Hey guys, figured I’d join the crowd and introduce myself. I’ve been reading the site for quite awhile and finally decided to join, just can’t beat the great knowledge and advice I’ve taken from this board!
A few notables about me: currently based in Washington DC. Had been car camping for years, then about a year and a half ago a buddy who’d been backpacking forever invited me out on a 1 nighter. I had “gear” at the time, as in, I had items I could backpack with. After a 12 mile loop with a 30lb + base weight (my buddy will never let me live my pack from that day down, haha), I knew it was time to do some real research. Since then, I’ve shaved my base weight down to 6 lbs, which will be even less once my SWD pack comes in in a few weeks. I’ve learned that impulse purchases rarely work out for me, and actually really love combing through the site and comparing different items. Much more informative purchases, a happier time out, for sure!
My usual backpacking spots are Shenandoah NP, George Washington/Jefferson NF, a few AT sections. Heading out to Colorado in Oct for the first time, so you might see a post from me in the Pre-Trip Planning forum with a ton of questions!
After working on my gear and a few more trips out (and seeing my pics from trips), my wife got interested in learning about it. My initial trip I mentioned earlier? Probably the best thing to happen to me, because not only did I learn from it, but I was able to help my wife not make the same mistakes I did. After we got her some lighter off-the-shelf stuff for her to see if she’d truly enjoy it, I took her out on her first backpacker over this past Thanksgiving, and she fell in love. Since then we’ve been out on 3 more trips. She’ll probably take awhile to get into true UL mode, but weights are one of the most important areas of her gear purchases.
Anyway, that’s a little about me. I’m always interested in learning more and am welcome to advice and would love to get feedback about my gear. Cheers all!
