#You live in Nevada. If you never have gone backpacking you’ve gotta try it.
#A lot of people shy away from it because they think you have to go on a 100-mile Bataan Death March.
#You don’t, especially the first time just go on a 1-2-mile trip. This will allow you to test out your gear, see what other gear you need and tweak your gear list to your individual preferences.
#Backpackers have two enemies: Weight and Bulk.
A filtered water bottle allows you to dip and drink water out of the river like my daughter Kolby is doing here.
#First you have to decide why you want to backpack. Do you want to backpack in to hunt? Fish?
#Climb a peak or just to see cool scenery? Anymore I only backpack so I can hunt or flyfish. So that will be the angle that I’m coming from.
#I usually teach 1-3 Backpacking seminars every summer. In my regular seminars I’ll talk for 45-50 minutes and then field questions.
#In backpacking seminars though everyone only wants me to talk for 10 minutes and then cover what gear they’ll need and what gear works best.
#So, with that said, let’s list out what gear I recommend, what gear has worked for me and what gear I’m currently testing.
#• Backpacks. I’m old school and still use my Kelty frame pack that Katy bought me 36 years ago.
#But all of the young yuppies will tell you I’m nuts and to use an internal frame pack.
It makes it a 100-times more comfortable if you have a backpacking chair.
#They do fit snugger around your body and don’t sway which is a big deal when you’re walking on tight trails with steep drop-offs.
#I also throw on a light day pack to do my day hikes out of camp. I don’t want a heavy daypack.
#Cut off the waist belt. Throw it on top of your pack by putting the straps around the ends of your fly rod.
#• Boots-I hike in wearing some ankle high hiking boots. I throw in some Chaco sandals so I can wade in rivers when fly fishing.
#Don’t take cheap sandals. I’ve had at least two pairs of cheapos blow-out in the backcountry. Not good.
#• Clothing-I’ll take three pairs of good Browning hiking socks. I wear one in and then wash/dry them for the hike out and one to sleep in since it gets cool.
#I’ll wear 5.11 nylon type of zip-off pants. I’ll wade all day fishing in the shorts.
#Take a set of 5.11 base layers to sleep in. I usually wear an old t-shirt and take an extra one in case one gets wet.
#Take a Gore-Tex below the waist raincoat. You don’t want rain running down into your pockets! I always wear a cap.
#• Sleeping gear-I just met a company named SEA TO SUMMIT and am testing out their gear.
#They make some nice, lightweight gear. Here is what I’m testing.
#1. ASCENT Sleeping bag 30 degree
#2. IKOS Lightweight Tent 2-person
#3. ETHER Light XT insulated Air Sleeping Mat
#4. AEROS Ultralight Deluxe Pillow
#You have to decide which type of tent you desire (I have probably 10-15 tents for various uses).
#Super small tents are compact and lightweight but you can barely roll over in them. Larger ones are nice but more bulky and heavier.
#You’ll for sure want a sleeping mat. I used to roll up clothes for a pillow but a real pillow is sweet!
#• Cooking Gear-A small aluminum coffee pot to heat water for coffee, cook your MRE’s and to sterilize water.
#Army mess kit to cook/eat with. Backpacking spoon and fork. Lightweight plastic cup. If there’s a fire ban, I take a Camp Chef backpacking stove.
#• Aquimira Filtered bottles. Water is heavy and you’ll be drinking a lot so I use Aquimira water bottles and water filter straws.
#• Food-I take instant oatmeal for breakfast and pick wild huckleberries to add to it. Ok, kinda ghetto but I take motel coffee packs. For lunch I do peanut butter sandwiches and Cheetos.
#Snacks-take according to what you favor. For dinner I splurge and take some good backpacking meals.
#There are getting to be more options but the best that I’ve found are made by Mountain House.
#• Lights-Big deal. I found a company named HybidLight which makes solar charged lights so no need to carry extra batteries plus they can also charge your phone, camera etc. Head lamp. A little light for the tent is also nice.
#• Knife-When backpacking you’ll abuse your knife so you’ll want a stout knife. I’m about to test the Smith’s Consumer Products Bush Knife.
#• Fire gear-Smith’s makes a Pack Pal which is an ingenious little gizmo that lets you shred a limb for kindling. Waterproof matches.
#I take a couple of Bic lighters. Take some fire-starting material in case everything is wet. Test it before you go, all fire-starting material is not equal!
#• Tarp to lay inside your tent so your bag doesn’t get wet.
#• Maps-contact MyTopoMaps and get Paige to make a map for the area that you’re hitting.
#That should be enough to get you started. Have fun!
#Tom Claycomb is a hunting enthusiast that writes a bi-monthly column for Great Basin Sun.
