camping backpack for women image
re123
This summer I am going with my family on a camping trip. We do not know a whole lot about camping so I was wondering if you had any advice about things we should know or be aware of. Thanks!
Answer
I can assure you the guy who talks like Charlie Manson wouldn't know a bear if one came up and bit him on the pecker. There are plenty of places to camp where bears of any kind don't even exist. I came upon a black bear once while backpacking in a National Park in Washington State and it was the highlight of the whole two month trip through the National Park system i was then in the midst of. I just made shouted like they say you should, waved my arms about, forgot NOT to look directly in its eyes (anyway, i'm still here to talk about it) and the bear just ambled off the trail he and I were having a Mexican standoff on and continued minding its own business foraging for berries without further incident. The whole experience made my day...only time I ever actually saw a bear that close up.
If you do happen to be in bear country, you can "bear bag" your food (put it in a bag, tie a long rope to the end of it and suspend it from a sturdy tree branch towards the end of the branch where it's weakest and the bear would break the branch if he climbed the tree and walked out on it.)
Just tie a rock or something to the free end of the rope, chuck it over the branch, grab the free end again when it comes back down to you on the other side, and tie it off on the tree trunk. Or use a bear canister like you can rent in National Parks, or buy one and bury it some distance from your campsite.
Some places where bears are often found have free storage lockers specifically for storing food so bears can't get it. Don't keep food in your tent. Or your car. A bear can rip off a car door like a pull tab on a soda can if it detects the aroma of a tasty tidbit within. These guys have an unbelievable sense of smell and will eat almost anything that's half way edible.
Cook and eat food a bit of a distance from your tent. Wear certain clothes just for cooking and keep them away from your tent. I have heard that women having their periods can attract bears, but have no personal experience with this being a guy, so check it out independently, i'm not a hundred percent on that one.
Of course, if you're not camping in bear country none of this stuff even applies. Just enjoy your camping, wherever you decide to do it. It's not as hard as you might think once you actually. It can be fairly addicting, and you might not want to go back to "civilization" afterwards, if you're like some people.
Plenty of info on the Internet about how to go about it. The rest is just following the learning curve. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it. A lot of it is pretty intuitive and just using common sense.
I can assure you the guy who talks like Charlie Manson wouldn't know a bear if one came up and bit him on the pecker. There are plenty of places to camp where bears of any kind don't even exist. I came upon a black bear once while backpacking in a National Park in Washington State and it was the highlight of the whole two month trip through the National Park system i was then in the midst of. I just made shouted like they say you should, waved my arms about, forgot NOT to look directly in its eyes (anyway, i'm still here to talk about it) and the bear just ambled off the trail he and I were having a Mexican standoff on and continued minding its own business foraging for berries without further incident. The whole experience made my day...only time I ever actually saw a bear that close up.
If you do happen to be in bear country, you can "bear bag" your food (put it in a bag, tie a long rope to the end of it and suspend it from a sturdy tree branch towards the end of the branch where it's weakest and the bear would break the branch if he climbed the tree and walked out on it.)
Just tie a rock or something to the free end of the rope, chuck it over the branch, grab the free end again when it comes back down to you on the other side, and tie it off on the tree trunk. Or use a bear canister like you can rent in National Parks, or buy one and bury it some distance from your campsite.
Some places where bears are often found have free storage lockers specifically for storing food so bears can't get it. Don't keep food in your tent. Or your car. A bear can rip off a car door like a pull tab on a soda can if it detects the aroma of a tasty tidbit within. These guys have an unbelievable sense of smell and will eat almost anything that's half way edible.
Cook and eat food a bit of a distance from your tent. Wear certain clothes just for cooking and keep them away from your tent. I have heard that women having their periods can attract bears, but have no personal experience with this being a guy, so check it out independently, i'm not a hundred percent on that one.
Of course, if you're not camping in bear country none of this stuff even applies. Just enjoy your camping, wherever you decide to do it. It's not as hard as you might think once you actually. It can be fairly addicting, and you might not want to go back to "civilization" afterwards, if you're like some people.
Plenty of info on the Internet about how to go about it. The rest is just following the learning curve. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it. A lot of it is pretty intuitive and just using common sense.
What type of backpack to buy for first-timer?
olivia
I'm looking to purchase an internal frame backpack for the first time and am wondering what size/capacity I should get. I'm a tall woman, 5'9" with long legs and torso. I'm looking to get into backpacking, so the maximum amount of time I would be backpacking would be a week. What sizes/brands can you recommend?
Answer
If you are sure this is something you want to continue doing for a few years, I would recommend buying a decent bag from the start, so stay away from Wal-Mart type brands. The brands I have had luck with are:
- Osprey (all-time favorite, never bought one of their bags that didnt feel great and last long)
- Gregory (consistently great bags, my wife had a great experience with her Gregory bag)
- Marmot (never bought one of their bags, but all their other gear is top-notch)
- Black Diamond (especially for climbing/skiing)
- Arcteryx (heavier than others, but top quality and will last forever)
- Mountain Hardwear
- North Face (can be hit or miss)
This should be a general guideline for choosing good brands, but it is CRUCIAL that you try on any bag that you consider buying. Sizing ranges are different for every manufacturer and the specific shape and size of your back and hips will make some bags feel like a dream and others feel like a painful nightmare. Any hiking/climbing store worth its weight will have people to help you try on bags and they should even have sandbags to put in the pack to simulate a heavy load.
As for size of the backpack, it will depend on where, when, and how you backpack. For 3-season (ie non-winter) backpacking, with average gear, a 60-Liter pack is a good size for beginners and will hold enough gear for 3-5 days if you pack smart. As you upgrade your gear to smaller and lighter equipment and learn what to take and what not to, your bag will probably shrink. However, if you plan to do winter camping or longer hikes, you may need something larger. Personally, I have a 20L frameless pack for summit days, a 35L pack for day hikes, a 45L pack for ice/alpine climbing and 1-2 day hikes, a 65L pack for longer backpacking trips, and an 85L monster for expedition and gear-laden winter camping. As you get more into the sport, you will probably end up with a few packs as well, but something mid-range (like I said, 60L or so) is a great start.
I don't really want to recommend any specific packs, but I will tell what is, in my opinion, a great starter pack (and one you will keep for years, like I did). Assuming it FITS YOU well, look into the Osprey Aura-65 (womens version of the Atmos-65 pack). It is very light for the price, strong, carries comfortably, and has back-ventilation (which may not sound like a big deal, but it is nice in the summers). You can find it for as little as $170, which is a steal for a bag of this quality. Again, though, this is just a starting point and if it doesn't fit you like a glove, move to something else.
Best of luck!
If you are sure this is something you want to continue doing for a few years, I would recommend buying a decent bag from the start, so stay away from Wal-Mart type brands. The brands I have had luck with are:
- Osprey (all-time favorite, never bought one of their bags that didnt feel great and last long)
- Gregory (consistently great bags, my wife had a great experience with her Gregory bag)
- Marmot (never bought one of their bags, but all their other gear is top-notch)
- Black Diamond (especially for climbing/skiing)
- Arcteryx (heavier than others, but top quality and will last forever)
- Mountain Hardwear
- North Face (can be hit or miss)
This should be a general guideline for choosing good brands, but it is CRUCIAL that you try on any bag that you consider buying. Sizing ranges are different for every manufacturer and the specific shape and size of your back and hips will make some bags feel like a dream and others feel like a painful nightmare. Any hiking/climbing store worth its weight will have people to help you try on bags and they should even have sandbags to put in the pack to simulate a heavy load.
As for size of the backpack, it will depend on where, when, and how you backpack. For 3-season (ie non-winter) backpacking, with average gear, a 60-Liter pack is a good size for beginners and will hold enough gear for 3-5 days if you pack smart. As you upgrade your gear to smaller and lighter equipment and learn what to take and what not to, your bag will probably shrink. However, if you plan to do winter camping or longer hikes, you may need something larger. Personally, I have a 20L frameless pack for summit days, a 35L pack for day hikes, a 45L pack for ice/alpine climbing and 1-2 day hikes, a 65L pack for longer backpacking trips, and an 85L monster for expedition and gear-laden winter camping. As you get more into the sport, you will probably end up with a few packs as well, but something mid-range (like I said, 60L or so) is a great start.
I don't really want to recommend any specific packs, but I will tell what is, in my opinion, a great starter pack (and one you will keep for years, like I did). Assuming it FITS YOU well, look into the Osprey Aura-65 (womens version of the Atmos-65 pack). It is very light for the price, strong, carries comfortably, and has back-ventilation (which may not sound like a big deal, but it is nice in the summers). You can find it for as little as $170, which is a steal for a bag of this quality. Again, though, this is just a starting point and if it doesn't fit you like a glove, move to something else.
Best of luck!
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
