Hey guys, I need some help. I'm not a beginner, but I live in alabama. All hiking and backpacking I've done is locally and in thick woods. But I am moving near the south end of the Guadalpue Mountains in west texas in january. I will be about a 20 minute walk from the mountains, so I will get to hike every week! I've never been in a desert or anything close to that type of terrain, so I'm lost as to specifics of backpacking it. I would appreciate any tips on what to expect and tips in general for that area concerning terrain, weather, wildlife, anything. I will list some basics I'll carry, but could somebody fill in the gaps with my gear list? Thanks everybody!

Ian

Gear list so far:
Rei flash 30 for day hikes/overnighters
3l camelback resevoir
1 or 2 1l nalgene bottles of water
Gerber prodigy on belt
Victorinox swisstool spirit on belt
Tiny swiss army knife(rally or classic)
Glock 29 or ruger gp100 (I don't know your views, but one of these will be riding with me every time)
50 feet 550 cord
Boonie hat and bandana along with normal clothes
Small 12x binoculars
Small digital camera
First aid kit, including snakebite kit
For overnighters and weekend hikes, a cold steel shovel
Maybe a radio since no cell signal
Led headlamp and a fenix light with spare batteries
Sunglasses
Gloves
Food n bars
All my fire building stuff (I was a scout from 7 to 18 so I'm covered on all the basics, just not the area specific stuff)
Tent and bag if doing overnighter in cold, a poncho for a shelter otherwise
Large trash bag
One or two ziploc bags, one filled with TP
Anything I need to add? First aid kit includes sunscreen abd bug repellent and chapstick
I will be exploring a lot, too, looking for animal sign and indian artifacts, etc. I won't be in the national park often, but in the mountains still. Thanks for your help guy! Any tipes to keep me from getting starved, bitten, stung, lost, dead,etc, would help out a ton, I'm clueless on deserts. Thanks!

Actually I will replace my swisstool with my victorinox huntsman. I have a bad habit of bringing waaay too much gear. Never done ultralite bp, I've always been the guy hauling a 60 pound pack :-/ but I'm looking to change that. Maybe I'll ditch the flashlight and just bring the headlamp if I don't plan on going into caves. Any tips on what not to bring will be appreciated too. The shovel I'm iffy about since it weighs 26 ounces. The binoculars aren't needed, but I want them.

You can definitely dump the shovel. Snakebite kits are useless. The amount of water you need to carry will vary drastically with the season. Carry plenty to start with- you will be able to trim your load as you become familiar with the territory and the location and reliability of water sources.

Begin with short trips and be sure to have good, accurate topo maps.

I've been resisting, because I don't hike typically in anything like the Guadaupe..

Having said that I use basically my same kit all over the world, so here's my take on what you have, based upon your comment that you would "like to go more ultralight" -


ditch this and carry your dayhike stuff in a lightened main pack. Or you may find that this becomes your pack.


Take platypus bags and/or pop bottles - a lot lighter and cheaper. nalgenes are HEAVY - I only carry in winter when I need the durability to have boiling water poured in them



I only take the last one - this is a lot of steel.



Love guns, and own 'em. They're heavy. I don't take them backpacking unless I am hunting. an extra sweater is much
more likely to save my life. The most likely scenario in which a handgun would be used in my backcountry would be to stick it in my mouth and eat a round when I am dying of exposure or a serious injury - all of which is far less likely
than me dying in my car on the way to or from the trail - so I'd rather use the weight on my back to prevent more likely things. I *would* carry one just for plinking and having fun, but If I wanna do that, I just go do that and burn up some rounds.



how many "normal clothes" are you carrying. There's possibly
a lot of weight there.



I don't bother with this.



snakebite kits are snakeoil - if you are that concerned, get a personal locator beacon instead. First aid kits vary greatly in size, Most of us don't take a lot.


I don't carry a shovel. if I need to bury waste I make a cathole with my trekking pole.



I don't bother. I do carry a plb.


Why two? I have my LED headlamp, which takes coin cells,
and I have a spare set of coin cells. Modern headlamp really
means you don't need this. (I still have other sources of light if I really needed them - bic lighters, and a small tealight which also serves the purpose of starting a fire if it's really necessary and nasty out



The rest of this is pretty stock, but depends on how much you are taking - my firelighting stuff is two bic lighters and an ikea tea light. in the winter add a bag of dryer lint and a firesteel if I'm out in 20 below zero.

I see no mention of a stove or cooking system - are you eating cold food?

Aside from talking about tent and bag, you haven't mentioned your big four

1) Tent/Shelter
2) Backpack
3) Sleeping bag or quilt
4) Pad or whatever you sleep on

That's your other big source for possible weight reduction

If you don't wanna believe me up front but wanna reduce your
load of "extra gear" do the following:

Get a roll of masking tape.

1) put a piece of masking tape of everything you are carrying before you start your hike. (pack, items of clothing, shelter, multitools, EVERYTHING)

2) Go hiking - have fun, enjoy yourself. If you use the thing you are carrying (wearing the clothing, using the shelter, , using the multitool, shooting the GP100, breaking your arm and using the Sam Splint) take the piece of take off of the item. Wanna be bit more challenged, try NOT to take the tape off of a piece of gear if you have another piece of gear you can use which already has the tape removed.

3) When you get home, put the items into two piles, those with tape, those without tape. Take a very hard look at the items with tape on them. Decide honestly if you need them next time (sometimes you will)

Goto Step 1, Repeat.

I am not familiar with the specific conditions down there, but I can give you some general guidelines. Some will be the same as phat's. Some will be based just on the differences I know between the southeast and the western desert.

First, I want to recommend the articles and gear lists on the home page of this site, left-hand column. While these are geared more towards the Pacific NW, the main difference for desert hiking is that you'll need to carry lots more water and be prepared for plants with thorns. Actually, we have lots of thorny plants here in the NW, too, now that I think of it, although the proportion of thorny plants in the SW will be greater. They will also help you reduce your pack weight, really important in the desert because you have to carry so much water.

It is almost impossible to comment on your list without any weights listed. A postage scale that weighs to the nearest 0.1 ounce (5 lb. max is fine) and a spreadsheet for your gear list would really help you plan your gear and also give you a ready-to-print-out checklist for every trip.

Pack--is this a daypack you'll be carrying in addition to your backpack, or is it your backpack?
Camelback--much heavier than Platypus; consider replacing.
Nalgene--the heaviest bottle made! Try empty soda or Gatorade bottles which weigh less than half as much.
Water is heavy enough without adding heavy containers!
One knife is sufficient; take the lightest.
Pistol--check local and NPS regulations before taking.
"Normal" clothes--what are they? weights?
12x binoculars--for most people (I know a lot of birdwatchers), anything over 10x requires a tripod. I'd suggest a monocular, half as heavy.
Snakebite kit--current medical opinion (from my son-in-law-the-ER-physician and the Wilderness First Aid class I took 3 months ago) is that these are not only useless but actually quite harmful. Cut-and-suck, the Sawyer extractor and tourniquets only cause further damage to tissue already damaged by the venom, making you even more prone to serious infection (which can cause more harm than the snake venom). Don't get one; if you have one, toss it in the garbage. Learn how to avoid snakes.
Shovel--not needed. Current thinking is that human waste decays faster in a shallow cathole. I use a u-shaped tent stake for this. Others use trekking pole points or a boot heel. The plastic trowel that many buy is pretty useless in hard dry ground. All other trash/garbage must be packed out anyway.
Light--one is enough, preferably a headlamp so your hands are free. Put fresh batteries in before a trip and you don't need to take spares. I do take one of those itty-bitty photon lights (0.2 oz.) as a spare, but rarely use it. Some use only those and clip them to their hat brim.
Cooking gear? Nothing listed.
Before relying on a fire, be sure to find out if they're even allowed where you'll be going. Lack of wood (the images I saw show very little) or high fire danger (ever present in the dry southwest) will be an issue. A small stove (alcohol or canister) will be far more convenient.

Also find out the rules for where you'll be going. Public land outside the national park area will probably be national forest or BLM land and subject to similar rules (no removing fossils or native artifacts, for instance). If there is any state land, it will have its own rules. Private land will of course require the owner's permission.

I hope that some of our Texas members will chime in here!

Dang.....I'm thrilled with these responses, thanks a ton guys! Yall brig up some very good points.

A few points:
That pack will be my day pack or overnight pack, I have a much larger pack for long trips.

I will definitely take yalls advice on water and platypus.

I carry 4 knives and a flashlight every day, so it's something I'm comfortable with personally, and I use them all. I carry a vic swisstool spirit, a large spyderco folder, a vic ralley, and a 4th benchmade utility knife. I know it's dumb..but I'm used to it, I'm a knife nut. BUT maybe I will only take the gerber and the tiny keychain knife instead of a handful

binoculars, I know they are extra weight, but I will have these anyways. I carry them hiking everywhere I go.

I'll ditch the snakebit kit, thanks!

I'll ditch the shovel!

I'll ditch the flashlight (and keep my headlamp)

Still undecided on my backpacking stove.

Handgun, like all my knives, I carry every day, at the mall, hiking, canoeing, etc. I'm used to totin steel. Ya never know. Drug runners are frequent that close to the border, alot of the area I hike is open desert and illegals have been caught there several times. Illegals are just stumbling thru...but drug coyotes are some dangerous beasts.

Clothes I'm undecided on. I've never really thought about it. I throw on some shorts and a t shirt, and carry spare socks and a spare t shirt. Any advice on what to wear? I'm thinking cotton long sleeve t, boonie hat, bandana, shorts and boots.

Phat, thanks for the suggestions with the tape, I will definitely try that out. Thanks for pointing out all these things to me. I have a little coffin tent I will bring, and I don't remember my sleeping bag brand or tent brand. They are both pretty light. The bag is a summer bag. Thanks again guys. I have alot to consider.

The water issue is critical. Listen to Oldranger. You will need to figure out the rhythm of the place from wet year to dry year. It will be cold but winter could be a great time to start understanding the place. Watch the creeks as you go into spring and summer to understand where groundwater will still be forced back up the the surface during the dry periods.


Be prepared for water sources to disappear. Sometimes you might have to dig for water. Typically, a good area to dig is near a nick point (or change in slope from steep to flat) where there is a corresponding change from hard rock in the steep section to relatively loose sand in the flat section.

A good topo map is a great suggestion. And if you have trouble reading one in this area, find someone to help you.


Sounds like fun! You mean the Guadalupe Mtns I think...Great geology!!!

PS...I like light longsleeve shirts in the desert along with light long pants during the warmer periods...everything light colors unless you want to be seen then wear red. Plants in the desert seem to like to bite and these clothing items protect the skin from the sun as well as scratchy plants.

WATER AND A JACKET. This is very important. I love backpacking in the Guadalupe Mountains.

If you go for more than an over night trip think about setting up water cache.

The temp. can change quickly there. First time i went it was 90 during the day and dropped to 55 at night. So be ready for that.

Do not sleep in or what even looks like a dry river bed. Flash floods are VERY common even if its raining up north and not there.

Fires are not permitted In the the backcountry at all so you dont need to big of a fire starter kit, just a small emergency one would be good.

The only thing in that area you have to worry about attacking you are mountain lions. Its very unlikely and if one dose decide to you probably wont see it coming. I have seen some illegals crossing the border in that area also. Guns are not permitted so don't tell any one that works there you have it.

Other than that I would pack like any other trip.

Thanks man! Yea, I had a typo in the title. I have a topo map picked out to order. I can read a topo like nobody's business, I was a scout from 8 to 18, my boy scout's scoutmaster was a navy seal, so he pounded orienteering into us, he would drop us off in the middle of nowhere and we would have to find our way back with topo maps, and sometimes without even a compass. Thanks for the advice man.

and thanks bubba. I will actually not be in the guadalupe mountains national park, I will be in the guadalupe's, but not in the national park area most of time. But, since february 22nd this year, it IS legal to carry weapons in national parks. Signed last year along witht he credit card bill, came into effect this february. :-) I will be able to have fires too since I won't be in the national park boundaries often. I'll have to be sure to remember the fire rule when I get into the actual national park tho. Thanks alot guys!

Just to clarify things, as long as the state itself isn't a nazi state like california, new york, etc, (you have to follow the states rules), so in most every state, firearms are allowed in national parks!

Here are the details of the amendment:

(b) Protecting the Right of Individuals To Bear Arms in Units of the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System.–The Secretary of the Interior shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm including an assembled or functional firearm in any unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System if–

(1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm; and

(2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the State in which the unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System is located.

Pretty sweet, huh!

If you are in the Park, you will be required to carry water as you are not permitted to pull it. That makes the pack heavy as I wouldn't want to carry less than a gallon per day.

Oooo I didn't know that. I don't carry when backpacking so i pay much attention to those laws. But thats good for people who like to.

I love to hike in the Guadalupe Mtns, I live west in El Paso. Where exactly are you moving to?

If you will be hiking in the National Park don't bother with your fire starting kit. Fires are never allowed in the park. As mentioned above you need to carry all your water. Any water you may find(which none is reliable) is for the animals.

If you go north (in NM) and hike in the Guadalupe District of the Lincoln National forest you are allowed to make camp fires (if its not to dry that is) Water is still an issue and the only reliable source is Last Chance Canyon. If you get the topo at the National park it also covers a big section of the guadalupe mtns just north of the park.

You may end up getting a smaller day pack. 30L for the desert hike is pretty big, especially in summer.

Also don't see the need for 3 knives. Do you ever use all 3 on one trip. Would you be able to get by with one?

I agree on the the snake bite kit. Ive read multiple times it does more harm then good.

Ditch the Nalgene bottles.

Oh and get plenty of sunscreen.