Let me start by saying that years ago I went on a backpacking tripp in the Porkies, in the U.P. In Michigan. I was in 9th grade skinny and weak. I loved 905% of my trip( don't like chipmunks in tent).
I want to get back in to being out doors again and want to go back to the Porkies. I have no gear but do have questions. What is the benfit of an external vs interal frame on a backpack? Tent vs hammock (like a hennesy) I have watch some youtube vids about knifes how important are they? I am thinking about buying used gear any horror stories? I think that is it for now. Thanks

0. Welcome to the forum!

1. external - better on trails, no bushwacking; easily more ventilated than internal frame. they invite a lot of stuff you don't need if they are bigger than your stuff
internal - if you're not prone to dangling stuff off it, you can crawl through brush as it hugs your back closer. Probably most people buy them these days.

2. Tent vs hammock - let's see... you can set up a tent in a flat spot, not on meadows (remember leave no trace) and you crawl in and out of it on the ground. There are standard double wall tents, tarptents, or specialty tents (like the 4 season ones meant for snow).

Hammocks require places to hang (trees, posts, trucks, poles, hotel doors, cracks in rock faces, skyhooks...) or (most models with full bugnet) can be used on the ground as a bug bivy, though you must protect the bottom. If 99.9% of your campsites are below treeline, you're golden. If you use trekking poles (or are good at finding long sticks) you can also pitch your tarp on the ground (you will have tent stakes for the tarp) without hammock. Using the standard tent gear (sleeping pad, sleeping bag) keeps you warm in a hammock, too. Hammocks are tents you suspend from two points, really - same basic materials, only you are not subject to the same considerations for site selection. You can pitch the hammock on hillsides, over streams (though that makes for an adventurous late night catholing expedition), and over other obstacles where tents can't go. I once pitched over a patch of poison oak and granite rocks.

You will find strong opinions about hammocks - people will think you are crazy. Crazy like a fox, if they work for you - after a couple of nights of adjustment to the feel of being in one, I find that a hammock with permethrin treated straps is the best night's sleep I've had in years, bar none, only time I've had nine hours of sleep since college. No bugs, no rain seeping up from the bottom, no issues with clothing/gear storage (hangs from the hammock ends under the tarp), no little critters getting in, no tossing and turning because there are no pressure points.

3. Knives can be as big and heavy or small and utilitarian as you want. I've gotten by with a blade 1.5" long so far. If you think of a knife as protection you may feel differently, but the biggest job I have found for it was cleaning fish.

4. Used gear bought on this forum and others I've found to be generally safe. Stay away from deals on eBay that look too good to be true, they are. You can find used hammock stuff over on hammockforums.net, also sometimes used tents as people are abandoning the ground and trying to sell them , as well as anything you could possibly want to know about camping in hammocks anywhere in any season.

Don't forget to have a sport store like REI measure you before you get a backpack. Generally you want all your basic gear first then buy a backpack that will carry it - if you get a huge pack, you will have empty space you will be tempted to fill.

As simple of an answer as I can come up with is that an external frame pack is designed to carry more weight and I believe that's what we are all trying to get away from....The weight...sabre11004...

Just to add to the above:

Have you read the articles on the home page of this site? Go down the left column on this page to the bottom and click "TLB Home." The articles are listed in the left column of the home page and are extremely helpful (they enabled me to cut my pack weight by more than half). Be sure to read them before buying any gear.

Internal frame pack: Advantage--the pack moves with you and (if properly fitted and adjusted) feels like a part of your body. Disadvantage: less ventilation between you and pack.
External frame: Advantage--more ventilation between you and pack. Disadvantage--the pack seems to have a life of its own, zigging when you zag. After some really close calls, I'd never wear one again. They're heavy, too!

You do know that it's advisable to buy your pack last, after you have your other gear, to make sure the pack fits your gear? As others have said, get a pack fitting from someone who really knows what they're doing, so you know what a well-fitted pack feels like. The high-school kid at Dick's Sporting Goods (or at REI, for that matter) is not someone who can fit you properly. Get someone experienced! The same is true of footwear. Each person is built a bit differently, and pack fit is almost as individual as shoe fit.

I'm not going to get into the tent vs. hammock controversy. I prefer a tent because I sleep with my dog (he's part of my sleep system, keeping my feet warm) and because I do a lot of camping at or above timberline. I admit the hammock might be better when you're trying to find a campsite in a forested area with lots of underbrush. Our favorite phrase around here is YMMV, Your Mileage May Vary. If you can borrow or rent gear, you may be able to try out both and see which you prefer before spending major $$$.

The other shelter possibility--definitely cheaper--is a tarp plus bug net plus ground sheet instead of a tent. I'd go this route if I didn't need a bug-free space for my dog, and I do plan to use just a tarp after bug season is over.

Knife: I take a really small Leatherman, the Micra, which weighs just under 2 oz. That's because I use the pliers and the file (for fingernails) a lot more than the blade itself. The blade is adequate for making frizz sticks for fires or putting a point on a stake made out of a stick if I lose a tent stake or cleaning a fish if it isn't too big (the latter always get away anyway). The idea is not to cut up the forest--cutting green wood is illegal and you want to leave as little trace as possible of your passing. The truly ultralight folks seem to get along just fine with a single edge razor blade. Personally, I like something with a small handle for some leverage when cutting. Of course, if I were a hunter I would take a knife I could dress a deer (or whatever) with, which would be a lot bigger, but only in hunting season.

Used gear--make sure you can return it if it doesn't fit or turns out to have suffered major damage! Do watch this forum. There are some who just have to have the latest and lightest tent and sell their old models. Then there are some of us who discover after using a tent for a while that it doesn't meet our needs. That happened to me. Another member of this forum bought it and hasn't complained yet!

There are other threads in the beginners section here that discuss budget gear. Search the more recent archives, too. I'll give you a few suggestions: Mark Verber's website has budget suggestions and links to low-budget lists (a few links don't work, but most do). His "Recommended Outdoor Gear" is well worth reading and includes budget suggestions at the end. Thrift stores and (sometimes) military surplus stores are great places to shop, especially for clothing (just be sure to avoid any cotton!). Big box stores like Target, KMart and WallyWorld have a good variety of synthetic breathable athletic clothing (look in the athletic department, not sporting goods) that is as good as and generally cheaper than what you get at REI (Really Expensive Items) or other specialty stores. Inexpensive does not necessarily mean heavy! Do get a good postage scale that weighs to the nearest tenth of an ounce and take it with you when you're shopping. Weigh each item. A computer spreadsheet (keep it simple but organize by systems, using the gear lists on the home page of this site as examples) helps you keep track of your pack weight and also acts as a checklist for each trip.

I'll comment on the knife on. Decide what you want a knife to do. Buy one that does that. I prefer a carbon steel blade to a stainless one.

I would shelve the hammock idea just for now.

IMO hammocks are a thing that backpackers evolve into when they get more experience. Site selection is harder and there is more of a fiddle factor especially when it's cold. And it's easier to get cold in a hammock than in a tent. Have you actually spent a night in a hammock? They're not for everyone.

Now before you tree hangers gather up your excess line for a lynch party, I'm not bashing hammocks. I sometimes use one myself. But they do have a steeper learning curve so I just don't think they belong in a beginner's pack.

I'm glad I didn't consult you upon my re-entry to the backpacking world. I stopped using the tent after three days of car camping with it and bought a hammock. Had I continued to use the tent I would have stopped backpacking. My first night backpacking was also the first night in my hammock - I had a blue ccf and a homemade quilt, and was nice and warm to 33F. You can use any sleeping pad and sleeping bag in any hammock in 3 season type weather. If he gets a hammock first and doesn't like it, he'll probably sell the hammock - which is easier than selling a tent. I've been trying to sell a tent for months now. People will snap up the hammock over at hammockforums.

Some of us have different paths into the wilderness than others. I'm sure if he has compelling enough reasons to want a hammock he'll find a way. We all have compelling enough reasons to load a backpack and venture out of comfortable civilization, after all.

Hammock:
I like the idea, but I'm not very comfortable in them. I went back to the ground, and sleep better. Try a friend's or make a cheap one before spending too much money. Just remember the limitations of the cheap homemade one.

http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock.html

Knife:
I recommend a carbon steel fixed blade and something to sharpen it with. I carry a 4" blade Mora which can be purchased online for around $12. I consider this the most important piece of essential survival gear, but it won't help much without the knowledge and skills to use it for survival tasks. (I say this only because it seems too many people think just having a knife will help them somehow. :))

One way to start is by reading as much as you can on here and other websites. Don't just read websites, though. Read books and articles about camping and technique. Gear is gear-there are dozens, if not hundreds of tents, packs, stoves, etc., most of which will suit your purpose in some fashion. Technique is what keeps you alive, well fed and watered and comfortable.

What you need to learn is what to do with what you have and how to avoid trouble. Learn what the Ten Essentials (or 14 on some lists) are and make sure you have those. What I use may not be what you need at all, so trying to emulate me or anyone else here is a fool's errand if where and how they camp doesn't match what you want to be doing.

For example-knife. I carry a Victorinox of some type (Swiss Army knife). I bought mine because it has a Phillips head screwdriver that fits the screws on a bike deraillieur, which came in handy when I was bike touring. I also carry a special tool for fixing Voile ski bindings. I doubt you need either one of these. Why do I still carry that knife even if I'm not biking? Because it has other stuff on it I use as well.