Car camping to Backpacking

Well Hello All;

I'm new to Backpacking Camping, I used to car camp or load my gear on to the ATV. Had to sell the truck and ATV so for now I gotta hoof all my gear in. I can see it's gonna be a whole new ballgame.

Which brings me here, I need help picking new gear. Since weight wasnt an issue before I could bring whatever I wanted. Since I also hunt some of my weight will be my weapon so I need to become a minimalist.

First things first I live in South Florida and my majority of my time outdoors will be in Florida, so the weather does get cold but not very and not for long.

1. Tent - was thinking Six Moon Designs Skyscape Scout $125
2. Bag - ?
3....
HELP!

Really hard to say - depends what you are after.

What kind of bag did you take car camping? how warm? how heavy is it? you may not need a new one (lord knows, florida? I might sleep naked year round there )

What are you hunting? deer? small game? etc? Are you going to be packing out heavy game, etc..

A very good place to start is the parent to this site, on backpacking.net - search for the "three day 18 pound list" and the "27 pound seven day list" - My stuff is also listed in my signature which will give you an idea of a moderately lightweight rig.

Note I carry heavier stuff (not by much) when I hunt. it's cold up here then, and I carry a frame pack because big pieces of moose are heavy to carry out

You put a moose on your back?

I doubt that phat is carrying the entire moose at one time!

MOE, there are lots of articles on lightening up and on gear selection on the home page of this site. The list is in the left-hand column. Note the recommendation to get the pack last! As phat says, for packing out game (which is heavy) an external frame pack is best, and I'll bet you could get a good one used. Cut off the heavy pack bag and strap on two or three lighter-weight bags (like the Sea-to-Summit Ultra Sil Dry Bags) to hold your gear. Make sure it fits, though!

If you need only a solo tent, the Six Moons Skyscape looks good. If you can afford it, I'd go with the Trekker rather than the Scout for 10 oz. lighter, especially important if you want to add the "porch" feature. Also look at Tarptent models (www.tarptent.com).

I'll bet that with perhaps some trimming you could make a lot of your current gear work for you. Consider that before investing a lot in new gear!

Florida's deer would be considered small game tiny little things... well compared to Michigan's white tailed anyways.

As long as I can eat it without having a squeemish feeling I hunt it. Deer, Hog, Rabbit, Squirrel, Quail, Dove, etc.. and yes the deer here are small. When I was stationed in Colorado the size of the fawns are considered full grown deer here.

Most of my stuff is Military Surplus, Alice Packs with frames, Molle Packs. I usually perfer durability vs. ultralightweight and price vs. weight. However I perfer quality gear over having to replace the same thing repeatedly. Some of the gear I have been looking at are;

MSR Pocket Rocket
MSR Titan Kettle
Six Moon Designs Skyscape Scout
(Trekker- double the price for 10 onces not worth it for me)
Fenix LD20 - for flashlight/lantern

I need help with a good filter cause I wont be able to pack in all the water I'll need. And a Summer weight sleeping bag.

Any help is always appreciative.

I have you considered travel hammock camping? I am a recent convert myself having camped most off my life in the old style way on the ground using therm-a-rests and tents. I swear upon a stack of bibles that sleeping in my hammock was THEE MOST COMFORTABLE nights rest I have ever gotten while camping. I don't think I can go back. Another benefit of hammock camping is that it is really ultra-light.

If you want an economical hammock to start with try the Amazon.com - Byer of Maine Mosquito Hammock. It is only about $31 bucks and it has the mosquito netting already attached to the hammock. In Florida that might just be perfect to keep you off the ground, out of the wet.

If you really want a serious set up Hennessy Hammocks has multiple options that can keep you high and dry, lightweight, and comfortable. I'm going to purchase my rainfly from them for my current hammock.

I've been doing a lot of research, found some older Trangia surplus stoves I had and ordered a pot support for it.

I'm looking for a lightweight pot and I'm leaning toward something in titanium, any suggestions? There are a lot of manufacturers, any better than the rest?

Also I need a water filter, something near bomb proof. I thought of relying on the pills but I really want good tasting water.

I love the Hammock idea just not 100% sold on it yet just cause I am a big guy and need a gracious weight capacity.

I believe that Titanium is the best, I don't currently own any but if it's the strongest then it's the strongest. Simple as that.

I would also suggest getting a metal cup/bowl instead of the plastic versions, reason why is it can double as a mini pot in a pinch should you really want to go ultra-ultra light. I have nice plastic ones now but as I think about it I wish I had metal ones. Oh well, live and learn.

regarding hammocks: ENO has something called a "DoubleNest", big enough for 2 people, they also have accessories like the bug net as well. I am getting my tree straps elsewhere (Hammock Bliss ones are good for 400-500 lbs) and my tarp as well because Hennnessy's XL asym is the biggest and still lightweight I've found for hammocks so far.

If you know someone who has a travel hammock ask if you can borrow it for a night before shelling out a lot of money on a hammock system you can't sleep in. You might even be able to try them out in a store first. I didn't even think twice about purchasing the cheap $31 dollar version because I knew it would make a great gear addition to my set-up even if I never slept in it. I owned it for about 3-4 years before I finally got around to trying it out for an overnighter. Turns out it is an amazing deal for a decent quality hammock.

I keep coming back to the MSR Titan Kettle. It's a 4-ounce do-it-all vessel for me: I boil water, dump water into my pouch of freeze-dried food, boil some more water while the food rehydrates, and make tea to have with the meal. I then drink the tea from the pot, which is shaped like an oversized mug and has handles on the side. It's about 3/4 liter, with a tight-fitting lid and a pour spout, and really very convenient. If you don't use freeze-dried (or freezer-bag prep) food, it may not be big enough for you.

Snow Peak makes some similar pots in titanium - the Trek 900 or 1100 are pretty good, and their frying-pan lids make nice small bowls for preparing oatmeal (overkill for me; I usually eat a breakfast bar.) The lids aren't tight-fitting, and both the pot and the lid have fold-out handles, so they tend to be a bit heavier (we're talking maybe an ounce heavier, so not a big deal if you're not fanatic.)

well I found on these forums Imusa mugs available at walmart for $3 and the Coleman Micro Max stove for $25. The Mug is a winner for sure, not sure about which stove will get the nod, Trangia or Coleman.

Still need input on water filters. Im leading to Katadyn Hiker Pro due to price $60.

I use a Trangia stove actually, love that little alcoholic. I also have a bunch of other DIY alcohol stoves. I think you made a good choice.

For pots, I have a titanium Snow Peak 700. Excellent little lightweight pot. Perfect for a meal for 1, and able to do a 2 person meal too. The pot has marks on the inside indicating ounces, which is very hand! The lid doubles as a strainer. I would recommend getting a metal pot grabber because these things get hot right off the fire.

I do not have a water filter, I have been sticking to boiling or just judging the water source harshly and drinking right from the river. I have been thinking about purchasing this one: http://aquamira.com/consumer/frontier-pro-filter-system/

But not sure yet, I think I am going to wait for the holidays to grab one.

I too am converted hammock campers. Its a beautiful thing! It can be a bit overwhelming due the amount of information on the subject in regards to DIY projects and such...half the fun for me. But I'll tell ya, some of my best nights sleep camping were in my Hennessy Hammock Expedition.

Certain companies can accommodate bigger folks. I have seen some go up to 400 pounds!

I have a Hiker Pro and like how it works.

One of the more experienced folks here has pushed Sawyer and First needs. The gravity filters seem to have a slight weight and effort advantage that I hadn't considered when I bought my Hiker Pro.

I'm a noob, though: the more I learn, the less I think I really know.