Active outdoors: Backpacking in high gear

By Tim Jones
Thursday, July 13, 2006

Backpacking season is in full swing. Across the region, blackfly populations are disappearing and mosquitoes will settle down as the days get warmer and (please!) drier. This is definitely the time of year to get away from the road.
Long-distance backpacking requires a serious commitment of time, energy and money. If you're already a serious backpacker, you know what I mean. There's a definite magic to being out on your own for a week, a month, or more, but the farther you go and the longer you stay, the more you have to pay attention to every detail of the adventure.
Most of us just don't have the time to plan, prepare for and execute a truly long-distance hike like Vermont's Long Trail or the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. However, one-, two- or three-night adventures are doable and still rewarding in their own way. But you still have to plan and prepare.
Even short trips in good weather go smoother if you've thought through what you're doing ahead of time. People get into trouble when they just jump in ill-prepared. The best equipment in the world doesn't do you any good if you don't know how to use it.
If you've never backpacked before, the place to begin is your backyard or a roadside tent site (there are many in state parks and national forests across the region). Spend one night getting used to the gear before you trust your safety to it.
If you need help getting started, the Appalachian Mountain Club (www.outdoors.org) and its various regional affiliates, the Green Mountain Club (www.greenmountainclub.org) and the Adirondack Mountain Club (www.adk.org) all offer education courses. Savvy outdoor retailers like L.L. Bean, Eastern Mountain Sports and Kittery Trading Post, among others, all offer seminars and quality rental equipment, and they offer better service and better quality equipment than the camping department at a big box store.
The first mistake most beginning backpackers make is overloading their packs with too much stuff. The second mistake they make, usually after having suffered through the first one, is not bringing enough stuff for safety and comfort. It takes awhile to find the correct balance.
You start with the basics you always carry when you leave the road: A way to supply safe drinking water (purifying tablets or a filter); adequate clothing for the possible weather including rain and chilly nights (cotton clothing is never appropriate for backcountry use); food for the duration, plus a little extra; basic hygiene equipment (toothbrush, toilet paper, baby wipes) and emergency gear (insect repellent, knife, firestarters, first aid and medical kit, maps, compass).
Then you add the stuff you need for comfort: a tarp to keep the rain off or, better yet, a lightweight tent; a pad to rest on and a light sleeping bag, sleep sack or even just a lightweight fleece blanket. If you don't get a good night's sleep, you won't enjoy your days.
If you want hot food and beverages, bring a lightweight stove and minimal cook gear and utensils.
Add a small light source (the nights are short in summer), a paperback book or a deck of cards.
Those are the basics. Remember, everything you add is more to carry.
From now through the end of October, throwing a pack on your back with everything you need to live and walking away from the road is kind of the ultimate Active Outdoor sport. You are living the dream 24 hours a day for as many days as you choose.
How much weight?
At the AMC's Joe Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch, N.H., there's a scale where hikers can weigh their packs before heading off into the Presidential Range. I've seen folks stagger off on an overnight adventure with packs that weighed 80 pounds. I've also seen fanatics who can do a two- or three-night trip with a pack that weighs 20 pounds.
While it's generally more comfortable to carry less weight, there are tradeoffs involved.
For example, my humongous old MountainSmith (www.mountainsmith.com) internal frame pack weighs over six pounds and holds 6,000-plus cubic inches of gear. That's huge. And heavy. But winter or summer, long walk or short, everything I ever want to take fits in or on it. By contrast, I also have a new Gregory (www.gregorypacks.com) Z-Pack that weighs 3 1/2 pounds and holds 3,500 cubic inches. The smaller size definitely forces me to pack more carefully, but I've saved almost three pounds before I start to pack.
My basic summer sleeping bag is a Coleman Exponent Canyon 32 with synthetic fill. It weighs under three pounds and has kept me warm in an Arctic summer snowstorm. My buddy has a Mountain Hardwear (www.mountainhardwear.com) Phantom down bag that's half the weight, even warmer, but three times the price and useless if it gets wet. Tradeoffs.
My four-pound Coleman Exponent Inyo tent offers a whole lot more protection than a 12-ounce tarp. There are lighter tents, but they are either smaller, more expensive or less durable.
I usually choose reliable and practical over super-light. If you absolutely need to shave ounces, you can -- for a price. But, for most of us, total pack weight of about 30 to 35 pounds, which is easily achievable, will take us comfortably down the trail for several nights.
Rain gear review
A longtime reader wrote recently to complain about the failure of his Gore-tex and other waterproof and breathable outerwear and boots in this year's constant rainstorms. He accused a couple of well-known companies of producing gear that didn't keep him or his companions dry.
My raingear, on the other hand, has been working perfectly. Footwear is another issue entirely.
This has been an unusually wet year. Has your rain gear and "waterproof" footwear kept you dry or leaked like a sieve? Send me your stories, name the brands. If there's a pattern, I'll share the results in a future column.
Freelance writer Tim Jones covers travel and outdoor sports. Contact him at timjones@active-outdoors.com.