(Part 2) Best products from r/WildernessBackpacking

TRAAAAAAAIN!

Basically, if you want to climb mountains, you need to be fit. A weak person with the best gear and training money can buy is rolling the dice. A strong person with minimal gear and training is rolling loaded dice. A well trained person can move faster to avoid weather, is more resilient to heat and cold, can exert themselves for longer on minimal food, and can help their partner when their partner can't help themselves. Remember: fatigue makes cowards of us all.

Of course, you generally want to be strong and smart and well equipped. But the first thing to do is train. It's pretty simple right now - what you really need to do is build up your cardiovascular and slow-twitch muscle base - which means you need to go hiking a lot. Go backpacking or peakbagging on the weekends - or day hikes if you have constraints. During your day-to-day, walk and stand as much as possible. Go for a long run at least once a week, but keep a relatively low heart rate (if you have to open your mouth to breathe, you are going too fast). Do some core work, too - weightlifting or yoga are both quite good for this. For a far more complete description of how to train for hiking and mountaineering, I suggest picking up a copy of Training for the New Alpinism.

As for technical skills and knowledge - well, you can bag easy peaks with a minimal amount, but here's a list of skills that will get you started, in approximate order from least to most advanced:

Backpacking
You said you'd done day hikes before - have you been backpacking? If not, this is a crucial first step. There is a ton of information online, and it isn't terribly difficult or dangerous, so you should be able to learn on your own. Here is a pretty good gear list to get you started. Also, make sure you learn and abide by LNT.

Wilderness First Aid
This is obviously good to know if you plan on tackling difficult or remote peaks. While there are many resources online (and you could get a decent overview simply by going through the requirements for the Boy Scouts' First Aid Merit Badge, this is one of the few things where I recommend paying for professional instruction. Getting a wilderness first aid certification can be very informative if you don't already have the knowledge.

Light/Ultralight Backpacking
Lighter packs move faster. Moving faster is safer. Learn to pare down the weight of your backpack to the bare minimum. This can be accomplished mostly by improvising gear out of common lightweight items, or simply going without - though it is possible to spend quite a bit of money to shave those last few ounces. /r/ultralight is a good source, as is backpackinglight.

Sport Climbing
If you want to tackle mountains with technical climbing, you need to know how to climb. While you might find yourself under the wing of a crusty old mountaineer who will be having none of those sissy-ass bolts, the fact is that the easiest and most common path to learning technical climbing these days starts in the climbing gym and at the sport crag. Unfortunately, this is where things can start getting expensive. In order to start learning how to climb, you'll need a pair of rock shoes at the very least to boulder. In order to start roped climbing, you'll need a harness and a belay device. In order to be a fully fledged sport climber, you'll need a rope (70m is the new standard, get that) and around 12 quickdraws; I also recommend a helmet.

As far as actually learning, there are a number of routes you can take. The most common is to get a rock gym membership. This is probably the best way, since it will expose you to the greatest number of potential climbing partners and increase your movements skills as fast as possible. Just hanging around the gym is usually enough to make a few friends to get outside with, and then they can teach you how to set anchors and lead sport. Unfortunately, gym memberships are expensive and there aren't too many rock gyms in Wyoming. Another option is to find some sort of social club for climbing in your area - I'm sure there are quite a few in your area if you poke around a bit. You'll be able to make friends and learn skills, but you'll be limited since the only practice you'll get will be on sporadic weekends. A third option is to try to teach yourself - the others are easier, but this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I suggest picking up a copy of Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills if you choose to go this route. Just remember to double-check everything, because if you mess up, you could die. A final option, and the one I suggest least, is to hire someone to teach you. This is very expensive, and although most guides provide excellent instruction, I feel that most people are taught better by learning from peers and making their own judgements on what to and not to do, based on reason and evidence.

Skiing, Snowshoeing, and Avalanche Certification
Mountains have snow. You need to navigate that snow. Learning to ski and snowshoe is fairly straightforward, but learning how not to die in an avalanche is rather difficult. Again, pay for a course.

Trad Climbing
Sport climbing familiarizes you with the fundamentals of movement on rock, belaying, and climbing above your protection. Traditional, or "trad" climbing, teaches you to place your own protection. You'll need a set of nuts (DMM makes some good ones), about 10 alpine draws, and a set of cams (cha-ching!). Once again, you can try to find some friends to teach you, teach yourself (pick up either Long's or Luebben's book), or hire someone to teach you.

Finally, don't fall into the "couple trap". I assume you're going to want your boyfriend to join you when you go out - that's great! But don't let your boyfriend be your one and only partner. For one thing, you'll severely limit the amount of knowledge you'll be able to absorb. For another, you'll be limited in when you'll be able to get out to when you are both able to - while backpacking and bagging easy peaks on your own is fine, pushing yourself solo is not suggested. And finally, it just won't be as fun - joining a community of people who you literally trust with your life is truly fantastic, and the relationships you build climbing mountains are really as important as the climbs themselves.

I'm currying studying to get my master's degree in recreation management, with a focus on recreation ecology (the study of how outdoor recreation affects and impacts ecological processes). My master's thesis work is in monitoring of campsite impacts specifically. My BS is also in recreation management. I also have 6 seasons of experience as a backcountry ranger, and several seasons of experience both on a trail crew and as a wilderness trip leader for a youth program that strictly adhered to the Leave No Trace Principles.

It's a pretty common misconception among many in the outdoor recreation community that Leave No Trace equates simply to "carrying all of your trash out with you." In reality, proper waste disposal is only 1 of the 7 LNT Principles (and carrying your trash out is only one aspect of how to apply that principle to backcountry behavior). A lot of public land management agencies are actually even starting to distance themselves from the "Take only pictures, leave only footprints" message that /u/payasopeludo mentioned- both due to the singular nature of the message that over simplifies the complexities of impact and LNT, and the fact that even footprints alone can contribute to high levels of impact in some circumstances (such as when you have high levels of use in sensitive ecosystems with easily damaged soils). The fact is that, as hikers and campers, our relationship with the environment is much more complex, and out ability to impact it much more significant, than we usually realize.

A lot of people in the hiking and backpacking community today are pretty young, and don't know just how bad things got in a lot of backcountry areas in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, prior to the introduction not just of modern minimum impact ethics but also increased regulations governing where it was OK to camp and what behaviors were permitted while doing so. The fragile alpine summits of mountains in the Northeastern US in particular were subjected to a lot of impact (destruction, really- some mountain summits lost nearly all of their soil and vegetation) as a result of the post-war boom in outdoor recreation as a hobby. Prior to the existence of anything like LNT, far lower levels of use than we see today lead to extreme high levels of impact. It has been through hard work and stewardship of management agencies and volunteer groups that many of these areas have been restored to the condition that they are in today (in the case of alpine summits, though, full recovery is expected to take decades or even centuries). With every increasing visitation rates in most backcountry areas, adoption of minimum impact ethics becomes even more and more important if we are to continue to protect these areas.

(Side note: Anyone who is interested about the historic context of the high levels of recreation impact that occurred in the northeast that lead to more regulations as well as the development of minimum impact ethics, should read Forest and Crag, by Laura and Guy Waterman.)

These impacts can be (and often are) significant. We've all heard about contaminated water sources due to improper human waste disposal. Modification of animal behavior patterns has repeatedly been another significant issue that has lead to bear canister requirements in many areas. Harassment (even unintended) of wildlife by hikers has been known to cause animal drownings and miscarriage. High levels of impact both at campsites and on trails can lead (and has lead) to significant soil erosion. As part of my master's thesis research, I conducted surveys of illegally felled trees at campsites, and found that some campsites had as many as 100 stumps within 50 meters of the site center (one site had over 200!). In some areas, illegal tree cutting has been such a continual problem that campfires have been banned entirely.

It can be argued that construction of structures/monuments might not have much of a physical impact (although this is debatable- collection of wood at heavily used campsites in general is known to cause devegetation and soil compaction in increasingly wider patterns around campsites as campers spread out further and further to gather an ever dwindling supply of fuelwood). Nevertheless, these still constitute a social impact in that their presence not only visually detracts from the "wild" nature of an area, they also measurably lower the trip satisfaction felt by many subsequent visitors hoping to experience destinations in as natural a state possible. Obviously, there is value in artistic and creative expression, and I think that can certainly be incorporated into backpacking and hiking in some way... but LNT would call for, at the very least, a structure like that shown in the post linked to by the OP to be dismantled when a group vacates a site (and certainly only dead and downed wood should be used in its construction).

Certainly, we are all going to leave some level of impact- the only way to eliminate it entirely would be to stay out of the woods. But that doesn't mean that we can't (or shouldn't) work to minimize them to a reasonable extent. In fact, one of the most frequently used frameworks for managing recreation resources, the [Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) Framework](http://www.fs.fed.us/cdt/carrying_capacity/lac_system_for_wilderness_planning_1985_GTR_INT_176.pdf0], is founded on this very idea: it sets reasonable limits of impact for an area and then facilitates management of that area so that the impacts do not exceed those limits. We minimize these impacts not only for the protection of wild areas so that future visitors can enjoy them just as much (if not more) than we do, but also because we have decided, as a society, that some ecosystems in some areas (in Wilderness Areas in particular) have an inherent right unto themselves not only to exist but to flourish without being impeded by human influence.

(As another interesting side note, there are areas in Russia, the Zapovedniks, where protection of resources is so highly prioritized that even public access is often restricted.)

There is a small but sometimes vocal "Anti-LNT" minority (as exemplified by a few comments in this thread). It's really unfortunate that attitudes like these exist, because inevitably, these attitudes risk ruining things for everyone. When educational outreach programs (like LNT) fail to prevent impacts from exceeding maximum allowable levels, management agencies often have little choice but to take a regulatory approach to meeting management objectives. And that means things like campsite and trail closures, increased regulations, increased law enforcement patrols, etc- all unpopular management techniques that lessen the quality of the experience for everyone, yet sometimes are necessary if backcountry resources are to be protected. And some of the claims made by "Anti-LNT" folks are just plain absurd. I've seen posts on reddit claiming that "LNT insulates us from our relationship with the environment and how we impact it." Nothing could be further from the truth- LNT seeks to promote education and understanding about how our behaviors impact the environment, so that we can make educated decisions for ourselves about how to go about lessening those impacts.

I think it's also important to mention that I think the vast majority of hikers and campers, even experienced ones, tend to over-estimate just how well they adhere to minimum impact ethics. Within the outdoor recreation community, there is often a disparity between being able to say "I value minimum impact ethics" and actually having the experience necessary to apply those ethics towards actual behaviors in the backcountry. Feats of physical fitness, like thru-hiking the AT or climbing an entire list of peaks if a geographic region are impressive and worthy of praise, yet they don't always inherently translate into also having an educated minimum impact ethic as many suggest. With regards to educational outreach, I see a lot of experienced hikers in particular fall into the trap of thinking "Oh, that message applies to beginner hikers, so it doesn't apply to me," when in reality, even they would be wise to consider and heed whatever message is being shared. I don't say this to be disparaging or elitist, but to suggest that everyone, regardless of experience, has a responsibility to continually seek out information about minimum impact ethics, so that they can further refine their techniques and make even better choices about how to protect backcountry resources in the future.

I think that /u/cleverbullshit really hit the nail on the head when they stated "if we all did this would we still want to go to the woods? If the answer is no then why is it ok if it's just one person?" To me, this is the core of LNT. In choosing how to behave in the backcountry, I always ask myself, "If everyone who visited here did this, what would the impacts be? And am I OK with that?" The fact is that if you aren't willing to go that extra mile to minimize your impact, then you are just as guilty as everyone else making that same choice that contributes to undue levels of impact in the backcountry, no matter how small each individual contribution to that cumulative impact may be.

Just as important, or more, than backpack, tent, bag, & pad are your boots & socks. Your carrying yourself and all that weight in them!

Get good hiking socks from your local Outdoors shop. At least two pair of thick and two pair of thin. They should be "wicking" socks that take the moisture away from your feet. Wear the thin set inside the thick set. Put on the dry pair of thin socks at night to keep you warm. Never go to sleep in your bag with wet clothes, whether from falling into the stream or just sweating during the day, especially wet socks, if you can help it. (That's why you should always bring a set of extra clothes). But you may also want to bring a pair of socks just for sleeping.

When you shop for boots, get a good brand (e.g. Merrell or better) and don't skimp on price. These will last for years. Buy cheap and you'll be getting a new pair in just a couple of years. Shop at the end of the day when your feet are swollen and put on your two pair of hiking socks. Try several pair. Walk around the store a few times to really get a good feel for how those boots fit your feet. You don't want your toes to touch the front of the boot. EVER. unless you like yanking toe nails off your big toe. So walk fast or even run and then stop fast and try to jam those toes forward. If they touch, go up in size or find a boot with a bigger toe box. Your heel shouldn't slide forward when you're doing this.

For the stove, get one of these [cheap guys from China] (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultralight-Outdoor-Backpacking-Canister-Foldable-Mini-Camping-Stove-Gas-Burner-/252013224278?hash=item3aad28a156:g:kygAAOxyIv5TkRfF). Heck, get two in case you lose one! They work jsut as well as the name brands, have a little piezo lighter so you don't need to light it with a lighter or match, and they are SO much cheaper!

For a cook kit, you can start with the [Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set] (http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Adventure-Camp-Stainless-Steel/dp/B005188T90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458828657&sr=8-1&keywords=stanley+adventure+cook+kit). I bought mine at Walmart for $15. Get this - take out one of the plastic mugs and you can fit both the little stove AND small fuel canister into it! And the [standard GSI mug] (http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-Glacier-Stainless-Bottle/dp/B001LF3IB6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1458828752&sr=8-2&keywords=gsi+mug) fits right over the bottom of it, AND the lid to the Stanley set is a perfect fit onto the GSI mug. I bought a knockoff at Walmart for $5.00.

As for the sleeping bag, some will recommend down because it's lighter for the same warmth rating compared to synthetic and compress for packing better than synthetic, but I will recommend synthetic because it's cheaper and down is useless if it gets wet. I have a 3lb synthetic bag that is rated at 15 deg. I sleep in a hammock and a like the synthetic bags better because they are thicker so wind doesn't rip right through them as it does for really light bags.

The "waffled" Closed Cell Foam (CCF) pad at Walmart, while not the most comfortable, will get you started. It's cheap and light and will do well enough. You can also pile leaves under the tent for extra padding.

Don't forget a groundcloth/footprint that goes under the tent! It acts as a moisture barrier and prevents damage to the bottom of the tent. The woven polyethylene (typically blue) are really heavy, so I'd recommend a thick sheet of plastic instead. It should fit completely under the tent so it doesn't catch rain and funnel it under the floor of the tent.

If you have a Big 5 near you, that's a great place to get some good gear for cheap. REI & Cabella's get kind of expensive.

A map of where you're going, and the knowledge of how to use your map and compass. I see so many people who can't read a map, let alone triangulate their position, think that they're ok if they have it. Silly, really.

As was mentioned before, the cookset is likely overkill especially if you're going solo. My absolute favorite bit of backpacking gear is my Trangia 28T a Swedish-made alcohol stove and cookset that is lightweight, durable, and beautiful. I'm a sucker for anything useful, well-made and attractive and this thing checks all the boxes. I've cooked for 2 by adding a 'grease pot' that the trangia set nests in. Whether you want an alcohol stove is a sort of personal choice, their adherents tend to wax poetical about their simplicity, reliability, and silent operation. All i can say is that after years of using white gas and isobutane blowtorches, it is an absolute pleasure to sit in camp and listen to the birds and the wind in the trees as I wait for water to boil for coffee. Another great thing is that alcohol stoves can be made easily for next to nothing, so if you want to try them out there's very little cost.

Looks like you've got a great start though! Have fun and be safe!

We actually went in late March, but Utah had a much colder winter/early spring last year. It got to the upper thirties overnight, and all three hammockers used sleeping bags and inflatable pads for warmth. I personally used a 0-degree Teton Leef bag and insulated Klymit Static V, and slept in thermals, fleece, down vest, and a beanie. I like to sleep warm, haha.

I'm confident enough about the trees that if I had a permit for #5 right now, going just off what I remember, I'd bring a hammock and maybe a bivy sack just in case. I'm like 90% sure it'd be fine. The campsites are beaten down enough that going to ground wouldn't be super difficult anyway. Note, though, that the trees in #4 are pretty low and bendy, so don't be surprised if you wake up on the ground anyway.

BTW I found a blog of someone that camped at #5 but the only picture that says it was taken from the campsite was this one.

edit: you HAVE to go see Kolob Arch; it's amazing.

This is my favorite place to go. So beautiful and secluded.

The 2 best spots in the area are the hangover and Stratton bald. Do not plan on camping at naked ground as tempting as it may be.

Get Tim Homan's book on the area, and design your own loop that includes the hangover, Stratton bald, and the slick rock creek. There are so many intersecting trails that planning a hike there is as easy as can be. http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Trails-Kilmer-Slickrock-Citico-Wildernesses/dp/156145415X

I always park at big fat gap, there is a campsite that continues straight into the woods where the road would go if it kept going, so if you wanted to head up there, on Friday and start hiking early Saturday you could do that.

A few things to remember about slickrock though.

It is a wilderness area, the trails aren't really maintained to the level you're used to in other areas, and the lesser used trails can get hard to follow, but pay attention and you'll be fine.

Also it is a common area for hunters, and is covered with them during hunting season, you usually won't see any that far from the trailhead though but you will see their dogs.

Most of the hunting dogs are beagle and Black and Tan mixes, but during hog season you'll see pit bulls. Either way don't bring a dog hiking with you to slickrock. The pit bulls will likely kill him and he might follow the deer dogs into the woods.

Be respectful of the dogs. They have a job to do, I know they're cute and friendly (especially the hounds) but avoid petting them because it throws them off their game. Sometimes they will start following you. If this happens just yell GO ON like it's one word and they will in fact go on.

Don't let any of this scare you off this awesome area.

Oh and if your car is fun to drive check out the Tail of the Dragon (us129 north of deals gap) and the chelohora skyway, two of the best driving roads in the entire country.

This is a really cool setup, very ingenious.

That said, if you're willing to spend another 10 bucks or so, you can get a much better anodized aluminum mug. The anodizing process darkens the aluminum and gives it better nonstick properties, making it much better to cook with than regular aluminum. I've also found that bare aluminum can sometimes give a bad taste to acidic foods, like tomato sauce.

The mug I linked to also has a folding handle and fits over a Nalgene bottle, so it packs really well.

Again, I love your setup. Always happy to see camping gear that anyone can afford!

I stole the whole setup design from a friend, just a bladder and a filter.

https://www.amazon.com/Geigerrig-G2-070-0Z-p4-Hydration/dp/B00870DGDS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FA2RLX2?psc=1

The pump adds air to a separate compartment to pressurize the water reservoir and lets you fill cups/pots with water straight from the mouthpiece, without it you would have to carry the extra Sawyer squeeze bag. Only thing I would change is using a bigger sawyer filter, this one flows pretty slow (maybe buy the geigerrig filter instead). The geigerrig is a really awesome piece of equipment though; super easy to fill and really durable.

As many of the other commenters have stated - buy your pack to fit your gear. If you buy your pack first you will find all sorts of things to fill it with.

That said - I have the Deuter pack a size larger than this - the Deuter ACT Lite 65 + 10 Pack. and it works great for my needs. I have used it on many weekend trips and one 10 day trek. All my trips are Boy Scout trips, so we tend to carry more gear than non-Scouts. The 10 day trek was to Philmont last summer. Philmont required us to carry several days worth of bulky food at a time. My gear took up about 2/3 of the pack and then I had plenty of room left for food or large water dromedaries when needed. The +10 expansion worked great for this as I could fill to the brim and then shrink it down as we used up the food and water.

A couple critiques I have about this line of packs.

• There are almost no accessory pockets. Externally the only zip pockets are 1 on the lid and the 2 belt pockets. Everything else goes into the large compartments. I made this work with multiple small bags to keep clothes, cooking gear, rain gear, and other things organized. This worked well for me, but would not work as well for a more disorganized person who really needs the separate pockets to put stuff in.
  
  
• The hip belt pad only comes about 2/3 of the way around my 34" waist. Around the front is adjustable strap. This was different than some of the other packs that wrap almost all the way around. I was ok with this and it carried the load well. It may not work for everyone.
  
  
• Buy a rain cover that is large enough. The +10 will make this equal to a 60L, so if you buy a 50L cover it won't be big enough. Also know if you will strap anything to the outside, because your cover will need to be large enough. I bought the Deuter cover which fits 40-70L.
  
  If you are a beginner and want to try something cheaper to get started - we
  have had luck with Teton brand backpacks for our Scouts. My son took the
  [Teton Escape 4300](
  https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Ultralight-Internal-Backpacking-Mountaineering
  /dp/B006JYHI24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481035907&sr=8-1&keywords=teton+4300)
  to Philmont and it worked well for him. The Teton Hiker
  3700 might be more the
  size you are looking for.
  

Skurka's book is good (likely the best way to get up to speed on gear), and his blog is excellent as well.

Other books I like:

• Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook For Light And Ultralight Backpacking (Falcon Guide) (A bit old, but still a classic and the other "Allen and Mike's" books are also good.
  
• Lyle Brotherton's Ultimate Navigation Manual
  
• NOLS Wilderness Medicine (Be careful; the Kindle instance is actually an old version.)
  
  For current information, these subreddits and sites like BackpackingLight will get you up to speed.
  

Like pretty much everyone else, Sawyer squeeze for filtration. I finally got a CNOC Vecto bag this year for it, and its a gamechanger. I've also got a cheap coupler so I can use my smartwater bottle to backflush it (the coupler also comes in handy for just hanging bag+filter+bottle and letting gravity do the work).

I'm a sidesleeper, and I'm usually cold - the NeoAir X-Lite is by far the warmest and most comfortable sleep pad I've ever had.

Stove-wise, I just use a tiny, folding 25g titanium screw-on FOME stove I bought on Amazon. I only use a 600ml titanium mug as a pot, so it doesn't take much fuel to bring water to a boil. This is my third year with that stove, and I absolutely love it.

This book is the best intro resource I’ve found to teach beginner’s the essentials.

If you don’t have any gear or friends to go with, you might want to try getting a hotel near a destination and doing some day hikes, or try a car camping trip.

Otherwise, just make sure you’re not getting in over your head - don’t go somewhere you don’t know, make sure you have the essentials especially navigation, and have fun!

Olicamp mug/pot $12, 4oz weight, 20oz capacity

BRS 3000T Burner $15, 25g. It really is an amazing little micro stove.

Jetboil Flash LID This lid fits the Olicamp mug/pot perfectly! $6, plus shipping. About 1oz

A 100g canister fits perfectly inside, plus the BRS and a bic. The jetboil lid fits securely and keeps everything together.

Ditch the canteen.. carry your water in 1L and/or 750ml smartwater/lifewater bottles. Seriously. It’s durable, and weighs significantly less.

I think there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself first.

1. How do you plan to treat water? Sawyer Squeeze (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1OSU4W/), Aquatabs (https://www.amazon.com/Aquatabs-AQT100-Water-Purification-Tablets/dp/B077737MBN), bleach, etc.?
   
2. How do you plan to carry that much water? Does your bag and gear accommodate the space and weight?
   If you are using the Sawyer Squeeze, you could use something like 3L CNOC bags (the thread on top matches the Squeeze, unlike other bags), and the 3L CNOC bag is 3.7oz each ($23 https://www.amazon.com/Cnoc-Outdoors-Vecto-Container-Orange/dp/B07F1BBWHC). Good lightweight construction. If you plan to use Aquatabs, Aquamira, or bleach, you could use something even more lightweight like the Platypus 2L bags at 1.3oz each ($9 https://www.amazon.com/Platypus-2-Liter-Ultralight-Collapsible-Bottle/dp/B000J2KEGY/). Those do not match the Squeeze threads, but if you're not using Squeeze anyway it wouldn't matter. Both the CNOC and Platypus bags roll down to nothing when empty, and are easy to travel with. You could carry 2 of the CNOC or Platypus bags + 2 1L Smartwater bottles (again, the threading on these matches Sawyer Squeeze) for a total of 6-8oz, without using that much space, and without costing that much money. Just remember that water itself is pretty heavy, which is why most people try to camel up and drink a lot at water stops, and then not have to carry as much all day.

IDK What sort of weather you'll be camping/hiking in, but this is a pretty basic list of gear that I would take if I were on a budget:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JYHI24/?tag=ultrastuff-20

http://www.amazon.com/Suisse-Sport-Adventurer-Ultra-Compactable-Sleeping/dp/B001TR7QZA/ref=sr_1_3?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1408072994&sr=1-3&keywords=ultralight

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FB7XYXM/?tag=ultrastuff-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002COCF3M/?tag=ultrastuff-20

That's a bag, tarp, hammock and sleeping bag. They all have great ratings and should get you through just about anything.

Me, personally, I carry my hammock, a wool blanket and my tarp from http://www.bushcraftoutfitters.com/ ( http://www.bushcraftoutfitters.com/Coyote-Tarp-10x10-tarp-10x10-coyote.htm ) in my army surplus bag. I also carry my stainless steel pot and cup, cordage, zip ties, leather gloves, folding saw, axe and knife with me when I'm out in the woods. I have a "space blanket" too.

My pack could be lighter for sure, but everything I have serves a purpose.

Whenever you decided you want to get into campinp/hiking/bushcraft/whatever, decided what you really need/want to have with you. Don't just jam random "camping" supplies in your bag. Take your time, research and pack carefully. Your back will thank you.

The forecast called for it to be rainy with a chance of thunderstorms, so I wanted to make sure I had a place where I could cook with my stove and sit outside of my tent that was dry and out of the rain. It was basically a front porch.

I also just wanted to see how it went up, that was the first time I'd ever set up a tarp. I was given a hammock as a gift for my birthday and eventually that tarp will be used as part of a hammock-camping set-up once I get an under quilt so I wanted to familiarize myself with it. :)

Edit: Some things about the tarp, in case anyone is interested. The tarp weighs in at 13.5oz, which is pretty good for a budget tarp. Once you add the stakes its probably closer to a pound, but still not bad considering. It also has a reflective coating on the inside so It can be used as an emergency blanket in a pinch or used to signal if you're really desperate. All in all its an awesome bit of kit, one of my favorites considering it cost ~$30.

I don't have any advice on the mountaineering side, but on the backpacking end of things, if your pack weighs 40+ lbs, you definitely could significantly reduce your pack weight, which, even if you don't ditch the waist belt entirely, will make it much more comfortable to unclip when your hip starts to hurt. I bet you could drop 10 lbs off that weight easily, and drop 20lbs with a bit of effort.

I really like Mike Clelland's Ultraight Backpacking Tips and there's lots of good info at /r/ultralight as well.

I ended up using and keeping:

Hammock Bliss No-See-Um No More - The Ultimate Bug Free Camping Hammock - 100" / 250 cm Rope Per Side Included - Fully Reversible - Ideal Hammock Tent For Camping, Backpacking, Kayaking & Travel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002COCF3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FyoZBbZ7WENFZ

>On a longer trip if I had a second smart bottle you can push the bottle cap on tight enough to get an ok back flush.

FYI, Sawyer makes a coupling to back flush with water bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP150-Coupling-Filtration/dp/B018NJC1A6/

I am shocked that I haven't seen anything related to water sources. I would definitely have a water filtration system in my top 5 items to have for a backpacking trip. I have an MSR water filter and it's perfect (https://www.amazon.com/MSR-MiniWorks-Microfilter-Purifier-System/dp/B078T9Z5N9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=msr+water+pump&qid=1550076128&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1)

I think these are the chinese knock offs of the Sea to Summit Aeros pillow: https://seatosummitusa.com/products/aeros-pillow-ultra-light

​

Which, I have found an even cheaper knock-off for only $9: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Lence-Inflatable-Compressible-Backpacking/dp/B073PYQL9Y/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1535860566&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=moon+lence+pillow&psc=1


I've used the above for camping and trans-pacific flights. Works like a charm.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

this

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

Ill see if I can find it. It was recommended to me from a person on here as well! Also you can try one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z77AM9A?ref=emc_b_5_t&th=1

It comes in +20 and 0F... I have the 0 bag and its crazy warm with a bag liner.

That company makes really high value stuff. Just read the reviews and you can see where people agree.

Thoughts on this one? Seems similar just a better price https://www.amazon.com/Frontiersman-Spray-Holster-Access-Strength/dp/B002E6VAHK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1543592517&sr=8-4&keywords=bear+spray

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071FQJV82/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had bought a cheaper inflatable pillow but it was just uncomfortable. Your mileage may vary, but I refuse to sacrifice a good nights sleep to save an ounce or two. I also have the Nemo Disco sleeping bag which is made for side sleepers over the traditional mummy bag. It weighs a little more, but I can toss and turn, roll over on my stomach, or sleep on my side.

For a water purifier I would go with the sawyer water filter. You can filter water into any bottle you want or use it like a straw. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FA2RLX2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1457621423&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sawyer

I was using the Stanley cook set: Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set 24oz Stainless Steel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005188T90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_amhKzbGT131ZZ

And using regular boxed Mac and cheese. Without a windscreen. I think that was the biggest problem was the lack of a windscreen. Combined with my frustration of that, I turned it up a bit too high and ended up burning the Mac Noddles on the bottom. That and it was hard to stir due to the depth of the pot. My friend bought a cook set at big5 (discount sporting store) near me, for about as much as I spent, which came with 2 pots, a burner, a mini sponge, and a can of fuel for about as much as I spent. The burner was way better in the wind and she had no issues with it. That and I think I may have warped my BSR a bit from turning it too high... I'm probably gonna pick up that set soon. Seemed to work well enough. Think it was a bit heavier than my setup, but I know where I can shave some weight elsewhere.

I brought too much food for dinner. I didn't divide up the Mac and cheese boxes. I should've halved them at least. Needless to say I had a bunch of spare food, which I had to pack out. So lesson learned in that regard. I basically carried 6 dinners at least when I should've had 3. I think repacking ez-mac containers would've been better. Boil water, then pour into quart freeze bags as someone else explained. That would've prevented the mess, and the excess food I think.

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Adventure-Camp-Stainless-Steel/dp/B005188T90/ref=lp_3400591_1_3?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1465503933&sr=1-3

Planning on going to Joyce Kilmer/Citico for the first time in October.

If you don't already have it, you should get this guide book.

Since it will be my first time backpacking there, I look forward to any replies you might get from someone who has experience with the area too.