Newb with gear quesions

[MRncmatt]

Howdy,

My name is Matt and im from the coastal North Carolina. I got a little change in my pocket recently and have been really wanting to get back into camping and backpacking. Ive got a little brother and girlfriend who have never been camping (which blew my mind) so i need to fix this. I have $100 to spend on a shelter and $100 to buy a pack. Shelters i was thinking of using a hammock, packs i have no clue. I know that's a pretty tight budget but its what i got -thanks to our fearless leaders. We will be doing weekend trips at parks and off the trail sometimes in summer & winter. I appreciate any input you guys got. Cause post are useless without pics- thanks for any input.


my favorite blade right now, no other reason than its big and sharp.

My ka-bar heavy bowie.

blade bent while batoning.

Becker bk2. Bought it randomly on amazon and glad i did.

Coldsteel tanto, Gave this to my little brother for his first large knife.

 

[--J]

Hey Matt, maybe the best bet on that budget would be hammocks paracord and tarps; you can do so much with that. Head for the Surplus store for the bags etc, second hand camping gear just means it was extensively tested.
Stay near the beaten path until you get a few good camps in, winter is a whole different experience...try Fall camping a few times 1st.
Nice pile of knives you have there, you might want to sell one and buy a hatchet

 

[Codger_64]

Mil-surp is one way to go for low price, but the stuff is generally heavy and not as well suited to recreational use as commercial gear. Another is to watch the sale forum here and watch eBay and Craigs list. You won't get a whole lot of top quality new gear for two bills. But you can certainly get some good usable used gear for that. You can also buy demos and returns from stores. I am using a $75 pack I found at Walmart and it will do me until I feel the need to upgrade to a better brand than Coleman Max65. I am confused though if you are trying to outfit for one person, or two alternating between your GF and little brother, or for three at once.

 

[dipbait]

A local department store has a super clearance sale on camping gear. Tents are cheap. You might want to check around.

 

[crazyengineer]

how many people are you wanting to outfit?

I dont know where you are at, but a great way to get camping gear for cheap is REI, at first it is expensive, but if you get a membership (1 time $20 fee) you can go to the garage sale which they sell a lot of stuff the has been returned, broken on floor, etc.....

my mother buys Northface (i think) jackets with broken zippers for like 10 bucks (150$ jackets about) and send them in for the warranty, zipper is replaced and you got a great jacket

last time i went to one of them, there were a lot of packs for sale, some had a zipper messed up on the small pockets (actually a lot of them did), some had very easily patchable holes, some had nothing that i could find. they usually have tents as well, they have sleeping mats, but many have patches on them though they still hold air, the previous owner wanted an upgrade


only thing, if you decide to go the garage sale route, make sure you are there EARLY, we showed up 2.5 hours before the store opened and still had an hour wait to get in

 

[baldtaco-II]

I think you've been given some good advise above as far as packs are concerned.


Get a good look about for stuff that is on sale and if you can get a try of it in a local shop, even if you aren't buying from there.


You mention sometimes off trail summer and winter. As I see it then big is good. Winter gear is bulky even if it isn't much heavier. If you

are just starting to gear up then the chances are your winter gear may be even more bulky - I'm thinking winter sleeping bag, and perhaps you

don't use duvet jackets, and so on. If you're only doing weekend trips there's no need to go nuts even then. Around 65 ltrs or so should be

good.


Golden rule - Whether you are aiming for a smallish bag that leans more toward moderate conditions like

this or something a bit more substantial like

this, no military packs. It might be tempting

to go on-the-cheap with a bit of military surplus, or get sucked into one of those things that goes all 511 Tuxedo and Tilly image, but FFS

no! Sports packs are designed around the human anatomy doing various tasks; trekking, long hauling load, climbing .etc. Military packs tend

not to be. They have fo fit around gear, armor, and all that jazz, and user comfort is down the list. A good example is the *hip belt*. On a

good civilian pack the hip belt will place much of your load on your hips and on the strong muscles around the pelvic girdle. Soldiers with

belt order can't have that as easily so the hip belts tend to ride high and don't transfer the load anything like as well. Worse, is the high

flying padded *waist belt* that suckers the naive into thinking it will do something useful. The only useful thing they do is add a modicum

of stability, they don't help carry anything as in shifting the load from your shoulders. There are exceptions but they are way outside your

budget, so for all practical purposes when you come across 'em f''em off.


I don't do hammock camping and mebe someone with more knowledge than I will chime in. Rock6 on here is clued up. That said, it is my

understanding that hammock camping isn't going to be the most cost effective route in for you. Decent hammocks aren't especially cheap and if

it doesn't come with one you'll also need some sort of roof. Add to that a hammock is a colder sleep and you'll need to consider some sort of

underquilt. They will also challenge your sleeping bag more than the same bag on the ground on a mat. There's an excellent hammock forum out

there I suggest looking at starting with this page.

Given you also want to introduce your girlfriend and brother to this stuff, plus the bang for the buck thing, I think you'd do better with a

tent. You wont have the creepy crawlie issues to fix like in a hammock, it'll be warmer 'cos you'll pool your heat, you can divide the load

between you, and it'll keep team moral much higher than independent units watching smug git sleeping warm and merrily in his while they don't.


Again, I think you got some good advise above on plotting up on sales. I would add a single caveat - whatever you get buy one with alu poles

not glass. There's no excuse for glass. They are weak, they break easily, and they suck. No serious tent uses them, wonder at why. If you

can't find one with alu poles keep looking, only the bone idle will settle for less. I'm not even in the US and the last time I commented in

this it took me less than five minutes to find a budget friendly but good enough three person Eurika dome for about $100, and it had alu

poles. In that same thread folks were recommending Eurika glass pole models several rungs down the range, that cost $30 more, even after I

had spoken. Whatever you find have those poles in the forefront of your mind.


Happy foraging,

 

[MRncmatt]

Im just outfitting myself, everyone else has stuff headed there way in December. Im gonna take the suggestion and get a tent rather than a hammock and look into a good used/ on sale sleeping bag. Unfortunately i live an hour and change from the closest REI. We have an outdoor provision co. ill have to check out.

 

[jumpmonkey]

I'd suggest trying a tarp over a tent. You can get a good tarp for 50 or 60 and it will be nice and light and provide good shelter for you. Make stakes on the spot or buy a couple of cheap light aluminum ones (or shell out for ti.) Get some 550 to string it up. Use the money you save to buy a nicer pack?


God bless,
Adam

 

[Codger_64]

Im just outfitting myself, everyone else has stuff headed there way in December. Im gonna take the suggestion and get a tent rather than a hammock and look into a good used/ on sale sleeping bag. Unfortunately i live an hour and change from the closest REI. We have an outdoor provision co. ill have to check out.

REI, Campmor and Gander Mountain are having fall closeouts right now. I just picked up a new TNF Cats Meow 20 degree bag for less than $100. Also check with the Outfitter at Harpers Ferry.

 

[wildmanh]

I'd suggest trying a tarp over a tent. You can get a good tarp for 50 or 60 and it will be nice and light and provide good shelter for you. Make stakes on the spot or buy a couple of cheap light aluminum ones (or shell out for ti.) Get some 550 to string it up. Use the money you save to buy a nicer pack?
God bless,
Adam

I agree with Adam, get a good Tarp, then put your money towards your sleeping bag, pack or what ever you need. REI, Sportsmans Warehouse and other Big box places should be able to help you get setup with gear that will work for you. The end of summer sales are starting so keep an eye out.