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10 things not to buy for backpacking
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Nov 17, 2011 at 12:56 am #1802664
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Nov 17, 2011 at 3:44 am #1802677Enjoy,
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The last one was for Dale. ;-)
Party On,
Newton
Nov 17, 2011 at 6:38 am #1802698Anything cuben or a "SUL" down quilt.
You could outfit a backpacker entirely with the amount of money some people spend on a single 5×8 tarp or quilt.
Nov 17, 2011 at 6:56 am #1802703This whole list is dead on! There are those people who like to take the gourmet cook kits, but I find that after a long day of hiking I'm just too lazy to do anything but boil water. Also I favor the one pot meals on an average day anyway and with a little planning and a good dehydrator I eat like a king with that boiled water.
I just have to agree with L Miller, the cost to weight ratio of Cuben is an absurd waste of money.
Nov 17, 2011 at 7:34 am #1802720Haters gonna hate I suppose.
I proudly carry yes an ENTIRE roll of the softest TP with me on trips. Look, TP doesn't weigh much and I prefer it. You all can drip dry and have dingle berries and or use leaves that are wet and or have bugs on them.
I'll carry my TP. Doesn't make me any less hardcore I might add. And I cannot tell you just how many times I have had someone see that roll wrapped in a gallon freezer bag and pleading ask for a little.
Hah.
Nov 17, 2011 at 7:41 am #1802722Lol…after reading all the comments on "Gourmet cookpots" what I think you are all thinking is multiple pot sets and whatnot. When actually most cooksets now are not that way!
Do you all know the real difference? Most sets now come with one pot and lid and then they add mugs and bowls or plates. Or maybe a frypan second lid. That is it! Nothing says you HAVE to take all of it with you. Sheesh. Oh and the pot sets are often 2L or so in size, not a rinky dinky .9 Liter size. Although you can get a cookset of say 1.2 or 1.3 Liters with the accessories.
Just saying that some of you need to actually go shopping and check out what is actually on the market!! Granted I am not of the norm in that I own somewhere in the 30-40 sets of cookware but hey, it is my work. But the assumptions here are way off…..
Nov 17, 2011 at 9:24 am #1802759Depends on the trip. 3-season trips, one can afford usually not to bring trowel, shovel, and, on long summer days, dispense with camp comforts. One can go pretty minimal in winter down South too, though a fire and friends and booze helps to face a long night in the single digits, even in the southern Gila. If I were backpacking up north, I'd have to add mobility tools and at least camp insulation. If on a gourmet trip, with gourmet cooking, it's gonna be cookware, a photography trip, it's going to be camera and extra lenses, etc…
Nov 17, 2011 at 9:31 am #1802762Toilet Paper to me is not just a convenience issue but also a health issue. I always carry it and usually it is more than an adequate supply. I always attempt to clean very well and avoid getting anything on my hands. In addition carrying hand sanitizer and using it after every movement. I think this limits chaffing and the transmission of bacteria to places such as your eyes or mouth. Im sure there are a number of thru-hikers that suffer from digestive issues that were self inflicted and not water consumption based. Wet wipes are even a good thing to use at the end of a day to clean up and prevent chaffing over the long term. Unlike TP the wet wipes get packed out.
My leathermen micro is an invaluable tool for minimal weight. The scissors are the most use full, opening packages, trimming nails, trimming facial hair, trimming excess materails from gear. the small knife is used daily for food, nail file is used occasionally, extra small flat head saved me from going with out glasses when a screw would pop out. Tweezers are used heavily in tick season or for a splinter. And unlike the small Swiss army tweezers these actually will hold the pressure adhered to them and not be all flimsy. I had many fellow hikers ask to borrow this tool, usually for the scissors.
I agree with Stuff Sacks, I too have a stuff sack full of stuff sacks
Nov 17, 2011 at 9:49 am #1802764I like small multi-tools like the Micra, but my Wave stays at home. The Leatherman Style and Style CS are cool little tools as well.
If you really want scissors, there are many very light and high quality scissors available. I've gotten into "what-if" games trying to find a good combination tool, with scissors be the sticking point and realized they are easy to find a a single tool. I carry a Classic as backup knife and general repair tool and the scissors get regular use.
I would love to see a Swiss Army knife with a locking blade, saw, and scissors– period. That is really all I look for in tools on the trail. One of the 111mm frame knives with one-hand-opening locking blade, the excellent SAK saw and a pair of scissors would be perfect.
Nov 17, 2011 at 9:54 am #1802768I carry a Leatherman Squirt PS4 in my pants pocket all the time, whether I'm backpacking or not. It includes pliers and scissors. I've found it invaluable and won't ever leave it behind.
Nov 17, 2011 at 10:16 am #1802778I can't comment on what the others meant, but when I say gourmet cook pot I mean anything that holds more than 2 cups of water that has more pieces than just the pot, lid, and spoon. I frequent REI and other outdoor stores like it and do know what's out there and you're right, the cook kits have gotten a lot simpler but still serious overkill for me. I also subscribe to freezer bag cooking Mike C style.
Nov 17, 2011 at 10:25 am #1802782I like the "what if" game (what if I don't bring a solar charger for my phone!?), that narrows it down a bit. I'm a huge fan of simplicity; the less stuff I carry, generally the more fun I have. I realized after I typed that, an angry old man is gunna see that and say "Well than don't bring anything". Love the internet :P
I can go on record as a fan of TP, the grain of this thread is more about not buying a mini roll of "Camping TP" for $7 :)
Sarah, didn't mean to hit a cooking nerve :P Yes, I'm a spoiled man whose wonderful partner stuffs full of culinary delights. I've also convinced her that we can cook good food on the trail with freezer bags and a dehydrater. I'm still baffled by three piece "backpacking" cutlery sets that come with a butter knife.
I do carry a SAK classic (which target has for $9, btw). I bought a Wave a few years ago on a whim, I don't think I've used it once.
A big part of this is not buying things at a sporting goods store just because they say "Camping" on them. Camp Soap, Camping TP, Camp Meals, etc.
Nov 17, 2011 at 10:52 am #1802798Cough cough….just so you all realize something: I am the one behind FBC (freezerbagcooking.com) – and I fully believe there is a time and place for everything. Yes, I have developed over a thousand or more FBC recipes but lets face it – I also like cooking one pot style as well (hence that is where trailcooking.com came out of – where I combined the FBC website into it a couple of years back).
Thing is 4 cups of water isn't overkill. A typical FBC meal takes 1-2 cups water leaving none for hot drinks. Even on solo trips I take a 4 cup kettle just for that reason! I happen to like 2 cups water for herbal tea at dinner….and prefer to not boil twice. If you take 2 people or 1 adult and 2 kids or 2 adults and 2 kids and so forth you cannot do it with a 2 cup pot. A 2L pot is needed to just boil enough water for everyone's meals, be it FBC or whatever.
This is years of snooze inducing trail research speaking here. I won't bore anyone with that. Lol!
Nov 17, 2011 at 11:05 am #1802802I always take my Squirt Ps4. And I nearly always end up using it. Amazing little tool. Knife, scissors that work, file, opener, screwdrivers and effective pliers/wire cutter for less than 2oz.
Nov 17, 2011 at 1:16 pm #1802840I would like to add to that list:
Don't buy a 70L pack with pockets everywhere that weighs 5lbs if you are just going to be out no more than three days. If you walk into a store, most salesman will try to put a newbie in an Osprey Aether 70L style pack.Nov 17, 2011 at 1:35 pm #1802850I go further than Sarah. I don't just carry tp, I use wet wipes. The comfort and cleansing are well worth the extra ounces.
Nov 17, 2011 at 1:46 pm #1802855You guys are ruining the Economy! If you don't go out and SPEND and SPEND, how will all the retailers and manufacturers of incredible camping gizmos survive? Sob!
Hum … I wonder how many of those invaluable camping accessories are now made in China? Do they do much for the American economy anyhow?
My 2c:
Mineral water bottles – lighter, cheaper, and definitely just as strong.
Pack covers (silnylon): they keep the pack itself dry, and are easy to use (except my pack is DP X-Pac fabric and waterproof anyhow).
Bowl and cup: yes, because I cook for the two of us.
Cutlery: plastic is lighter than Ti, but only a large spoon.
Knife: cheap and light little Victorinox peeling knife with the tip removed.
Compression sacks: no, but I do use silnylon stuff sacks a lot: clean and (almost) waterproof.For the rest – yup.
Cheers
Nov 17, 2011 at 2:23 pm #1802874Buy MSR – it supports the US and Thailand's economy ;-)
Nov 17, 2011 at 2:47 pm #1802883I think lots of people went out and bought a magnetic bear bell so that the bears would hear it and know that dinner is on it's way.
Toilet paper rocks. I hate hearing people argue over knowing how to use nature, and how the animals survive without the modern luxuries that we have today. Well, animals don't wipe, they lick, and I don't lick.Nov 17, 2011 at 2:55 pm #1802887"8. A whole roll of toilet paper. A buddy, inexperienced backpacker that he is, recently showed up on an overnight with a complete, unopened roll of Charmin sticking out of his pack's side pocket. I asked him how much food he brought…"
Went on an 8 day backpacking trip once with my usual short roll of TP. Oops. Wound up having to ration the squares on a per-day basis. Worked out okay, but could have been a problem.
Nov 17, 2011 at 3:02 pm #1802892"Well, animals don't wipe, they lick, and I don't lick."
ROFFL!
Nov 17, 2011 at 3:48 pm #1802902AnonymousInactive"I go further than Sarah. I don't just carry tp, I use wet wipes. The comfort and cleansing are well worth the extra ounces."
If this doesn't smoke Mike C. out of hibernation, I don't know what will. ;)
Edited for spelling.
Nov 17, 2011 at 4:25 pm #1802916I think it might smoke Ben out of hibernation ;-)
Nov 17, 2011 at 4:29 pm #1802919AnonymousInactive"I think it might smoke Ben out of hibernation ;-)"
Nah. He's over in Asia field testing a new UL bidet he plans to market to the unwashed American backpacking masses next summer.
Edited for grammar.
Nov 17, 2011 at 4:42 pm #1802924But I LOVE my little candle lantern. It's a lovely glow near my tent door when it's late…and dark..and cold..and the coyotes are howling, things crunching in the night…and…and….
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