View Full Version : Backpacking with a guitar???
TrialsKing007
01-22-2004, 10:26
Does anyone have experience with backpacking with a guitar? I'm considering bringing my Martin backpacker guitar that weighs in a little under 3 pounds on my thru-hike and I'm trying to figure out the best way to keep it dry and protected. :-?
Bankrobber
01-22-2004, 10:41
I met a fellow in Maryland a mile or so before Pen Mar who was hiking South from Killington to Clingman's Dome with a guitar. He carried it in a hard case (that weighs quite a bit) holding it with a rope. He was not concerned with doing big miles, just hanging out and playing the guitar. Interesting guy.
If you are planning a speedy hike, than don't bring one. If you want to take your time, go ahead. I would worry about the rain warping it.
The Wicked Lobstah
01-22-2004, 11:45
I'm bringing a backpacker guitar on my thru too. Given the wetness and exposure, I'm just going to go ahead and resign myself to the fact that the guitar is gonna be THRASHED by the end of the thru. Its not really that big of a deal, I mean when are you going to use a backpacker guitar more thanon a thru hike. I just can't live without playing guitar for 5 months. It would kill me. So the guitar itself is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
I'm carrying it in a soft case and I have sewn on pack clips to my pack to attach the soft case to my pack.
Peterawk
TJ aka Teej
01-22-2004, 12:35
I'm trying to figure out the best way to keep it dry and protected. :-?T-bird carried her little guitar to the top of Katahdin in an October snowstorm, and sang 'It's the End of the Trail As We Know It' to Pamola. She had one of those soft cases lashed to her pack.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1701&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1
Takoma Ted carried his backpack with him in 2001. You might ask him about protecting it. He carried it carefully wrapped and strapped to his pack.
www.artofthetrail.com/takomatedd/body.html
B Thrash
01-22-2004, 19:46
Does anyone have experience with backpacking with a guitar? I'm considering bringing my Martin backpacker guitar that weighs in a little under 3 pounds on my thru-hike and I'm trying to figure out the best way to keep it dry and protected. :-?
If you want to carry your guitar. I hiked a couple of days with Tuba Man a few years ago who had carried his tuba from Katahdin. Said his tuba proberly
saved his life when it took the full impact from a fall.
funkyfreddy
01-22-2004, 21:41
T-bird carried her little guitar to the top of Katahdin in an October snowstorm, and sang 'It's the End of the Trail As We Know It' to Pamola. She had one of those soft cases lashed to her pack
Hi TJ, That actually looks like a mandolin to me in the picture. They're smaller than guitars and would be easier to carry but probably more fragile than a Martin backpacker guitar. I've often fantasized about thruhiking and one of the things that holds me back is being away from music and my recording studio for months. It might do me a world of good, however, as in this stage of my life I need a break from NYC.
TJ aka Teej
01-22-2004, 22:53
That actually looks like a mandolin to me in the picture.
Doesn't it? Until I heard it played that's what thought. When I asked her what it was she said it was just a smaller guitar.
Miss Janet
01-23-2004, 02:26
I have seen several people carry nice little Baby Taylors... Great Sound!
The Wicked Lobstah
01-23-2004, 11:22
Hi TJ, That actually looks like a mandolin to me in the picture. They're smaller than guitars and would be easier to carry but probably more fragile than a Martin backpacker guitar.
Its actually a backpacker guitar called a "montana" made by the same company that makes Ovation and Takamine. Full length fretboard, solid wood top and sides. Weighs the same as the martin, but 1/2 the price, and sounds better IMHO. I'm carrying this model with some light elixir (gore coated) strings. I got mine for $65 brand new on ebay, case included!
Does anyone have experience with backpacking with a guitar? I'm considering bringing my Martin backpacker guitar.........protected. :-?
Yo TK007:
the Martin Backpacker does come with a soft case...probably plastic of some sort.....you can always, just like a tent, "waterproof" it with spray!
i've played (if you wanna call it that) one of these....a bit "thin" (no pun intended) but, its better than no sounds, i guess.
"the Mad Musician" had a Martin Backpacker with him on his trek in 2002 (along with a gallon of whiskey!) & he serenaded us several nights...
see ya'll UP the trail!
I don't have any experience hiking with a guitar but have seen a few. The people that had them enjoyed them at night and seem to hate them during the day. I did see one person hiking with a trombone. I will never forget that. He came into the area where we had camped and wanted to set up his tent. He had it strapped across the back of a frame pack. I asked why he did this. He looked at me like I was the dumest person he had ever seen and said "it is what I know how to play". He played it that night, he was very good but it was very strange hearing a trombone in the middle of nowhere on a trail.
screwysquirrel
01-23-2004, 23:10
Met 2 guys in the Shandandoahs in 2002, one with a guitar, the other a mandolin. They were thur-hikers, they said. Don't know how far they got but Christmas and Yogi said they saw them up in New York later that year still toting em.
I hike with my martin backpacker all the time. I dont take it in the snow or on summit hikes though. I'm working on making a lightweight wateproof case right now. The case should weigh less than a pound, bringing the extra burden of bringing my guitar up to 3.5 lbs. Normally I just wrap it in a garbage bag and my tarp for protection. Even with the guitar I'm carrying about a 14lb pack without food and water. I dont think I would bring it on a hike that required toting more than two days water though.
fluke flea. light. durable. fun.
On my cross-country hike way back when one guy brought a full-sized guitar. He ordered some pack cloth from Kelty and made a case for it to match his pack. Was just a fitted nylon case with zipper and a few pockets. He would just bungee cord the guitar to the back of his pack. It was very popular, and various hikers took turns carrying it. Whoever carried it got to play on breaks etc. At night, it was passed around a lot.
That guitar made it from SanFransisco to somewhere in Missourii where it got backed into by an auto while the pack was leaned up against a laundramat wall. It was then painstakingly glued together with Elmers and lasted another month or two before it's final demise and burrial. It retained surprising tone throughout, even after the auto accident.
LIhikers
10-26-2007, 12:26
Last summer while hiking northern MA into southern VT we passed a southbounder who had boughta banjo along the way. He was carrying it in a cloth case of some kind.
Finnegan was carrying a fiddle with him NOBO last year.
We met C-shot that was carrying his on a thru this year. He carried it in heavy plastic. There is a picture of him on one of the Trail Days galleries. It was not fancy, he had drawn on it, but it was a nice addition to the one evening we spent with him and friends on our section hike in April.
Uncle Silly
10-26-2007, 17:06
Hi TJ, That actually looks like a mandolin to me in the picture.
Those are definitely not mandolins; they're backpacker guitars just not the Martin-made monstrosities.
We met C-shot that was carrying his on a thru this year. He carried it in heavy plastic. (...) It was not fancy, he had drawn on it, but it was a nice addition to the one evening we spent with him and friends on our section hike in April.
C-shot carried a 1/2-size kid's beginner guitar, as well as a couple of harmonicas (C, G and maybe D if I recall). Cheaper than a backpacker guitar by anyone; feels and sounds more like a guitar; although he had trouble keeping it in tune since it was a cheap instrument. When I hiked with him in the Whites he'd taken to storing it in 2 dry sacks, one big one for the bottom and a smaller one for the top. Oh, and the "drawing" on his guitar said: "This Machine Kills Fascists" -- same thing that Woody Guthrie wrote on his guitar.
I've carried both a mandolin and banjo on the trail. I don't recommend the so-called "backpacker" instruments at all. For a mandolin, I carried a cheap beginner A-style and a standard canvas gig bag. (Martin's backpacker mandolin neither feels nor sounds like a mandolin, it's expensive, and it's actually heavier than a standard A-style. By buying a cheap one, I could afford to replace it with another cheap one if it broke on the trail.) For waterproofing I used a standard garbage bag, wrapped around the mando before the mando went into the gig bag. Then the gig bag got strapped to my pack. For the banjo, I carried an old openback-style. It got strapped directly to my pack. For waterproofing I relied on my pack cover; it did get wet on occasion, but this season was dry for the most part.
This topic has been asked several times; see the following links for previous threads:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18758
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20202
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18692
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13298
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14111
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11155
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8917
walkin' wally
10-27-2007, 21:08
Hey Uncle Silly,
Nice hearing you play at Monson during the Whiteblaze Feed and at Tim's.
Most of the hikers carrying guitars do not now how to play them. They come out to the Trail to learn how. If you want to paly a guitar Martin makes a nice backpacker guitar. Please do not try to impress the hikers that are camped around you with your non experience skills in playing a guitar. Find a secluded place away from every one and have the time of your life.
But if you can play.....love to hear a nice change in the evening with some sweet tunes, before sundown of course :)
I have an Martin Backpacker that has been sitting around for 3 years, untouched, and is basically new. PM me and I'll ship it to you for $100, comes with the soft case.
Sold Pending Funds to Smile.
But if you can play.....love to hear a nice change in the evening with some sweet tunes, before sundown of course :)
BUT, after Sundown....please use your Martin "Backpacker" (or any other) guitar or musical instrument like a CellPhone....switch it to OFF!
Good luck with your hike.:D
Ron Haven
10-28-2007, 11:42
Finnegan was carrying a fiddle with him NOBO last year.Fennegan could really play the fiddle well.If you remember he play some at the hiker fool bash in Franklin.
You got that right Jaybird.
Rough enough sometimes with an Olympic Snorer in camp, let alone a bad guitar player intent on learning music late in to the dark hours after a long days hike :)
Uncle Silly
10-28-2007, 12:30
Most of the hikers carrying guitars do not now how to play them. They come out to the Trail to learn how. If you want to paly a guitar Martin makes a nice backpacker guitar. Please do not try to impress the hikers that are camped around you with your non experience skills in playing a guitar. Find a secluded place away from every one and have the time of your life.
Which is exactly why I don't recommend the Martin. It doesn't feel like a real guitar and that won't help you learn to play. If you're learning, go buy a cheap beginner kid's size; it'll actually feel like a guitar (because it is one).
Don't believe me? Go find a Martin backpacker in a music store and try playing it without a strap.
BUT, after Sundown....please use your Martin "Backpacker" (or any other) guitar or musical instrument like a CellPhone....switch it to OFF!
Jeez, Jaybird. No dogs? No music? Why don't you just camp by yourself and stay out of the shelters?
It IS polite to ask if anyone minds. But if no one speaks up, play to your heart's content. I've yet to hear anyone complain about my playin'. More often I hear something along these lines:
Nice hearing you play at Monson during the Whiteblaze Feed and at Tim's.
Thanks Wally! Glad you enjoyed it. I hope I get to pick around in Monson again sometime -- their Friday night jams are awesome.
I have an Martin Backpacker that has been sitting around for 3 years, untouched, and is basically new. PM me and I'll ship it to you for $100, comes with the soft case.
Sold Pending Funds to Smile.
SOLD TO SMILE!
Why, thank you EWS, looking forward to it's arrival. One more Christmas gift down, a few more to go :)
Ron Haven
10-28-2007, 23:18
Most of the hikers carrying guitars do not now how to play them. They come out to the Trail to learn how. If you want to paly a guitar Martin makes a nice backpacker guitar. Please do not try to impress the hikers that are camped around you with your non experience skills in playing a guitar. Find a secluded place away from every one and have the time of your life.Be patient Pirate I'm trying to learn :D
Ron, you could build a little stage out front of your place and have open mike and guitar nites :)
Ron Haven
10-28-2007, 23:24
Ron, you could build a little stage out front of your place and have open mike and guitar nites :)We do that sometimes at Budget Inn.I'll bring my banjo,a guitar or two.Trouble is I have to be careful with that banjo it scares newbys that don't know me.:eek:
Hee hee hee. Nah, Ron, you have a good reputation with the trail world, just be careful what you play :)
Looking forward to stopping in to your fine establishment in 08
Ron Haven
10-28-2007, 23:34
Hee hee hee. Nah, Ron, you have a good reputation with the trail world, just be careful what you play :)
Looking forward to stopping in to your fine establishment in 08yea,It's that dueling banjos that seems to get on their nerves.Let me know ahead when you are coming and I'll try to bring some instruments.
:sun
Will do. What's the closest shuttle pick up point to you anyhow. Last year I got on one at the FS road before Standing Indian, a nice winding ride as I recall
MagicCityMatt
10-29-2007, 17:48
You could always take the Hawaian approach.
Ukulele (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukulele)
I'm just kidding of course. But it would be a great way to shed a pound or 3.
I've carried a cheap Romanian made travel guitar before in its original fabric carrying case, but first I made a sleeve for it out of 6 mil tarp plastic which I formed into an elongated triangle to fit the guitar and secured the seams with duct tape. I rolled the bottom of the triangle, drybag style, and secured it with duct tape also. I carried the guitar upside down secured to the back of my pack. Some folks say I play pretty well, but I don't know many popular songs, so I play some classical music that I've picked up along the way, and also some hymns (though the lyrics aren't universally appreciated). Tip: Don't play long into the night unless asked to. :p
Ron Haven
10-29-2007, 21:40
Will do. What's the closest shuttle pick up point to you anyhow. Last year I got on one at the FS road before Standing Indian, a nice winding ride as I recallIn March and April I run 3 trips every morning to Rock,Wallace,and Winding Stair Gaps.But if you need I cover this whole area year around if you will call us (828)524-4403 :)
take-a-knee
10-29-2007, 22:08
If you thru with the guitar you can do the rock star thing and bash it to pieces on the summit sign. I'm guessing that'll be all it will be of use for at that point.
Uncle Silly
10-30-2007, 18:39
If you thru with the guitar you can do the rock star thing and bash it to pieces on the summit sign. I'm guessing that'll be all it will be of use for at that point.
:eek: No! Instrument abuse!
My beater mandolin is covered in hiker signatures gathered on the trail, so it's a bit more of a keepsake than that. If you've thru'd with a beater (guitar, uke, whatever), you'll probably hike again sometime, so it'll probably be useful on future hikes.
Of course, if you do bash it to pieces on the summit sign, make sure you have two friends with digital cameras: one to shoot video, one to shoot a string of still shots. That's not something likely to be repeated often! Oh, and be sure to pick up all the pieces so you LNT... :D
Ron Haven
11-02-2007, 23:18
Finnegan was carrying a fiddle with him NOBO last year.
here is some pictures of Fennigan. http://www.nantahalawilderness.com/trail_magic.html
warraghiyagey
11-03-2007, 03:43
If you thru with the guitar you can do the rock star thing and bash it to pieces on the summit sign. I'm guessing that'll be all it will be of use for at that point.
As long as you pack out the mess.
here is some pictures of Fennigan. http://www.nantahalawilderness.com/trail_magic.html
Thanks for posting the pictures! It was a joy to hear him play.
Did you ever hear if he and/or Donny Keyhote finished? I talked to Donny briefly at Trail Days, and he said he'd probably have to get off soon for non-hiking-related reasons.
Ron Haven
11-03-2007, 10:38
Thanks for posting the pictures! It was a joy to hear him play.
Did you ever hear if he and/or Donny Keyhote finished? I talked to Donny briefly at Trail Days, and he said he'd probably have to get off soon for non-hiking-related reasons.
No I didn't ever hear.I would like to see him again.He was a very nice person.This website Nantahala Wilderness is a pretty site of this area if anyone else wants to view it.http://www.nantahalawilderness.com
Uncle Silly
11-03-2007, 20:44
here is some pictures of Fennigan. http://www.nantahalawilderness.com/trail_magic.html
oh yeah! i met him at Trail Days last year. i think he was camped nearby. great fiddler -- i didn't get to play with him as much as i'd've liked.