New Member

I've been lurking here for about a month and decided this morning to go ahead and join.

I did a lot of backpacking in the 70's & 80's, mainly as a solo hiker. That kind of dried up after getting married and being consumed with making a living.

I've always loved wildlife photography and recently bought some nice camera gear. Decided a few months ago it made more sense to hike into an area for a few days instead of short day hikes to take photos.

Been slowly accumulating half decent gear while keeping in mind I need to get lighter whenever possible.

Looking forward to hangin' here more often.

Welcome aboard. Funny how that "making a living" thing kind of takes over your whole life, isn't it? Teenage years should come with a warning label: "Enjoy it now; in a couple years you'll have to grow up." or something similar.

Let us know as you have questions. We can mislead you with the best of them.

Some of the best times I've ever had in the mountains where with my kids....don't let middle age keep you from doing the things you love, and sharing them with the people you love !

Thanks for the welcome. I'm sure there will be questions down the road.





All but one of the kids are out of the house. The one left doesn't have the time for backpacking, she's an upper level competitive gymnast.

The only sharing I'll be doing is with the lens.

Took both of my kids backpacking when they were teens; it never really took (though my son likes to kayak-camp; we still occasionally go to Isle Royale: he paddles, I hike, and we meet up in the evening.)

I'm now looking forward to taking my two granddaughters camping this summer, and exposing them to backpacking in a year or two (they're 9 and 6; not quite big enough yet, but getting close.)

For what it's worth: empty-nesting is vastly underrated.

Welcome to the forum! If you haven't already found them, there are lots of excellent articles on gear selection and lightening your load listed in the left-hand column of http://www.backpacking.net/, the home page of this site. I was able to cut my 7-day pack weight to less than half what it used to be five years ago, just from using the "27 lb., 7-day gear list."

Another good site for gear selection is Mark Verber's website. Lots of ideas for gear, from the latest technology to low-budget alternatives.

Yes, it is. Certainly quieter.





Thanks!

I have my gear down below 28 lbs (if I take the tent) for a 3 day outing, not counting my camera gear and water, in good weather. My winter sleeping bag would add another 2 lbs.

I'm single, so I always had time after work was out of the way to go/do what I wanted. I still run across an occasional couple that has gear from the 70's or so. Still works for them, then they shake their heads when I mention I had 30 lbs. with water and a weeks worth of food in my bear canister.:) I gave my old Camp Trails pack away that I bought slightly used in the early 70's when I started bping to check out the fishing, so I don't have any of my old stuff. All I can come up with now is the second sleeping bag I ever owned that I bought at the dime store I managed, a Wenzel and my propane Coleman camp stove from the early 70's.

Wish I still had my Coleman from the 70's. It was a little on the heavy side, but it would put out the heat. I gave away or sold all my old gear.

Don't pine for it too badly - the Jetboil is just as hot, and just as heavy. And despite that, it's currently my go-to stove.

As far as gear, I find it hard to get too sentimental about all my old stuff. I'm carrying 20 pounds less for a weekend now, and I'm twice as comfortable. As the song says, " These are the good old days."

I know what you mean about the old stuff and the good ole days. The things I did to prove my manhood.

The stove would be the only thing I would probably still use. Since I only want to heat water I got a MSR pocket rocket.

I like the convenience of the Jetboil; it's worth half a pound. I can make oatmeal in the little cup, and have a pot of tea (without burning my lips on the pot) for breakfast. I can boil up water, dump in my freeze dried meal, and have hot, not just warm, food for supper. (This summer, I may experiment with boiling a pot of water, adding it to my freeze-dried meal in the bag, and boiling up another pot for evening tea while the meal rehydrates. No pot to clean; not sure how hot the food will stay, though. May get a padded stuff sack or insulated water bottle carrier to use as a cozy.)

Of course, for all the ranting about the good new days, I do have to blushingly admit that my winter (white gas) stove is Svea 123. My son got my original 1970s model; a Scout who developed into a long-term hiking buddy got the one that replaced that one; I'm using the third one. I love that stove.

I use my propane powered Coleman for car camping which is the old stove I picked up at the dime store. I am getting into vintage/antique bp/camp stoves. I own two Svea 123's now which I am going thru, they started up my first attempt a few weeks ago, but don't roar. I've ordered new wicks and some dope to get them shiny. My go to stove for summer bping is the MSR Pocket Rocket, right simple and fast to set up/tear down and with the proper technique, works into the low single digits for that late fall trip. Burrr!

Glenn
I'm so sorry to hear that you eat reconstituted mud from a zip lock. I guess you're probably glad to get home to get some real food eh?
Jim

You're making an assumption about the food I get at home! (Please don't tell Karol I said that - she's actually a great cook. However, I do miss sweets.)

My first "camping" food (with the Air Force) was C-rations; my dad was a WWII vet, and I swear those were his initials scrawled on the side of one can. So, freeze-dried tastes pretty good.

But seriously, I do fall on the "eat to live" side of the spectrum. Supper is my only freeze-dried meal, though; breakfast is usually oatmeal, and lunch is usually peanut butter on a whole wheat sandwich round. Dried fruit, nuts, and granola bars fill in for the rest. If I went out for more than 4 days at a time, I might feel a lot differently.

yeh, like feeling constipated.

With all that whole grain and dried fruit! Not likely.

Not really - lots of water and more exercise than I get at home seems to keep things moving pretty well. But, like I said, it's only 4 days, max, at a time.