Beginner backpacking gear I've been doing a lot of hiking…
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Beginner backpacking gear
I've been doing a lot of hiking over the past several years, and would like to start getting in to backpacking as well. I've done some basic research and have a rough idea of the gear I want, but I figured I'd post here to sanity-check my choices and see if there are any easy upgrades to make (or places I'm going too premium).
I have most of what I consider "standard hiking equipment" (poles, boots, basic emergency kit, water filter, etc) already, so what I've listed here is just backpacking-specific stuff. But please let me know if there's something not listed I should definitely have!
First of all, my goals/constraints for this are:
1. I'm not really looking for winter gear. I'm in California, so I would like to be able to do trips in the Sierras, but for now I don't expect to be camping out below freezing.
2. At this point I'm mostly planning to do short-ish (at most 3 nights, probably just 1) trips. I'm not sure how that effects gear choice, but I'm happy to replace some gear if I love backpacking enough to do a week-long trek.
3. I plan to get everything (or at least everything more than modestly expensive) from REI so that I can return it if I turn out to hate backpacking. If I really love it, again happy to buy more specialized equipment later.
4. Budget-wise I don't have unlimited money and I don't feel the need to get the best ultra-light gear immediately, but I have enough that I don't feel the need to be ultra-economical either.
Based on that, this is what I'm looking for for gear:
* **Sleeping Bag:** I think this https://www.rei.com/product/C01520/the-north-face-stormbreak-35-sleeping-bag bag should work. I'm a little uncertain here because I'm fairly tall (6'1") and I've found when camping that I'm a side sleeper and I don't really vibe with mummy bags.
* **Sleeping Pad:** This https://www.rei.com/product/171690/therm-a-rest-z-lite-sol-sleeping-pad seems to be the stock answer from talking to people and when I've seen backpackers on trails.
* **Tent:** Here I'm really not sure. I think I want a trekking pole-based one, because that makes sense to me as a way of saving weight but I don't understand how to filter for that on REI's site. I assume it might be good to get a 2-person one, and from talking to some people I think I need to be a little mindful about my height when making my choice.
* **Stove:** I've had the Pocket Rocket https://www.rei.com/product/114890/msr-pocketrocket-2-stove recommended to me. It seems reasonable but I'm a little concerned about stability. I've seen some versions where the boiler is closed at the top, are those worth it?
* **Food:** I have some pre-packed utensils from fast food places I plan to use at first, and I figured I'd just go buy some dehydrated stuff from REI before I head out. Are there brands/meals people recommend? Most of the trails I want to do will require a bear box, are there any that people recommend or dislike? They all seem pretty comparable to me, but I'm obviously not an expert.
* **Pack:** The advice I've gotten is that I should make sure I get my pack fitted and get it after my other gear, so at this point I'm mostly just looking for brands and I figure I'll work it out with someone from REI when I'm buying gear. I have an Osprey pack for day hikes I quite like, and I've heard they're a good backpacking brand so absent strong advice I'd probably default to them.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
#activity #camping #hiking
source
I've been doing a lot of hiking over the past several years, and would like to start getting in to backpacking as well. I've done some basic research and have a rough idea of the gear I want, but I figured I'd post here to sanity-check my choices and see if there are any easy upgrades to make (or places I'm going too premium).
I have most of what I consider "standard hiking equipment" (poles, boots, basic emergency kit, water filter, etc) already, so what I've listed here is just backpacking-specific stuff. But please let me know if there's something not listed I should definitely have!
First of all, my goals/constraints for this are:
1. I'm not really looking for winter gear. I'm in California, so I would like to be able to do trips in the Sierras, but for now I don't expect to be camping out below freezing.
2. At this point I'm mostly planning to do short-ish (at most 3 nights, probably just 1) trips. I'm not sure how that effects gear choice, but I'm happy to replace some gear if I love backpacking enough to do a week-long trek.
3. I plan to get everything (or at least everything more than modestly expensive) from REI so that I can return it if I turn out to hate backpacking. If I really love it, again happy to buy more specialized equipment later.
4. Budget-wise I don't have unlimited money and I don't feel the need to get the best ultra-light gear immediately, but I have enough that I don't feel the need to be ultra-economical either.
Based on that, this is what I'm looking for for gear:
* **Sleeping Bag:** I think this https://www.rei.com/product/C01520/the-north-face-stormbreak-35-sleeping-bag bag should work. I'm a little uncertain here because I'm fairly tall (6'1") and I've found when camping that I'm a side sleeper and I don't really vibe with mummy bags.
* **Sleeping Pad:** This https://www.rei.com/product/171690/therm-a-rest-z-lite-sol-sleeping-pad seems to be the stock answer from talking to people and when I've seen backpackers on trails.
* **Tent:** Here I'm really not sure. I think I want a trekking pole-based one, because that makes sense to me as a way of saving weight but I don't understand how to filter for that on REI's site. I assume it might be good to get a 2-person one, and from talking to some people I think I need to be a little mindful about my height when making my choice.
* **Stove:** I've had the Pocket Rocket https://www.rei.com/product/114890/msr-pocketrocket-2-stove recommended to me. It seems reasonable but I'm a little concerned about stability. I've seen some versions where the boiler is closed at the top, are those worth it?
* **Food:** I have some pre-packed utensils from fast food places I plan to use at first, and I figured I'd just go buy some dehydrated stuff from REI before I head out. Are there brands/meals people recommend? Most of the trails I want to do will require a bear box, are there any that people recommend or dislike? They all seem pretty comparable to me, but I'm obviously not an expert.
* **Pack:** The advice I've gotten is that I should make sure I get my pack fitted and get it after my other gear, so at this point I'm mostly just looking for brands and I figure I'll work it out with someone from REI when I'm buying gear. I have an Osprey pack for day hikes I quite like, and I've heard they're a good backpacking brand so absent strong advice I'd probably default to them.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
#activity #camping #hiking
source
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