Hiking questions (backpacking)

[biggamehunter]

So im going to be doing alot of hiking this year, I need to know a few things. Please take into consideration that I do not have alot of money to spend. So could you please help me out?
1) Whats a lightweight compact 2 man tent that is great for backpacking?
2)What kind of backpack should I get? I'm thinking of a Midsize.
Midsize Backpack features
-sleeping bag compartment
-curved, broad, padded shoulder straps
-upper stabilizer straps.
-a hip belt that goes full circle under the lumbar pad and not just side straps from the base of the backpack. soft and broad padding to avoid pressure points that could quickly become very painful. look for high-friction fabrics.
-water proof
-spin drift collar

This sound about right?

Heres my hiking checklist. Do I need all this for going out on a 4 day hike?, I'll be fly fishing.
-Vboat
-Tent
-camera
-water pump
-non perishable food
-Extra cloths
-Mountain Bike
hatchet
Bear spray
rain gear
Rope
survival kit
multi tool
map
compass
matches
flashlight
fire starter
insect repellent
whistle
thin and thick gloves and toque
toilet paper
lip balm
buff
watch
cell phone
fly fishing gear


Anything i'm missing?
My first hike will be to fortress lake in late june.

[canuck]

Cooking on a fire or taking a stove? Gonna need some pot/pan setup.
My daughter and I do some short (1-2-3 day) backpack trips and found the crappy tire pack to be as good as the mountain equip. stuff we have.
Whats the "water pump" for?

[CNP]

Originally Posted by biggamehunter

So im going to be doing alot of hiking this year, I need to know a few things. Please take into consideration that I do not have alot of money to spend. So could you please help me out?
1) Whats a lightweight compact 2 man tent that is great for backpacking?
2)What kind of backpack should I get? I'm thinking of a Midsize.
Midsize Backpack features
-sleeping bag compartment
-curved, broad, padded shoulder straps
-upper stabilizer straps.
-a hip belt that goes full circle under the lumbar pad and not just side straps from the base of the backpack. soft and broad padding to avoid pressure points that could quickly become very painful. look for high-friction fabrics.
-water proof
-spin drift collar

This sound about right?

Heres my hiking checklist. Do I need all this for going out on a 4 day hike?, I'll be fly fishing.
-Vboat
-Tent sleeping bag
-camera
-water pump what for
-non perishable food kfs/stove/pot
-Extra cloths
-Mountain Bike spare tube/pump
hatchet folding saw is lighter and more useful
Bear spray
rain gear
Rope para cord is lighter and takes up less space
survival kit what is it? First aid kit?
multi tool a good knife
map
compass
matches
flashlight
fire starter
insect repellent
whistle
thin and thick gloves and toque
toilet paper
lip balm
buff don't even know what that is
watch
cell phone
fly fishing gear


Anything i'm missing?
My first hike will be to fortress lake in late june.

...

[leggacy]

sounds like your good to go other then pots for cooking food! MEC packs are durable and being 18 I had a low budget too. you are good to go other then that. Let us know how it is! is this fortess lake near the old ski resort?

[backpacker]

My buds and I do a lot of backpacking every summer and Fortress Lake is on the list for the July long weekend.
We will be biking as far as the Athabasca river crossing(15 kms) and then hiking the rest of the way(9kms) into Fortress.
We generaly pack quite light and take only what we will use/need, thus keeping our pack weights down and our mobility high,lol.

If you want send me a message from this site and we can talk about your gear plans and needs as you have missed a few items and have other stuff that I wouldn't bother with.

[kronk]

Don't do too much backpacking anymore, but from experience, I would recomend copius amounts of toilet paper.

[FCLightning]

Originally Posted by kronk

Don't do too much backpacking anymore, but from experience, I would recomend copius amounts of toilet paper.

In a waterproof bag.

[ÜberFly]

And make sure to read "How to S H I T in the woods" i.e, don't leave your paper for the rest of up to enjoy pack it out or burn it if possible!!

Originally Posted by kronk

Don't do too much backpacking anymore, but from experience, I would recomend copius amounts of toilet paper.

[dickinsonpw]

Sounds like some great adventures coming your way. Get good gear if you will be doing lots of backcountry multi day trips.

Get lightweight good footwear - most important - break them in. My wife used to have serious issues with this - we would get 30-40km into a 7-10 day hike and her feet would be ruined.

Tent- get a good quality light tent that will keep you dry. I am currently using a North Face Minibus - now that I have babies, haven't tested it like my old tents. Seems pretty solid. The MSR tents are pretty good as well.

I have an older north face tent salamander 23 - good basic 2 ppl backpacking tent. I have tested this tent on multi day hikes all over the country- it is older, but still in solid condition.

If you want to check it out / borrow for your first hike or so - no problem. My family is growing and have 3 backpacking tents (hard to get rid of old ones when you get a new one). If you like it, I will sell / trade it for a steal... They are guaranteed for life - that is why I hang on to them (usually- but now 2 twin babies, no way I need 3 backpacking tents!)

Just PM me if you need any info or want to try out tent...

[Spidey]

Here's a nifty little gadget to bring along in case the matches get wet. I picked up a couple of them a CDN Tire yesterday. You can't go wrong for these at $4.99... Supposedly you can even solder with them in a pinch.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

[bdub]

If you keep your eyes peeled you can pick up some really good gear used. I picked up two top quality Arcterx packs in the last little while for cheap, a Bora 40 and a Bora 80 for less than I would of had to pay for the 40 new. Same goes for tents. Lots of good tents out there to choose from. This is where I would stay away from the c tire specials. If you are buying a used tent set it up and check it out before plunking down your cash. From your list I would get rid of the hatchet or saw. Most backpack fishing lakes already have enough trees hacked and chopped down in the best camping spots. Just collect dead wood further back in the bush. I pack a couple lighters rather than matches. I would also add a sleeping pad but I'm getting a bit soft in my old age. Sounds like a fun trip. Do everyone a favour and pack out all you pack in and if you can pack out any extra garbage left from previous visitors.

[Acesneights]

Bass pro has a one man bivy tent that is for one man however my girlfriend have fit decently. It is very affordable for a tent I think about 40 or 50 bucks

[biggamehunter]

Thanks for all the input guys, I just received ridgeway by kelty 64L backpack for my birthday. Any reviews on this? It seems really nice. I will look in to buying a nice lightweight pair of hiking boots. Any suggestions? I'll leave the water pump behind (a fellow of the forum said it would be good to have), I also need a good sleeping bag, I got a Woods (rectangular 5lb) sleeping bag for my birthday but it seams too big to hike with. What kinds of foods should I be taking? Any recommendations on a pot/pan set?

[Clgy_Dave2.0]

Originally Posted by biggamehunter

..matches

They still make those?!!!

Here's what I bring, cost about 20 cents: (can even get 'em wet and they'll still work 10 minutes later)

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by biggamehunter

Thanks for all the input guys, I just received ridgeway by kelty 64L backpack for my birthday. Any reviews on this? It seems really nice. I will look in to buying a nice lightweight pair of hiking boots. Any suggestions? I'll leave the water pump behind (a fellow of the forum said it would be good to have), I also need a good sleeping bag, I got a Woods (rectangular 5lb) sleeping bag for my birthday but it seams too big to hike with. What kinds of foods should I be taking? Any recommendations on a pot/pan set?

MTN Hard wear makes a good warm bag for under $200
MTN House food is the best freeze dried food Ive had.
Jet Boil will get the job done, if u only bring MTN House food u can eat them right out of the bag.
or Nimrod is selling a set, pot with pan, very light., & use that with a MSR pocket rocket, n jet boil fuel,
Sawyer makes a good cheep water filter, only 3oz

[Lonnie]

Originally Posted by biggamehunter

So im going to be doing alot of hiking this year, I need to know a few things. Please take into consideration that I do not have alot of money to spend. So could you please help me out?
1) Whats a lightweight compact 2 man tent that is great for backpacking?
2)What kind of backpack should I get? I'm thinking of a Midsize.
Midsize Backpack features
-sleeping bag compartment
-curved, broad, padded shoulder straps
-upper stabilizer straps.
-a hip belt that goes full circle under the lumbar pad and not just side straps from the base of the backpack. soft and broad padding to avoid pressure points that could quickly become very painful. look for high-friction fabrics.
-water proof
-spin drift collar

This sound about right?

Heres my hiking checklist. Do I need all this for going out on a 4 day hike?, I'll be fly fishing.
-Vboat
-Tent
-camera
-water pump
-non perishable food
-Extra cloths
-Mountain Bike
hatchet
Bear spray
rain gear
Rope
survival kit
multi tool
map
compass
matches
flashlight
fire starter
insect repellent
whistle
thin and thick gloves and toque
toilet paper
lip balm
buff
watch
cell phone
fly fishing gear


Anything i'm missing?
My first hike will be to fortress lake in late june.

your going to need a 3 ton truck to haul all of that. if your doing any serious hiking your pack should wiegh no more than 35 pounds.( how far is this hike )

[wildcat111]

i would recommend a gps, espically if someone gets injured and has to go for help in the dark, most will light up.

[Clgy_Dave2.0]

Originally Posted by Lonnie

your going to need a 3 ton truck to haul all of that. if your doing any serious hiking your pack should wiegh no more than 35 pounds.( how far is this hike )

LOL....I was thinking the same thing. His first hike is Fortress Lake, which if it's This One is 50 km's.

Im thinking a pack with:

Originally Posted by biggamehunter

S
-Vboat
-Tent
-Mountain Bike
-rain gear
-fly fishing gear

...among others....is gonna be a HUGE pack!!!!!

[biggamehunter]

Its an 8 hour hike or a 2 hour bike... I just got this truck as well. Ranger sport 4x4 love it.

[biggamehunter]

My inflatable frame-less pontoon is the lightest on the market, I'll be pulling it on a wagon behind my bike if its too heavy to wear on my back.

[backpacker]

Rather than pulling a trailer, you could pack some of your heavier items on a rear rack ,this works very good when I bike/hike. I stash my food and tent on my rear rack,leaving my pack a bit lighter. Of course, you could always leave the float tube at home and fly fish from shore. With all this rain and run-off to come yet, you will want to be very carefull with the crossing of the Chaba River.

[greylynx]

Originally Posted by backpacker

Rather than pulling a trailer, you could pack some of your heavier items on a rear rack ,this works very good when I bike/hike. I stash my food and tent on my rear rack,leaving my pack a bit lighter. Of course, you could always leave the float tube at home and fly fish from shore. With all this rain and run-off to come yet, you will want to be very carefull with the crossing of the Chaba River.

The Chaba River would be pretty nasty right now with all the rain.

The snow melt will be coming down big time in the next week or so.

Late June is the worse time of the year to hike into Fortress.

If you want to fish Fortress in late June get together with some guys and fly in.

[ishootbambi]

sounds like you got a decent pack. if you want a great website for quality gear, i found a place out of the US. they sell the high end stuff for what a lot of places want for half arsed gear. if you can stomach supporting MEC, i hate to say it but they have decent stuff at good prices under their own name. id rather just order quality gear though. if you want that website send me a PM. sponsor rules may get me yelled at for posting it.

oh, and steer clear of that mountain house garbage. there is better tasting stuff out there that weighs no more and costs way less than the ground cardboard they put in a bag and call food.

[ksteed17]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

oh, and steer clear of that mountain house garbage. there is better tasting stuff out there that weighs no more and costs way less than the ground cardboard they put in a bag and call food.

Ha ha I actually really like the stuff, but when your up in the mtns anything is better than nothing I guess!

[ishootbambi]

Originally Posted by ksteed17

Ha ha I actually really like the stuff, but when your up in the mtns anything is better than nothing I guess!

for whatever reason, everything tastes better when you are camping. try it at home sometime for a fair comparison.....

i think it was springer who typed out a good description of what im talking about. there are better tasting, less expensive options, but honestly i aint got the gumption to type it all out right now.

[Frans]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

oh, and steer clear of that mountain house garbage. there is better tasting stuff out there that weighs no more and costs way less than the ground cardboard they put in a bag and call food.

Hey, don't hold back! Spill the beans! What is it and where can I get it?

OK, If you can't type it out... can I call ya?

[BeeGuy]

kijiji is your friend for awesome deals on gear better than what is needed.

MEC Wanderer 2 tent is perfect for 2 people.

you might want a head lamp if it's not mentioned.

[leggacy]

mountain house freeze dried foods are nice but expensive. for a pot i just use an old one that is fine to put over the fire. I dont bring a plate.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by biggamehunter

Its an 8 hour hike or a 2 hour bike... I just got this truck as well. Ranger sport 4x4 love it.

I'll let others comment on equipment. My input would be this... don't have your first hike of the year be an 8 hour overnight one. Get out the next couple weekends and start training doing some much shorter ones. Do a three hour one this weekend. And make sure you have put a few miles on your new boots before you head to fortress! Go for a few evening walks in them, with your pack on and some eight in it. Get it all adjusted where you want it before that big hike.

[Lonnie]

I must be old as I use a #3 trapper nelson pack a small roll of 6 mil plastic for a tent and ground sheet a couple of rolls of electricians tape and a big roll of butchers cord. a roll of tin foil and a few other items that are generally found aruond the house. every thing is fairly cheap except my cruisers axe & sleeping bag. even my small bow saw (swede saw) was only 7or 8 dollars