Hiking Gear Help

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northend816

northend816

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Well me and my dog have gotten into day hiking and just love it but I need some gear and know nothing and it. Im looking to pick up a nice backpack, compass, fire starter, jacket, and whatever I may need just in case of trouble. So Im asking you guys to give me some brands and places I can pick this stuff up. I don't need top of the line stuff but want good stuff that will last. Thanks
 
I enjoy my TAD Ranger Hoodie LT a lot! :) As far as fire starters go.. If you have a carbon blade grab a magnesium stick. If not, dryer lint with some Vasoline jelly works great! And for some great hiking boots Kenetreks, very light and durable. For a backpack I have a Badlands Sacrifice and you can pack as big or as small as you want. For hiking shorts Kuhl Renegade shorts, I love them and wear them all the time!
 
Much of your choices will depend on where and when you plan on hiking. All-day or multi-day long distance trails have much different needs than a nature walk in the forest preserve. In Maryland, or someplace else? Year-round means heavier gear and more supplies than fair-weather hikes.

Daypack. I just buy the best that's on sale. ;) No particular brand to recommend, there are many good ones, but if you want one to last make sure it has a draw string top loading design so you're not dependent on a zipper.

Compass, Suunto M3 Leader. Doesn't get any more simple or reliable than that.

In general, start with the Ten Essentials:

Map
Compass
Sunglasses and sunscreen
Extra clothing
Headlamp/flashlight
First-aid supplies
Firestarter
Matches
Knife
Extra food
 
Gregory and Osprey make great backpacks, Arcteryx makes THE best jackets. Its fun to make things difficult but the best firestarter is a lighter, scatter a few throughout your kit. Suunto is a great brand for a compass. Try stuff on at a store near you then check out REI.
 
Thanks guys im very excited about getting some gear and doing some hiking/exploring! up to this point ive just been going on 2-4 hour hikes with my dog on Wills Mtn by my house but im hoping to push that out to day long trips just want to make sure im prepared to do so
 
Don't forget the Eleventh Essential, a camera. So you can share your hiking pictures on the forums here. :D
 
Packs: I've had great luck with Osprey packs--they have the best warranty in the business (lifetime, transferable, no receipt necessary, no questions asked), are super durable, comfortable, and reasonably priced. The Kestrel is my go-to day pack.

Compass: +1 for Suunto

Fire Starter: I carry at least two methods. A Bic lighter and a ferro rod are my go-to (Nanostriker XL, but just about any will work). For tinder, cotton balls soaked in Vaseline stored in a pill bottle are about as good as it gets.

Jacket: I carry a Marmot Super Mica because it's lightweight, but some good brands are: Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Marmot, Mountain Hardware, and Columbia. Just be warned that anything waterproof will need to have zippered vents or you will get soaked with sweat while hiking. Even Goretex will leave you wet and clammy if you are really hiking hard. The only semi-exceptions are eVent and DryQElite, but they are expensive and still not as breathable as vents.

Other items: Headlamps are super convenient and if you are doing full-day hikes, sooner or later you will find yourself hiking in the dark. I also always carry a mini first aid kit, or at least a blister kit (mole foam, athletic tape, hand sanitizer). An extra pair of socks is nice if you get your other ones wet, as wet feet usually lead to blisters. A good pair of well-fitting boots or trail runners is probably your most important piece of gear, and will be the hardest to find. The key is to find a very knowledgeable salesperson to help out--and they can be even harder to find. Short of that, search online for how to choose hiking boots--it's a topic that takes a few pages to really cover. Blisters are more of a problem for backpackers, but they can definitely happen on day hikes too, and they can be seriously debilitating.
 
I started a thread a little while ago showing pictures of all my backpacking gear. Should help you or at least give you some ideas... My Stuff
 
REI is a great resource. As awesome as shopping on-line is, making sure stuff fits is critical. Find a store, load up the backpack, and see how it feels. A good store will have sand-bags to weight down bags. I've seen bags go from great to painful with just a little change in weight because they didn't fit right. Jackets are another thing that fit is important on, and fitting the jacket with the backpack is important as well. Buy stuff that's light, don't bother with mil-spec stuff and carry two pounds of bag before you've even started.
There is lots to explore, don't worry about getting it all at once, let the gear you buy be dictated by how you'll use it and you'll have a much better time.
 
Can't say enough good stuff about TAD products.

as for the ten essentials.
Map: Try and find one that is produced by the park that you hike in.
Compass: Silva Ranger or if you wanna really get a nice one Cammenga makes the Army lensatic compass that is the bee's knees.
Sunglasses: Oakley, Smith, Wiley-x. Or just a pair of cheapies.
Headlamp: I like the surefire Minimus, and it is worth its weight in gold. Cheaper stuff that is still reliable can be found from Princeton tec, and Petzl.
First-aid: I tend to carry a first responder IFAK and am trained so my loadout is vastly different than most people. Adventure medical gets some nice and reasonably priced kits that ought to fill any role.

Now as for packs, I am really, really picky about packs. The brands that I own and endorse are: Kifaru, Arcteryx, Eberlestock (check out their x4 hi-speed for a day pack), Mystery Ranch, Granite Gear and Hill People Gear. of all of those Eberlestock and Granite Gear are the two most reasonably priced. Osprey also makes reasonable priced day packs, but as I said I am picky so I end up giving my Osprey and Maxped stuff to friends. I highly recommend Granite Gear for a good non-tactical lightweight bag that will stand up to the bumps and bruises of hiking. When a guy or gal in my life decides that they want to start going out into the woods, Granite Gear is always the pack company that I try and sell them on, very reasonably priced for what you get and very well reviewed and tested. You won't be disappointed. The high end of casual back packing is Arcteryx, they command a premium and are generally great at making packs and clothing, however, even owning one of their top tier packs (Altra 75) I can tell you that they are pushing up against the law of diminishing return, and if weight isn't a huge factor I would probably spend that money on a Mystery Ranch, Kifaru or Eberlestock pack. Even if you aren't a pack snob/collector I recommend getting a nice pack and not worrying about your pack breaking or having to replace it every season. Also at REI and other such places you can go and try packs on, they will stuff sandbags in it so that you can feel how it carries.

On a side note: another thing I always carry when I am out hiking recreationally is a good staff. I love my Crawford Survival Staff, it is one of the best purchases that I have ever made and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others. A bit on the pricey side (if you can't tell by now I like nice things) but well worth it.

Oh, and welcome to the adventure.
 
Pick up these 2 books and read them. "The Backpackers Handbook" by Chris Townsend and "The Complete Walker" by Colin Fletcher. They offer the best overviews I know off.
 
northend816 said:
Well me and my dog have gotten into day hiking and just love it but I need some gear and know nothing and it. Im looking to pick up a nice backpack, compass, fire starter, jacket, and whatever I may need just in case of trouble. So Im asking you guys to give me some brands and places I can pick this stuff up. I don't need top of the line stuff but want good stuff that will last. Thanks
Click to expand...

Well that kinda depends on your situation, location, altitude, weather conditions, season, so on and so forth. With some added information about where your at and where you plan on going, not to mention what weather conditions your having I could help you out. However even without that information I can give you some suggestions on some general items that no hiker should be without regardless of specifics.

Backpack (for day hike): Without a doubt get yourself a Kelty Redwing
Compass: Cammenga Model 27CS
Fire Starter: Light my fire

Also check out REI, they have loads of info on their site not to mention everything to outfit you for whatever excursion or quick jaunt you plan on going on. Here is there checklist to give you an idea of some other essentials you may want to have with you.
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/day-hiking-checklist.html

If you have any questions about anything specific let me know. See you on the trails...

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razorsdescent, thanks for the tip on Granite Gear, they seem to have some really nice stuff. And their tactical gear looks great too! I've been trying to decide on a war belt for a few weeks now and after looking at the one by Granite Gear my decision just became tougher.

By the way, do you have any photos of your gear? I always enjoy looking at what other people use and have for their outdoor/backpacking equipment. Possted a link to my stuff about 6 posts up if you care. Anyway, thanks again for the info!
 
Bob W said:
In general, start with the Ten Essentials:

Map
Compass
Sunglasses and sunscreen
Extra clothing
Headlamp/flashlight
First-aid supplies
Firestarter
Matches
Knife
Extra food
Click to expand...

I taught backpacking to NYC inner city kids who had no spare cash at all for equipment

I am sure you have all the gear you need in your house for day hiking, including a pair of boots
Perhaps not a compass, but that can be done for $5

Hike alot, then find out what you like
then spend limited amount of money of gear
 
As for a dayhike pack I havent found one I like more than my Osprey Kestrel 32. However packs are a very personal thing and the best suggestion I can make here is to take a trip to a local REI and try on a lot of packs. The people there are super helpful and then you can make sure you have a pack that fits you.
 
neeman said:
I taught backpacking to NYC inner city kids who had no spare cash at all for equipment

I am sure you have all the gear you need in your house for day hiking, including a pair of boots
Perhaps not a compass, but that can be done for $5

Hike alot, then find out what you like
then spend limited amount of money of gear
Click to expand...

This is especially true if you're going to start out by hiking with friends. Every person should have their own Ten Essentials. But not every person needs a $100 compass or a $60 flashlight. Other non-essential gear can be shared among the group - one camp stove, one bird book, one or two good cameras...

There are also variations in the Ten Essential lists floating around. For example, the list I quoted above has both "matches" and "firestarter," but in my opinion they forgot "signaling device," normally a whistle or mirror depending on environment.
Which brings up another point, the Ten Essential list should be custom-suited to the hiking environment. "Extra Clothes" for a late fall hike in the Rockies and "Extra Clothes" for a summer hike in the Ozarks are two totally different things. :)
 
Bob W said:
Which brings up another point, the Ten Essential list should be custom-suited to the hiking environment. :)
Click to expand...

True
Growing up in England we always had a bivi bag (which was a heavy mil person sized orange garbage bag) and a whistle
 
I have a degree in Outdoor Recreation, and am pretty sure we had an exam on the Ten Essentials. :)
 
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