I've bolded stuff that I really want to get (to be helpful for my family for Father's Day. Isn't that thoughtful?) Most of it (although not all) is the stuff that is fairly pricey (over $50, at least) so I won't just go pick it up on a whim, I'll run it by the CFO of the house (my wife, who does our day-to-day budgeting) just to make sure I don't throw her into a cash-flow crunch by spending money when she's planning on spending other money or something. Plus, since I don't have any immediate backpacking trips planned, there's not a lot of urgency to pick any of this stuff up right now anyway.
Primary Gear
- Cabela's "Perfekt" Light Hikers -- generally seen as among the best hiking boots available. I like the higher top ankle support type hikers, both for comfort and for fashion, but these are still quite small and light.
- North Face Terra 65 Internal frame pack -- I need a new pack. This looks like a great alternative, although I might opt for the Kelty Coyote 80L for a slightly larger variant--just in case I need it.
- Foremost Tarps 8x10 Brown/Green reversible tarp -- I don't know why I was spending three times as much for an REI footprint. Probably because I was also angling for an REI tent. This is from WalMart for about $4.
- Ozark Trails egg-shell foam sleeping pad -- I already have this. No need to buy an expensive Therm-a-Rest new one.
- Coleman 40° sleeping bag -- yeah, maybe I'd save a little weight by buying the expensive lightweight mummy bag, but honestly, I don't really like mummy bags all that much. Plus, I already have this one.
- Ozark Trail 2 person dome tent -- I wasn't thrilled when I bought this el cheapo tent, mostly for my young son to use on his Boy Scouts camping trips, but after sleeping in it myself this last weekend through fairly heavy rain, I'm actually thinking that it'll do, freeing up a lot of budget to spend on other things and get my gear list done faster and easier. Plus, it's actually lighter than the REI 2 person hiking tent (the Passage 1 tent is about the same weight, but that's a tiny, tiny little thing.)
- Frogg Toggs Boonie hat -- I like the fact that it's completely sun and rain proof in a cheap little package. Probably not high style, but since I'd only wear this when either working outside or hiking, who cares? (Actually, I don't care anyway, to the sometimes chagrin of my wife. Fashion consciousness is not one of my strengthes--in fact, I see it as a failing anyway.)
- Old Navy blaze orange fleece pullover -- I had some other jacket in mind, but I already have this. Plus, the blaze orange color could come in quite handy for fall hikes.
- RealTree AP nylon t-shirt. Already have it. Wear it a lot currently, actually (again, to my wife's chagrin.)
- Old Navy cargo shorts with belt -- ideally, maybe I'd get some nylon or polyester material or something, but I'm not terribly concerned with wetness in my shorts anyway.
- Field & Stream Coolmax liner socks
- Under Armor Men's HeatGear 7" Compression shorts -- important to prevent chafing, mostly. I'd actually wear these all the time now if I had a pair. I should probably just pick them up. There are other brands that are the same price.
- Rocky Midweight merino wool boot socks -- nothing special about this brand except that I've already got several pair of them.
- MossyOak Break-Up Infinity nylon t-shirt -- already have it. Plus, I like to pretend like the RealTree AP and Break-Up Infinity are totally different, which bemuses and annoys my wife and kids. An extra shirt is always nice.
- Kühl Revolvr "jeans" or Raptr pants -- I don't really need these, but holy cow, they look cool! Very pricey for pants (from REI), but I really like the look of both of them. Honestly, I could spend a fraction of the price for some track pants from Wal-Mart, but what's the fun in that? All of the pants I currently own are cotton, so I wouldn't want to bring any of them unless I'm on a guaranteed dry hike, like in the desert or something.
- More boot socks -- already own 'em, as stated above.
- Cabela's GORE-TEX Thinsulate Deluxe II Shooting Gloves -- warm and yet thin. I guess I didn't need to be this specific, but I saw these on Cabela's website and I had to put something in.
- Frogg Toggs DriDucks rain suit -- I had a more expensive Frogg Toggs suit on the list, but I almost picked up a Frogg Toggs rain jacket for this weekend (I probably should have, we had plenty of rain) and saw this at local regular stores that had small sporting goods sections, and figured why not just go with this? The full suit including pants version is still only $20.
- Extra pair of compression shorts -- see above.
- Huntworth Fleece-lined Balaclava -- I need some kind of head warmth generator. Rather than a simply wool knit cap, this is lighter, and offers the option of covering my face if I really want it. And it makes me look like a woodland ninja.
- Under Armor Men's 3.0 Base Layer -- pants and top. This is pricy, but it beats my current cotton thermals if it's at all wet. Probably beats them anyway on temperature rating, although curiously I'm having a hard time getting a real temperature rating for these. If I want to overdo it, I could probably get some 4.0s and be even warmer, but I don't expect to actually use these much, except maybe to sleep in (thus allowing me to use a lighter sleeping bag) and maybe to hang out in on zero days if it's cool or wet.
- Cabela's Snake River Fleece vest -- on sale at the low, low price of $17! I need to snap one of these up before the sale ends. Father's Day, here we come!
- MSR 4 oz. fuel canisters -- smallest reasonable fuel source you can get, really.
- Dollar store lighter -- I might have one, but I'm not sure. I don't smoke.
- Scotch-Brite copper coated scrubbing pad -- again; not a big deal, but I'm writing it down just to make sure I don't forget to pack it.
- JetBoil Zip Cooking system -- my favorite of the options on the market. Plus, it comes with container to cook in too!
- Small pocketknife -- for lightweight use, I've got a tiny little folding knife that probably does 95% of what I could ever imagine wanting to do. I do admit to wanting a nice big fixed blade Bowie knife one of these days, though--practical or not, it's just kinda cool.
- BearVault BV450 solo food container -- won't need for every trip, so it's just on the list ot be complete.
- Spoon -- my wife just picked up a lightweight camping spoon for an upcoming trip. I thought it was kinda silly, since we could just use an existing spoon, but she didn't want to take any of those camping, I guess.
- Camelbak bladder -- fits into the pack slot. I've already got one. If I'm on a trip where I'm establishing a base camp and then wandering a bit without breaking camp, I may want to bring the entire Camelbak set-up.
- 3-liter empty soda bottle -- to fill up with additional water. Could be very important on desert hikes; maybe less so on well-watered mountain or forest hikes I might take.
- Potable Aqua water purification technology -- let's face it; the pills are so much cheaper, lighter and less time consuming than the pump/filter.
- Nikon Coolpix L24 -- on sale at Walmart for only $80! We have cameras, but I'd like to have a small, fairly cheap one dedicated specifically to hiking/camping trips. Just in case something happens to it.
- Ozark Trail Mens' Rockwall River sandals -- I'd wear these bad boys now; I don't like wearing my flip-flops all that much. This is mostly needed for river crossings and when I just need to get my feet out of my boots, though.
- Silva Starter 1-2-3 compass. I have a compass, but I couldn't find it last time I looked. This is the cheapest (and lightest) fully functional alternative I saw online to buy.
- Homemade first aid kit -- I've got all the stuff I would want, I just need to pack it all together.
- Cabela's Alaskan Guide XR Headlamp by Princeton Tec -- one of many options. I like to shop Cabelas if everything else is equal, though, so I picked this one.
- Dollar store batteries -- another advantage of the camera I picked--it uses regular batteries that are easily and readily available.
- Insect repellent -- we actually just stocked up at home. This is, obviously, readily available anywhere.
- Chapstick -- I always have some on hand; taking it hiking (especially on drier trips) would be nice.
- Wilderness Guide books or Topo maps -- as needed for the specific trip I'm on.
- Paperback Book of Mormon -- to read in the evenings before turning in.
- North Face Pack Rain Cover -- surprisingly, this was the cheapest option I could find. Plus, since I'm favoring a North Face pack, it offers a nice symmetry.
- Homemade repair kit -- I have everything I need here; I just need to pack it together.
- Rope -- I have some good nylon cord; I need to cut off a proper length to have a bit just in case. Although I don't actually anticipate an immediate need for any of it--as Sam Gamgee says, you always want rope when you don't expect it, though.
- Sunsceen -- self explanatory
- Wash kit -- I'll thrift this down to a bit of soap (for body/hair and dishes--which means two small sets), deoderant and toothpaste/toothbrush. I don't need to comb my hair if I get it cut before I go and wear a hat all the time anyway, and I don't need to shave if I don't plan on being out longer than a week or two at a time. Also need some TP and a trowel, but I'm going pretty minimalist with this.
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