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View Full Version : Help me out guys! Setting the hubby up with gear!



plexusbritt
06-29-2016, 09:48
So my husband has decided he would like to start backpacking with me! :bananaHis birthday is this weekend so this past weekend I set him up with a decent starter pack, cat can and wood burning stove, synthetic sleeping bag, pad for his hammock, trekking pole (one hand will be holding his dogs leash), light weight cooking pot, poncho, spork, water proof stuff sacks, a line of cord for hanging his food, and water bladder. I made a mini first aid kit in a ziplock baggie with duct tape, Benadryl, alcohol wipes, a roll of gauze, ibuprofen, mini tooth brush, and some wet wipes. He also now has some hiking pants and athletic shirts.

Am I missing anything? Having only backpacked with one or two of my girlfriends or more recently, solo, I'm not sure what men find to be more of a priority or if it even differs. I didn't buy higher end brands on anything because I know if he sticks with it, his gear will refine itself but, I want to get him started out comfy and having fun.

Gambit McCrae
06-29-2016, 10:01
I just switched to a button down hiking shirt, quick drying and pretty comfy so far.

I always carry body glide with me, nothing worse then some raw rubbed inner thighs. Some compression shorts will help with this as well. If he is a reader, a small hat attaching led light is nice as to not burn up your batteries in head lamp....Didn't see a headlamp on there.. 2 bandanas that are nice and worn in are nice to have as well. one can be attached to the backpack strap, the other for creek bathing etc

If he is a light sleeper, most are when they just start out in the woods, some earplugs are very nice to have. I have gotten my best sleep at night with earplugs in, just some foam ones will work fine

Some light camp shoes, walmart has croc knockoffs, some leukotape (bought online) for blisters, a crazy redhead just turned me on to the leukotape, it is 10X better then athletic tape. If he is using an inflatable pad for his hammock, 3-4 sections of a foam thermorest makes a nice seat. Sawyer squeeze water filters are cheap and its always nice to have your own filter in case there is some distance between hiking friends thru the day.

plexusbritt
06-29-2016, 10:20
I just switched to a button down hiking shirt, quick drying and pretty comfy so far.

I always carry body glide with me, nothing worse then some raw rubbed inner thighs. Some compression shorts will help with this as well. If he is a reader, a small hat attaching led light is nice as to not burn up your batteries in head lamp....Didn't see a headlamp on there.. 2 bandanas that are nice and worn in are nice to have as well. one can be attached to the backpack strap, the other for creek bathing etc

If he is a light sleeper, most are when they just start out in the woods, some earplugs are very nice to have. I have gotten my best sleep at night with earplugs in, just some foam ones will work fine

Some light camp shoes, walmart has croc knockoffs, some leukotape (bought online) for blisters, a good friend just turned me on to the leukotape, it is 10X better then athletic tape. If he is using an inflatable pad for his hammock, 3-4 sections of a foam thermorest makes a nice seat. Sawyer squeeze water filters are cheap and its always nice to have your own filter in case there is some distance between hiking friends thru the day.

Great tips! My gear has been evolving for years so trying to think through the initial setup is a little daunting because I don't want him to deal with the same gear failures and such that were a hallmark of my first few trips. He spends a lot of time out of doors so I can just suggest he wears one of his fishing button downs. His sleeping pad is ccf. and he has a Sawyer squeeze so that he doesn't have to carry a lot of water when he is out hiking or fishing. I'll grab some ear plugs out of his hunting safe. lol

Just added the body glide to my shopping list. And the tape.

I really want this trip to be enjoyable for him. He completely supports all of my trips and gear is often a gift during the holidays. I'm hoping that as much as he loves to hunt, fish, and hike that he will love spending days and nights in the woods as well.

plexusbritt
06-29-2016, 12:06
I had someone else tell me to make sure the man eats well. Given my tendency to underfeed the poor thing, I looked up the basic caloric requirements for a 25 year old male doing strenuous activity and went from there.

We have the usual backpacking culprits of snickers, pb and j in a tortilla, trail mix, dried fruit, mini slim jims, some cheese, and for dinner I split a Mexican rice knorr side and then added in dehydrated chicken, three pepper blend, and jalopenos.

For dessert, I did a blind, trial run of trail cheesecake on my coworkers and they raved for hours. I did a box cheesecake and used chocolate milk powder (the just add water kind) for the filling and two McDonalds butter pats in the "crust". Mixed it in the ziplock bag and it set up fine in a pan.

Thoughts?

Teacher & Snacktime
06-29-2016, 12:28
small container of talc/cornstarch....seems novice guys appreciate that stuff :o

swisscross
06-29-2016, 12:55
Dehydrated chicken is hard to get right.
It has to be dried in VERY small pieces or it will not rehydrate completely and will be hard as a rock.
Best if the chicken is cooked in a crock for hours or a pressure cooker first. Can chicken CAN work but for all the effort I just carry a small can of chicken or a pouch.
If you have had better luck than me please share.

As for your Mexican Rice Knorr...instead of chicken try chorizo. I found shelf stable packets of two small links at either publix or walmart.

Not sure if your man likes chicken salad but it has become my lunch of choice while hiking.
Can of chicken, drained, pack of mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, add cashews or almonds, salt, pepper (anything you like) eat on tortilla.
Granted I loathe peanut butter.

My last test dinner was risotto.
Cooked Arborio rice with fat free chicken stock and wine.
Dehydrated the rice, shrimp, mushrooms and peas.
Add packet of parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes.
Turned out great.

For an overnighter, I typically just take a sandwich.
If planning on camping. Freeze a couple of steaks. They will thaw before dinner. Idahoan potatoes come in many flavors.
Fresh eggs (beat eggs in freezer bag and boil). Use water for coffee.
A great fast breakfast is Nido, Carnation Instant Breakfast and instant coffee.
Hot dogs are my daughter's favorite trail food.
Beef Jerky is better than slim jims but I have been making salmon jerky lately.

Instead of spaghetti noodles try large elbows, cook chewy and dehydrate. Use jarred sauce (make leather), gravel and what ever spices you typically add...don't forget the green olives.

Also try Little Debbie brownies.

Trail food is endless. Have fun with it.

plexusbritt
06-29-2016, 13:24
My dehydrated chicken is some that I did for a prior trip and it turned out ok. It was the canned kind.


That chicken salad idea may replace the peanut butter! That made me hungry sitting at my desk.

Thank you guys for all of the advise. I tend to go a little Spartan with my trips but, I want him to find it enjoyable all the way around. I figured comfy sleeping system that he is already comfortable using car camping so I just lightened it up a bit, good food, and less mileage than I normally plan should do the trick.


I know I sound super clueless right now but, like regular old cornstarch outta my kitchen? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume it is for the same reason that on long distance horseback rides I take sample sized packets of monkey butt? :rolleyes:

jimmyjam
06-29-2016, 14:14
You should be able to share some gear like stove, water filter, first aid, camera etc

plexusbritt
06-29-2016, 15:16
You should be able to share some gear like stove, water filter, first aid, camera etc

We are to an extent. He has part of the human first aid kit so that I could do the dog specific stuff in mine as well (puppy boots and prescription meds). We are also sharing my tarp and ground cloth. Sharing the water filter and camera as well.

AfterParty
06-29-2016, 20:25
I prefer green gold bond. Kinda burns but works good.

Teacher & Snacktime
06-29-2016, 21:16
I prefer green gold bond. Kinda burns but works good.

precisely........ :)

Connie
06-30-2016, 09:07
Mosquitos? I use BugBaffler headnet, over a hat.

Hat?

plexusbritt
06-30-2016, 09:43
Thanks you guys!

Connie, I did get him some bug spray and as someone suggested above, he will be in a long sleeved shirt (hopefully, depends on if he is listening tomorrow or not lol) and he always wears long pants. I did, however, get him a small container of deet based bug spray. We use essential oils at home but peppermint oil in the woods is too much like marinating myself!

The hat, I'm not sure on. I wear a bandanna but at work he wears either a bandanna or hat. It is kinda hard to pull it all together and pack it because he is on a business trip and won't be back until tomorrow. He only briefly saw his pack and went for a walk with his basic gear in it when he got to come home for one night.

You guys have been such a help! Thanks for the body glide suggestion as well. I mentioned it to him on the phone last night and he was like "Uh yeah." Apparently he already has it in his fishing/hunting stuff. Shows how much I know...

plexusbritt
07-02-2016, 07:04
Trip report: this is a no go. I could have been on the trails for miles by now... Buuuuuuuut I'm sitting here on the forums trying to figure out the most abrupt way to get someone out of their hammock and on the trail.


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plexusbritt
07-02-2016, 11:01
Well he wants to try again. Now that we both have caffeine and food, we are more agreeable concerning a future trip.


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newtgirl
07-03-2016, 08:25
Buuuuuuuut I'm sitting here on the forums trying to figure out the most abrupt way to get someone out of their hammock and on the trail.

Try the ol' heave-ho! Abrupt and to the point.

LIhikers
07-03-2016, 23:17
Let me make a suggestion.
Instead of him holding his dog's leash, get a flexi lead (http://www.flexilead.com/en/) for the dog, and have hubby put the handle on his belt. That way he'll have both hands free.