Hiking, Camping, Backpacking Forums?

Harlock

Harlock

Educated Idiot
Dec 15, 2004
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San Angelo, TX
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Hello all! In lieu of my rather sedentary lifestyle of late, I am looking for a little outdoor adventure. My family has a small ranch only 45 minutes from my front door that is comprised of four sections (roughly 2560 acres) with plenty of rocky limestone hills to climb, springs and dry riverbeds to explore, etc.

Mostly it would be day hiking from a base camp, but I would also like to just take off when I get a little more skilled and a lot more in shape and do a weekend, then three day weekend, then a week out there either by myself or with my family. Thing is, I have very little experience with this sort of thing. I have been looking on the internet for a few days, off and on, at backpacks, tents, sleeping bags etc. I already have a base camp, 8-person tent and an old sleeping bag I use when I hunt, but these, of course are woefully inadequate for real trailblazing as they are heavy.

I went camping as a kid, but haven't been since High School. My family and I are walking in the evening together already and I will begin some supplemental walking/running with a weighted pack on my own later on down the line to build up for the 3-7 day hikes. Still, I am not at all thrilled with how little I know about... anything regarding trail hiking. I do know the land fairly well around the ranch and in West Central Texas in general. I am comfortable with the snake, javelina, mountain lion, bobcat, flash flood, tornado and heat risks involved. I am not comfortable with my skills in first aid, technical claimbing, or even worse, my complete lack of knowledge about good brand names of products I can trust (for daypacks, backpacks, tents, hiking boots, ultralight sleeping bags etc.)

I do know from my reading that I want an internal frame backpack and need one for a 22" torso (yeesh, I sound tall) and would prefer one that is hydration compatible, since, I plan to be doing much of my hiking around West Texas where the temps are 100-110 in the summer, when I would have most of my free time and extended trips. I do need gear that is 3 season compatible, I think. Winters aren't terrible, and so I think I can easily get away with 3 season gear. I am looking for light gear, but still planning on a heavier load as I know I'll be toting a .45, snake pole (I am an amateur herpetologist and will definitely incorporate gathering snake data a part of my hikes as well as possibly collecting a few of the more fun species, if I can find them on the ranch), extra water (see above), cell phone and am/fm.

So, if any of you have much experience in this sort of thing (any Eagle Scouts floating around?) or know of a message board forum for hiking newbs like me, please, lemme know!
 
Well, I can offer some general advice. But, since most of my hiking has been done in mountains in New England and in the Rockies, a lot of my knowledge won't be directly relevant. Also, I don't know of any appropriate fora.

People that work in outdoors stores tend to be knowledgeable. You don't have any EMS stores down your way, but REI is a good store. Most of my gear is EMS--inexpensive and high quality. Talking to them is your first stop.

Definitely invest in a Platypus or a Camelbak (Camelbaks usually come with their own case, which is not necessary if it's going in your frame pack). Also, get a bunch of Nalgene bottles. Water is heavy, but invaluable. I usually carry a gallon (my Platypus plus two Nalgenes--OK, that's actually 4 liters) with me, but it's not as hot and there are places where water can be acquired. A Pur filter is a necessity if you'll be picking up water in the backcountry--especially if other hikers frequent the area.

My favorite boots are from Asolo. My current pair come from EMS (which you guys don't have down there) and their soles are too stiff for my liking--I like to be able to feel the trail with my feet. Do not buy boots online. Go to the store and try multiple pairs on. The store should have a little ramp there. Walk up and down it trying really hard to jam your toes into the boot ends. If your toes ever make even slight contact with the boots, they're too small. Trust me, this is important over a several day trip. Also, for shorter hikes, you can get trail shoes. I just got a pair of "cheap" Merrils that I've had out on the trail once--so far so good.

Tent--I have a Sierra Designs that I like. Good company.

Crazy Creek chairs are great for relaxing and hanging out by the campfire (or do you just fry eggs on rocks down there :)).

A GPS might be fun. I'm going camping this next weekend and will use my GPS for the first time--I'll let you know.

A good book for reference is The Backpacker's Field Manual by Rick Curtis. I'm not sure how helpful it is for your type of environment, but it has good general info in it.

That's a rather long, rambling message. Hopefully I addressed half the things I intended to when I started. Have fun getting outdoors! There's so many things to see when you're out there. Also, it's great that you'll be bringing your family along. I'm already trying to think of ways to get my as-yet-unborn son out into the woods.

Oh yeah--feel free to e-mail or PM or post on this thread any brand names/purchase ideas you might have. I might (with some luck) be able to help steer you towards the right purchase.

-Mike
 
I forgot to add--your overall plan sounds like a good one. If you start with just day hikes, you can keep your initial expenses down and then add equipment later on when you're more comfortable with brands and whatnot. Immediately, I'd focus on hydration, an appropriate sized daypack (not a frame pack for dayhikes), footwear, and appropriate clothing (usually polyester or polypropylene--they wick the moisture away and keep you dry, comfortable, and chafe free). No need for a tent, bag, stove, etc yet.
 
mrakins said:
I forgot to add--your overall plan sounds like a good one. If you start with just day hikes, you can keep your initial expenses down and then add equipment later on when you're more comfortable with brands and whatnot. Immediately, I'd focus on hydration, an appropriate sized daypack (not a frame pack for dayhikes), footwear, and appropriate clothing (usually polyester or polypropylene--they wick the moisture away and keep you dry, comfortable, and chafe free). No need for a tent, bag, stove, etc yet.
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Thanks for the advice! I was going to concetrate on footwear firsta nd then see what I could add. I have a plain old Camelback that I used to use when I was really into Mountain Biking, but since I've gotten married and we've had the kids, the bike has mostly sat, as has the camelbak. It seems like a good majority of the brand name packs (both day and frame) are what they call "hydration compatible". I assumed this simply meant they had a small compartment for the bladder? I need to find a place that sells the brands you've mentioned thusfar. Hunting is really big down here, but trail hiking, meh, not so much. Thanks!
 
Hydration compatible most likely means that there's a compartment that your camelbak would fit in, along with a hole for the tubing to run through. Also, I should make clear--EMS is a store brand, so you'll have trouble getting them locally. You can order online as long as you know the stuff you want. Except for shoes.

Also, some more random thoughts that have popped into my head as I prep for my own trip. You don't need a tent. They're for three things--bugs, rain, and "protection". Which means, they don't protect you but you feel protected. It's quite nice, I think, to fall asleep staring at the stars and wake up to the sun. I suppose it depends on what little critters might come sniffing around during the night, but I've never had trouble with the porcupines and other little varmints. Tents obviously aren't doing much for bears, but I don't think you have much of those. Hmmm...maybe ignore this advice and ask a local--not sure about insects and scorpions down your way.

Two little things that I think are useful that I spent like $3 total on are a thermometer and a whistle. Get little ones that would probably be by the checkout with keychain-like rings on them and affix them to your shoulder straps somewhere around midchest level (a lot of packs have obvious places where these would go). The thermometer is obviously useful. I've never had to use my whistle, but it's good to have one accessible (which is why mine's attached to the outside of my pack).
 
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