bad idea taking a newbie into the backcountry?

I am spending the summer in Central Idaho backpacking. I have a buddy that I car camp with that has 0 experience backpacking. He decided to drive up and backpack with me. We checked out his gear and it was horrible. He probably has a base weight close to 40 pounds. Basically he brought his car camping gear. He bought a no name backpack off of amazon. He has a ozark trail tent, 30 degree walmart sleeping bag, a yoga mat to sleep on. Night time temps range from 27 to 40 here. I told him he could use some of my UL gear like my EE Rev and Gatewood Cape but he doesnt want to and then. I mean i doubt the 30 degree sleeping and yoga mat are going to keep him warm. He also bought a 1 pound alcohol stove lol . He doesnt want to use any of my gear. All i said to him was if you can carry that gear then bring it. I am a little worried about taking a long trip so I think an am going to do a short over night into 4th of july lake and see if he changed his mind about using my gear.

Im a UL backpacker. My gear is completely in check. Im sure most of your gear is the same. What do you do when you take a newbie on a trip and their gear is complete crap and super heavy? Just let them learn from their mistakes?

I understand the need to take it slow with beginners but i have a feeling we will be stopping to rest every 20 minutes

If you enjoy his company, then go ahead and enjoy his company as you stop every 20 minutes. He can't say you didn't warn him or try to help - and if he complains too much, gently remind him and figure out what needs to be done, if anything can be done, to remedy the situation. Just realize this trip will be driven by his lack of experience and try to make the best of it.

You made the right call by turning this into an overnighter. The only other thing you could suggest is a shakedown day-hike, and let him learn what his load will feel like on the trail. Some people only learn by experience.

If he can carry his load, then your biggest concern is probably him sleeping warm. Since you’re very much UL, and it’s only for one night, would you be willing to carry the extra sleeping bag (quilt? I’m not familiar with EE models.) That way, if he gets cold, you can pull it out and he’ll be warm.

He’ll also be more inclined to listen to your advice on the next trip - and, hopefully, there will be one. Just remember that your main purpose on this first trip is to get him hooked on backpacking, not to turn him into a UL hiker. That comes later.

The weight is one thing. If you want to get out there badly enough and you don't have the coin for light gear or the time to make your own from scratch, you'll make do with heavy gear, as I do.

Staying warm is another thing altogether. Hypothermia is nothing to take chances with. I absolutely would not put him in a dangerous situation at any cost.

Maybe start with car camping and day-hikes, only fully-loaded to simulate backpacking and shakedown the gear. That way, you can keep extra warm stuff in the car close to hand or even bail if you need to.

My guess is that the “problem” with the friend’s weight isn’t the weight of each item - it’s the number of items. You’ve probably done the same thing I did (for many years, until the kids were grown & gone and the house paid for, I also made do with heavy stuff.) I simply applied a fairly stringent mind-set about what I really needed. The tent groundcloth vanished early on, as did the full set of eating utensils and the pot set (the good old Boy Scout Rocky cups, one large and one small, were affordable and made an all-in-one cooking, dining, and drinking set.) Before there was any such thing as “light” gear, my kit was consistently 10 pounds lighter than my friends’, just because I didn’t bring as much.

That would probably be the OP’s first goal after getting the friend hooked: eliminate all the unnecessary stuff. Then the friend can replace as desired or as able to afford.

I offered him my 20 degree quilt. he bought a 0 degree mummy bag from walmart. not sure how comfortably warm it will keep him. Maybe warm to 35 if he is lucky.

This isnt actually a friend. I am friends with his wife. I have car camped with him before. I dont think he really knows what he is getting into. He was wanting to bring his mountain bike, put saddle bags on it and push it lol. I told him bikes arent allowed int he wilderness and we will be above the tree line which is super rugged. It would be a nightmare pushing a big up there. again I have a second set of ultralight gear that i offered. He will learn real fast what a 40 pound base feel like in a backpack without any suspension.

we are taking two car. If he gets tired and wants to turn around he can, im not. call me selfish if you want. The first trip we are doing is a two nighter. there is a 1000 foot elevation gain right at the beginning. It will make or break him

The pad is the only thing I'd actually worry about. Bring along something that can add to his yoga mat so he doesn't shiver all night.

The Gatewood is not for everyone. I've seen a lot of wide eyes when people have looked into mine. Floorless is daunting when a person has always had a floor and bug netting.

And just like when nearly all of us began, we had to haul 40# of gear and then unpack it afterward thinking, "Hmmm. Maybe I don't need that third pair of blue jeans for an overnighter..." That's when the learning really happens.

I've taken my older brother into the Grand Canyon and my brother-in-law across the Canyon, neither had any experience. Both trips went well but only because a lot time was spent in preparation and discussion. My brother researched what he needed and that combined with what I told him he needed resulted in him being pretty well equipped.

My brother-in-law trained hard but brought little in the way of equipment other than clothing. I supplied most of that and, in the hopes of ensuring his success, limited his pack weight to 25 pounds.

I guess IMHO letting the newbie bring junk equipment is a recipe for disaster, unless your aim is to teach them a lesson and ruin your trip at the same time.

Heard many stories of people taking newbies like you're talking about and none of them turned out well. Saw a guy last week in the Winds dragging a pack on the ground that he obviously couldn't carry anymore. He was just about back to the TH when I saw him. Don't know how far he dragged it but I could see the trail left by it in the dirt continuing up main trail before I turned off.