From Dayhiker to Overnight - Gear?

“I'm no stranger to backwoods- the latest in a long line of outdoorsmen raised in rural Pennsylvania, I have been hunting since youth... however, more and more, the lure of the Appalachian trail running so close to those whitetail grounds is calling me from the rifle to the rucksack.

Poetic, huh? Haha.

As a result, I am well accustomed to treking through mountain trails and confident that I will enjoy making overnight trips. Therefore, I'm willing to invest a little more money in slightly better equipment than the average beginner, simply because I am secure in my devotion. However, now a college student strapped for cash, what I need are suggestions for quality equipment at a reasonable price for an intermediate level, three season backpacker. Demands, demands! : )

Any help, I can assure you, will be sincerely appreciated. Thanks!”

“Eureka - great tents at a great price.

Mountainsmith - great backpacks at a great price. Especially good if you're taller, they seem to fit us longer folks very well.

Sleeping bags - check campmor.com out, they usually have great deals on sleeping bags. I got a down-filled 0 degree North Face bag from them for less than 200 bucks. The zipper works swell on it also.

Have fun and good luck. There are lot's of regulars on this board who live in Pennsylvania and they do trips regulary. They're very cool people. Check out the trip page on this site for upcoming treks in your area! :-)”

“I made the transition slowly, hence the login name. On one trip a friend refered to my stuff as "John's ghetto gear".

Pack: A big daypack will do. I got my first one from campmor for $50. It was about 2400 in^3

Sleeping bag: campmor has reasonably priced down bags under their own label.

Tent - Eureka if you want a tent. A tarp works well. They're lighter, cheaper, and fit better in the constrained volume of a daypack.

Stove - search the web for an alcohol stove. Make your own or go to www.antigravitygear.com for a nice $12 version

cookware - Walmart Grease pot. $6 and 4 oz. This is the pot of choice for the econo lightweight folks out there. Go to a Wal-Mart, not a super Wal-Mart and look for a handleless, black pot with the word "Grease" imprinted on it.

Water purification - Polar Pure. Light and it only cost $10. It doesn't have an aftertaste.

Light - mini-mag to start or get a cheap headlamp. Good headlamps start at about $25.

Mattress - I used a Kmart mat for 2 years and it cost $8. It works until you can pick up a "real" mattress and can be strapped to the back of a daypack.”

“Start out small and as you get more into it step up your gear.Don't buy the most $$$ right off the bat but at the same time you want good gear.

Osprey-Backpacks.
Slumberjack-Sleeping Bags.
Ridge Rest-Sleeping Pad.
Eureka-Tent.
Pur Hiker-Water Filter.
Tin Can Stove.


I know I left out some stuff but that will come with time and asking alot of questions.

8)”

“I've been looking at Eureka's Exo Zeus 1-person tent for summertime use. For 3lbs and $120 it looks like a good little tent. Does anyone have any experience with that tent?”

“EMS has a pretty decent deal on a starter set of sleeping bag, sleeping pad and backpack for 149.00:

http://www.ems.com/navigation/pkg_cat_template.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441770401&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=282574488340201&bmUID=1050364861537”

“Yes I have it Wingding0 and its a great tent the only thing that you have to remember is to point the front in the direction that the wind is comming from.

I give it 5 stars for ease of setup and weight!

8)”

“thanks crazy mike - when i finally do buy a new summer tent, it'll be that exo zeus.”

“The Exo has gotten some rough reviews for condensation down here on the humid, windless Florida nights. The Eureka Backcountry is a good one too.”

“I'm impressed with the Mountainsmith line - any suggestions on specific packs? The Auspex has recieved excellent reviews, but it is slightly out of my desired price range.

As far as sleeping bags... any suggestions for down alternatives? The 150-200 dollar cost of these beasts is significantly more than I expected to pay. I would strongly suspect that, even estimating conservatively, I won't need anything rated below +20.

Thanks for the responses!”

“I have the Mountainsmith Pursuit, it's about 4100 cubic inches (plenty of room for up to 3-5 day trips in the summer) and only cost about $110. I believe Ice Tea (a regular here) said he saw one on sale for $70 at Ramsey Outdoor, a local store in NE Jersey. Not sure if they have a website, but it goes to show there are deals out there.

Sleeping bags - I have a Kelty Clear Creek +20 bag that I use in the summer. You can probably find it for well under a hundred dollars.

Good luck with the gear!”

“Oh yeah, I really like the Pursuit and the Clear Creek both a lot. I've had the Pursuit now for about a year and it's a great pack. At first, the shoulder straps didn't seem like they'd be thick enough, but that worry was moot. It's a very comfortable pack. But of course, you should always try on a pack before you buy.. packs fit differently for different folks.

The Clear Creek is a great bag for cheap, IMO. During warmer nights, I just basically spread it out like a big blanket, but on those cooler nights, it's kept me very comfy. I've had the Clear Creek now for about 3 years, and it's still going strong.”

“Invader;down bags(mostly even cheap ones)will out last 5 synthetic bags if you learn to wash them and don't stress them at the baffle seams.The higher quality ones will keep your grandchildren warm some day.The bag is the bulkiest gear and down is the compression king.”

“read this;http://www.backpackinglight.com/index/article.asp?did=92”

“The campmor down is around $100.00.

Slumberjack has several around 60-70. They are always heavier than advertised.

On that note I have this bag slumberjack bag
(note that mine is a regular and not a long) and have been wanting to sale it since I got a down bag. It's been used about 4 times.”