Newbe

[JC785]

I would like to say I believe this is probably the best hiking web forum on the internet. When it comes to backpacking I know very little but I have grown up hunting and fishing in AL so I know plenty about the outdoors. Me and a friend of mine decided to get into backpacking this year I believe I have gotten all the essential gear that I might need but was wondering if anyone had a checklist they go by while packing? What is the average weight of your backpack w/ and w/o food/water for a typical 2 or 3 day hike? We will more than likely do a lot of weekend trips (Hike Sat and Come back on Sun.) What are some great trails we could hike in this time frame around B-Ham or Montg. ? Thanks for all the advice!

[montysano]

Google is your friend.  Search "backpacking checklist" and you'll get plenty of hits.  http://www.backpacking.ne...st.htmlFor example, this.

My pack is usually 35-40 lbs for a 3-day weekend trip, but that usually includes a bottle of wine..... or two...... in glass bottles.   

[Lesley]

That depends on how you want to do it. There are ultralight packers and expedition style packers. For weekend trips I keep it around 15-20 lbs (1-2 nights), without food. Food runs me 1 - 1 & 1/2 lbs per day.  Weekend trips are going to give you the best experience to suffering ratio. If you've over packed and your knees hate you, they'll only hate you for 36 hours or so. If you've underpacked you'll only freeze/burn up/go hungry/ etc... for, again, 36 hours or so.  As a seasoned packer there are still trips that I think...hmmm why did I bring this? Or where is the....thing I left at home. The absolute most important things to take are patience, a sense of humor, and emergency water purifier tabs 

[ednotmilkman]

I'd say the most important thing to take for a good beginning trip-

 is a friend who hopefully remembered the stuff you forgot.  If you have, or are, a great friend, you can start leaning on each other and let one plan and bring all the food while the other carries the tent, plans the route and brings the maps, etc.

[ednotmilkman]

oh forgot, let me say Welcome  to you JC,

and for what it's worth. I usually pack as heavy for 2 nighters as for a week - Like 40+ #. When I don't have to carry lots of food, I'll fill up the extra space with stuff I rarely use, but makes me feel complete. Camera and GPS receiver are many times unnecessary but I like to have them just in case I find a bear that waits for me to take my pack off and find the camera. Other  luxury items to take: like my recorder and some song books or even my old hymn book, also  field guides to trees, plants and flowers; I've carried a full Bible until I bought an LCD electronic one. I carried a fishing rod and reel once even though I don't know how to catch fish unless it's catfish with chicken liver bait. I did try the fishing gear at Conecuh N.F., but if I had caught a fish, I bet I could barely make it edible. It was gonna be either:  Fish in a little pot of water, or fish on a stick over the fire and how do you keep the stick from being done before the fish??  The pack isn't so heavy if you don't know it weighs 50# !

 And that good friend of yours can carry 10# in an emergency.





Edwin in Enterprise

[Magic City Matt]

One of the things I usually point people too when they are talking about picking up backpacking is
http://knol.google.com/k/...ackpack/oggVvQ9h/aMOKbQ/#
It is really easy to follow and has pretty sound advice and doesn't try to go off on any extremes for people who aren't yet prepared for it. You might want to forward this on to your friends.

Keep your pack under 30 pounds for a weekend. Try to keep it that way regardless.

When you are testing your gear the first couple of times find any old trail. Walk out a couple of miles, make camp, and come back the next day. There's no need to push it when you don't know what you really need. We did a few of these in the Sipsey Wilderness which is always fun. When you feel like you are ready to try taking on something more advanced try Talladega National Forest trails.

[auwesman]

Just for fun.
Tent - 54oz
Sleeping bag (15F) - 46oz
Sleeping pad - 8oz
Backpack - 66oz
Stove - 6oz
Headlamp - 6oz
Water Filter - 11oz
Rain/Wind jacket - 14oz
Rain pants - 12oz
Rain Fly - 6oz
Fuel - 12oz
All that adds up to about 15lbs.
Add things like, Clothing, Cooking pot, emergency water proof matches, camp shoes, compass, maps, hankercheifs, 2 nalgene bottles, food, whistle...I'm sure I'm missing something.  Anyhow, if I'm solo it comes out near 25lbs.  If I'm with a buddy, slightly lighter since you can split some of the shared gear.  That's for 2-3 nights in cool weather.

As said, 30lbs is a good safe weight.  If you don't know how much your gear weighs, get on a scale, weigh yourself.  Then pick up your piece of gear and weigh yourself again.  I LOVE playing that game

[Joshua Szulecki]

oh forgot, let me say Welcome  to you JC,

and for what it's worth. I usually pack as heavy for 2 nighters as for a week - Like 40+ #. When I don't have to carry lots of food, I'll fill up the extra space with stuff I rarely use, but makes me feel complete. Camera and GPS receiver are many times unnecessary but I like to have them just in case I find a bear that waits for me to take my pack off and find the camera. Other  luxury items to take: like my recorder and some song books or even my old hymn book, also  field guides to trees, plants and flowers; I've carried a full Bible until I bought an LCD electronic one. I carried a fishing rod and reel once even though I don't know how to catch fish unless it's catfish with chicken liver bait. I did try the fishing gear at Conecuh N.F., but if I had caught a fish, I bet I could barely make it edible. It was gonna be either:  Fish in a little pot of water, or fish on a stick over the fire and how do you keep the stick from being done before the fish??  The pack isn't so heavy if you don't know it weighs 50# !

 And that good friend of yours can carry 10# in an emergency.
Edwin in Enterprise

You know, I've been fishing for years, but I've always done catch-and-release. A few years back I decided to eat some of the fish I caught, and I was stunned at how hard (physically, not morally which is also hard) it was to kill a sunny/bream/damned pest in order to clean it. But I digress.

Soak the stick in water...

[Joshua Szulecki]

JC785,

Welcome aboard!

[JC785]

Thanks for all the advice! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

[Tacky Hiker]

Hey JC785,

We need to do another test run before we hit the Sipsey. There are a few more things I need to get ex: stove, emergency fire starter and I'm debating on getting another tent, but I think ours will hold up a little longer. 

Greg

[Cuffs]

emergency fire starter... couple of options...

cotton balls swathed in Vaseline, stored in an empty 35mm film canister.

clothes dryer lint, either swathed in Vaseline or parafin wax, also stored in a 35mm film canister. 

Both are dirt cheap and most people already have this stuff around their homes...

[Nalgene Ninja]

Welcome JC785.

I wonder JC1-JC784 are hiding? 

[JC785]

Welcome JC785.

I wonder JC1-JC784 are hiding? 

HAHA they must be wondering around on the trails somewhere....