+10 10 0
Published 8 years ago by neg8ivezero with 11 Comments

What is in your backpack?

This question is directed at those who overnight hike into the wilderness. What do you bring with you?

  • My Backpack

    • Sawyer Mini
    • 2 Liter Hydration Bladder (cheapo one)
    • 1 Liter Nalgene Bottle
    • Pilot Survival Knife
    • Eno Single Nest
    • Eno Bugnet
    • Eno DryFly Tarp
    • First Aid Kit (home-made)
    • 4 Liter Water bag
    • Cookpot made from a tomato puree can, cabinet handle, and high-heat black grill paint
    • Insulated DIY cookpot cuzie made from Mylar bubble wrap stuff
    • Cat-stove (DIY alcohol stove) with wind-screen
    • I use National Geographic's Trail maps
    • Silva Polaris Compass
    • Garmin Tracker GPS
    • Food (I pack jerky, peanutbutter, low-carb wraps, carrots, bouillon, and various other low-carb goodies)
    • US Military Issued Sleeping Bag (the bag in a bag system with the gortex bivy, I only bring/use one of the bags at a time mostly)
 

Join the Discussion

  • Auto Tier
  • All
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
Post Comment
  • melanoleuca
    +3

    What do you keep in your first aid kit? I have this one , but I am sure there are things that I am missing or could do without to save space and weight. I appreciate any insight or advice you could offer!

    • neg8ivezero
      +2

      It is mostly an assortment of things in most kits, just without all the packaging and extra weight. I have sterilizing wipes, antibiotic cream, a few bandaids of varying sizes, gauze, medical tape, tweezers, clotting powder, asprin, advil, benedryll, (my belt doubles as a tourniquet), burn cream, and those little sticker-stitches that you can use to keep a deep wound closed. I mostly just raided my medicine cabinet and pieced it together but you can also find all this stuff at your local pharmacy. Hope that helps!

      • melanoleuca
        +3

        Thanks for the information! I really like multi-purpose items, especially while backpacking (like your belt doubling as a tourniquet). For example, I have this chair that I love because it is so versatile! It is a luxury, for sure, but is relatively easy to strap on to your pack. You can use it as a kneeling pad, bed roll, and, or course, a chair. In a pinch, the supports are strong enough that it could be used as a splint. Plus, it is much more comfortable than those foldable "soccer" chairs. Mine is rarely put away with my camping gear, I use it too often!

        • neg8ivezero
          +1

          I have always wondered if those things are worth their weight, I'll have to pick one up! Thanks!

          • melanoleuca
            +2

            I'll warn you, once you get one, you won't be able to go out without it!

  • GingerBreadMan
    +2

    How do you like the Eno hammock?

    I've been trying to decide if I should go with one of those or a normal tent. I love hammocks and have slept on them before, but just wanted your personal opinion on the Eno Single. Also, is that one large enough for a possibility of 2 people, or is the double more suited for that?

    Did you do something like this for your insulated cuzie?

    I am asking so many questions because I have most of my camping equipment either purchased or in my Amazon cart and am just trying to finish off the necessary supplies.

    • neg8ivezero
      +2

      I LOVE my hammock. I first got a Hammock Bliss Hammock and I highly recommend them for an inexpensive alternative to Eno. The Eno singlenest is big but I wouldn't put two people in it unless you were both under 120 lbs (54.43 kg) and comfortable with some very intimate snuggling. I am definitely a fan of hammock camping over tent camping. The comfort level is unbeatable, the weight savings are incredible, and the versatility is just awesome. If it isn't raining, I don't have to put up a tarp and I can fall asleep looking at the stars, my back never hurts when I wake up, I stay asleep longer, and I use my hammock as a camp chair when I'm not sleeping in it. All around, I think it is the best choice unless you are going in extreme cold weather (under freezing), and even then some people have gotten quite good at insulating with under-quilts and other crazy contraptions.

      That is EXACTLY what I made for my insulated cuzie. I followed an instructional on YouTube by Shug Emory, he is super hilarious and has a lot of informative videos about Hammock Camping and backpacking in general, you should give him a watch... just beware, he is a bit cooky :)

      If you haven't already, I would recommend submitting some stuff at a new tribe here (/t/backpacking), I just created it the other day and am hoping to build a thriving community of backpackers.

      • GingerBreadMan
        +3

        Thanks for the response.

        Looks like I will be getting a hammock instead of a tent. I don't forsee myself doing any cold-weather backpacking and camping anytime soon, so hammock it is!

        I will take a look at Shug and see what he is all about.

      • schrodingersman
        +1

        Do you use anything for bugs? I want to go the hammock route, but I camp in bug heavy areas at times. The ones with built in nets tend to be out of my price range. The Eno looks like it fits the bill perfectly.

        • neg8ivezero
          +2

          You can do a couple of different things here.

          1. I hate to plug another site but the folks over at /r/myog are incredible with DIY gear. I once saw a bugnet made with walmart sheer curtains. MYOG stands for Make Your Own Gear.

          2. I picked up this guy from Amazon but there are tons of other brands out there, I just don't have experience with them. I can definitely recommend the Eno Bug Net though.

          Outside of that, another tip for bugs is this stuff. This is a clothing treatment and will kill bugs on contact. Great for protecting against ticks/mosquitos. Combine it with a high deet bug repellant and you won't have a bug problem... EVER.

          • schrodingersman
            +3

            That net is exactly what I wanted, and it's great that it goes with the hammock. Thanks for the info I will be buying one of these before my end of summer trip.

Here are some other snaps you may like...