I'd suggest researching the type of food you would like on your trip. Cooking over the fire can give you great meals, especially after toking
Thanks for all the responses guys. I haven't been on here in awhile and it was a nice surprise to see all your advice. I'm gonna get this jungle hammock I think, it has a net you can zip up to keep bugs out. I already have a tarp and it'll pack down much smaller than a tent would. I'll be sure to bring enough bud too!
My little brother has a hammock just like it. Have you ever done winter camping. It's hard, but very fun
na. It's still really cold here so I figured I'll just wait for my camping adventures once it's a little warmer. I don't wanna get in over my head
I always used to go just in warm weather, but decided last year to start stretching out the season a ways. My last trip was the last week of November, last year. Where I was in Utah it was nice during the day, mid-50s, but got really cold in a hurry in the evening. I was plenty warm in my tent for sleeping, but it was a real bitch getting up early in the morning with everything frozen. Water bottles left out were frozen solid; even gallon jugs kept inside my Jeep were freezing up. I'll try not to repeat that. Just a bit warmer would be fine.
I would love to get the chance to go out camping for a week and do nothing except enjoy nature. Here in Texas all the land is privately owned so its illegal to camp anywhere but camp grounds and you have to pay for most of those
I have had my share of experiences in the woods, whether it be hunting or just hiking for the fun of it. A lot of good advice has been presented so far, and it seems like you have done your research. I am not sure exactly what your idea of "camping" is, however where I grew up camping was going out in the woods and absorbing everything the great out doors has to offer, and in my opinion this requires really getting off the beaten path. With that being said, in any situation where you are going to be hiking and staying out in the woods for an extended period of time, it is extremely important that you consistently have your bearings while exploring. I feel that it is equally important to understand how to navigate in the woods, as it is to be well equipped. I feel like that is a huge misconception that leads to many people getting lost, just simply not respecting the fact the deep woods require your full attention and respect. Sorry for the rant, just wanted to give a different broad perspective on the topic.
best response yet, thank you. You've just explained what my idea of camping is in a much better way than I could have. I've never understood how people can park an rv at a campsite and call that "camping," you might as well just get a cabin in the woods. My plan is to go out for a weekend (two or three nights), and enjoy that spiritual connection with all the surrounding life. Maybe chill in a hammock with a good book and experiment with some campfire cooking. Then as it gets warmer and I gain experience I want to try and go out for a week and just escape everyday life for a while. That would be amazing
This is thread is awesome ! I love you're passion, It's good too see, I'm thinking about doing the same thing myself, However it's not just the cold weather that's preventing me from doing it right now, I have some other things that need too be resolved first, I've never been camping alone, so it's going to be a huge learning experience I'm going to take it easy to begin obviously, Theirs a place two hours drive from here which I think will be perfect, It's a campsite right by the river and beach, I figure it that'll be perfect, I can do all the stuff I want to do and if I mess up it's not like im completely out of civilization so I should be able to recover from it, I'm just going to focus on the very basics for a long while but theirs so many beautiful places around my local region i'll definitely be able to make it work, that's not to say I wont go with other people as well from time to time, I plan on doing both ! When i'm feeling more confident ect, ect, I do plan on doing what you're talking about, that does sound amazing !
check out Campmor.com as they are the bomb. for backpacks I prefer Osprey sleeping bags Marmot clothes marmot and patagonia Stoves: msr whisperlite tent: eureka backcountry 2 pad: lightweight air pad like sea to summit or thermarest boots: Lowa cookware: titanium water bladder: osprey and platypus roll up bottles rain gear: patagonia good headlamp good hand pump filter i have pur but there are better ones now
I love this thread so much that I finally broke down and made an account on grasscity just to post my reply. A lot of the advice given so far is really good and you definitely sound like you've done your research, the only things I can add there is to never stop doing research and learning about camping/backpacking, especially as new technology is always revolutionizing the kind of gear that's practical/safe to bring out into the wild. And also research where you're going, try to tailor your loadouts for specific trips that way you don't lug around unnecessary gear or even worse, find out you forgot something once you're already out there. As for Gear: Backpack: Osprey makes great packs, the Atmos AG is particularly comfy and lightweight, however it's price is pretty steep. I have a Kelty Redwing 50 which isn't the best organized or lightest pack out there, but for a pack that I got it for <$100, it's damn light and comfortable to wear. Sleeping Bag: I swear I don't work for Kelty, but they do make a really good down sleeping bag that you can get on amazon for <$200, it's called the Kelty cosmic down 20, for 3 season trips you won't need anything warmer unless you live in Greenland. That being said, the cosmic down is the cheapest down bag I've come across, and it isn't exactly cheap. If you don't have the funds to invest in a down bag I'd go with a cheap synthetic bag on amazon, for about $40 you can probably find something just as warm, it just won't be as light weight and compressible. Sleeping pad: Don't, I repeat, DO NOT, waste your money on a self inflating mattress. Nowadays there are air mattresses that stuff down way small and inflate to be way more comfortable than your grandpa's Thermarest. Sea to summit makes an ultralight air mattress that's only $10-20 more than the ol' reliable thermarest, and it's about 3 times as thick when inflated. I know blowing up a pad with your breath seems awful but it's really not that bad, besides it's just exercise for inhaling those massive bong rips. However that pad is $100, which is not too bad as far as air mattresses go, but if you're on a budget there's a foam pad that thermarest makes, I think it's called the SOLite, or Zlite or something, it's about $40 but its way comfier than the regular foam pads you can get for $10 at walmart(btw this is the super budget saving option). Shelter: Perhaps my least knowledgeable area, I've wanted to go with a hammock but out here in California there aren't always a lot of trees, let alone trees that'll support a hammock. The cheap and reasonably light option is to go with a 1 pound tarp and pitch it in an A shape with some trekking poles(or other poles). I just stick to tents, Eureka makes some good ones that are light, and not $400 but not dirt cheap either. I got my tent on amazon from a company called Weanas(I think), it was about 100 bucks, not the most durable fabric but it's like and will fit 2, and unlike a hammock I can pitch it almost anywhere. Regardless of what you end up buying, or have already bought seeing as this thread isn't exactly new, the categories mentioned above are going to make up the bulk of your base carrying weight so try to get the weight on those as low as you can if you plan on backpacking. I've found that getting weight off your back is the best thing you can do to turn those long trudges into wonder-filled adventures, besides being medicated of course. A little more gear: Clothes: Anything synthetic(polyester, nylon, etc) is going to wick away moisture better than cotton. Merino wool is another good option. As far as brands you can go cheap-o target brand or higher end stuff like the north face, there won't be too much of a difference. For warmth though, I suggest getting a puffy jacket that'll compress(down or synthetic). Fleece is nice and toasty but the wind'll rip right through it and most fleeces don't compress for shit, you can always wear a windbreaker over them though(this was my way of keeping warm on a budget for a while). Recently though I bought a Patagonia down sweater that I found on sale on mountaingear.com, it's the bees knees, compresses down super small and is way warmer than anything else I own. Cooking: You can save yourself a lot of money and make yourself a stove that burns denatured alcohol out of a cat food can, or just spend a few bucks and get something safer like a pocket rocket knock off from amazon. I got one for <$10 that works just as well as the name brand pocket rocket stove. For a cookset I'd look on amazon as well, Toaks makes some somewhat affordable Titanium pots, but there's also a new pot(for cooking!) from sea to summit that collapses to almost nothing, can't recall the name right now though. Most of what I eat in the backcountry is dehydrated food or instant oatmeal so boiling water is all I ever have to do. Save yourself some money and skip the jetboil, it's convenient but way overpriced. Shoes/boots: This can be a point of contention in some circles, the debate between "real" hiking boots and trail running shoes. My take on it is if you're carrying a heavy load(heavy being a subjective term), then you probably want the ankle support of hiking boots, especially if you know you're going over rough terrain. If your load is light(again subjective) and you'll mostly be on a trail, just get trail runners, you don't have to break them in and they're way lighter than boots which will save you some sweat. I could keep going on about gear but I'll end it here, sorry for the wall of text, I really hope someone finds it useful. Oh, one last point, roll up j's before you go, not only are they lighter than any glass you might want to bring, but when you're done hiking and setting up camp and having a fire started, it's nice to be able to just pull out your medication, sit back, and get lifted without having to put in the work of set up. Have fun out there, really glad to see other like-minded individuals are into camping and backpacking, here's hoping we bump into each other on a trail someday.
Anyone camp alone? I've been on several hikes early morning and see a guy or girl walking down or breaking down a camp site, by themselves, usually they'll bring a dog. There are hikes here in San bernadino that require 2 or 3 days, and I'm curious to try.
Haha it'll be a while before my dog is big enough to camp. She is a wolf hybrid, but only 6 weeks old grrr I haven't read of any mountain lion attacks on humans in this area, but many dogs are taken at night. I've seen lions twice in this part of southern cali.
The unfortunate aspect of camping solo in socal is we're full of the worst people in the world, lots of robbers and murderers here..
I do a good bit of camping and beach driving at assateague island on my own. It really isn't that bad and kind of like being solo. Also drove back from FL solo.