>>1546655>>1547476>Do you guys think those REI classes are any good?Keep in mind REI's target demographic is pic related, so everything they teach is babby-tier and you can already look it up on google. Unless you are autistic and literally need hand-holding you will unironically learn more by asking the right questions on /out/.
>I've been reading guides and stuff like that, but I feel like I need to get out thereYes, the most important thing is to stop reading and start going outside.
This weekend, pick a state park near you with a decently busy 4-6 mile trail, throw a couple granola bars and a bottle of water into a bookbag, and get out for an afternoon. You won't need to how to navigate with a compass, or build a fire, or need any fancy equipment, since it'll be a well-marked trail. If you're really scared of getting lost use your phone GPS.
Then the next ttime extend the trip to something 6-8 miles long go for the whole day, and bring a sandwhich and have a picnic. Each time make a note at the end of the trip of what went well, and what you think could have gone better, and you can come back on /out/ and ask questions about how to troubleshoot.
Once you get more comfortable being outside and getting around, you can slowly start adding things one at a time, like buying a compass and navigating an unmarked/less busy trail, getting a headlamp and hiking for an hour or two after sunset, getting a waterfilter so you don't need to carry a gallon of water each time, and buying a cookset to cook a lunch on the trail. Eventually you'll gain more confidence doing it yourself, that it's just a matter of picking up a tent and sleeping bag and extended these day trips into overnight trips. Doing it this way also prevents you from falling into the gearfag meme, because if it turns out you hate being /out/ you at least won't have dropped hundreds of dollars into it.
good luck anon, don't forget to take pictures and post them here.
