Hi, so I have a ton of questions to ask.. I'm just doing some simple research right now before I start backpacking/hiking.
I would like to know what are the best books to read to get information about backpacking?(books written sometime recently and not 15 years ago)
What are good brands for backpacks, tents, shoes, clothes, gear, and etc.
What are some termonolgy of backpacking/hiking?
Sizing of backpacks? From 1 day to 10+ days?
Also maybe other forums to check out?

Welcome to the forums!



There are lots of them, and really, a lot of different ways and approaches to backpacking as well. This is a "Lightweight Backpacking" forum so we tend to focus on gear that is not heavy ;), but there's also "Ultra Light" backpacking gear and methods, and those who backpack while hunting might use what could be called "Heavy Weight" gear, and there's Mountaineering, which also has specialized gear. Then, there's warm, cold, and wet weather backpacking that all has gear made especially for those conditions.

If you were only doing 1-3 day trips a small, lightweight frameless backpack like the kind Osprey makes is a good choice, and so are many others, but if you're also doing longer trips you'll need more room for food. So you really have to decide if you want to buy gear that leans towards one of the other, or buy gear especially for both.

Sleeping bags are a good example. If you're going to be camping out in 30º nights you need a warm bag, one that's rated around 20º would be a good place to start looking. But on a 50º night that bag might be downright hot and uncomfortable. That doesn't mean it won't work, it just means it won't be as comfortable.

There's also homemade gear. I use a homemade stove called "Supercat Stove". It's lighter than anything you can buy, and easy and cheap to make, but if you like to cook real food, it may not be the best choice.

I've never actually read a backpacking book. I'm just not all that interested in the trials and tribulations and revelations others have had while backpacking, though I do appreciate why some might.

I've never had any personal trials or spiritual revelations while backpacking. I've been wet, cold, hungry, tired, and sore, but that's about all I can say about it. I pretty much expected that before I went and didn't intend to learn much from it, and didn't.

There are gear list here that will get you started on the essentials and this link should get your started off for most of the rest of what you're looking for.

After you poke around those links I'd offer that you get an inexpensive daypack (like those used by students) and start doing some day hikes, and go find a decent backpack, sleeping bag and tent and do a few 1-2 nighters somewhere that's familiar. Getting out there is really what's important. You don't have to go far or have the best gear because that's really secondary to just being there.

Once you get some experience doing that you'll know what you want for longer trips, and on those what you need is real world experience. Learning how to navigate can be really important on those, so practice that and get comfortable with it.

And have fun!

Thank you! What are some good places to look at for inexpensive day packs?

If you want to get a new daypack most any department store has them. I got two Jansport daypacks off the clearance rack at Target a few years ago. Those will last most people a lifetime, and they're guaranteed for life, so they are a good choice, but any well built one should last a long time.

I like scrounging around at "Thrift Stores" for used stuff. You never know what you'll find there, and sometimes you can find some really good stuff. I've got several wool sweaters from Thrift Stores that I use for cool weather camping, and one of my cooking pots came from one.

I've heard of others getting some very nice backpacks and sleeping bags from Thrift Stores too. I've not been so lucky as to run across those, but I haven't been very energetic in my efforts because I just don't shop much.

Craigslist, eBay, and garage sales are also good places to keep an eye on for used gear.

I learned mostly from forums but have read several books as well for a related project where I needed reference material. I'd recommend Andrew Skurka's - easy to read and lots of good info.

Another good site to visit is SectionHiker.com. He has many trips reports for the NE, too, but there's lots of good gear and skill tips if you go back through the archives.

Really? My first suggestion is any thrift store. WHile you can find less expensive packs in some retail stores, you will never match the prices of the thrift stores. I've found perfectly decent daypacks for under $5---and even a couple of external frame Kelty Packs for about $6,

A couple of articles that might help you get reasonable gear with minimal budget impact:

Dirtbagging and Deal Shopping by "Sgt.Rock"

The $300 Challenge by PMags He doesn't price thrift shop bargains, where diligent shopping might help you lower that $300 by quite a bit. (His rationale is explained in his article and makes sense because those are often one-time bargains.) Best of all, those are 2015 prices.

EDIT, LATER: the pmags.com site, like Sectionhiker, has a lot of articles geared to beginners. Also, if you haven't yet checked out the articles on the home page of this site, left hand column, there's lots of good info on gear selection there, plus some gear lists. Also be sure to read Phat's sticky post at the top of this Backcountry Beginners section. Some of our other members here have links to their gear lists in their signature line. Our member Topshot wrote a PhD dissertation for beginning Boy Scouts, which is here.

The last actual book about backpacking I read was back in the 1980's--Harvey Manning's "Backpacking One Step at a Time." Harvey was known as a curmudgeon although his book was often funny, but the gear he recommended was awfully heavy! Andrew Skurka has been mentioned; he makes a living teaching backpacking courses, some of which are for beginners. I haven't read his book, but there are lots of good articles on his site. He seems to have changed focus a bit since he started teaching; his book predates that change.

One suggestion is that you find some group that leads backpacking trips for beginners. I've seen such trips led by REI and my local Sierra Club Chapter before. That can help you get a better idea of the types of gear and skills you will need. Nothing like hanging out with a bunch of enthusiastic gearheads and actually seeing their gear in practice to get a good introduction! Also, REI often has short classes on choosing gear, etc which they offer at their stores, and their sales people are generally good at giving advice. Sometimes you can find outdoor local groups through MeetUp (google it) or a local college. You can also rent some gear from REI, which might be nice for test purposes before you go spring the $ to buy it.
Also, consider starting out with shorter easy trips to get you feet wet (and don't use "Wild" or "A Walk in the Woods" as "how-to" guides I kind of don't think there are a lot of backpacking options in Iowa where you live, but Missouri has a number of nice shorter options for weekend trips just south of St Louis. That's where I got my start.
Have fun!

The two best books I've read are Colin Fletcher/Chip Rawlins' "The Complete Walker IV" and Chris Townsend's "Backpacker's Handbook (4th edition.)" Both are comprehensive (to the point of exhaustion); most would not classify them as beginner fare (although the book that taught me how to backpack was the original "Complete Walker.")

The two most accessible books are by Karen Berger: Hiking and Backpacking, and Hiking Light Handbook. Nothing flashy, but good beginner tips and common sense on backpacking gear and skill (and how to lighten your pack without turning into a gram-weenie or becoming what Skurka calls "stupid light.")

Andrew Skurka and Justin Lichter's books are more hard-core ultralight. Good stuff, but not really general beginner fare, either.

Never read Justin's but my opinion clearly differs from your's on Skurka's. I think it is excellent for beginner's and would not have called it hard core.

This was my Amazon review of Townsend's 4th Ed Handbook:
It's been about 9 months since I read through the book so it's no longer fresh, but I did make some notes as I read it on things that stuck out or that I questioned. Overall, it's well written and the author is quite well-known and experienced. However, his experience is mainly with long trips with a fair bit of off-trail work, which corresponds to maybe 1% of the backpackers out there. Unlike Andrew Skurka, another accomplished long distance, off-trail backpacker, Chris Townsend has unfortunately not fully embraced going lighter so he's carrying more weight than necessary. For example, on his 75-day trip on the Pacific Northwest Trail (runs near the border with Canada) his base pack weight (everything carried in or on the pack including it) was about 20 pounds, which is pretty light compared to 20 years ago. However, Skurka's base weight never reached 20 pounds during his 6-month Yukon-Alaska trek and included almost 7 pounds of packrafting gear in some seasons.

While I did enjoy and appreciate Townsend's anecdotes, he had this annoying habit of saying he preferred various gear items that have long been discontinued. While I understand any "gear" book would quickly become outdated anyway, I didn't find it at all helpful to know about all this great stuff I can never get. He did at least give a fairly comprehensive overview of the various options available and provide some pros and cons. Unfortunately, he passed over or dismissed a few important things. One example is Frogg Toggs (or more commonly the even lighter DriDucks), which are very good rainwear for the average backpacker that won't be doing off-trail bushwhacking. The only disadvantage is they snag easily which is enough for Townsend to essentially dismiss them. Another glaring omission IMHO is no mention of any of the cool gear that can easily be made yourself except for a pot cozy.

He did have a small section on vapor barrier clothing, and even though it "performs well" he hasn't used it in years for psychological reasons. Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH) as they say. Some other things he said seem to go against everything else I've read like down losing loft with each washing. All other sources indicate you'd regain the lost loft with washing (properly, of course). He seems to take an inordinate amount of food (35 oz/day) vs the typically recommended 24 oz per day, but one would consume more on avg during a thru-hike. He also seems to use an inordinate amount of water saying he can "get by" on 2 quarts/night (for just food/drink, not washing/bathing) but prefers to have 4 or more quarts!

One thing I did learn was to seal the stitching on my shoes to help prevent abrasion. I had also never read that one could develop immunity to giardia. What probably struck me the most though was this statement on p 402: "Useful though it is, I would not like to see waymarking increase. I'd rather find my own way through the wilderness, and I don't build cairns or cut blazes, let alone paint rocks. In fact, I often knock down cairns that have appeared where there were none before, knowing that if they are left, a trail will soon follow. Painting waymarks in hitherto unspoiled terrain is vandalism." This sparked a lively debate on a forum I frequent when I asked how others felt this related to LNT practices.

So while it may seem that I'm being overly critical (it's easier to pick out the flaws), it still is a good book with lots of good info. He's had 4 chances now to get it right. However, I would recommend Skurka's The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail instead of this one even though it has a couple errors. It is much easier to read, but packs a lot into fewer pages. It is more suitable to newbies whereas the Handbook is overwhelming and recommendations are not as easy to discern. Skurka also explains how to go lighter without being "stupid light". Having gotten into backpacking 3+ years ago in my early 40s (and being an engineer), I appreciate the common sense in doing more with less.

If you notice, I didn't recommend Townsend as beginner material. I agree with everything you said in your review (except - and I may have misunderstood you here - the part about Townsend only applying to long hikes; I think that you just scale back to fit shorter hikes. Minor quibble, certainly doesn't change the fact that it's not the best book to start out with.)

Skurka's book is good, but I think it requires a certain commitment to an ultralight style to make it work - and that's why I don't see it as a beginner's book. (I have a friend at work who has taken trips with Skurka for the last two years, and says the same thing.) To his great credit, Skurka defines several hiking styles in the first chapter of the book - and states his own preference, and states that the recommendations he makes in the book reflect that preference. If you match that preference, it's a great beginning book. If not, then it's a "broaden your knowledge" book best left for later. (Just for reference, I don't agree with the need to make big miles, but I like his book in general. I followed a lot of the same logic over the last 20 years as I reduced my pack weight successively from 35 to 30 to 20 to its current 14 - which includes a weekend's worth of food and fuel, and a liter of water.)

Skurka has backed away from ultralight and long distance hiking in favor of lightweight and shorter trips in the last year or so, as seen in the articles on his website. I think that's because in his career of teaching backpacking courses he's focusing more on beginners than he used to, as well as changes in his own life. Unfortunately he wrote his book before this happened, which is why I recommended the articles on his website rather than his book.

Do note that with the time it takes to write, edit and publish a book, often a couple of years, specific product information is generally out of date by the time it appears in the bookstores. That's one reason I recommended website articles to our OP rather than books. (Besides, the former are free!) It's even worse with guidebooks!

That's good to know - I'll have to check his website. Thanks, as always, Mouse.

I bought two matching Jansport daypacks at Target for $12 each on a clearance rack a few years ago. I guess they were the previous years models, but they had some almost identical to them that were over $50.

I've yet to find any backpacking gear in our local thrift stores, but I suspect this is maybe a local thing. If backpacking is popular where you live the odds might increase, and if you're in a metro area, as opposed to a rural area, they might increase. But I still check them now and then because you never know until you do.