Outdoor Recreation

River

Active member
Hiking, backpacking, skiing, camping, boating, rafting, picnics, ...etc.

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My partner, Kevin, & I will be going backpacking in the New Mexico wilderness on Friday for three nights! We've done a lot of hiking and "car-camping" together over our nearly 13 years together, but this will be our first backpacking trip, as it took us a while to get all of the proper equipment.... Stuf's expensive -- for the good gear.

We're gonna make our first backpacking trip together real easy! The trail we're taking is only 6 miles, so it will mostly be about hanging out in the wilderness rather than going in far. It makes sense to go easy since neither of us have backpacked since our youth. We need to ease into it. We're in pretty decent shape for "older" guys, but there are risks and our wilderness skills and packing sensibilities are in need of gradual improvement after years of neglect.

The equipment we acquired will make life much easier! We got the perfect space age backpaking cooking equipment, and a really cool lightweight and compact hand crank operated water filter device. I've never used one of those, and always packed all the water needed -- so this will save a lot of weight, so long as we plan our trips where good water is to be found. (Filters are good to prevent microbial diseases!) And now we both have really fine internal frame packs....

Any backpackers in here?
 
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Whatever you do, Don't Tell Him That Made Me Giggle!:D

There is a hierarchy in the Serious Business of Outdoorsmanship (... and Outdoorwoman [uh]... manship...).

At the top of the hierarchy of Serious Camping (no gay pun intended) are Backpackers, for obvious reasons.

Middleway, are the "car campers," who "pack" everything into the "wilderness" in their cars, but at least "rough it" by sleeping in tents.

At the very bottom of the hierarchy, are those who camp in trailers, which they pull behind their cars or trucks. They are at the bottom for obvious reasons.:
(a) They pee indoors! (b) they poop indoors (c) they often even cook indoors (d) they have eee-lec-tricity! (e) they may even blow dry their hair, or, worse (f) watch television in there!:p
 
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Um, River honey - it's a TearDrop trailer; NOT an RV.

Google is your friend. I'll wait.


Everything you said in that last paragraph is untrue.

Talk about ASSUMPTIONS.

I guess you could color me offended.
 
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Aha! So there are at least Four Levels of our Esteemed and Eternal Hierarchy!

(a) backpackers -- the oh-so-superior ones.

(b) car campers who sleep in tents.

(c) teary-eyed boy-men with their tender wives in TearDrop trailers.

(d) the unmentionables.
 
Whatever... Maybe we should ask Barry for some insight about this.

Don't know where you got your criteria for (c).
 
I guess you could color me offended.

I thought my spoofy humor was obvious enough! ... Color me, trying to be funny!
 
Oooops!

Funny, Kevin & I were just discussing this thread... when it dawned on me, slowly, that I may have been spoofed in reverse! Me pulling your chain and you pulling mine about it. Sorry... slow learner here. Perhaps because I'm unleashing my silly side moreso than ever in this forum, and ... well, I tend to come off pretty serious most days.
 
tab_trailer.jpg


Well... Okay....:D
 
That's a T@B, which is the MOST like an RV of all teardrops (and very expensive). "Little Guy" is more like it, that's another manufactured brand. Ours is home-built, not by us, we bought it on eBay. There is a whole sub-culture of teardrop enthusiasts, and quite a few people have more than one. We belong to another forum dedicated especially to camping in this type of trailer and other small travel trailers (shastas, airstreams, scotties, etc.). Ours is about 5'x10'x4'high (inside) and is very little more than a bed on wheels. I like being able to keep everything I need in there. A whole other set of pillows, toiletries, and some books (field guides and shit), and YES, a DVD player for like when it rains or so that I can watch Top Chef re-runs while I am getting ready to grill things (but outside, not inside).

I am a gear-head but I am not ashamed about it.
 
I think Steve has one like that. I love Altrec because they have an unlimited return policy. I ordered neoprene wet-suits that turned out to be too small, but i kept them for a year hoping I might lose some weight, and I didn't lose the weight so I returned them. And they paid for the return shipping too.

Edit: that is not the stove he has. His is way less expensive.
 
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Edit: that is not the stove he has. His is way less expensive.

Yeah, that thing was WAY EXPENSIVE! We justified it on the grounds that it is (a) Extra Super Duper Way Cool and that (b) we only live once, and (c) our average age is smack dab in the middle of 43 (me) and 54 (himself). So there won't be time enough for a second.:mad:
 
So anyway, by "practicing" I meant that he is practicing short hikes with his backpack and gear, and also experimenting with different food combinations to take with him.

I am not into hardcore survival camping and I probably would have a small Class B motorhome if I could afford it. The reason for that is because I find it appealing to be able to drive out into the middle of nowhere and have everything you need. If I had the choice between that and a hotel, all other things being equal, I'd still pick the trailer or motorhome because everything would be MINE; I wouldn't have to wonder if the maid really did change the sheets or just said "They look clean enough to me" and made the bed.

My mother always looked down on people who had RV's because even though she didn't like camping, she said that if you aren't going to "rough it" (i.e. use a tent), you might as well rent a motel room. I don't buy into this mentality. Although I don't like staying in those "KOA-style" RV-parks, I do like staying at state parks, which do not have electricity at the sites by the way, or clothing-optional places, which is not camping at all, but is cheaper than renting a room (and that's primarily why we started with a tent; the trailer came a few years after).
 
So anyway, by "practicing" I meant that he is practicing short hikes with his backpack and gear, and also experimenting with different food combinations to take with him.

That's not a bad idea at all.

He probably knows this, but backpacking alone, or only with other less experienced folks, is strongly discouraged. Especially alone! If you're alone AND relatively inexperienced, you can get into some serious trouble. Backpacking with a partner is always strongly recommended, because if you do run into trouble ... at least the other guy or gal can hike out and bring help. First trips should be short, so "civilization" isn't too far out of reach, if needed. The worst case scenario is for a newbie to pack too far into the wilderness alone!

And a backpacking team (or soloist, for the advanced) should ALWAYS report where they're headed and how long they plan to be out -- to at least one, preferably two folks who are are back in "civilization". This way, if they are very late returning a rescue team can be sent in to find them. Which could save their lives.

I am not into hardcore survival camping

Nor am I. Nor are most backpackers. If you have acquired basic knowledge of backpacking and basic wilderness survival skills (most of which will never be needed!), backpacking isn't at all about "surviving," its mainly about being able to get into actual wilderness areas, away from roads, cars, trucks.... Also, many fantastic hiking destinations, such as mountain lakes, can't be reached any other way, since they're far from roads. Other times, you can get to your destination in a day hike, but have to immediatly return or you'll have to hike back in the dark -- which can result in serious injury or worse.

There's a mountain lake near where I live that I've not yet seen, as it's just too many miles a hike to get to -- and with no roads in. We could hike it in a day. Kevin did that with a friend. But they couldn't stay and ENJOY the lake destination, or they would have been stranded in the dark. When I go to see that lake, I can set up my tent and camp gear and then RELAX and enjoy the lake -- and watch the sun rise over the lake in the morning, with a nice cup of hot tea and some breakfast!

Backpacking is a perfectly safe activity, and not a survival game. But it's only safe when you have skills appropriate to the task at hand, and proper equipment. Those skills and equipment needs vary depending on how long you'll be out, how far you're going, where you're headed, and so forth. Backpacking is best learned from others with plenty of experience, whether via books or via heading into the wilderness with them--, after they've checked your gear.

Finally, a lot of really fine gear is now available which makes packs much lighter and easier to carry over long distances. Packs are now designed to fit and work with the body as never before. Special water filters allow well planned trips without need of carrying in water, except perhaps a liter. One doesn't have to be an athelete to head into the wilderness, far from roads and cars -- and stay the night, comfortably.
 
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I said the thing about "hardcore survival camping" because we do have a friend who is into that. Meaning, absolute MINIMUM gear, and not necessarily going FAR into the wilderness, but back to the basics when it comes to shelter, starting fires, and finding food and water.

This friend of ours also thinks that winter camping is just grooovy. I'll just have to take his word about that.
 
I respect those who are capable of "extreme" wilderness survival, and who enjoy that sort of thing, but that's not what it's all about for me. (Though those skills may come in handy one day!)

I'm all about comfort, security, safety... and just having as good a time as possible without requiring more than I can carry in on my back, in relative ease and comfort. So, obviously, I don't bring a lot of luxury items I can do without. But I do bring some!

Heck, if it came down to survival, I'd not be using that fancy new cooking system I showed you. I'd bring matches, or maybe a flint and steel, or -- on the more extreme end, just a knife to make a bow-drill firemaking device.
[http://www.natureskills.com/bow_drill_fire_making.html] (I keep meaning to see if I could pull that off, in case the need ever arises!)

Next to bare-bones wilderness survival, per se, having a well equipped pack is the lap of luxury!
 
Just arriving in from my first backpacking trip in more than twenty years, and also my first such trip with Kevin, my partner in crime. Kevin and I have done lots of hikes and "car camping" (driving the gear in) over our thirteen years, but this was our first carrying it on our backs.

I'll tell you all about the trip after I've showered, had my scheduled massage, eaten, and slept. (!)
 
Welcome back, can't wait to hear about your trip.
 
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