The importance of backpacking

scdub

scdub

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Hi All,

I contend that backpacking is extremely important as a way to learn about the wilderness and outdoor survival.

I’m sure it’s possible to learn the same skills while day-hiking or car-camping, but IMHO backpacking is different.

Once you’re carrying everything you need for your trip you see things differently and by necessity have to really prioritize and think about your tools/gear.

I suspect most folks will learn more and more quickly during a backpacking trip vs. a camping trip, and that’s partly why I started taking my son backpacking when he was 5. (Also because I love backpacking and wanted him to as well).

I have friends who even backpacked with a baby (although honestly that seems crazy to me).

When did you start? How about your kids?

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My first backpacking trip was when I was 11, in the Adirondacks in New York. For the last 21 years I have done a lot of backpacking in the Sierra (see my most recent trip in the thread about going to Mt Whitney with some youth).

Two of my sons have gone with me. One is not terribly interested in doing more, while the other still likes it.
 
My son is 19 now and with the exception of the last two years (related to covid, and him having college, a job and a girlfriend) we went at least once every year since he was 5.
I started at 12 with a school trip to Little Yosemite Valley and I was hooked since then.
We went camping this summer which was great but I’m really looking forward to another backpack trip. Planning to try Laguna Mtn in CA next…
Try it - especially if you have youngsters…
 
I agree about the importance of backpacking for learning outdoor and survival skills, and lots more. I didn't start backpacking until I was in my late 30's, although I did a lot of camping when I was younger and when I was in the Army Infantry - or whatever you want to call that: down range, bivouacking, ARTEP, etc.

I haven't done any backpacking since my heart surgery, but hopefully someday. I do a good bit of camping, hiking, etc. Probably the biggest impediment to me getting back into backpacking is a backpacking partner or partners than I can keep up with - or at least catch up to by the end of the day. My wife loves to go camping, but she's not interested in backpacking.
 
rje58 said:
I haven't done any backpacking since my heart surgery, but hopefully someday. I do a good bit of camping, hiking, etc. Probably the biggest impediment to me getting back into backpacking is a backpacking partner or partners than I can keep up with - or at least catch up to by the end of the day. My wife loves to go camping, but she's not interested in backpacking.
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Consider going solo!

I’ve done 4 trips either by myself or with just a dog and enjoyed every one.

Also do some casting about for camping spots that are 5 miles or less from the trailhead/or find some federal Forrest/BLM land where you can free-camp wherever.

This frees you up to carry more gear/comfort, go slower, and also in theory allows your group to travel at different paces.

When I was young I liked to cover distance and climb mountains, but these days I’m perfectly content to backpack 2 miles to a camp and day hike around from there.
 
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scdub said:
Consider going solo!

I’ve done 4 trips either by myself or with just a dog and enjoyed every one.

Also do some casting about for camping spots that are 5 miles or less from the trailhead/or find some federal Forrest/BLM land where you can free-camp wherever.

This frees you up to carry more gear/comfort, go slower, and also in theory allows your group to travel at different paces.

When I was young I liked to cover distance and climb mountains, but these days I’m perfectly content to backpack 2 miles to a camp and day hike around from there.
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I may have to do that. I'm at the age where I usually prefer "the buddy system", but that may be a good option.
 
it all started for me back packing up in Yosemite and really got me hooked, then other places like Colorado and Arizona and big bear come to mind! this was before I had my back surgery mind you, I really enjoyed it back then, I live in Monterey,calif. now and did lots of back packing in Big Sur always with my camera in hand as its a wonderful place to take photos when back packing, its a grate way to exercise and get things moving .:)
 
blanex1 said:
it all started for me back packing up in Yosemite and really got me hooked, then other places like Colorado and Arizona and big bear come to mind! this was before I had my back surgery mind you, I really enjoyed it back then, I live in Monterey,calif. now and did lots of back packing in Big Sur always with my camera in hand as its a wonderful place to take photos when back packing, its a grate way to exercise and get things moving .:)
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I was 12 on my first backpacking trip - my class went camping in Yosemite valley and about half of the class backpacked up to Little Yosemite Valley. The Mist Trail is an awesome sight. Big Sur is nice too - I got to the hot springs once many years ago…
 
I have a great aunt (well, long passed) who stated categorically that "you only own what fits in one canoe". She meant it literally as more than once in her life, all that had been saved was what she could load into the boat, and could survive the flash flood.
A good friend told me once, "when you smell the smoke, you'll decide if you have time for pants, or to move the truck out of the garage. He chose the truck.
Everyone is going to evacuate a house at some point. I think that the best way to practice is to do it on purpose. Travel in general, living light, and better yet, having the rules enforced. But overall, everyone should know exactly what the minimum viable is for keeping themselves and their loved ones alive for a bit longer than just 72 hours. I know that here that's not really swimming upstream, but then again, I bet there are a few guys here who's mental math is about a decade out of date. I've not set up a tent in two years, and that passed in a blink. Gotta keep sharp, or at the very least, know the limits.
 
Garmin mini, that tracking feature is not totally foolproof, but sure takes the risk edge off for those of us who don't feel like it's the right thing to do to go walking totally alone. Its good to know that someone can check in on you, and the messaging is a nice bonus.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Garmin mini, that tracking feature is not totally foolproof, but sure takes the risk edge off for those of us who don't feel like it's the right thing to do to go walking totally alone. Its good to know that someone can check in on you, and the messaging is a nice bonus.
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Do you like that Garmin? Does that one have a sat phone/distress signal or something similar, (sounds like satellite texting for sure)?

I keep meaning to start researching these in earnest, but then I start playing with knives and poking around here.
 
scdub said:
Do you like that Garmin? Does that one have a sat phone/distress signal or something similar, (sounds like satellite texting for sure)?

I keep meaning to start researching these in earnest, but then I start playing with knives and poking around here.
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I do like it. It's got one-way satellite texting if I can connect my phone, pre-set messages if I cannot, which is really good if someone has medical conditions, ie, "I'm okay but can't keep going" or "I've had an event but I'm not hurt" as well as the "get me out of here" button. There are those who will rightly say that it's not as reliable as an Epirb, and that's true. But all the Epirb can do is function when the button gets pressed. With the Garmin, someone can check in on you, and if you have been in the same spot for four hours without pressing the "I'm alright, just stopping here" button, or whatever you've arranged, they can call in help. For most people, their actual real risk is an injury or illness that means they cannot hit the button themselves. For me in Australia by big risk is snakebite. I can do first aid for that, but then it's a waiting game. If I can message out the assistance I need, I'm more likely to get an effective response. When your basic first aid is "don't move" you want someone to know that you probably didn't set up a bivouac.
I've not looked into SPOT's newest gear for a while, but I did run those with an organization I worked for, and they did work well for tracking, and their new stuff is better (we had gen 1 and gen2 trackers). Again, for solo, it's not bullet-proof, but having a good "last known" is one of the keys in making for a short search, and at the end of the day, you can only cover so many bases. If messaging is low priority, then the SPOT is fine. We used them as a backup to other comms systems, but we had that ability.
 
MrStabby7 said:
I started backpacking back in 2013 or 2014 and made plenty of 30 mile weekend trips for years. It's somthing I'd really like to get back into. Here's a photo of my setup.

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Nice!
My wife got herself a hammock tent system and I got to sleep in it once - so comfortable!! Way nicer than the ground.
I’ve been procrastinating getting one for myself (along with one of those Garmin GPS trackers) but it’s happening.
 
Just watch out for those dead trees (last year a backpacker in NH hung his hammock from a dead tree which fell on top of him and killed him)
 
scdub said:
Nice!
My wife got herself a hammock tent system and I got to sleep in it once - so comfortable!! Way nicer than the ground.
I’ve been procrastinating getting one for myself (along with one of those Garmin GPS trackers) but it’s happening.
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I sleep like a baby in a hammock. I've never been a tent guy I just cant sleep well no matter how much padding I bring.
 
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