Wandering_Daisy,

My son and I call that inability to get out the door "Pre-hike Depression." Many times it seems like it would be easier to stay home and weed the garden.

Since I learned to backpack independently after survival school, I have some different ideas about things. I'm not a crowd follower, which I admit can be annoying when I suggest different approaches. Before the internet, there wasn't anyone to get advice from. With my military background, I'd prefer someone would just issue me gear and I'd make do.

For a person who has their gear, I wholly recommend taking the gear with them to buy the pack. However, for a person starting out, I suggest choosing a pack first, or even buying a used pack of an appropriate size. A used pack can usually be sold for a price close to what is paid. If a person buys all their gear first, they may find they need a huge pack. If a person buys their gear with the idea of fitting it into a smaller pack, they will buy appropriately, or not buy at all.

The size of the checkbook matters, too.

The gear doesn't make the backpacker. With experience, a backpacker can make almost any inexpensive gear work. Four summers ago, Wandering Daisy told me in a nice way that my gear seemed a little cheap for a long hike. She was right about the WalMart tent as it leaked. However, I'm still using essentially the same gear except for the tent.

Getting on the trail safely should be a new backpacker's first priority. A person can learn more in two or three weekends than they can in a year of research. For the first couple trips, I suggest hiking with the gear and spending the night near the car.

Personally, I like external frame packs for a new backpacker with a small checkbook. You can find a used World Famous Everest backpack in good condition on Ebay for about $60. World Famous was a cottage brand from the 80's. It weighs 3 1/2 pounds. One advantage to an external frame backpack is the size of the sleeping bag and tent don't matter. My inexpensive Alpine 20 works fine and weighs 2 1/2 pounds. The tent goes on top under the flap. I carry a big 3 person tent for the two of us. If I had it to do over, I would have bought two small tents. I once took a nine day solo winter trip in Yosemite with a similar pack.

Another way to get started is to go car camping with whatever gear you can find. You can take day hikes from the campsite. Around here, there are many free campsites that are nicer than the paid ones. The problem is, they are hard to find as there aren't many people that know about them. The forest service is usually a good source of information.

Whatever gear you buy will likely be replaced in time. It may as well be inexpensive gear that works. It might also be discarded which is good, as the cheapest gear is the gear not bought. For instance, I never took my Camelbak on a trip.

You are in a unique position most of us can't imitate. This puts you in the position to write a unique book - "My first 25 backpacking and hiking trips." Take lots of pictures and videos. You can document what worked and what didn't work. After 25 trips, you will have a great system.