>>811113> invest in good-quality hiking equipment'. Probably just generic bullshit.
What's "good quality" a tent needs to not leak and not to get flattened by wind. But many shit tents are good enough for that in normal UK weather.
etc for the rest of the gear.
One thing I would invest in is rain gear, shit quality one would get you as wet as if you're standing in the rain just from your own sweat, or would not hold much rain and the water would start getting through.
>Would I be ok so long as I stayed within, say, 5 miles of my car?That's a trick question. If you fall off a cliff it hardly matters how far you are from your car, if your tent gets flattered in a rain storm it's a big help to be near a car...
You're more likely to be ok near your car as some dangers are eliminated. But it's not a guarantee...
>>811142>solo isn't dangerous unless you are a retard.To some extent there is some danger in all /out/ activity. obviously it's not very high walking down a well hiked trail in the UK.
But crossing rivers, going to more remote locations, more rugged, deserts... presents dangers to all /out/men, be they solo or not. Being solo amplifies some of the risks.
> and a couple of books.Why more than 1 book?
>Not 100% on whether to attempt cooking on the first trip yetWhy not?
The only small difference is weight. But you'll enjoy yourself so much more with a warm meal, some coffee/tea in the eve in front of a fire :)
>I could keep a cooler in my car, and just carry what I'd need for that day. Maybe takes a little bit of the fun out of it, but might be more sensible for a novice.Nothing to do with being a novice, the only difference is weight.
You can store some extra food and water in the car for emergencies though.
Unless you want to bring non hiking food and weights a lot. That's about luxury then, not about being a novice.
