she should wait till spring, that's okay.

> Well, yeah, it's really easy to spend a couple of thousand on the lightest stuff to try backpacking for the first time

excellent point. sorry I was sarky

I lose perspective on cost sometimes. I am surrounded by folks who won't think twice about dropping this sort of cash. Sometime I forget that we are talking about real money.

–Mark

I lose perspective on cost to, although all the cuben fiber and spinnaker stuff scares me a little. :) We gotta get her out there with some heavy stuff, so she can get really frustrated and turn into lightgearheads like the rest of us!

I thankfully discovered this site and a couple other lightweight backpacking forums before I bought too much heavy gear. I guess I started putting together my kit a little over a year ago mostly from information online, in magazines and from a friend or two. Not being totally comfortable with the idea of using just a tarp, I ended up getting an REI Quarterdome T2 tent. I had to take into consideration that I would be backpacking with one of my kids so I had to keep it "reasonable" from a comfort perspective. I went with the lightest stuff I could afford but still be comfortable using and ended up doing a lot of research in the process. At some point I realized that the lightest item was not the best choice for me in some cases because my desires were slightly different.

This past June, my 8-year-old son and I went on our first "real" backpacking trip on the West Rim Trail in Zion National Park: 16 miles with an overnight stay along the trail. I feel that I was well-prepared because of the advice was able to gather on this site and through other reading. I spent a lot more time planning because I was not only responsible for my own safety but for my son's safety as well.

Everything on my current gear list is the result of many, many reviews and elimination of the stuff I didn't really need – and I'm still working on it. If you search this site for 'gear list' you will find a bunch of gear lists that backpackers have posted. You will probably find something that you can use as a start for your own list and customize it with the things you already own.

Incidentally, REI's fall sale is going on this week.

Good luck!

mike

The reason why I started posting on here is that whenever I started researching something I would end up here reading threads and review. I figured that since I kept coming back here I'd start here for advice. I've become attracted to the ultralight approach since it seems to emphasize simplicity, creativity, and self-reliance. Don't reckon I'm going to get there all at once though :)

First off, today I actually picked up a cheap-o 4lb tent at Sport's Authority for $25, so that just cut the tent weight in half. If it blows out in a couple months, I'll just save up for a Tarptent in the meantime. One of you recommended the Double Rainbow, but I was thinking the Cloudburst 2 looked pretty awesome.

As for the sleeping bags -if it's not cold out I'll take something light like a fleece liner or something. I'd rather save $300 for a new UL tent though than buy 1 ( or maybe 1/2) a sleeping bag that will primarily be used Oct-May.

Food -meh. We're super organic, everything homemade when we eat at home, but we have no problem heading out for a weekend with a jar of peanut butter and some turkey bacon. For me camping has always been more about the scenery then the food -even while growing up with an RV.

Thanks to those who pointed out some redundancies in my list re water purification and who made recommendations. That's probably something we'll up going a little bit heavier on since we're both sort of pure water nuts.

I really do appreciate all the advice and encouragement.

> For me camping has always been more about the scenery then the food

Bite your tongue! Backpacking is all about the all-you-can-eat buffets along the way. Or at least about the celebratory huge burrito on the way home.

> about the celebratory huge burrito on the way home.

No it's not. It's about the thick, juice hamburger, shake or beer, and salad. ;-)

I appreciate Natalie's perspective. Simple food is less hassle on the trail and also makes it easy for quick escapes from home. You can grab and go.

–Mark

Well I'm looking forward to hearing how the first trip turns out, so post a trip report. And don't expect everything to go perfectly. I don't expect that now, and it's been………years.

Ok, I am getting completely overwhelmed thinking about all the different options out there. Like I said, I love reading about ultralight adventures on these forums and elsewhere, but I think I need to back away here fast before I just decide to stick with car camping (something I know I can do). I'm sure I'll keep lurking to pick up on the odd trick or recommendation. Realistically it's somewhat unlike we'd get out before January anyway since we have a couple of car camping trips coming up along with the usual holiday traveling. In the meantime I can continue to research and save up for when we do get out there.

Thanks again for everything.

PS. And no y'all haven't scared me off. I still plan to start backpacking. It's just really easy for me to obsess about getting everything right. Taking some time off to plan our upcoming trips will give me time to decompress :)

Ah, you said the "O" word! Obsessing is why we're here!

Truth is, I think some of us view your upcoming backpacking experience with an odd mix of nostalgia, envy, and remembered fear.

We (or should I just speak for myself — I) remember my first night out alone with my future wife so many years ago. I was carrying 65 pounds (including a one-burner Coleman stove — what was I thinking?).

Bone tired along the AT in Pennsylvania, we set up our huge, heavy canvas tent and lay awake most of the night listening to those weird sounds. It's different than car camping. You are alone. The nearest help if Bigfoot attacks is many miles away. The deer snorting is certainly a bear ravenously hunting human flesh because of a "bad berry season."

Okay, I exaggerate, but only slightly. The experience can be a joyful one, but nobody gets it the first or second time. You are dependent solely on what you have on your back. It can be daunting at first, but if you stick with it, it can become revelatory.

So if some of us seem, well, a bit paternal about the whole thing, it's because we want you to have the best experience possible so that you will realize that this is it: the best thing you can do, a truly mind-expanding, revelatory epiphany. We (I) don't want you huddling together in the dark or feeling the agony of that 40-pound pack.

It took me years (and a lot of $$$$) to discard one after another piece of car-camping gear and reduce my base weight from 50 pounds to 5.5. Nobody expects you to do that for the first trip. But the lighter the load and the more prepared you are physically and emotionally, the better your first experience will be.

And as you stare at the winter Milky Way from the darkest of dark skies, and realize that you can sustain yourself with only what you yourself have carried on your back, the experience WILL be overwhelming . . . joy. There's nothing like it. Hang in there. We may sound like fussbudgets, but all that disappears with the first step on the trail.

Stargazer

In January a bunch of folks from this forum will be going to pt reyes.

.

Take good care of your feet – you're only as good as they are. Get some good boots/shoes and socks, and break the boots in. Make sure you do plenty of walking around the neighborhood (wearing your boots) in the weeks before your trip – this toughens your feet in all the right places and will help prevent blisters. You REALLY don't want blisters out in the backcountry.