Hey all! Been looking around the Forums for a few and love what I see. Lots of knowledge and experience and that's awesome! Im not really new to the back country because I have been hunting my whole life. However.. Extended stay backpacking is something I have not done. Getting married here in a couple months and im trying to register on Amazon.com for everything my wife and I will need! I live in NW Oregon and really want to make some 2-5 day trips with my wife this summer. Ive got a pretty good list of gear going but cant figure out what size packs to get us. Im thinking something medium for the wife and a larger one for myself. I dont mind carrying lots of gear. Done it a time or two in the Military. It seems like the suggestion is get your gear then get a pack to fit it. But im not going to know what gear i absolutely need untill i get a few hikes under my belt. I guess this is just an intro. Any suggestions of gear lists on here or anything is more than welcome. Thanks in advance and I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone!

The emphasis here is on figuring out how to carry the lightest load that will accomplish your goals, because there's not much fun in lugging heavy packs up steep trails. However, you are right that getting experience is really the best path to defining what you want out of backpacking and knowing what you need to get you there. So, there is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem to overcome. That is especially true when one of your goals is not spending a huge wad of cash on equipment.

You can go a lot of places with cheap, crappy gear and still have a good time, and not coincidentally learn a LOT about what you want to replace with something better as soon as you can scrape the money together to do it. If I were rationing my cash I'd prioritize most of my spending on good sleeping bags and comfortable footwear.

The lightest things in your pack will always be the things you choose to do without. Extra clothes can make a pack very heavy in a big hurry and newbies almost always take more than they need.

If you've mostly been out during hunting season in the fall, be aware that the backcountry in Oregon in summer can be thick with mosquitos, espcially anywhere that has had patchy snow on the ground within a week or two of when you hike in there. About two weeks after all the snow is gone, the bugs die down to less epic levels. Deet helps.

You might consider getting the other gear you want ("want" being determined after reading some of the articles and gear lists posted here), then rent packs for the first two or three trips. After that, you'll have a better handle on your gear needs, as well as how you like certain styles or brands of packs (rent a different one each time), and you can proceed to pick one out to buy. REI rents gear; some local shops might, too.

As you put together your tentative gear list (for both of you), post it here and let folks critique it. It's a great way to cut through a lot of the initial wealth of information, and might help avoid some buyer's-remorse moments. (I'll refrain from the critiquing - I hike in the lower Midwest/upper Southeast, so I don't have any good knowledge about hiking in your part of the country. Others here do.)

I strongly recommend reading the articles on the home page of this site, left-hand column before doing any gear shopping. They may save you from some unwise or unnecessary expensive purchases. The gear lists are designed for the Pacific Northwest so are tuned to the conditions you'll find out here.

Borrowing or renting gear or purchasing second-hand are good ideas until you've gained more experience. It's especially important to postpone your pack purchase until you have all your other gear. That's because there are three ways your pack needs to fit: It needs to fit your gear, fit you and be comfortable for you with the load you'll actually carry in it. Pack fit is as individual as shoe fit and just as important.

The sponsors on this site are all good sources.

We have qute a few Pacific Northwesterners on this site--welcome aboard!

I would suggest registering at REI and/or Backcountry.com because of their liberal return policies--both firms basically allow unlimited, no-questions-asked returns. Trying to return something from amazon is, IMHO, a real pain.

Hey thanks for the input so far guys! Been busy at work (live on a tugboat for a week at a time) and have had little time for research and reply. Just started reading some of those side articles, thank you! And have since started a registry at REI. I got a pretty good gear list going its all going to depend on who buys us what for our wedding :-) I'm going to continue reading and researching. And when I get home next week will post a list of what I am looking at so far. Should I post that in this thread or start a new one specifically asking what people think? Thanks again for input so far. Can't wait to get some of these goodies and get out in the woods :-)

Okay guys here is the list of gear I have registered for so far.. Remember its all from REI because that is one of the places I am registering for my wedding. Macy's is the girls choice REI is mine :-)

-MSR Pocket Rocket Backpacking Stove
-Sea to Summit Pocket Towel
-Leatherman Juice S2 Multitool
-REI Trail Stool
-MSR Trail Lite Duo Coffee Press
-Suunto A-10 Compass
-GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Soloist Cookset
-SPOT II Satellite GPS Messenger
-Coghlan's Featherweight Mirror
-REI Tri-Power Safety Whistle
-Space All-Weather Blanket
-Katadyn Hiker Water Filter
-Uco Stormproof Match Kit
-Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Weekender First-Aid Kit(probably going to just make my own personal kit)
-Fenix PD32 Flashlight
-Fenix Mini LD01 Flashlight
-REI Vacuum Clip Mug - 14 fl. oz.
-Swiss Army Cadet Alox Knife
-REI Backpacker Pillow
-Motorola Talkabout MD200R 2-Way Radio - 2 Pack
-Marmot Trestles +30 Sleeping Bag
-Therm-a-Rest BaseCamp Sleeping Pad
-Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOlite Sleeping Pad
-REI Passage 2 Tent
-Nalgene Wide-Mouth Loop-Top Round Bottle - 32 fl. oz
-Nalgene Wide-Mouth Cantene - 96 fl. oz.
-Sea to Summit Folding Bucket - 10 Liters
-Omega Pacific ISO Oval Carabiner
-Sea to Summit Lightweight Dry Sack - Large

Keep in mind this is a working list.. And wont be carrying everything.. And alot of this stuff is X2 for the fiance. Just a good starting list of stuff i think i need. I have left off Footwear and Clothing because im just not there yet. And of course backpack because i need to see what size will accommodate all of these things. I just thought id toss this out there for some review Any and all thoughts and ideas are very much appreciated. Thanks!!

My thoughts on some of these things:

-Leatherman Juice S2 Multitool--no need. What's it going to fix? Take a sewing kit. It weighs less and fixes more things.

-REI Trail Stool--take a small square of foam and sit on rocks and trees.

-Coghlan's Featherweight Mirror--If necessary, look at yourself in your sunglasses.

-Fenix PD32 Flashlight--overkill. Just take a second mini light if you want two.

-Swiss Army Cadet Alox Knife--AND the multi tool???

-Motorola Talkabout MD200R 2-Way Radio - 2 Pack--no need. Just talk to people who are close to you, and stay close the the people you are with.

-Therm-a-Rest BaseCamp Sleeping Pad--we only take on pad--a NeoAir, and save a lot of weight.

-Nalgene Wide-Mouth Loop-Top Round Bottle - 32 fl. oz
-Nalgene Wide-Mouth Cantene - 96 fl. oz.--Soda bottles are lighter and better in almost every "weigh."

-Sea to Summit Folding Bucket - 10 Liters--no need. Just use a couple of soda bottles.

If I was buying something for your wedding, I would first buy a Lodge cast iron skillet. My aunt bought us one when we got married, 12 years ago, and we have almost used it every day since. It is still going strong. Next would be a big quilt for the bed, or a plate set, or knife set.

The Lodge cast iron skillet given to me when I acquired my first apartment on my own in 1977 still gets used almost every day and is going strong, too. I just used it to fry up some bacon and two eggs for breakfast this morning.

Llamas carry my gear and I don't even pack anything as heavy as cast iron, but I hear you, it would be a nice heirloom wedding gift. As for the original topic, I suggest renting as much equipment as possible and REI is a good choice for the purchases given their easy return policy. If you are like the majority of us were in our early backpacking days you will take things you don't need or things that are just not quite right and need to be returned/exchanged. Don't know the REI policy for returning wedding gifts, but it's probably fine.
Congrats on your wedding and have a grand time.

Oh dont worry the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is on there:) Lots of other camping stuff is on there, I only posted backpacking related items :-)