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Post by ecocentric on Nov 21, 2015 6:20:18 GMT -8
Welcome to the forum Travis. I got my start in the Shawnee National Forest. You are lucky to have it close by. Frequent weekends close to home are a better way to build your experience than less frequent trips far away. You can get some variety and for a weekend you can get along without almost anything you forget. A base camp with day hiking is a good way to break your family in and build some anticipation for a longer adventure. Carrying the pack isn't the most fun part of backpacking, but once everyone enjoys the camping, hiking, and exploring part; it will become the justifiable means of going further and staying out longer.
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johnnyray
Trail Wise!
Argle-Bargle, Jiggery-Pokery, and Applesauce
Posts: 2,050 
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Post by johnnyray on Nov 21, 2015 9:33:00 GMT -8
Hello Travis and welcome. Some great people with abundant knowledge here on many subjects.
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Post by tkrick27 on Nov 21, 2015 16:17:52 GMT -8
It won't take long to get over that. I already have and it's been a day. I realize if I buy a 60L pack to start, I will fill every bit of it. I'm better off learning to conserve with a 24L to start on a day hike. If that doesn't work......... lesson learned. |
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toejam
Trail Wise!
Hiking to raise awareness
Posts: 1,795
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Post by toejam on Nov 22, 2015 8:03:58 GMT -8
You'll need the 60l pack for your week-long trips in Colorado.
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Post by 1camper on Nov 27, 2015 17:07:59 GMT -8
Welcome to the forums, you can get some good advice here as well. I started out as just a camper as my handle would indicate. Backpacking is the purest form of camping.  |
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amaruq
Trail Wise!
Call me Little Spoon
Posts: 1,264
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Post by amaruq on Nov 28, 2015 6:41:21 GMT -8
It won't take long to get over that. I already have and it's been a day. I realize if I buy a 60L pack to start, I will fill every bit of it. I'm better off learning to conserve with a 24L to start on a day hike. If that doesn't work......... lesson learned. I've learned more from bringing too much on those first few trips and seeing what I don't actually use or need than I have from artificially limiting my capacity. |
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Post by trinity on Nov 28, 2015 6:58:49 GMT -8
I've learned more from bringing too much on those first few trips and seeing what I don't actually use or need than I have from artificially limiting my capacity. I agree. Backpacking is (for me) largely a process of discovering what I can do without. For the inexperienced, it is better to bring too much and be prepared. Extra gear is not just subtracted from one's pack--it is replaced by experience. |
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BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
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Post by BlueBear on Nov 28, 2015 8:04:37 GMT -8
Extra gear is not just subtracted from one's pack--it is replaced by experience. I like that. Well put. |
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idahobob
Trail Wise!
many are cold, but few are frozen
Posts: 198
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Post by idahobob on Dec 1, 2015 10:09:23 GMT -8
You are right that the backpacking thing is likely to be more than a phase, or it could be. Its a lifetime activity, and it will be better if the wife and kids participate. To encourage the wife, here are some ideas: get better gear for her than for you, starting with nice nylon pants and shirt, hat of her choice, raingear, down coat. Its about the fashion, and feeling good about the look. Have the food on your trips be pretty good (my suggestion is to do better than freeze dried), and you do the cooking and cleanup. Let her relax and have the trip be a vacation from kitchen duties. I've seen that its the rare man who will take advice. Most guys will read up, form opinions, make choices, buy stuff, learn that what they bought is crap, buy again, and little by little end up with the right gear. That route is expensive. I had one fellow in my scout troop that just bought the same gear that I had, and I thought he was the rare man who would do that. After 45 years of upgrading equipment, I ended up with gear I really like. You could do worse than just copy what I have. tent: Tarptent Squall II. I test tents for backpacker magazine, and have seen a lot of them. This is my fave at about 2 pounds, easily sleeps two people. Pack: 50 L for weekends, 65 L for week long trips. I have an REI flash 65, and a Golite Jam 50 (out of business) sleeping bag: Sea-to-Summit quilt. I am testing this for Backpacker Mag now, and I love it. I have other very nice down bags, but this is the best for down to 30 degrees. 1 lb 4 oz, stuffs to the size of a nalgene liter bottle. Big Agnes air core sleeping pad; heavier than a Neoaire, but more durable. Western Mountaineering down coat: lighter than a pile pullover, wonderfully warm, you just have to keep it dry. stove and pot: Caldera Cone ti sidewinder, with a 1.9 Evernew ti pot for 2 people, a 900 ml ti snowpeak for solo. Whatever you get, have the big 3 be less than 3 pounds each, or preferably close to 2 lbs. Gear advice for newbies here. |
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