Backpacking for the girly girl

Kathleen – my Lady (5'3" 100lbs) has a GoLite Jam and likes it very much. She packs it via the Cloud Method (a la Mike Clelland – Tip #63), carries not more than 14lbs total weight, and it really works for her. She's able to pack everything herself unless we need extra water and I gladly carry that.

REI is nice because you can take things back, of course; if they have a Jam in-stock for you to try on in a store, that would be great. You then could look for a slightly used one at half the cost. I got a "like new" one for my Lady here off Gear Swap for $70 or so.

Thanks Aaron. That's good to hear :)

For me , my first hardcore backpacking trip was a revelation. I grew up in Chicago and was lucky enough to do some camping with a renegade band of Eagle Scouts who actually chopped Harleys. My brother had gone down to Big Bend in Texas on a spring break filled with floods, a mountain lion tossing a sleeping bag into a fire and total sunburn and beatto Sht condition loving it. We took my girlfriend and his wife up the East Rim starting at 3 in the morning. They wanted to turn back by 10 as their backpacks hurt and they said we'll sleep in the Landcruiser. Somehow we talked them out of it. It was a brutal climb in new boots etc. No tent just sleeping bags. Around 3 things sucked bigtime as the families on mules passed us leaving roadapples and bored teenagers before our tiring steps. But at 5:00 we crested as they left ;all those bored teenage eyes and sunburned citizens bye bye. We had it to ourselves. I clutched hundred year old trees. At dusk the sky turned purple as the heat left the desert so far below and bats swooped in a foot from my face.The stars came out like spilt milk and satellites blipped by. That was Communion. That's why I go out . It isn't how to get there but to get there.So all the rigamaroll about how to do it is just benchracing compared to being OUT . And i don't care if OUT is midnight in your backyard. Drink Deep.And Live Forever. Wang Wei in there somewhere.

"What is the lightest, framed, women's pack to research? I don't see many options from the usual manufacturers I look for uber light stuff from."

It might be too much of a budget stretch without first getting Kathleen hooked on backpacking, but McHale does make packs specifically for women. His packs aren't the lightest out there, but finding another that carries as well won't be easy. The biggest downside is that his packs are on the high side of the price spectrum.

http://www.tundrasleepingbags.com/Ethics.asp

I was thinking of you two last weekend, while I was out backpacking with my girlfriend in the Presidential Range. If you’re willing to drive up to NH at some point, I think you’d enjoy staying at the brand new Madison Spring Hut. It looks really, really nice. They have new bathrooms and the food is good.

You could do the Airline-Valley Way loop (8.3 miles, 4,100′ elevation gain, total time 6:10). That would mean taking a slow, easy day up with lots of time for pictures. A night at the hut or Valley Way campsite. A day of exploring the area above the treeline and the a 4 mile hike to get down. If you have extra time and the weather is nice, you could hike the 0.5 miles up to the summit of Madison or JQ Adams. Once you get to the bottom, there are all sorts of water holes to swim.

New Madison Spring Hut, July 2011

New Bunks at the Madison Spring Hut

Airline Trail

I realize you may not be able to get to NH any time soon, but I wanted to throw out that idea. I love this loop. And although my GF and I tend to camp out, we both thought the new hut looked absolutely amazing.

Good luck with your trip planning!

I'm with Mark…if you think your going to have bad time you will. I'm a girly girl and I go out alone most of the time! The critters will not bother you, its the people that are up to know good you should worry about! I prefer sleeping in a tent with a floor as well, makes me feel like I'm in a room at home. I think that must be a girl thing..lol A lot of areas have "outhouses"…I'd rather go outside honestly, it doesnt smell as bad. Just look around good before ya go. Would not be good if your decided that nice lush green patch of posion was a good spot. Just saying.

I enjoy the quiet of the trails but love to get home after a long weekend. First thing I do is shower so I smell like a girl again. Gear is always in my car these days and ready to go…I'm notorious for last minute out of town weekend trips. My advice: Just keep searching for what works for you and dont be afraid to get dirty. And of course, have fun :)

I too use a frameless pack, and love it. I have a Golite Pinnacle (need the extra volume for carrying the toddler's diapers and extra clothes). For frameless, it's important to pack right, but I've never had a problem getting it to distribute weight to my hips.

As for the colors, I've have a black one, and it's grown on me. More to the point, even the red one that I got for my hubby on sale has grown on me. When they are on people, for some reason, they really do look fine.

As for clothes, also look at Athleta. They have really cute stuff and most of it is wicking. Unfortunately though, it may weigh more than the uglier backpacking clothes.

And fwiw, I totally agree with you about the full tent. We have a TT rainshadow 2 and we love it.

Kathleen, I think it's great that you want to try this! You've already done some car camping it sounds like, so at least your first foray isn't jumping straight into backpacking. One thing that I've discovered about backpacking is that it really does matter that your pack be COMFORTABLE.

I did a 7-month trip through Europe with a huge, heavy pack and was miserable every time I had to put it on. The fact someone had to hold it while I put it on should have been a clue. When we got back to the States, we ditched our heavy packs and I got a Mountainsmith Bugaboo (or whatever the women's version was called). You're slender, so I'd definitely recommend something that's designed for a woman's narrower shoulders. I ended up not liking the way the Bugaboo packed and it just wasn't very comfortable.

I bought a Gregory Jade 50 2 years ago and I absolutely love it. I've used it on 3 short trips and I feel like I can walk forever. When we've come to a resting point, I've felt like I could stop because I was hungry or thirsty, not because I had to get my pack off my back. I just I posted my gear list on here a few weeks ago and I got some recommendations to switch to a lighter pack, but mine is just so comfortable on me, I can't make that leap yet. My point is, if you go to REI to try packs, make sure they put (Bryce, don't read this) 15-20 pounds in it and walk around the store for 30-45 minutes and see if it starts to be comfortable. (Kathleen, make sure Bryce hasn't fainted at my suggestion of so much weight!) Browse through the clothes again while you're wearing it. (BTW, I just bought some Mountain Hardwear Yuma pants…they are the most comfortable hiking pants I've put on. The waist may be higher than you prefer though. They were pricey at $75 too, much more than I'd normally spend, but they'll last me for years.) For me, I've learned that if my pack is uncomfortable, it really dampens the whole trip, as I spend all my hiking time thinking about how uncomfortable I am and that I can't wait to get my pack off. The last backpacking trip I went on, I think my pack weighed about 17 pounds with food, but without water and I had a great time. We got to the resting point (it was a group trip with Sierra Club) and I took my pack off to lean against, not because I was anxious to get the weight off my shoulders. (I saw tonight there's actually a Gregory Jade 50 in the Gear Swap forum. I have a small, because I'm 5'1".)

Based on suggestions here, I did make the leap to a quilt over a sleeping bag. I've always hated mummy style sleeping bags. I think I tend to toss and turn and the bags get all twisted around me. My quilt arrived today and I'm going to try sleeping under it tonight. I'll also second the opinion someone else made about hammocks. I bought a Warbonnet Blackbird (http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/blackbirds.php) last year and I love it. When I took it backpacking, I listened as everyone else talked about sticks and rocks being under them all night and I realized how peacefully I'd slept! It zips up like a cocoon, so no bugs! (I'm with you on the creepy-crawlies…I've camped since I was a kid and I'm definitely not ready for a tarp tent. I want a floor!) Something to consider if you like your first few trips.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like. I enjoyed reading this thread and it's really great to see the women posting! I've been lurking here for awhile now and I always feel like I'm intruding on a guy's club.

Getting into the backcountry is one of my favorite things, and I love to backpack with my GF. All people and all relationships are different, but for me the key to building a shared love for backpacking is having things be a conversation, and a process. It seems from this thread that you're already going down this path!

+1 to starting with short trips (distance and time), and what you save in foodweight and miles you can over-invest in : (1) shelter, (2) bed, and (3) food.

(1)

+1 @Laural Bourque, re: renting a Quarter Dome. This is a really wonderful tent, coming it at well under 2lbs/person. Take @Mark Hudson's post as a cautionary tale– don't drop a bunch of coin on gear you might not need!

(2)

We love sharing sleepspace. Our kit is modular and depending on the temperature, we bring :

-> a 2person silk liner
-> a 2person down quilt
-> synthetic rectangular bags that zip together {NB – these are inexpensive to rent or purchase}
-> ridgerests
-> thermarests
-> straps to keep the pads together

We can double-up on pads for comfort or ground insulation and haul as much or as little bedding as we feel like.

(3)

I think for a night or two the way to solve this is to Think Picnic and go gourmet. "Perpetual Lunch" can be a big hit, especially with veg-persons. As long as it's not cold, leave the stove at home? Heck, a few consecutive meals of raw non-dairy food every now and again is probably a good idea regardless!

My $.02!

-Ben

PS – let her pick and pack her own personal gear. oh, and wipes are awesome.

A very short section of it anyway:
http://www.berkshirehiking.com/hikes/bulls_bridge.html

It's about a 4 mile loop I want to do with easy to moderate trail. There is plentiful water and flat camping area w/ a lean to if we need it.

We'll be hiking in my newly purchased Tarptent Squall 2:

I bought it used, it's in perfect condition, so if we never backpack again I can resell very easily. It meets her needs for fully enclosed bug netting with bathtub floor and we'll fit fine.

Projected low is 41F so she'll use my Marmot Helium (It's down, but she didn't have to buy it, so it's ok for now), EN tested for a woman down to 27.7F so she should be fine. I'll be pushing my JRB Sierra Stealth to the max as it is rated to 40F (I'll bring the down balaclava). Which will be nice… if I am too cold, or she is, we are only a mile from the parking lot. Will be nice to test my quilt. I will use my bigger GG Mariposa, and her, her EMS day pack with minimal gear.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

I hope you guys have a great time and all works out… Maybe we should all get together hold hands and pray for you guys

Have a good time, and please report back! (Especially Kathleen!)

Bryce, it looks like your lady is really thrilled with the tent. :D

I hope she comes to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.

My wife grew up in the middle of a very large city. While dating, I was showing her a Sierra Club photo book, and she started crying. When asked why, she said because she thought I'd have to chose between her and the mountains. I said I'd take both.

We went at it slowly – on an early trip canoeing down a Midwestern river, she was terrified to walk down a country road. Forty years later, while her knees won't let her backpack anymore, she gets through the year planning camping trips to the mountains and the coast. A few years ago she started getting more serious about outdoor photography, and now some of her photos are coming close to those of the old Sierra Club books that broke her heart with their beauty.

Take things slowly. If you have to, get a pack (non-UL) that will let you carry more weight. Never hike faster than her – it's about being together after all. My biggest thrill over the years has been to see things afresh through Betsy's eyes, things that had become familiar and old to me were brand new and exciting for her. I envy you the process!

Bryce and Kathleen, have a great time. Hope your time turns out magical.

Should be fun to read about this one….good luck.

God help us….and my back. :p

The pack weighs 22 lbs. fully loaded.

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