/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #567442

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Advice

Alexander mccandles Thu 06 Aug 2015 00:09:05 No.567442 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>567532

Hello /out/! I am rather very new to the camping scene, and after having a life changing experience recently, I have become very interested in camping and exploring mother nature. So I was going to ask if anybody is willing to give any advice/tips when going camping or on gear, I would greatly appreciate it.

TL; DR
Any tips for a newbie camper?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 01:33:56 No.567488 Report

Quoted By:

Buy a mora, spend too much on a hammock, waste hours on amazon and basically lurk this board just like you would any other until you get the lay of the land

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 01:46:24 No.567496 Report

Quoted By: >>567701

coleman is the only walmart brand tent that wont leak on you.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 01:52:12 No.567498 Report

Quoted By: >>567700

Check the leaf twice. Wipe once.

But seriously, just use a little caution and common sense and you will be fine. Solar energy is fun. Try it out.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 02:10:17 No.567513 Report

Quoted By:

What was your life changing experience?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 02:33:44 No.567529 Report

Quoted By: >>567722

I would look into ultralight backpacking, there is a ton of information on the Internet but I'll try to condense it into a post. There is no reason to carry more than 30lbs of gear for a 2 or 3 day adventure. The lighter you go, the better.

The most important and vital thing to consider is your backpack. There are all kinds of backpacks to choose from. I would look at something between 35 and 45 liters. You want one big pocket to stuff most of your gear into but having a couple pockets in the outside to carry gear you would need to get to easily is something to consider.

The next thing to consider is shelter. Do you want to sleep in a tent or do you want a hammock. Tents are nice and roomy and great if you're going somewhere without a lot of trees. If you're going somewhere you could string a hammock up, that would be my choice because in most cases they are lighter and less bulky than a tent. If you really want to go super ultralight, look into getting a tarp and possibly a bivy bag.

Now that you have a backpack and a shelter the next thing to look at is your sleeping set up. I live in Texas where I do most of my camping so I really don't need to carry a bulky sleeping bag during the summer. Consider the weather you will be sleeping in. A bed sheet could be just what you need and it will save room and weight in your bag. The next thing to look at is what are you going to sleep on. I like using a blowup sleeping pad because they are light and I find them more comfortable to sleep on. The only problem is they don't work if they get a puncture. A self inflating pad might be a better option if that's something you're worried about but I find them to be bulkier to roll up and store. There are also foam pads that can be just as light but I really don't like them since I'm a side sleeper but I know they work great if you sleep on your back.

Those are your big 3 to consider for ultralight back packing.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 02:40:56 No.567532 Report

Quoted By: >>567543

>>567442
Don't sink a lot of money in to gear to start or run out and buy the latest and greatest stuff.

If you have /out/ friends, ask if you can borrow some of their gear to try it out. Don't discount craigslist or goodwill either.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 02:43:02 No.567533 Report

Quoted By:

Food and water are also important because you literally cannot live without them. But what kind of food and how to sanitize your water will play an important role.

I've tried the dehydrated mountain house meals and for the most part they are pretty lightweight and tasty for a decent price. I also really like instant potatoes. For breakfast I usually bring a couple instant oatmeal packs.
As for water, the lightest way to make sure your water is pure is by boiling it but I know that isn't always the best option. You could try chemical treatments but some of them leave a weird taste and some people have a hard time getting used to it. You could also use a filter. Pump filters are amazing but they tend to be a bit heavier and a lot more costlier for the initial purchase. Another filter to consider is something like the Sawyer Mini. It's a great little squeeze filter that only costs about $25.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 03:05:12 No.567542 Report

Quoted By:

It matters what kind of camping we are talking here. Are you going to go car camping, are you only going to walk a few miles to camp or really hump it on the trail backpacking style. Determine how far you are willing to trek and that will more or less largely determine how compact and heavy your gear should be.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 03:08:30 No.567543 Report

Quoted By:

>>567532
>goodwill
this, lots of 2nd hand stores have lots of things like hatchet, mess kits, backpacks. etc. dont spend a whole lot right now, you dont need fancy shit to enjoy the outdoors, get a basic kit together, then get a new piece here and there till you have a kit tailored to you.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 07:55:48 No.567700 Report

Quoted By:

>>567498
what leaves should someone avoid wiping on their starfish?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 07:58:27 No.567701 Report

Quoted By:

>>567496
Not even true. I have bought plenty of WalMart tents with no issues. Ozark Trail isn't a bad brand for car camping, and n00bs.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 09:10:39 No.567722 Report

Quoted By:

I would also recommend ultralight backpacking like >>567529
However, I wouldn't jump straight into that if you haven't been camping much. Idk where you live, but spend a couple months going somewhere either "touristy" or neighboring civilization.
The best tip to offer though, you have to just throw caution to the wind and fucking go. Don't give yourself the time to think of a million different reasons not to, just go.

Here is what you need:
-shelter
-a way to stay warm at night (sleeping bag, blanket, sleeping pad, hat etc)
-food
-the means to prepare your food (fires, stoves etc)
-means of gathering, carrying and possibly even treating water
-appropriate cloths
-appropriate footwear

Those are the only things you really NEED to address to go /out/. How you address them can change from person to person. Some people will pack 100 lbs of gear they transport in the back of there car, and others will carry 15-20 lbs for 3-5 days.

The best way to start going /out/ is to figure out what draws you there. Is it just being in nature or is it exploring it? Some people want to find a nice place to just be so they set up a nice camp. Personally, I don't want to be in the same place long so I try to be as light as possible so I can leave quick and go far.

If you want more detailed advice give us some more info about yourself. What is your experience being /out/?
What do you want to do (see the birds? see the stars? be somewhere quiet? go fishing? go hiking?)
Where do you live?
What made you want to start going /out/?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 09:29:19 No.567725 Report

Quoted By: >>567729

Here is what I bring with me:

-Osprey Volt 60 backpack (the number associated with a pack is the volume in liters) w/ Rain Cover
-Yukon Outfitters Hammock w/ bug net and Rain Fly
-Thermarest NeoAir sleeping pad
-MSR Pocket Rocket stove
-MSR Titanium pot
-MSR fork
-REI Kitmah Rain Jacket
-Marmot Precip Rain Pants
-some shitty aluminum trekking poles i found for free
-Princeton Tech Remix Headlamp
-Mountain Hardware Lamina Spark sleeping bag
-Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter
-Footwear:
---Boots: Salomon Quest 4D GTX
---Shoes: Columbia hiking shoes of some kind
---Sandals/Shoes: Teva Kimtah
-Darn Tough Socks
-Clothes are always Under Armor style athletic cloths

Other than that, I only have food. I plan on switching out some of this gear over the next year. My base weight right now is probably 20 lbs and I want to get it down to the 12-15 lbs range.

My goal is to be ultra-light simply because I want to be able to hike as far as possible per day. I still take time to enjoy everything around me, but I find the walking part of backpacking to be the most enjoyable. If I really want to listen to music, use my phone, access the internet, enjoy a really nice meal etc. I can just walk to it as opposed to carry it with me.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 1438209797056.gif, 3MiB, 368x349

Anonymous Thu 06 Aug 2015 10:06:43 No.567729 Report

Quoted By:

>>567725
>going where theres internet access

mfw when you know your truly out when you get no service

Nice gear though. Would camp with.

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