I was wondering if anyone hikes/camps with backpacls, knapsacks etc. and what they keep in their packs aside from clothes. Some people like alcohol stoves, and some like solid fuel or gases. Some people like Lifestraws to drink water and others like other filtering systems (or water treatment tablets). Some people like to use a compass while others use GPS. For packs I know some people like ultralights while others like the more elaborately constructed packs with lots of pockets, straps and support systems. Some people like freeze dried food and others like cans (heavy). I used a Jansport pack for uni/college but I want ti upgrade. I thought I wanted one pack but now I can see I will need three. So far I have a 30 liter and a 43 liter. 65-80 liter will be next. I know a lot of people here are travelers who have taken some pretty extreme treks through hostile environments.
Last edited by Isoverity : 21-12-2014 at 09:08 AM.
Back in my teens, I did a fair bit of hiking, with rugged but heavy kit. Crossing split bog for the best part of a day, with a large canvas rucksack containing a wet three person cotton canvas tent and fly sheet, along with 7 days worth of tinned food is not especially enjoyable.
Been longing to return to through-hiking again, but had barely any gear of my own to speak of. Cue much time trawling the internet and holding out for special deals! Oh and actually getting fit enough to hike :P
As am yet to test my stuff out in the wild, there probably isn't much point listing it here as yet. Basically it's UL but not obsessively so.
I've been deal hunting all week. Its a good time of year for it now that its winter. I live close to what's called the Appalachian Trail. It runs from Maine to Georgia and is well over a thousand miles long. I won't be making that hike but lots of people do and I see them as they go through local area. One curious thing is that the hikers use trail nicknames the same way people use avatars in forums. People even advise making up a nickname before other hikers give you one you don't like lol.
I'd like to so some extensive winter hiking now that the bears are hibernating!
We just had a student who was hiking get killed by a bear in September. A group of students went into the woods even after exiting hikers warned them about a bear acting aggressively. The students went to take photos. They also had granola bars with them. The bear stalked the student - they panicked and ran. One student got caught - lending insight to the old joke about being sure to bring someone slower than you on hikes in bear country. Blacks bears (the kind we have) are generally shy but people tend to forget they are still bears and not chipmunks or squirrels. There are too many television shows making wild animals out to be merely gentle pets we haven't met yet. If someone warned me about a sketchy bear I wouldn't rush into the woods with a camera and granola. Well maybe if I had a slow person with me lol
I do more field work and walking around than true hiking. So just day stuff. I usually have a notebook (rite in the rain are awesome) and pencil/pen, rock hammer, bags for collecting samples, fruit and cliff bars, a couple individual serving things of soymilk, water, wet wipes, rain jacket, and then different layers of clothes depending on weather.
I just currently use a jansport backpack, but I am planning on getting a proper day pack soon. I hear Osprey is a good brand, but expensive. So we'll see what I decide on.
My friend and I also plan to go camping some in the spring, and eventually I'll be doing a 6 week field camp which will involve loads of hiking and camping. I know for my friend when camping, she swears by ramen and her jet-boil. Jet-boils look awesome but I know they're super heavy.
Osprey has good reputation since they have a lifetime warranty. The packs are usually attractively designed as well as functional. I was going to get one and then actually tried packs on in a store and found I liked the Kelty packs. I bought one pack (43 liter) called the Flyaway. It recieved a lot of award for best backpack. The waist belt can be removed and it can function as a travel pack as well as a hiking pack. Its on sale now and is cheaper than Osprey
For a smaller daypack I got a Mountainsmith "Colfax" off REI. I got it for $35 instead of $75. It goes off and on sale this time of year. It has a lot of good reviews (I got one in green but that color seems gone now)
One thing I notice about packs is that some packs have inflated prices. There are North Face and Osprey packs that are nice but not particularly unique enough to sell for 30%-50% more.
When buying a rucksack, or boots, you'll want to try it on in-store, as each brand has a slightly different fit. You'll also want to make sure the bag (and the shoes) are fitted to you properly in order to give the adequate support. Personally, I'm a fan of Berghaus, but it may not suit everyone.
Jack, how long are the hikes you would be wanting to do? A 60 llitre bag should be enough for a week-long hike through rough terrain.
I haven't see any Berghaus packs for sale here but I like the packs I see online. I agree about trying on first. I've found a lot of people don't even know packs come in different torso sizes, and how to measure for same.
Most of my local hikes will be day hikes. We are in highlands with lots of steep verticals. A 2 mile hike here can feel like a 10 mile hike somewhere else lol.
I don't do hikes into deep woods yet but I want to as I get my navigation skills up. That's what I would use larger pack for. Upstate in New York is a mountainous area called Adironacks. That area is so large and wild that a person could easily go in and never come out - by accident or design. Aroun d here there are a lot of trails but there are also a lot of hikers who come up from New York City.
I know a few people who swear by those 'Platypus' packs for water. So if you would be wanting one you'll need to get a bag that is compatible. You'll also want proper boots, and if you want to go all out, maybe one of the walking sticks/poles.
Jack, I'm way out of date (though I once did a 52 mile course which involved 18,000 feet of climbing in 36 hours, long, long ago). But when the SAS were warned off for the Falkland's War at very short notice they rushed around and bought every bit of Goretex that was available for miles around. This out of their own pockets since the Army didn't then supply it. So I'd strongly recommend having something similar as a fallback against foul weather - you'll use it sooner or later ...
I know a few people who swear by those 'Platypus' packs for water. So if you would be wanting one you'll need to get a bag that is compatible. You'll also want proper boots, and if you want to go all out, maybe one of the walking sticks/poles.
Yes most of my packs (so far) have a compartment and port for a water bladder - if I want to use one. I usually stay away from carrying water in plastic though since the water takes on a chemical taste. On my bike I use stainless steel bottles for water. Cool weather isn't too bad but on hot days the plastics really off-gas more.
Boots I'm good with. Hiking poles I'm still divided about. I know it helps to have stick to walk with and I look for good ones. Using hiking poles almost seems a bit of a gear-head thing to me - like hikers who HAVE to use flints to start fires when a lighter will do lol.
Last edited by Isoverity : 22-12-2014 at 11:39 PM.
Jack, I'm way out of date (though I once did a 52 mile course which involved 18,000 feet of climbing in 36 hours, long, long ago). But when the SAS were warned off for the Falkland's War at very short notice they rushed around and bought every bit of Goretex that was available for miles around. This out of their own pockets since the Army didn't then supply it. So I'd strongly recommend having something similar as a fallback against foul weather - you'll use it sooner or later ...
Tony (and take some hunny for the bears!)
I've actually been looking at Goretex gloves designed for military. They cost more than the packs I bought but they are drastically reduced now. Winter gear is tricky because keeping moisture out is important but you don't want to seal it in either since sweating makes a person cold when exertion stops. I learned not to sweat too hard in cold weather.
REI is amazing, I just got a new pair of boots from them. Hopefully these will be better for cold weather, but I still have my jungle boots for hot weather.
I've had good luck with Goretex military gear, though all that was was pretty much just a MARPAT shell and pants. I've been thinking about getting some for the camping trip I'm going on next weekend, but at this point it may be a bit too late.
I haven't upgraded my pack yet, still using an old external frame backpack from when I was a boy scout, but last year I got a bag and liner that go down below zero degrees farenheit.
Most recently bought some glove liners and more socks (can never have enough socks). I looked into buying a holster, but I'll probably just make one myself.
"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."- Thomas Jefferson
Honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.
"Make it work." -Tim Gunn
My Salomon hiking boots have lasted me nearly 8 years, would recommend, not sure about bags I have a basic Eurohike 65 litre one called Pathfinder which has lasted me about the same amount of time, had no problem with it. I'm hoping when I have the money to buy a Vango tent, maybe the Banshee, my current one from Aztec is only 1.5kg but it's not well ventilated. I rarely go camping for long nowadays, so just bring basics with a beer or two, bread/cheese/baked beans is good alongside a fire, a newspaper with some firestarters, a windproof lighter, minimal clothing maybe a spare jumper and some socks, torch, some first aid stuff, a knife, a book, a pen and notepad, sometimes art stuff, a camera.
Jack, be careful of being sucked into getting something that is more expensive and too advanced for what you will need it for. Unless you are going to be out walking/hiking in all seasons and planning on doing extreme terrain, or doing long-distance stuff, you won't need any of the really expensive, powerful gear. You'll get by quite easily on mid-range equipment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auror.
I'm a student studying geology. A lot of it on field trips for classes is looking at outcrops, taking notes and drawings, and standing around talking. Then we are allowed to wander if its a decent fossil hunting locale. Some places are just road cuts where you pull over on the highway, others require a fair bit of walking or hiking to get to.
If I am out helping someone with field work its a lot more measuring and counting, labeling, taking pictures and samples, etc.. We use a ruler or tape measure and rock hammer for most stuff, and if you need to measure strike or dip angles and stuff you use a brunton compass. I personally am not great at that yet so I tend to mostly observe or just act as note taker. My friend does stratigraphy which I suck at so usually I just take notes for her. You can learn a fair amount just by hanging out and watching.
Not to hijack the thread, but I remember the joys of field trips. I was a (human) geographer, but also had to do earth science (or geology) and physical geography fieldwork. Ah, the wading through the rivers and sketching rocks, and trying to get my head around geological mapping. Good times.
I'm clearly way out of date (situation normal!) but in my day Goretex was hailed as the key material for outdoor clothing - it was reputed to keep the rain out while at the same time letting your body sweat out.
Even now here in UK a lot of firms selling shooting/fishing gear still seem to advertise it. I have some myself which seems to work pretty well, though I doubt that it's bearproof ...
I too have never heard of not using Gore-Tex in extreme environments, but then I'm never in those environments. It would probably depend on the type of proofing (membrane versus coating - always go membrane if you can afford it!), and the inner linings. Most companies will have a similar system to Gore-Tex, which will probably be cheaper (but not necessarily any worse) as it is their own in-house design. For boots I know people who swear by leather.
Jack, be careful of being sucked into getting something that is more expensive and too advanced for what you will need it for.
I've already recognized the element of "tacticool" that runs through the gear scene. I'd rather have the cheap military surplus pack I can throw down a hill, than the expensive Aztec Blue pack made with NASA parachute fabric with platinum zippers polished by elves in the Black Forrest. Usually the only way I buy stuff like that is if its on a big sale (like the Wiggy sleeping bags I'm looking at.)
I too have never heard of not using Gore-Tex in extreme environments, but then I'm never in those environments. It would probably depend on the type of proofing (membrane versus coating - always go membrane if you can afford it!), and the inner linings. Most companies will have a similar system to Gore-Tex, which will probably be cheaper (but not necessarily any worse) as it is their own in-house design. For boots I know people who swear by leather.
Special Forces still use Gore-tex. I've been considering gloves that they use - but only because they are now 45 quid compared to the 200 they usually are.
Has anyone here ever tried using a hammock for winter camping? I've been considering trying it out (with a tent packed as a back-up), but I was wondering how think of an underquilt you would think would be needed.
"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."- Thomas Jefferson
Honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.
"Make it work." -Tim Gunn
