Hey guys,

I just recently got into backpacking with my friends (7 of us). I'm looking to get a backpack, sleeping pad, and a tent at least for christmas. I don't want to break the bank but I also want to have good gear all around, that is light but also compact while not bringing the price up a ton.

Currently we are doing weekend hikes in the smokies, and this will be a year round thing. We are looking into doing some 3-4 day hikes in the future, but on an averare of 1-3 day hikes in the right way to look. I want to have some good gear that is comfortable and also lightweight so that I don't kill myself out there.

Also we will be averaging 8-15 miles a day determining on the type of hike that we have planned ahead of us. If you could recommend the best all around gear that would work for me that is worth the price to an extent, I'm also looking for a 1 person tent and probably a 50-70l pack if I had to guess.


Thanks,

Mathew

Pack: Osprey Volt 60 ($180) - simple, comfortable, adjustable, with a great suspension, rated to 30+ pound loads (more than you need to carry)

Tent: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 (2013 model is on closeout sale at REI for $275 right now) - about 2-1/2 pounds, very roomy for 1 person and gear (tight for 2), stable.

Sleeping pad: Big Agnes Q-Core or Q-Core SL, extremely comfortable. Other than that, anything from Thermarest (especially NeoAir All-season or Prolite Plus) - lie down on them, get the one that feels most comfortable (both in padding and length.)

I'm also going to send you a private mail - look for the little flashing envelope.

Welcome to the sport. Look for posts from ETSU Pride - he's done a lot of hiking in the Smokies.

For shelters take a look at TarpTent shelters/tents. They stand up pretty good. I just sold my 9 year old Squall.
Duane

Mathew,
The wife and I just went through a revamp of gear after recently returning to BPing after many years. We had the same goals in mind as you, purchase quality light weight gear at a reasonable price.

Pad-we ended up with Thermarest neo-air lights. We prefer the horizontal air chambers like the Nemo inflatables we have for travel camping. They are super light and packable. Older reviews will tell you they are crinkly and loud as well as slippery. I remember the first releases of the mat and although Thermarest swears the materials are the same we have had no issues with either. I was able to compare ours with an older lot # of neo airs and will tell you first hand the material is better than years ago.

Pack-because of back issues from a car accident the wife and I were in we chose packs with a more solid suspension to transfer the majority of weight to the hips. For this we pay a price for weight but personally we find it better to carry an extra lb or so in pack weight if it feels like we are carrying 4-5bls less in the pack. There is no other piece of equipment I would want to carry an extra pound for if not absolutely necessary. We went with Deuter Actlight 40+10's for carrying a three season load. We are very happy with them so far. You may want to check out some of the really light weight packs recommended here if you like a less fimly suspended pack. I would if I could. Also take the advise of the more experienced here and collect your gear together and THEN get a pack to fit the gear. That way you wont get stuck with an unnecessarily too large and heavy pack.

Tent-We have the advantage of splitting shared gear so when we started BPing again we picked up a Kelty Salida 2. It cost us $122 new and we carry 2lbs each. That choice was strickly made with funds in mind. We didn't want to spent upwards of $300/350 in less we were sure we were going to enjoy it still. Well we love BPing again so we are now considering the deal Glenn just referred to. BA just released its new fly creek 2 so everyone is discounting the old models now. No harm done purchasing the Kelty. It will still see use and can be loaned out if necessary to bring friends along when we pull the trigger on another tent.

A couple other pieces of lightweight gear we purchased and really like are an Optimus crux stove and Sawyer squeeze filter.

One last thing- if you haven't chosen a bag or quilt yet get one of quality as recommended by the folks here. I thought I had got a super deal on a set of 15deg. bags but they just did not perform in temperatures as advertised and ended up returning them and biting the bullet on a pair of Western Mountaineering bags. folks here are now welcome to say "I told you so jimmyb". Anyway you get what you pay for and if at all possible get a least a good bag. Everything else can be a compromise of sorts and usually is.

My last bit of advise is STAY SINGLE, buying 2 of everything will wipe you out man!!

jimmyb

Edit= make sure you get your items on sale. I don't think I have ever paid full price for anything except the WM bags and they were less at campsaver. Many places have very liberal return policies so you can actually use the items and if not satisfied you can return them. EMS still has an unlimited return time and campsaver I think gives 60 days to return used items at full cash refund. EMS has some wicked sales this time of year.

Tarp Tent Moment might fit your bill. Full-Disclosure: I'm going to be using this tent for the first time in 2 weeks. I was concern about the hoop design and lack of guylines to hold up in exposed wind. I did added two more guylines on my own for total of 4 stakes. So keep an eye out for my review. I only mentioned Tarp Tent because they're sub $300 tents compared to Big Agnes, (I also own a Big Agnes tent.) while still being very light and well made.

You mentioned hiking in the Smokies.. Are you by any chance located near Knoxville, Johnson City, or Gatlinburg? They got outfitters in those cities that carry some quality gear selections. They'll be a good starting place for you try on various packs and see how they fit you. Mahoney's in Johnson City, River Sport Outfitter in Knoxville, and Nantahala Outdoors in Gatlinburg are the names of those places. They also carry Big Agnes and other well known outdoor brands. (If you're on the North Carolina side, I'm not familiar with the stores on that side.) I'm currently using a Granite Gear Blaze and you really can't go wrong with it, however, if you care about small pockets and loaded features Granite Gear may not be for you. I saw this a while back and it looks awesome! Very similar to Granite Gear without the price tag. $156 for pack of that weight and feature isn't bad at all. (If you like that color, that is.) Of course if it doesn't fit you or Osprey fit you better then go the route that suit you best.

I'm currently using a Big Agnes pad, but I'm ready for an upgrade. I'm looking at all the pads Glenn recommended.

If you have questions about the Smokies feel free to PM me, or ask on here and I'll chime in when I see it.

Edit: You didn't mention sleeping bag, but I just wanted know if you were aware of fluctuating temperatures in the Smokies? You may need more than one sleeping bags for year round backpacking in the Smokies. It was 9 degrees the other night at Mt. LeConte.

I should have pointed out that this is what I'm using (at least for now), and I'm not trying to say that it's the "best." What is best is whatever works best for you.

There are a lot of other good brands out there; TarpTent is definitely a high-quality tent maker. I've used the Rainbow once or twice, but never got the warm fuzzies - for no particular reason I could identify. It was roomy, well-made, functional, and light; it just never clicked for me.

You'll be balancing 4 things in finding your ideal mix:
Comfort in camp
Comfort on the trail (total weight and pack suspension)
Convenience (for me, that means a low "fiddle factor")
Cost

The balance will be a moving target, as your interest and experience in the sport changes, and as your personal budget permits. At some point, you might even want to make some of your own gear.

Other brands that have fit into that mix, as I tinkered with it, include MSR (especially their "fast and light" stuff - see their website) and its sister companies, Thermarest and Platypus; and Sierra Designs (recently, they have moved toward the lower end of the cost spectrum and the higher end of the weight spectrum. Their product lines haven't changed radically; the industry just changed around them.)

It's getting really hard to buy truly bad gear nowadays (unless you insist on shopping only at WalMart, Dick's or similar stores.)

You don't mention a budget. all gear is a compromise, and one of the factors in the compromise is money.

All the great suggested here will work...but you can also find less expensive things that will also work.

We have some old Eureka 5800 packs that weight under 4 pounds, and we hiked for hundreds of miles with them. And they cost us about $50 at a box store.

The articles on the home page of this site, left hand column will help you in selecting and shopping for gear.

Note that the general advice is to get your backpack last, after you have all your other gear. That's because it's extremely important that the backpack (1) fits your gear, neither too big nor too small, (2) fits you and (3) is comfortable for you with all your gear inside.

I thought I mentioned it: the fourth item in the list is cost, and the next sentence includes consideration of a personal budget. (I'm assuming your reply was referencing my post, and not another post in the thread.)

Sleeping pad: I am personally sold on the REI Stratus for the ultimate compromise pad. Comfortable, light, and pretty darn cheap compared to the competition. Also it is backed by REI's guarantee.

http://www.rei.com/product/828460/

They have also introduced a shaped version called the Flash:

http://www.rei.com/product/845300/rei-flash-insulated-air-sleeping-pad

Sleeping Bag: After a couple season's with my quilt, I am completely sold on the concept. Feathers underneath don't provide insulation. Being enveloped in a sleeping bag means you cannot regulate temperature as easily and if you toss and turn you get knotted up in the bag. Check out Enlightened equipment and Jacks R Better. Both produce great products that are light and functional and blow the competition away in terms of price.

http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/ <--- I have a Rev X

http://www.jacksrbetter.com/

Tent: I'll just reiterate what others have said. Tarptent is cottage guy who makes great tents at a great price. The Big Agnes on sale at REI is a great tent at a great price. I personally have a cheap light Kelty and am very happy with it (could be a bit lighter if I wanted to spend the cash).

Pack: No recommendation other than to try it on. Fit, fit, and fit are the three most important things about a backpack. How it fits you, how it fits your equipment.... hmmm what's the third fit?

As I just said above, the pack needs to fit you comfortably with your gear inside--a whole different ball game from either an empty pack or a pack with sandbags or other weights inside. That's the third "fit"!

You mentioned hiking in the Smokies.. Are you by any chance located near Knoxville, Johnson City, or Gatlinburg?

Of course if it doesn't fit you or Osprey fit you better then go the route that suit you best.

It was 9 degrees the other night at Mt. LeConte. [/quote]




I'm actually in Farragut, I've already gone to some local outfitters and found that the osprey atmos 50 m fit great. One of my older brothers friends who works at one of the outfitters recommended me to get the Exos for what I'll save on price and weight, and that he actually likes it more than the atmos. (He recently finished hiking the AT)


The funny thing is I know it was that cold... We went on Baxter creek trail up to Mt sterling and then stayed at campsite 37. We had planned to go to Mt. Cammerer, but we ended up taking big creek trail back and might I say it was well worth it!

First off I would like to say thank you for welcoming me with open arms! A lot of my other hobbies I'll get chewed apart for being a "Newbie".


What I didn't tell you guys was a more about me and what I need...

So I'm 16 and I'm on the cross country team, so endurance usually isn't an issue, but I will say the climb to Sterling was quite the journey! I personally like to get the best price for what I need, I'm no guy that needs to have the Newest and Greatest gear! I'd rather save $100 than get some "newer design with optimal back support".

I've got my own sub zero down sleeping bag that was my dads from about 20 years ago, and it kept me warm in 15 degree weather this weekend, although it doesn't pack nice and tight at all. I used the thermarest pad, not sure which one but It was the generic jungle green one. I also borrow a Gregory backpack. The pack was a medium and fit great, but I wasn't a fan of the back padding bulging into my lower back.


Here is currently some good deals that I have found:

Jungle Green: Medium:

http://www.prolitegear.com/osprey_exos_58_backpack.html


Regular:

http://www.prolitegear.com/site/order.html


Tent:

Basically what's left




I've got water bottles, knife, food, bladder. For now I'll only be going with my friends and they have water filtration pumps and a few stoves that worked just fine. That can be purchased down the road.

If you're trying to decide between the Atmos and Exos, be sure you take your gear with you and load it into each one. I found the Atmos carried a 25 pound load quite comfortably, but the Exos, which has a substantially lighter suspension, did not. It may also have something to do with the fact that the Atmos has an adjustable suspension, so I could fine-tune the fit; the Exos is not adjustable, so it either fits or doesn't. In my case, it didn't.

I really liked the Atmos 50; I like the Volt 60 even better.

I'm actually in Farragut, I've already gone to some local outfitters and found that the osprey atmos 50 m fit great. One of my older brothers friends who works at one of the outfitters recommended me to get the Exos for what I'll save on price and weight, and that he actually likes it more than the atmos. (He recently finished hiking the AT)


The funny thing is I know it was that cold... We went on Baxter creek trail up to Mt sterling and then stayed at campsite 37. We had planned to go to Mt. Cammerer, but we ended up taking big creek trail back and might I say it was well worth it!

[/quote]

What, no pictures?!?!?

I've stayed at that campsite a few times.