Every I need for backpacking I can get at Walmart…

yeah the bluefoam mats are a steal really.. And oh so useful for the price.

My favorite bargain is fabric from those oh so few walmarts that still have the fabric dept..

Have gotten so much good nylon there.. Recently got 20 yards of and awesome tight grid dwr coated ripstop at $1.50/y

Oh man, I'm a real fan of Walmart for selected camping gear.
– Polyester/spandex underwear and long sleeve top
– Cotton/Polyester blend dress pants for hiking in
– light temperature and weight Polyester hoodie
– trekking poles
– gear scales
– 350 lb test lightweight braided nylon catfish line
– OP dry bags
– polyester dress socks as sock liner
– sandals for camp shoes
– UCO citronella candles
– cheap and kinda durable nylon rain gear (good for rock climbing where driducks wouldn't last 10 minutes; and gortex would just make me cry)
– knit hat
– knife sharpener
– lithium batteries
– cheap-o headlamps
– fleece sleeping bags
– blue sleeping mat
– single shot neosporin
– cheap and off brand bandages, excedrine, and benadryl
– tweezers
– plastic bags (ziplock, trash)
– aluminum cookware (grease pot, mess kit)
– 1L water bottles with water in them (not that heavy, overpriced, empty, nalgene)

My stuff might not be the absolute lightest available, but it is light. I don't cry if it walks away, catches fire, wears out, jumps out, gets used up, or needs to be replaced with something cooler/neater.

IMHO, if you have a limited budget, throw it all at a high quality, lightweight, down sleeping bag and backpack and get the rest from Walmart.

acronym 12/7/2009 8:39 PM

>"2. Outdoor Products dry sack set of 3"

Definetly. I own these and have had nothing but good experiences with them.

cheers

Watch out for their trash compactor bags–they are very heavily scented. Horrible scent, too. Not something you want in your tent at night!

I'm finding that more and more outfits are scenting their trash compactor bags. So much for using them for pack liners!

I dont have money growing in my backyard either and must always find cheap/free solutions to a backpacker's problems. the spandex underwear have worked well for me so far.

The Outdoor Products trekking poles with the flick locks are really decent, they're only like 9 oz and $14 each.

They have some decent Energizer headlamps for about $5 that are 1.3 oz each, they work.

I've had great luck with the Starter synthetic t-shirts, 1/4 zips, and underwear. Tough to beat at $5 a pop.

We don't have a Walmart. I've never been to Walmart.

I'm cheaper than Walmart. I got a lot of my gear from the thrift store or out of the trash.

I strongly recommend skipping the iodine (Potable Aqua). A surprisingly large number of people (including me) turn out to be allergic to the stuff! I can no longer eat seafood or anything prepared with iodized salt (basically, I can't go to anyone's house for dinner without requesting special no-salt food–same is true for restaurants). Use chorine dioxide instead!

Oops, chlorine!

Hi Mary

> A surprisingly large number of people (including me) turn out to be allergic to the stuff!

You should discuss this with a specialist. Allergy to seafoods is well-known. Allergy to some of the organic molecules used to carry iodine is not as common but has been reported. But allergy to elemental iodine? Most unlikely.

'Theoretically it is not possible to be allergic to elemental iodine or simple iodide salts (such as potassium iodide). Indeed no true allergy or anaphylaxis to iodine has been reported. Iodine itself can cause non-allergic adverse reactions such as iododerma (a rare acneiform or ulcerative eruption related to iodide ingestion) or iodide mumps (salivary gland swelling due to iodide overload from contrast media infusion in those with renal insufficiency).'
http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/32/5/125/8/

Cheers

As an car-less urban dweller, I'm Walmart deprived, but I'm going to have to make a trip to the Walmart near my parent's house over Christmas to get a couple or more of those blue CCF pads. Man, $12 for 1" of CCF vs Thermarest charging $35 for the .625 Ridgrest.

Unfortunately for me, I don't think that Walmart has a fabric dept.

Wow! I have never been to Walmart. Guess I should take a 100 mile drive up that way. That's my closest Home Depot also:(

Roger is correct. Iodine is a trace element occurring naturally in the body. In fact, iodine deficiency results in goiter (large thyroid swelling) and cretinism (mental retardation). This is why salt is iodized :)

"Iodine allergy" sound like some fad. There's probably someone somewhere espousing "water allergy" too.

Shellfish allergy however does exist and can be a really BIG deal!

AND, bear in mind that iodine isn't terribly active against cryptosporidium- which is the bad one that you really don't want to get. The chlorine dioxide systems have broader activity than iodine.

It's been a while, but IIRC no-one has yet come up with a really good treatment for cryptosporidiosis, either…

The Energizer Headlight is by far my best Wally-world pyrchase so far. Really bright for a single LED coin cell, 1.3 oz. headlamp. Cost me $6!!!!!!!

I purchased a Casio Forester Electro wrist watch for $10 last winter on sale and it has been great. Had it on swimming plenty of times this past summer and never had any problems while my previuos $90 Wenger watch had some condensation in the dial after one swim. They both had the same water resistance rating! Lights up really bright and has a nice afterglow. Keeps time really well, never had to adjust it.

I also got a couple of the polyester shirts and they were really comfortable and dried really quick. They started to pill after a dozen washes but they were nice for $4.88 on sale.

The Starter boxers look really comfortable. I have been considering getting a pair. $10.

Joseph

All I know is that after using iodine for treating drinking water for a month of weekends, I developed a really serious rash. Deep lesions (lichen planus) which took months to heal and left permanent scars. After a lot of workup with two dermatologists, they said it had to be the iodine. I was told no iodized salt, no seafood, no vitamins/minerals containing iodine.

I have had a few minor outbreaks since, not as serious, always as a result of not being sufficiently paranoid about avoiding iodized salt when visiting friends or eating at restaurants for periods of several days or more.

I have never had an M.D. tell me I couldn't have an allergy to iodine; in fact, I've been told it's surprisingly common!

I like the $13 eggcrate blue foam. 24" wide and only 1 oz heavier than the $6 blue foam. More comfy too.

The roll top stuff sacks are great. very durable, very waterproof

$3 gym shorts and synthetic shirts on clearance

I found some $2 UL fleece gloves a while back but lost them

Eureka Getaway 3500 pack at 2 lbs. Ex GF ended up with it :(

> I have never had an M.D. tell me I couldn't have an allergy to iodine; in fact,
> I've been told it's surprisingly common!

It is a very common misunderstanding, and apparently GPs and dermatologists are not immune (sorry) to this.

It usually is not the element iodine but the associated (molecular) carriers which can cause the problem. In other words, it wasn't the iodine in the water treatment but the other chemicals present. I have seen povodine cited as one cause for allergy.

The flip side is that iodine deficiency WILL cause you some serious medical problems. Take some care here.

Tricky stuff, allergies.

Cheers

Reflectix windshield screens. You can make a lifetime supply of pot/mug and freezer bag cozies, go to hardware and get some shiny silver duct tape, fabric dept. for some velcro.

Also, window insulation plastic for ground cloth, no need to order polycro from Gossamer Gear.

HEET for alcohol stoves.

Nite-Ize carabiners

Big aluminum beverage cans to make a cookpot.

32 oz Powerade bottles for water.

> I'm cheaper than Walmart. I got a lot of my gear from the thrift store or out of the trash.

Hi Piper. I'd love to hear about some of your backpacking dumpster scores. Haven't done any dumpster diving since my college days, but remember it fondly.

The reason salt had iodine added to it was to correct the diets of people who lived inland and did not get a diet in foods that contain natural occurring trace amounts of iodine, such as:
"Iodine is found in the sea and in soil that has previously been under the sea. Salt water seafood (e.g., sea trout, lobster, haddock, shrimp, and shark), sea vegetables (such as seaweed, including kelp, hijiki, arame, nori, and laver), vegetables grown in iodine containing soil (found on any land that was previously under the sea), and animals grazing on plants growing in iodine rich soil all are good sources. This mineral also enters the food supply through the use of certain disinfectants called iodophors. These are primarily used in the dairy industry, so milk and cheese, for example, contain a good amount of iodine. In addition, some red dyes contain iodine, as do some dough conditioners (look for an iodized conditioner listed in the ingredient section on the bread package). These sources add considerable amounts of iodine to one's diet." http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2234.html

Hence, yes, folks, we can EASILY over due it on iodine in our diets. It is used heavily where we do not need that much of it.

In Granny's case her allergy occurred after using quite a bit of it to purify water. In most cases iodine is not recommended for daily water treatment – as a backup emergency method, yes.

Unless you were AT her Dr. appointments, suffering what she went through I call BS on comments!

Thank you, Sarah!!!

This happened 25 years ago, after too many people started getting on my case for not treating my water. I took their advice and was very, very sorry!

Since then I've used a filter, with occasional use of chlorine dioxide if the water source is really bad (cow-trampled ponds with no outlet).

Tom, right there with your on those first three. I've purchased the painters drop cloth with the white dots (forget what they call it) for my next trip – tad tougher without a huge weight penalty and I can use it more than once or twice.

Which knife sharpener do you get there?

I'm trying to choose a sharpener to take on my upcoming thru hike. I just added the Lansky® Mini Crock Keychain Sharpener to my wish list on amazon, but am still open to other options.