What you NEED vs What You WANT to take Backpacking

there are some things you take backpacking because you have to and then there are some things you take because you want to and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference so I thought I might do a quick video about the things that are essential for a good backpacking trip and the things that just make it that much more enjoyable some of the things you need to go backpacking are obvious like a backpack some kind of shelter and a sleeping bag but what may not be as obvious are the little things that keep you safe like a rain cover or a pack liner some way to keep important items like your sleeping bag dry in the event of rain or high water Crossings some people use a high quality rain cover that goes over the outside of your pack to keep everything dry in a downpour and then other people prefer a pack liner like a nylofloom bag or even just a trash bag either will likely keep your stuff inside your pack dry but just to be safe I like to use both and I'm going to tell you why your sleeping bag is your last line of defense against the cold even in the middle of summer and high Alpine areas nighttime temperatures can drop down to freezing and it's your sleeping bag that will ultimately keep you warm even when your other gear fails especially if you're using a down bag it's really important to keep it dry so I typically will stick mine inside of a trash bag down in the bottom of my pack and then I'll put a rain cover over the outside of my pack with this there's virtually no chance that I'm going to end up with a wet sleeping bag speaking a witch your sleeping pad is just as important as your sleeping bag and I know I sound like a broken record on this but your sleeping pad is half of what keeps you warm at night and there are lots of different sleeping pads all with different R values the higher the R value the colder the temps that you can get into and still be warm if you're going to be hiking in Bear Country you really need a way to keep Bears out of your food and sometimes just regular Critters you can get something like this bear bag that you hang in a tree this is going to be the lightest but it's also the hardest to do and the most time consuming and rarely do people actually hang them correctly or you can get a hard sided bear canister that are heavy and bulky but they're also required in a lot of backpacking areas something in between is the ursac that is basically a bear resistant Kevlar bag that you tied to a tree to make it difficult for the bear to run off with and get into but be warned determined Bears can still get into these and the last thing that you probably didn't expect is a trial look I know all the things you say to justify not bringing a trial like I'll just use my trekking Pole or tent stake or I'll just put it under a rock I know because I used to say all those things too but the reality is we're tired of finding your half-buried feces out on the trail not only that but your crap needs to be buried to decompose properly and not get washed into the streams that you and I both want to drink out of so even though you could technically hike without a trowel I'm still putting this in the essentials list before you disagree with me in the comments go watch this video right here oh and toilet paper don't forget toilet paper Okay so those are the bare necessities in my mind the things that most people are going to need to go backpacking things like a backpack a tent a sleeping bag a sleeping pad a rain cover or a pack liner a bear bag or a bear canister a trowel and toilet paper now what if you could get 20 off not just the things you want to take backpacking but the things you need to take backpacking you see when you shop at Moose Jaw just because you're a viewer of this channel you get 10 off when you use the code mlomj that stands for my live outdoors and Moose Jaw but if you sign up for their Rewards program you'll also get an additional 10 back after your next purchase that's 10 that you can spend anytime you want even on your very next purchase you don't have to wait till the spring to get your dividend or anything like that you just get 10 back check out moose Shaw at moosejaw.com or through the links in the description use the code mlomj for 10 off most things Moose Jaw sells five percent off things that are already on sale some exclusions do apply okay so now for the stuff you're going to want and some of the more obvious things are things like a stove or water filter or a headlamp and if those things sound more like needs than wants the only reason I include them here is because you don't technically need a stove you can cold soak your food or just pack ready to eat meals and you can treat water with things other than a filter like iodine or chlorine tabs or even just boiling but a filter is going to be much more pleasant which is why you're going to want it then there are things like extra socks look I don't take two of anything but I do take two pairs of socks and all the clothes that I wear get filthy but for some reason socks not only get filthy but they also get crusty and uncomfortable since my primary activity is walking it's really nice to put on a new pair of socks every couple of days I also like to bring a pair of sandals to wear around Camp when your feet are sore and tired from walking all day it's really nice to sit down and take your shoes off to let your feet breathe and I used to just walk around camp with my shoes untied to kind of give my feet a little bit more room but then I found these super lightweight sandals which make for a much more pleasant experience plus they only weigh an ounce and so it's like a no-brainer for Camp shoes speaking of sitting no list of comfort items would be complete without a chair if you watch this channel very much at all then you know I am a big fan of bringing a chair and I take a seat almost every time I go out with very little exception the helinox chair zero weighs right at a pound and is actually one of the heavier items that I bring but like I've said before a pound is better than the ground I mentioned a sleeping bag and a list of things you might need but what I didn't say is that I prefer quilts quilts are a lot like sleeping bags but they are open on the back end instead of getting inside them you lay them over you like a blanket I find sleeping bags are just too restrictive and I prefer the comfort and flexibility of a quilt if it's hot out you can vent quilts a lot easier than sleeping bags but you can also still bundle them up when it gets cold outside add a good pillow like the Nemo pillow and you have an awesome sleep system that I believe is one of the best you will find for hiking and backpacking now the last thing on my list of things you might want is my zolio satellite communicator her the peace of mind this gives me knowing that I can call for help anywhere in the world or send my wife my location or just update her to let her know I'm okay zolio is the only other thing that I bring on every single trip I take I also happen to be a zolio Ambassador which means you can get free activation if you use the code my life Outdoors okay so that's not an exhaustive list of things you might want or need but it's pretty close for everything else I put a link in the description for a packing checklist that I created that list has all the things that I take when I go backpacking along with a few things that I don't take but you might still want please like subscribe and do all those other things and as always thanks for watching now I got like a flock of ducks or something flying over me what is going on what is going on I've never had anything like that happen before that's that's crazy

Channel: MyLifeOutdoors

Views: 411,304

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Id: 0CpIEwOMh3Y

Length: 7min 43sec (463 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 01 2023