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#117818 - 06/29/09 10:05 PM Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas
Kieran Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 46
Loc: Seattle, WA
Hi everyone - I'm new to these forums, and have been gone a long while from backpacking, but looking forward to get back into the groove.

I have a somewhat unique situation that I'm looking for ideas on. I still need to get a pack, and I think I'm going to make a Ray-Way 2 person quilt (thx to the advice of someone here). My unique situation is that I want to be hiking with my almost-7-year-old son, and my wife. My wife has MS, which puts some restrictions on how much she can do. Basically, MS has stricken my wife in a way that limits how much she can exert herself before she starts to get debilitating symptoms. But we're dedicated to not letting that keep us indoors, and more importantly, keeping our son away from the TV.

So my attraction to lightweight backpacking isn't just the usual benefits, it's kind of a necessity. It's already a given that I'm going to have to carry the bulk of the load for the three of us. I think I can comfortably handle about 40lbs, and my wife and son could each handle roughly 10 to 15lbs. I'd like to try 3 to 4 day trips. I'm thinking that I structure the loads this way:
Me: main pack (I'll have to get internal frame I think - suggestions on volume?), with quilt for my wife and I, tent (6.5 lb Kelty), my clothes, stove and fuel, UV water purifier, cookware, and half of food.
Son: his bag and pad, his clothes
Wife: our pads, other half of food, first aid, and toiletries.

Can this be done? Do you have experience and/or suggestions to make sure this is successful? The most ideal situation would be that my son and I carry everything... I know a certain amount of this is going to be trial and error, but I'm looking for the expert minds here to flatten the learning curve as much as possible.

Thanks!

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#117820 - 06/29/09 11:54 PM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: Kieran]
Andy Offline
member

Registered: 06/27/09
Posts: 52
Loc: Ohio
Kieran,

A hearty O - H ! from the opposite side of the "Heart of it all".

You're in a tough situation, and I don't envy you. But I'm glad you and your wife have decided to push through it rather than just live with it.

You said you're a former backpacker - I know what that's like! I have a son 6-1/2 and a daughter 3-1/2, so I'm feeling my way back into it, too.

That said, have you and your wife done any previous backpacking together? If I read between the lines, your wife's MS is classified benign or relapsing. Either way, you are going to have to put her health and safety first and foremost, irregardless of "best intentions" and your (joint) dedication towards spending time with your son outdoors.

From a practical standpoint, I'd start lots of dayhikes with overnight campouts at the local state parks - and there are lots in your area:

Ohio State Parks

Some of your local parks - Punderson, for example - will offer a good length of day-hiking, but will also allow you to establish a "home base" to return to. Obviously you won't be able to squat and camp alongside the trail. But unless you're planning to hike in southern Ohio, there really isn't anywhere nearby to do that. I don't know about PA.

If you haven't visited or joined the Buckeye Trail association here they have detailed section maps of your area, but not much of an on-line presence.

I'm hesitant about your load distribution, but you and your wife know her capabilities better than anyone else. I'd be more focused on the bulk she is carrying. Two sleeping pads may be light, but are going to be a bulky load in a daypack with the additional food and toiletries, etc. That's going to add up pretty quickly, and my experience with daypacks is that they are heavy on shoulder weight and not too good about transferring weight to the hips.

As far as pack size, most posts I've seen here state to buy all of your gear first, then the pack. I'll add this: check sprawl-mart for those big, plastic containers with a lid. Buy a couple of sizes and stuff all of your gear inside. The volume on the label of the container is listed in dry quarts...multiply by 67.2. The answer is the total cubic inches you will need...with consideration for larger objects (ie tent roll with poles, etc).

I have a thread just down a few posts considering water quality in Ohio. A UV purifier is not going to adequately address the amount of pesticides and herbicides present in the water supply of the Ohio watershed.

As to your family situation, you'll need to feel your way through this, I suspect. Obviously, I'm not trying to suggest that she is completely decrepid and you are flogging her up the trail! But I tend to err on the side of caution - hence the extra pounds I never can seem to shed from my pack (tent repair kit - who else carries those things, anyway?). But if it were my wife, and she had never been backpacking before, I wouldn't want her to carry anything other than a pocket first-aid kit and a Camelbak.

Good luck,

Andy

ps - if you have to list "clothes" in your gear list, you're carrying too many. lol



Edited by Andy (06/30/09 12:06 AM)

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#117821 - 06/30/09 12:08 AM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: Kieran]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Welcome to the forum!

You don't want to put too much weight on your son for quite a while. Keep it light! Clothes and his sleeping bag (if light) are all he's going to be able to carry for a while, and unless he's unusually big and strong for his age, I would keep his load down to about 7 lbs. He needs a good supportive pack, too. Unfortunately, nearly all childrens' backpacks weigh 2.5-3 lbs., so the pack itself will make up about half of what he can carry. You want to make it fun for him so he's willing to go again!

I'd suggest getting together all your other gear before pack shopping, so you know the pack fits the gear (and vice versa) and that you can carry it comfortably. My son does something similar for our annual trip (he, 2 kids and I--Granny) to the Olympic NP beach; he is a surfer so has his wet suit (really heavy, especially when wet) and surfboard in addition to all the food, the 3-person tent and his bedding. In the past he and I have split the kids' stuff, but this year they'll be able to carry their pads and sleeping bags as well as clothing. For what it's worth, my son has an Osprey 85 pack and finds it very comfortable even with 40 or so lbs. (it's rated for 50-55 lbs.).

The other thing you need to do is to keep all the gear as light as possible. I'd seriously consider a lighter weight tent, such as a Tarptent Rainshadow. .

If you haven't read the articles listed in the left column on the home page of this site ("TLB Home"), I suggest you do so. They were responsible for my being able to cut my pack weight in half, so I could continue backpacking in spite of a bum knee and general old age.

I really admire your wife for being having the courage to get out despite her disability, and both of you for getting your son out backpacking!
goodjob
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

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#117837 - 06/30/09 09:39 AM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: OregonMouse]
Kieran Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 46
Loc: Seattle, WA
thanks for the responses guys! Andy you make a great point about the dayhikes and short trips to prepare - I should have mentioned that the preparations and planning I'm doing now are for next year. In the meantime, we're doing lots of smaller car-camping type trips to places like the lake eerie islands, and some canoeing in Allegheny and Adirondacks. The purpose being that we get conditioned, feel out what we need, and see what our limits are in terms of hiking ability. From this experience, we know that we can cover 3 - 4 miles in an hour, unloaded, without issues. Andy your tip about converting the dry quarts to cu in is perfect - for car and canoe camping I have a bunch of Rubbermade containers for organizing, so as we pare down the gear, I know what it will fit in.

I was thinking that for my wife's pack, if she does have to carry anything, even though she wouldn't have much weight, I'd get her an internal frame pack so that it would transfer the weight to her hips... would that be reasonable?

OregonMouse - thanks so much for the tip on the weight a kid can carry. At that weight, I may have to make him a quilt also to keep his weight down. The tarptents are nice, but I think right now I'm going to have to stick with the kelty - need something with real enclosure for when we bring the dog. i'll keep that tarptent link handy though for when we don't bring her.

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#117838 - 06/30/09 09:44 AM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: Kieran]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada


Funny you should say that about the dog to OregonMouse - her avartar his her constant hiking companion smile I know for a fact she likes the tarptents because she keeps the dog in one with her smile - in fact I bought a gently used Lunar Solo off of her (complete with dog hair) because it wasn't suitable for having a canine companion in while the tarptent worked better for that..
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#117842 - 06/30/09 10:10 AM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: phat]
Kieran Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 46
Loc: Seattle, WA
ha! for some reason I can't see avatars, so I'll take your word for it... hmmm... well i may have to take a second look at the hogback then. do they allow you to take off the fly and just keep the netting up? that's one thing i love about the kelty i have - it's almost all no-see-um, allowing bug free falling asleep under the stars.

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#117875 - 06/30/09 10:43 PM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: Kieran]
Andy Offline
member

Registered: 06/27/09
Posts: 52
Loc: Ohio

If you're already doing some light hiking and "convenience" camping, I'd say you're already off to a good start and have some good ideas of your own! smile

Deuter and Go-Lite both have reasonably-priced, lightweight packs in the 1-to-3 pound range.

My son carries a Camelbak mini-mule for day hiking and one of the other Camelbaks for weekend hikes - I can't remember the model right now, but it has a zipper running down the outside panel that collapses it from 1400 inches down to around 700. It really helps when he totes his own water.

Good luck!

Andy

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#117880 - 06/30/09 11:53 PM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: phat]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I tried really hard to get all the dog hair out of there! Ah well, it adds to the r-value!

Kieran, a Tarptent is a full tent, with floor, netting and a nice "beak"--cross between porch and vestibule. My dog curls up at my feet and keeps them warm. The Rainshadow is a palatial 3-person tent.


Edited by OregonMouse (06/30/09 11:56 PM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

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#117896 - 07/01/09 03:02 PM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: OregonMouse]
thecook Offline


Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 541
Loc: Minnesota
Sounds like you are aiming for what I have been doing for several years. My wife has knee problems, so when we go out I carry all the crew gear, all the food, and my gear while my wife and kids (8 and 11) carry their own stuff. We went out in early June with temps down to around 40. My son (11) carried about 13 lbs, daughter (8) carried 11, a little more than I wanted her too but she has a good pack and was OK with it, wife carried 15lbs, and I was left with about 40 to start out with for a three day trip. In comparision, my last solo trip for 3 days was about 22lbs and now having replace some gear I'd be around 18. If you want more specifics PM me. Good luck to you all and have fun!
_________________________
If I wouldn't eat it at home, why would I want to eat it on the trail?

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#117927 - 07/02/09 09:25 AM Re: Kinda new, and in search of unique ideas [Re: thecook]
Kieran Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 46
Loc: Seattle, WA
cool - and thanks again for the help folks... i'll pm you cook

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