Intro and Craziness

**Rick** · 10-17-2009, 06:40 PM

Not to get personal but you said you don't have any family other than your mother and father. Did I miss something?

If your brother has backpacked Europe then you have a very knowledgeable person to rely on. I'm sort of lost at this point on your situation.

**Motormouth** · 10-17-2009, 06:50 PM

I'm sorry let me set this straight. I have 3 older brothers. Ages 30, 28, and 23. The youngest one is the one that had the pack. but currently he is in China teaching English and kind of missionary work. The second oldest is working 2 jobs and never has a chance for a break. And my oldest brother is not exactly the camping type. He's currently translating a huge book from Japanese to English. That's what he does. And this is kind of his huge break, so I can't take him away from it.

What my brother did was bicycling in England and camping on the road. (Just asked my mom) Not the sort of stuff I am going for.

**Rick** · 10-17-2009, 06:53 PM

Okay, I'm with you. Did your brother leave any other gear there that you might be able to use. Or...can you join him over the summer and do some camping with him in Japan? Lot's of possible options there.

**Motormouth** · 10-17-2009, 07:16 PM

I already went to visit him once and it's really expensive so I don't think I can. But he left the following items.

A very nice bivy so I don't need to get a tent or anything. Also large enough to store my pack in.
Some rain proof pants.
Emergency blanket.
Sierra Designs jacket.
A nice bottle with a carabiner clip.
Ultralight first aid kit.
MSR pots.
And a little homemade stove made out of some quarter inch wire mesh stuff and half a Pepsi can with some holes in the side. I remember making it for him and it worked great. He said it was perfect too.
Waterproof matches.
Utensils.
Titanium cup.
And a can/bottle opener with a corkscrew.
And the fuel for the stove, which is methylated spirit.

So I've already got some nice gear. Not everything but a good start.

**crashdive123** · 10-17-2009, 07:23 PM

Are you dropping out of college for your journey or just taking a break?

**Motormouth** · 10-17-2009, 07:30 PM

Not dropping out. I'm gonna tough it out through the rest of this semester, and when it comes time for next semester I just wont register for classes. It's a community college too so it's not a big deal. And even better is that my parents are fully behind me.

**Sarge47** · 10-17-2009, 07:36 PM

So, it looks good so far; check out these blogs, they should help.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/blog.php?b=29

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...blog.php?b=101

Read & learn!

**Ken** · 10-17-2009, 09:14 PM

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**Ken** · 10-17-2009, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by Sarge47

Sorry dude, my bad.

You can always make up for your indiscretion by flogging yourself.

I'm told that when flogging oneself, technique is very important. So, maybe you should practice on Rick before you do your own penance.

Just sayin'.

**wildWoman** · 10-17-2009, 09:33 PM

Looks like you're good to go if you can score a sleeping bag! At least for some practice weekend hikes and the like. Have fun!

**Motormouth** · 10-17-2009, 09:48 PM

Any recommendations on a good sleeping bag? My parents say they will help me out with buying it. And I would like to get one that's good to around 10 or 20 degrees.

**Sarge47** · 10-18-2009, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by Motormouth

Any recommendations on a good sleeping bag? My parents say they will help me out with buying it. And I would like to get one that's good to around 10 or 20 degrees.

1st, stay away from down filling as it loses all of it's insulation when it get's wet. Answer these few questions:

Mummy bag or rectangular?

How much do you have to spend?

Will weight be a consideration?

If you want the best bang for the buck, check out this website as they have great savings on all kinds of camping & hiking gear!

www.sierratradingpost.com

I also noticed the lack of a compass in your list, do you have one? I would also look into a better quality stove; what type of boots do you have? I almost dread asking this, but what knives do you have?

**Motormouth** · 10-18-2009, 02:17 AM

Originally Posted by Sarge47

1st, stay away from down filling as it loses all of it's insulation when it get's wet. Answer these few questions:

Mummy bag or rectangular?

How much do you have to spend?

Will weight be a consideration?

If you want the best bang for the buck, check out this website as they have great savings on all kinds of camping & hiking gear!

www.sierratradingpost.com

I also noticed the lack of a compass in your list, do you have one? I would also look into a better quality stove; what type of boots do you have? I almost dread asking this, but what knives do you have?

I guess a mummy bag since that's the shape of my bivy sac. I'd like to stay under $250 but I don't know if that's possible. And I would prefer it to be pretty light as far as bags go.

I do have a compass. And I'll look into some other stoves. No boots yet but I'm going to look for them as well as a sleeping bag either tomorrow or monday at REI. And I've got some knives but the one I was gonna take with me is this one. It was in our shed out back that has any number of items to do with anything.

**Rick** · 10-18-2009, 09:50 AM

Now, see? I'm all confused again. I thought you said you were 16. And you're in college?

**Sarge47** · 10-18-2009, 10:05 AM

Knife looks good, I'd add a Victorinox Swiss Army knife for a pocket knife. What compass do you have? As for top quality sleeping bags for a lot less than you posted; check these out:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/3...ping-Bags.html

That should help!

**pocomoonskyeyes** · 10-18-2009, 10:14 AM

Good basic knife design, Except for the notch cut out by the handle, but you should be OK as long as you don't try to pry any wood apart while Batonning wood.
Make sure you break in any boots you buy, well before you plan on using them for hiking. Otherwise your very first hike will be so miserable you won't want to try it again. Your Feet are very important when hiking.Your stomach(food and water) and feet and legs are the things that you really have to take care of. You will have to have enough calories and nutrition to carry you through the exercise you will be doing. You will have to have enough water to keep you hydrated sufficiently.Which brings me to another point. All I saw(on your list) was a bottle w/ carabiner clip and Titanium cup as far as water vessels. You are going to need something more to carry water. You will have to plan accordingly around that. There are all types of water containers that collapse,that aren't too much, cost-wise. Bladders and "Jugs" - both will work. I would suggest going to a campground first just so you can familiarize yourself with your equipment,and still be close enough that you won't get into any serious trouble. Kind of a trial run, You could do the same thing you would do each day on an actual trail. Pack it all up and move out hiking on a trail.Granted you would be going back to the same campsite each day. But it would be good practice in a fairly safe location. Plus if you got hurt while Training you would be close to help. This will help you get used to the routine of your hiking experience. I'm sure others will pitch in with other advice I may have overlooked,or even better options/advice than I have given. Sorry This is so long.

**Motormouth** · 10-18-2009, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

Now, see? I'm all confused again. I thought you said you were 16. And you're in college?

Haha yeah I'm in college and 16. I was getting into too much trouble at my high school and it was way too easy so my parents and I decided to try college. It's possible at 16 but I almost got dropped halfway though due to some confusion.

Originally Posted by Sarge47

Knife looks good, I'd add a Victorinox Swiss Army knife for a pocket knife. What compass do you have? As for top quality sleeping bags for a lot less than you posted; check these out:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/3...ping-Bags.html

That should help!

The compass is also my brothers and it looks something like this. http://www.mapcompass.co.uk/map_compass.jpg
Thanks for the link Sarge.

Originally Posted by pocomoonskyeyes

Good basic knife design, Except for the notch cut out by the handle, but you should be OK as long as you don't try to pry any wood apart while Batonning wood.
Make sure you break in any boots you buy, well before you plan on using them for hiking. Otherwise your very first hike will be so miserable you won't want to try it again. Your Feet are very important when hiking.Your stomach(food and water) and feet and legs are the things that you really have to take care of. You will have to have enough calories and nutrition to carry you through the exercise you will be doing. You will have to have enough water to keep you hydrated sufficiently.Which brings me to another point. All I saw(on your list) was a bottle w/ carabiner clip and Titanium cup as far as water vessels. You are going to need something more to carry water. You will have to plan accordingly around that. There are all types of water containers that collapse,that aren't too much, cost-wise. Bladders and "Jugs" - both will work. I would suggest going to a campground first just so you can familiarize yourself with your equipment,and still be close enough that you won't get into any serious trouble. Kind of a trial run, You could do the same thing you would do each day on an actual trail. Pack it all up and move out hiking on a trail.Granted you would be going back to the same campsite each day. But it would be good practice in a fairly safe location. Plus if you got hurt while Training you would be close to help. This will help you get used to the routine of your hiking experience. I'm sure others will pitch in with other advice I may have overlooked,or even better options/advice than I have given. Sorry This is so long.

Would some gallon size ziploc bags be good or are they more for when you don't really have anything else to use? And as far as boots go it looks like some have more ankle support than others, should that be a big factor when purchasing them? And that sounds like a good plan to test out everything I have while staying safe and close to help.

**SARKY** · 10-18-2009, 12:56 PM

First, yes REI rents equipment
second, stay away from Serria club, having had dealing with their upper managment, they are hacks who don't put their money where their mouth is.
third, get youself a cheap large used pack (ALICE) and slowly increase the load and hike with it. This is the best way to work up not only your stamina but to also see what it is like to have a pack on your back all day. Before anyone jumps on me here, I know that an ALICE is not the best pack as far as comfort and load bearing, but it is a good practice pack as you can put a lot of stuff in it. When you get a pack (the pack) make sure it has a hydration bladder as this will make it easier to drink as you walk and hydration is the key.