Moving to Florida…

I use HMG Southwest packs for desert hiking. I’ve carried up to 10 liters of water in my 4400 comfortably.

You’ll definitely want full on bug protection in Florida. The Fire Ants alone warrant a 100% bug proof shelter. As far as tarp and bivy, only in the coldest time of year is a bivy a good idea because it’s too hot otherwise. A bug bivy is ok though. I use a ZPacks Hexamid on the Florida Trail.

As far as water, you’ll never have to go too far to find it, so no need to ever carry more than 3 liters at a time. PM me when you get settled in the Sunshine State if you want to hike some of the FT. I’m in Gainesville.  Welcome.

PS: Always carry a mosquito headnet. The gnats can be even worse than the skeeters.

Thanks for the welcome. I’m actually moving down this summer in June when I start.

Yeah I was assuming I’d need a fully enclosed shelter due to the bugs. I was also wary of using a bivy due to the heat.

Is bear bagging most common in Florida? In NJ we are obviously very aware of the dense black bear population. But in Florida I would think raccoons may be more of an issue than bears.

I think I would be more concerned about alligators. I have done a couple trips in Florida and had difficulty sleeping because of the fear of alligators. Perhaps it is unfounded ignorance on my part. In deserts I don’t give snakes a second thought. With proper food storage in California’s mountains I’m not concerned about bears. But alligators… ?

I don’t use a hammock, but if I was in Florida, I would consider a hammock.  It seems to be a perfect fit for Florida backpacking.

Black Bear are pretty thick here in Florida. There have been a number of attacks over the past few years, however, bear hunting was resumed back in November after a 22 year hiatus and 320 bear were taken. That might make a little bit of difference. The population of the Sunshine State grows by 680 people per day with over 20 million total, so I guess it’s no wonder bear encounters are on the rise. I always bear bag at night.

I would be interested in thought about alligators. Last year I saw two in the water here:

and it made for a poor night’s sleep, although I camped a few miles away as far from water as possible.

Gator attacks on humans are extremely rare, far less than black bear. People swim and dive for golf balls in gator infested ponds and canals all the time and you hardly ever hear of anyone getting bitten. They’re nothing remotely like Crocodiles. They love little dogs and kitty cats though.

Crocodiles are only in the Everglades area right?

There are some saltwater crocodiles in the very Southernmost parts of Florida from the coastal areas of Biscayne Bay around the Keys to Sanibel Island. They hang around mangrove swamps in brackish waters. There’s an estimated 2,000 of them, but they’re not at all aggressive like the Nile crocodile. The Keys crocs have a temperament more like the American Alligator.

As for sources, i’ve lived in FL my entire life.

Covering the mention of gators, they are really at the bottom of the concerns list; I’m honestly more worried about condensation in my tent. Much like any animal, you get a sense for them and their tendencies; scan the banks if you get the “sense” of something, and stay out of the water when dusk approaches.

But again, really a non factor in my considerations when choosing where to hike or how I hike. We have a trail called the La Chua trail in Gainesville where during certain seasons you will walk by DOZENS of sunbathing gators (some within 6-10 feet as they pull themselves onto the trail) and its far from abnormal or any sort of issue.

Monte’s definitely right about bears though. I have seen a few black bears in Ocala, and have yet to take a trip where there isnt scat/signs of bears along the trail. Here in central FL we have a few trails that i’m less willing to go on because of them,

To answer your original questions, though…

• What will help you most is time and your ability to acclimate. You’re going to have to adjust to weather (its “winter” here and it was 82 degrees today)

• For gear, what I use here is no different then what I use in the Carolina’s, Tennessee, or Virginia. I simply adjust my level of insulation. I do full base head to toe with wool, then fleece, and then down. Haven’t run into any significant problems with it yet. All my bags are also down.  I would advise against bivy’s if your able to. Humidity is always high, but i’ve havent had problems using single wall/double wall/tarp with the occasional wipe down with my fleece pullover.

• Bugs can get troublesome, depends on how hiker trash you want to go…at the least having a sheet of netting to drape over yourself is essential. A good midway is a S2S net pyramid (Also I think Monte from this thread was also making some MYOG net tents? Maybe check with him). For ticks, which can be problematic (Stephen Fosters/O’leno State Park especially!), treating your socks and base layer in permethrin should do the trick.

• Minus the Withlacoochee State Forest that will be in your neck of the woods, water has never been a problem for me. I use a ULA CDT (frameless) and go between smart water bottles and 64oz sawyer bags when I go with a bigger group.

• The window to hike in FL is right now. Hunting season is OCT-Start of New Year, and then you take every weekend you can until the daily rains start in April/May. Trips up to places like Pine Mountain(GA) or the Foothills(SC) are good montanas options. After that, its 90 everyday with 100% humidity until August. After some time you will be able to manage the heat, but it takes patience.

• Also, watch out for Florida Man

I know I wrote a novel here, but PM me and I’d be glad to give you more info (local trails, more do’s and dont’s etc…)

Jameson, one thing I forgot  to mention is tent stakes. In Florida, I’d advise against ti shepherd hooks and shorter cylinder shaped pegs. They are woefully inadequate (almost useless) in sand. Opt for the long Y stakes instead. I use 9″ Coughlans aluminum Y stakes from Walmart….74 cents each! They purchase enough ground to get a good solid hold.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone.

I guess I am mainly concerned with the excessive heat (especially at night) and dealing with the bugs. Unlike many on here I do not deal with them as well. I’ll take my chances with the gators instead ;)

Would you use an Ursack in Florida?