I'm super excited to get out on the trail. We're going for three nights in late April in southern Indiana. I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that I'll take way more than what I need but would like to minimize the weight as much as possible. Maybe you guys can help me! :-)

Because spring in Indiana can be unpredictable, I plan to take long underwear and a fleece for the evenings and a lightweight shirt and convertible hiking pants for the day. I'll also carry rain gear. Sound like enough? Or do I need consider a heavier layer for the night?

My other concern is about food. Better to have too much? Or better to have less weight? Any experience/advice you can give me is appreciated! :-) Thanks, guys!

Long undies and fleece are a great choice, so are the convertible pants and rain gear, but it really depends a lot on your sleeping bag, and how warm your body runs, to know rather you need more clothes or not.

It's probably best to test your sleeping bag on a cold night to see how warm it is and adjust your sleepwear accordingly.

You don't want to skimp on food. You'll need the calories and eating something before you get into your sleeping bag for the night will help keep you warmer too.

I always bring some extra food, but basically you want to add up the calories of what you're bringing and make sure you have enough for each day you're out there.

Thanks for that advice! I hadn't even considered adding up the calories of my planned meals but it's a great way to make sure I'll have enough to eat. I also hadn't factored in the warmth of my sleeping bag to be sure I'm warm enough at night. I guess I was thinking more about staying comfortable before getting into the bag. Thanks again!

Personally, I'd rather have too much food. If you're packing freeze dried or dehydrated meal, I would cook 'em at home to make sure you like them first. Some beginner buy a meal base on recommendation, but then get on trail and realized their taste bud doesn't agree with the other person's taste bud..

Another thing, I always repackaged my freeze dried meal. They're sold in two servings and I measured it back into one serving and vacuum seal it. I'll cook one serving, and if I'm still hungry I'll cook the other serving or eat one protein bar. I rather cook little food with ability to cook extra if I'm still hungry, or snack on something else than cook too much and have leftovers. You gotta put the leftover back into your backpack sloshing around for remainder of the trip...

Far as clothing, long as you have a light windbreaker.(This could be your rain jacket!) In my experience, fleece isn't good for blocking the wind. If isn't windy, you should be plenty warm I suppose. I've never backpacked in Indiana, just visited and I was exposed to some wicked wind when I was in Indiana.

Can never have enough chocolate chip cookies loaded with nuts. Actually, they're a great dessert to have before bed to fuel the sleep furnace. I also like to add in packets of olive oil, as they're a good source of calorie boosting added in to pasta or basically any other freeze dried meal. I plan my meals, then add in 1/2 day (full day for over 5 days) extra in case I want to eat a little more (rare ) or for emergency. The clothes sound right, but trying out your sleeping bag is great advice. Like ETSU said, the windbreaker/ rain jacket is a great piece of clothing in the Spring. I like my fleece and it's nice and warm (and my pillow) AND windproof with my pullover wind/rain jacket over the top of it. I also use rain pants and they'll serve the same function over your convertibles.

You're right about the wicked Indiana wind! I think most of my neighborhood is going to have to replace siding after this winter. But I hadn't even thought about a wind breaker, which is definitely necessary in these parts. Thanks!

I'll take any excuse to eat cookies.

You should be OK - watch the weather and, if one of our normal cold snaps sets in, throw the down jacket in just to be safe. Personally, if it gets too cool to sit around camp in what I brought, I just go to bed. (Or, I've also seen people bring their sleeping bag out and kind of drape it around them while they sit around the fire. Personally, no - sparks and sleeping bags aren't compatible.)

For only three nights, err on the side of extra food. Again, my own preference is, if in doubt, add more GORP, aka trail mix (equal parts raisins, M&Ms, and peanuts. You can tweak it to taste: craisins, chopped dried fruit; Reese's pieces, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips; mixed nuts, dry-roasted nuts - your choice.) Trail mix can be used to flesh out any meal, or just as more snacks. Very versatile. Granola bars work much the same way.

I hike in Ohio, Kentucky and, yes, Southern Indiana, so I know what you're up against in the spring. Just be ready to put additional clothes, or switch to warmer sleeping bags, or remove some clothes, or switch to lighter bags. But, if I were planning the same trip (and I will be, in southwest Ohio), I'd probably take longjohn (top and bottoms), a fleece top, maybe fleece pants, and a 30-degree bag. Remember: you're allowed to wear your rain jacket and rain pants as an extra layer when it's not raining, and you're allowed to sleep in your long johns and fleece inside your sleeping bag.

Glenn, I think you're right about being prepared to change packing plans at the last minutes. We really could have just about any type of weather around here at that time of year. I would probably use it all if I took it all with me. Good point about packing extra trail mix and granola bars. Thanks!

Hey, I can mislead you with the best of them!

Don't forget a light stocking cap ("beanie") and some lightweight gloves (I often take liner gloves at that time of year.)

At that time of year, I often pack what I think I'll want, then throw the rest in the car. At the trailhead, I make my final decision (or guess, as the case may be) and add to the pack, or leave more in the car. (Sometimes, on that third day, it's nice to have an extra layer to put on after the hike, until the car warms up.)

What part of Hoosier National Forest are you going to visit? Deam Wilderness is usually where I go when I'm over there.

If you go from furnace to air conditioner to furnace in the same day...you might be from Indiana (or Ohio.)

Hopefully you'll have spring by late April? I keep hearing from my eldest son, in SW Ohio, that it's below zero with more ice and snow coming. He has this idea that because he lives south of the Mason Dixon Line (just barely) that the climate should be warmer.

On the other hand, I live in NW Oregon, where winters are normally relatively balmy, although soggy, and it has been cold this year, although warmer than Ohio. It has been dry, too, although we've gotten enough moisture since February 6 to bring us almost up to normal snowpack. However, arctic air is due this weekend, with possible sea-level snow.

An interesting list of "ultralight"--i.e., calorie-dense--backpacking foods can be found here. It includes my favorite backpacking breakfast food, Bob's Red Mill muesli.

Ain't that the truth!

We are going to do the Adventure Hiking Trail. Certainly not the easiest trail for my first trip out but I'm looking forward to the challenge. We're also going to try to do the Knobstone in the fall.

I sure hope we have Spring by then. I am starting to panic a little about the weather. This winter has been brutal. Today we had wind chills in the minus-teens range and more snow (6-9 inches) predicted for late Saturday into Monday. I'm much further north than where I'll be hiking so there will be a temperature difference in my favor at least. I think as long as it's above freezing, the weather won't be an issue.

Thanks for the link to the food ideas. Some really good trail food in there.

Yeah, the temps will definitely work in your favor - probably at least 2 or 3 degrees warmer in southern Indiana!

Don't panic too much about the weather - it will probably work out OK.

By the way, a nice little one or two night trip is at Shades State Park, near Crawfordsville. Not "true" backpacking - the backpack campground has a water hydrant and really nice latrine, and they come around with ice and firewood most nights. But it's beautiful terrain, and really nice for a relaxed hike-and-camp weekend. The RV and chinese-lantern crew goes 10 miles on down the road to Turkey Run, so Shades is quiet and uncrowded. Give it a try!

I've been to Shades but not for many, many years. That sound like the perfect starter trip for my daughter when she's big enough to backpack with me. (She's not quite 3 and not potty trained yet. I don't want to carry in diapers and I definitely don't want to pack out dirty ones! :))

We're getting a little break in weather today before the big snow heads in tomorrow so the little ones and I are heading out for a short hike so I can try out my partially loaded backpack. I've been wearing it around the house but I don't think it's quite the same as wearing it while hiking.