Advice for a newcomer?

“I can't vouch for the REI in Niles, but I do like the one in Oakbrook Terrace. The people there tend to be both knowledgeable and friendly (good combo). Good selection, and there's a scratch-and-dent sale at the end of this month.

Galyans in Schaumburg and Lombard (Chicago suburbs) are pretty good, too.”

“REI, the one you like, T MAC is a great store. They hooked me up with the Gregory Palisade. The sales person took the time to measure me and pick out a pack that fit my torso the best. I tried several models with different weight. The entire process took about 3 hours!

The end result was a purchace of a kick ass pack!

The sales people at this store are the best!”

“Send me a email I may have some gear for you to have for free just let me know what ya still need on your list.


8)”

“You could be short some gear of your own ;-)”

“I know!


He He He He!!!!!


8)”

“Wounded Knee: I've got friends around the Oakbrook REI area and have yet to make it out of the store without spending money or "helping" a friend spend money. Oh, well, just doing my part to help the economy.

Vicsaw: a word of advice. If you're going to buy a pack, try it on with a gear load first. I made this mistake of buying a pack online - great buy, but it never fit no matter how many adjustments I made. I was able to send it back, but I could just as easily have been stuck with it.”

“Newgirl, I like your policy on equipment. Hee hee!!

And thanks (again) to you all for your advice and recommendations and offers of help. Talk about a support system! Can't wait for my first TT trip. It's going to be a great year!”

“Send me that email Vicsaw!



8)”

“What'd I tell you about CMB and his gear giveaway policy, vicsaw! The guy's a saint!”

“Don't ask him about the bacon ring though!”

“eww.”

“You never know...”

“I never got any gear from CMB when I started out :(”

“Even CMB thought you were a troll...


lol, jk....”

“WTF haha”

“well i know i girl who once lived in indiana...somewhere up near chicago...pretty much a beginner backpacker here as well...and let me tell you a pretty FEMALE face and a nice smile has certainly gotten you alot farther than i got when i first posted....

by the way scorch when were you coming to Atlanta...got a nice "safe" park picked out in downtown...not too many bums there ...i thought i might be able to find a trail somewhere near it.”

“Why do you want some gear Scorch?


8)”

“I'm just kidding, Mike :P

Shep, whenever you pay for my ticket is when I'll come to Atlanta :) Poor struggling college student here with lots of credit card bills from buying gear.”

“Scorch, what's your current gear bill up to? I'm at about $340 CC gear bill...back when I got back into backpacking I had about $1400.”

“um all together? prob around 1700”

“Crap, double that, you got mine!”

“vicsaw, how old are ya??”

“$1700, not bad, hope you got everything!”

“spent no more than $400 total on tent, stove, pack, shoes, bag, mat, and sticks....you can find some good deals if youre patient...hit the second hand places....yard sales and such....for some stuff anyways...”

“Enjoy every piece of gear you gather!
In about 8 years you'll have almost everything you think you need.

Hang around here for the best (unbiased opinions) on the web. LOL

MOZ”

“Gemini, I celebrate my 34th in a few weeks. :(”

“"Crap, double that, you got mine!"

keep in mind, i just started out!! and no, i don't have all the gear.”

“Hey Vicsaw, welcome to the fray! There's loads of lovely hiking not too far from you up here in MI. I bet we'll meet on the trails one of these days.”

“Sass, what a fray it is. Sheesh.

I have a few friends up in Michigan, so I do get up there a bit. Looking forward to meeting you.”

“There'll be plenty of trips here and there. Some this winter I'm sure and more come spring. We'll keep you posted.”

“A really good book is Ted and Allan's REally Cool Backpacking book. Its about $12, and has tons of good advice. You either have time, or money, but seldom both. When you have time, go hiking. When you have money, buy gear. You can do pretty well buying used gear on ebay, or finding deals on used gear. You can get a used external frame pack pretty cheap, and they work great. Get an old Kelty, and you'll never wear it out. I'm still using my 1975 Kelty Tioga.

The place to splurge is in a sleeping bag. But there are reasonable medium priced ones that will do until you are ready for the big investment in down.”

“Hey Scorch, I just started too. Well kinda.

I will not be making any expensive gear purchaces for awhile. I have so much stuff, I need to build a room addition for it.”

“Must be someone else's pictures posted. I would have quessed in your 20s. ;)

I take back what I said about the 'girly girl', you are a 'girly woman' instead. ;)

Welcome to the wild world of TT.”

“Same here stove, the girl in the pic doesn't look anywhere near 34.

Guess ya just never know do ya!”

“People think I look 18.”

“Thanks, Bob. Right now I'm one of the ones with more time than money. But I am usually a pretty good bargain shopper.

And Stove, go ahead and call me a girl. Please. These days that's a compliment.”

“Yep, she is almost as old as the 'ancient' Gemini! ;)”

“Okay stovie, now you really are in trouble!!! NOW...NOW....oh boy....NOW .....”

“vics, if you have time, and the possibility of mobility, move west, young woman, move west. Being born in Kansas, but raised in western states, we visited my Kansas relatives while growing up. There's just nothing like mountains and wilderness, skiing and backpacking, and the midwest just doesn't have em. Not meaning to insult any midwestern out there, but thats the truth.”

“Vicsaw..I would of sworn you were in your early 20's especially the pic with the short hair...”

“Okay stovie, now you really are in trouble!!! NOW...NOW....oh boy....NOW ....."
Gemini
12:50:49 PM
12/17/03

hahah i would pay to see this.”

“Whoa, I thought she was like 25...34's a good age...I hear with all the Ashton Kutcher Demi Moore talk that it's the in thing to date a woman 10 or so years older.”

“Whoa! wthaidio (what the heck am I doing in Oregon).”

“Have your mountains, westerners. But when you run out of water, don't go coveting our beautiful Great Lakes. The Inland Freshwater Seas are a marvel to behold as you walk the beaches, bluffs, dunes and cliffs that skirt their magnificence, let alone paddle or sail their broad waters.”

“Dub, I don't think you helped your case.”

“LOL”

“I am going to Colorado on 1/31 to explore the possibility of moving there. I love the mountains and each time I have to come back here I get depressed.

All the pics are this year, except for the long hair. That one's a couple yrs old but my best girlfriend Heather is in it with me. That's why I love it.”

“Good Luck!”

“Coming up on 150 posts, vicsaw, and I'd say you've got the nicest newbie welcome in a long, long time at TT. The holidays must have the nasty boys and girls on their best behavior.”

“I am flattered, but I am sincere about looking for info and getting out there. I think until I go on a real live trip (or five) with some of you characters, I shall just lurk for a while. You all kind of frighten me. ;) In the meantime I will rely on CMB for his weekly updates.

And Merry Christmas to all! Have a great cup of cheer (or two) to celebrate.”