Things have changed too much for me......

[Different Socks]

In the years leading up to my 1992 thru hike of the AT I lived in New England. Places to backpack and hike were numerous and all around me. B/c of the setting there was also plenty of shops to buy equipment. back then selection was much more limited in regards to equipment, size, color, type, fabric, etc.
I really had no problem figuring out what to use on my thru hike.

Jump ahead 20 years and I am going out of my mind as to where to start when it comes to choosing what equipment I want to take with me on my next long hike. The choices just for packs is mind boggling! I know I have to start somewhere, but where and how? I live 110 miles from the nearest gear store and i don't want to walk into a store only to be seen as a "commission" for the salesman(or woman).

Food is not a big deal, nor is footgear and socks, or hiking poles and some other things. But I gotta get new pieces of the big 3 and everybody claims theirs is the best.

How can I get access to equipment on a trial basis so I can figure out what I want?

[sbhikes]

Why don't you just read the gear forums here and backpackinglight.com or whatever other sites. Read gear lists and critiques, too. Just read without posting any questions. You'll start seeing a sort of consensus emerge about individual pieces of gear or particular companies. You'll at least get the field narrowed down.

Then see if you can attend a gathering or go to a gear shop and see if you can find the gear in the store. Just to look at it.

Then just take a stab at something. If there's a tent that many people like and the dislikes don't sound like things that will bother you too much, just go ahead and get it. It may not be the absolute best, but you won't die and you might have a good time anyway.

Gear is just a tool to help you get out there and enjoy the beauty of the trail. I have lots of gear that I don't think is the best and a few items that I do think are the best, but all my gear helps me enjoy the outdoors, even the stuff I don't like that much. Someday I'll replace that stuff, but for now, it's fine.

[bigcranky]

Where is your next long hike? That might have some impact on your gear selection. Not much, though -- I think if you look at the gear of long distance hikers, there are a lot of common threads. A lot of stuff made in somebody's garage, designed by other long distance hikers, or made in small high-end shops. Really high quality down sleeping bags, sub-2-pound packs, usually with a simple frame of some sort, and very simple shelters made of silnylon and other light fabrics. Simple and functional design.

If you bought a ULA Circuit pack, a Tarptent Contrail, and a Western Mountaineering down sleeping bag, you'd have a hard time going wrong. These brands and models are popular with long distance hikers for a reason -- they work. Sure, all of them require some experience and care in campsite selection, but that experience is something long distance hikers have or quickly get.

That's not to say other brands and models are bad -- there are plenty of Osprey and REI and Gregory packs out there, plenty of MSR Hubba tents, and every kind of sleeping bag. But I'm firmly in the "keep it light and simple" group.

Good luck with your plans.

[bigcranky]

Let me add that the small gear makers will allow you to try out their gear and return it if it doesn't suit you. Within limits -- you can't trash it first, of course.

[Spokes]

Why not cut through all the BS and just give Winton Porter a call at Mountain Crossings. He can narrow down the equipment brands popular with thru-hikers. He does the best "shakedown" on the trail too.

Check out his gear method HERE (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4).

[weary]

In the years leading up to my 1992 thru hike of the AT I lived in New England. Places to backpack and hike were numerous and all around me. B/c of the setting there was also plenty of shops to buy equipment. back then selection was much more limited in regards to equipment, size, color, type, fabric, etc.
I really had no problem figuring out what to use on my thru hike.

Jump ahead 20 years and I am going out of my mind as to where to start when it comes to choosing what equipment I want to take with me on my next long hike. The choices just for packs is mind boggling! I know I have to start somewhere, but where and how? I live 110 miles from the nearest gear store and i don't want to walk into a store only to be seen as a "commission" for the salesman(or woman).

Food is not a big deal, nor is footgear and socks, or hiking poles and some other things. But I gotta get new pieces of the big 3 and everybody claims theirs is the best.

How can I get access to equipment on a trial basis so I can figure out what I want?
If it worked for you in 1992, it will still work. You can save a few pounds by expending a lot of dollars. My goal in 1993 was not to spend much on new equipment -- so I used a two-decades old 1.6 pound down sleeping bag liner, augmented by wearing a 1 pound, multi-purpose down jacket, and some insulated long underwear during the colder months. You can't do much better today.

Nor is there a cheaper or lighter sleeping pad than the $8, 8 ounce, 3/8 inch closed cell foam I carried. You can still buy them. The price and the weight remain the same. Today you can buy marginally better comfort for 10 times more money.

The only thing I would want to try out before purchase would be a modern backpack. A backpack has to be comfortable, I think, for a successful long distance hike.

Look at saving pounds, but not at the expense of backpack comfort.

I carried a six pound Moss tent during the cold months, switched to a 2 pound bivouac shelter. You can shave 3 pounds off the Moss tent today without giving up much except having to give more care to picking campsites.

Weary

[skinewmexico]

I know Henry Shires at Tarptent will let you try tents and return them, subject to certain conditions. And ULA is very, very hard to beat. And it's all made in the USA.

[Jonnycat]

Look at saving pounds, but not at the expense of backpack comfort.

That is by far and away the most absolutely important consideration when one is shaving off weight, after safety, of course.

If I had a nickle for every backpacker I have seen with an overloaded ultralight backpack, I would have a lot of nickles.

[stranger]

Like others have said, many small time internet companies will let you try stuff out, then return it if not happy, granted, this usually means setting up a tent on a dry day once or twice.

As far as taking products out and using them, only to return them, that has never been an option for most people. Probably the best thing you can do is join REI, they have a 100% guarantee for all products bought, regardless of use. About a month ago I watched a guy return shoes that 'he didn't like', they were all nasty, beat up, etc...He got full credit!

ULA, Gossamer Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs, Alpinlite Gear, Six Moon Designs, Tarptent, etc...are reasonable, they know most people cannot walk into shops and see their products, however, it can take weeks/months sometimes to get products in the busy season.

I would start here:

Packs - Osprey, Gregory, ULA, Granite Gear
Tents - Big Agnes, Sierra Designs, MSR
Tarptents - Six Moon Designs, Zpacks, Tarptent, Alpinlite Gear
Bags - Marmot, Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends

But that's just me...

[IronGutsTommy]

only thing i can add is wondering how long your long hike will be and how much gear you need. If its a thru where you may be on the trail for 5 or 6 months straight, a 4 hour round trip drive to that brick and mortar store 110 miles away from you doesnt seem too much to ask, depending on what outfitter it is. i recently geared up at an REI store about 2 hours each direction a way, and i had outfitters about half that distance away. I chose to go to a brick and mortar so i can try on packs, check weights, and get a general feel for the equipment. two big benefirs is i started out picking out a pack and had them custom mold the hip belt while i shopped, and i tried on boots while wearing the exact liner and outer socks i planned to wear, along with footbed inserts, to ensure the best all around fit. sure i could probably have had success ordering stuff online, but not the customer service and satisfaction i got from a brick and mortar. the service and satisfaction help curb the buyers remorse after dropping 2000 dollars on gear.

[Mags]

It's just gear. The least important part of backpacking. I wouldn't sweat it.

[Marta]

Your size and shape are so important to the fit of the big three that it's impossible to recommend things over the internet, sight unseen. Some of my friends love their tiny tents which, for a 6-footerlike me would be completely claustrophobia-inducing. Sleeping bags and packs are likewise dependent on fit.

If you go to an urban area with a well-stocked REI, though, you should be able to fix yourself right up with 30 minutes to an hour of time and $700 or so.

[fredmugs]

It's just gear. The least important part of backpacking. I wouldn't sweat it.

Other than getting a pack that fits I wouldn't sweat it either. As long as you're getting Outfitter quality stuff (as opposed to Wal Mart) I doubt you can go wrong.

[ExosC3]

best bet is to just google for reviews online and see what others think about the options. also WB is a great rescource for this as there are tons of like-minded people here. just remember, if what you used 20 yrs ago worked well for you, than you can pretty much bet that anything you go with now will be atleast as good as that, but likley better. dont go too crazy

[Blackbird]

Internet.
1) ULA pack.
2) Western Mountaineering bag
3) Tarptent, Shires or similar.

[Different Socks]

only thing i can add is wondering how long your long hike will be and how much gear you need. If its a thru where you may be on the trail for 5 or 6 months straight, a 4 hour round trip drive to that brick and mortar store 110 miles away from you doesnt seem too much to ask, depending on what outfitter it is. i recently geared up at an REI store about 2 hours each direction a way, and i had outfitters about half that distance away. I chose to go to a brick and mortar so i can try on packs, check weights, and get a general feel for the equipment. two big benefirs is i started out picking out a pack and had them custom mold the hip belt while i shopped, and i tried on boots while wearing the exact liner and outer socks i planned to wear, along with footbed inserts, to ensure the best all around fit. sure i could probably have had success ordering stuff online, but not the customer service and satisfaction i got from a brick and mortar. the service and satisfaction help curb the buyers remorse after dropping 2000 dollars on gear.

To answer a few people that have asked: The first part of my hike will take me from Dec thru the following 12 months, then into the fall of the next year(that's about 21--22 months for those that need to know). So I will either need gear that is 4 season, or two sets of gear for some of the equipment so I can switch out/in when needed.

Irongutstommy: How did the REI store treat you as a customer? How long were you in the store? In MT we have two stores, but both are about about 4 hours away.

[Different Socks]

Pardon or asking but what is ULA? Does anyone have a website?

[Mags]

Pardon or asking but what is ULA? Does anyone have a website?


http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ULA+pack.

:D

(Sorry..couldn't resist... ;) )

[Different Socks]

best bet is to just google for reviews online and see what others think about the options. also WB is a great rescource for this as there are tons of like-minded people here. just remember, if what you used 20 yrs ago worked well for you, than you can pretty much bet that anything you go with now will be atleast as good as that, but likley better. dont go too crazy

I would like to use most of what I currently still have. I am not an ultralite follower. I would rather eat a hot meal at the end of the day using a gas stove(no alky for me), have good clothing to put on for hiking and camp, a storm worthy tent, good trail shoes(used to hike in Limmers) and other things.

But even though my big thruhike is 2 years away, I need to start rethinking all my equipment now. My current pack(a Camptrails Omega) is over 7 lbs empty. I'd like to find a good internal frame of about 4500--5000 cubic inches, has some outside pockets for organization, and that weighs at least 3--4 lbs less. I'd like to have a bag that scrunches down to something smaller than what I have now. I used to carry 90% of my meats canned. Now I will be dehydrating almost every item I eat that isn't already dried or jerked.
In 1992 and subsequent years I carried a long sleeve shirt and a pullover. I carried heavy fleece pants and light polys. I wore heavy socks(no longer) and had a pair of camp socks.
I have to look at every piece I currently use and make them lighter, but not so light that i am in any way uncomfortable. I don't want to sleep in the clothes I hike in(Andrew Skurka did)just so I can have a pack that weighs 15 pounds or less w/o food. I'm sorry, I think that is crazy(but to each his own). I don't want to eat the same foods every day(hiking with me can be a food experience).
BTW, I looked again and found the ULA website. thanks everyone for their suggestions and ideas.

[IronGutsTommy]

rei was really professional, and didnt seem to be pressing the more expensive things on me, a few times recommending less expensive similar quality gear. i had to buy EVERYTHING, about 1800 all told, so i was in there for i think 1 hour 15 minutes, 90 mins maybe. yeah youll probably want different season ratings on some stuff, to save on the weight with lighter summertime fare. i know im mailing home my snowshoes and crampons when they no longer serve a purpose, ditto on the down jacket and snowpants. the sleeping bag i can just unzip if its warm i suppose. but all in all, the rei ( a large one in Ann Arbor, MIchigan), served all my needs very well, and i left glad i took the drive. theres great deals to be had online, and some companys sell only online, but although im well into the 22nd century with all the latest gadgets i still dont buy anything online. i know im one of the few but i think customer service is part of the purchase and i find websites lacking in comparative shopping help, etc.

[IronGutsTommy]

also in the warmer months ill switch from gortex boots to trail runners.

[Wolf - 23000]

Different Socks,

I know what you mean. I'm over 2,000 miles from the nearest backpacking shop of any value (Wal-Mart/Sport Authority don't count). It's been now 12 years sense I retired from serious long-distance backpacking (over 500 miles). Back then I could tell you every piece of equipment out there. I knew the weight, size, the pluses and negatives the whole nine yards I even surprised a few hikers by just rattling off how much equipment weight.

Now, I know a something about the newest equipment but nothing like what I knew before. You might even say I'm still old school. I wish I had time to go back out there again and do it all again.

Wolf

[Marta]

Since you've got some time, I think you should refine your list of what you're taking, then get the pack a month or two before you set off on the long hike.

Probably start by find the tent you want, and the sleeping bag. Whittle down your clothing choices. Decide for sure on your kitchen. Then haul all that stuff to the store.

As far as making the long trip to the brick and mortar REI...you can always look at the stuff in person, write down what interests you, and then order it piecemeal over time. For the big-ticket items (like the tent), you can wait until either it's on sale, or you can use a member's 20% off coupon.

[peakbagger]

I am a firm believer in picking up last years "best of the year". When new products come out, they tend to be overpriced to sell to the early adopters who will pay anything for the latest and greatest, within a year the prices tend to drop and the product goes to the outlet channels. This also gives some time for bad reviews to come out on why the equipment isnt "best of the year". I also keep an eye on thruhikers on what they are still carrying when they get up to NH, generally if its junk, they will have dumped it long ago.

Its worth keeping an eye on Sierra Trading Post as they sometimes have some pretty good equipment for cheap.

[Different Socks]

I've bought from STP before. Most items were worth the savings. Current hiking shoes I have now came from STP.

Marta: Good tips, thanks!