A friend who I had not seen in a long time has invited me on a hiking trip in Northwestern Arkansas. I've wanted to get into some serious hiking but never had anyone to go with, so I don't know much about it and don't have much equipment. I've been walking and doing the treadmill to get in shape and I think I'll be O.K. I just need to get some gear. I'll be asking my friend a few questions but I don't want to hammer him with constant questions where I seem like a total nuisance. Anyone have any thoughts or advice for a beggining weekend hiking trip?

No matter what else, if you don't get good footgear, you'll be miserable. Its been a while since I've bought any, so I don't know what brands are good anymore, but don't cheap out on them. Take an extra pair of socks and bandaids too. Take care of your feet.

If you're kind of a fat boy, like me, get some good boxer briefs too. Otherwise you'll be chaffing like you've got sandpaper in your pants.

Hi Farmer,

I only do day hikes, so I don't know about really hairy stuff. I would recommend that you buy good boots - I like Danners and have had indifferent results with Asolos and Vasques. I would recommend that you buy a pair of close-fitting man-made fiber "wicking" socks to wear close to your foot and a pair of heavy socks to go over them - these two pairs of socks together with your quality boots are going to keep you from getting blisters.

I would suggest that you take a bit of time when putting on your socks and shoes to make sure that everything is on right. You don't want a sock twisted or a fold in there. You want your boots tight but not oppressively so.

I would suggest you get yourself a big ol' Camelbak-type thing. Hiking poles are recommended by almost everyone, but I just carry a big hickory cane - I'd be much better off in some of the rougher stuff that I do with poles, but I'm holding out.

Never hurts to know how to use a compass, I suppose. Or to have a GPS (which is easier to run). I carry a purifier straw and a firestarter kit (striker, flint, tinder and fuel bar) whenever I go seriously up into the hills. I always carry a revolver (generally either a 3" J- or K-frame - you'd be astonished how much a little bit of weight can wear at you over the course of a day) and penetrative rounds - not a heck of a lot of spare ammo. I carry a hat and sunglasses and an LED flashlight (but that's true everytime I step outside). Dress sensibly - layers (though I don't worry much about this). Bring food that will give you energy but not require preservation or make you sick.

I'm just rambling - I hope some of this helps.

Just go out and walk, too, to prepare - treadmill seems awfully dull.

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Now go make God proud...

Is this backpacking or hiking? If you're carrying more than lunch and water, it's another critter. If it's backpacking, let us know, and we have a longer list.

If it's just hiking, how far, how high will you climb, how wet, how rocky will all have an effect. How cold, how hot? How sunny or shady?

I hope you've been doing some of your walking with an appropriate pair of shoes for whatever the answers are to the above questions, and are going to wear them on the hiking trip as well.

And it's a really good idea to have practiced and be going with two pairs of socks, a thin inner pair for sweat wicking and especially for friction reduction to avoid blisters, and then a thicker outer pair for cushioning. I still like silk and wool for this. I've used the polyester double layer socks, but once in a while I get athletes foot that way.

If it's going to be sunny, (or rainy) a hat is probably a really good idea. There'a a reason why those cowboys wear hats with brims all the way around, I prefer something with a full brim to a baseball cap.

If it's going to be shady, you may well have to deal with tiny blood-sucking insects. This includes shade provided by the earth, as in nighttime, evening, early morning. Insect repellent is a good idea.

As far as clothes, to deal with heat, sun, and insects, I like to wear light weight, loose, long sleeve nylon shirts, and long nylon pants. Of course, I'm a redhead, and can get a sunburn in about 15 minutes or so.

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Regulate Banks, not guns

First and foremost, head to your local library or bookstore and find a copy of "A Walk In The Woods" by Bill Bryson. Read it carefully.

If you are traveling together, you can split a lot of loads and get away with carrying less weight.

One stove.
One cookset.
One two-man tent carried in separate halves (body and fly/poles) instead of two one-man shelters.

Best advice I can give you: have an appropriate-scale topographical map of the area, know how to read it, have *two* compasses, and KNOW how to use them. GPS is nifty but batteries die. Make sure a couple people know where you'll be, where you'll park, rough route and expected schedule.

Be conservative in your mileage estimates. A good day's hike (for a novice) with pack is 4-6 miles. I'd strongly recommend a shake-down one-night trip the week before to figure out what you do and don't really need with you.


... and don't forget the TP.

enjoy!

1. Proper fitting and broken in footwear. A comfortable pair of workboots will do as well as any special hiking boots, I read of inidividual who through hiked the Applachian Trail, he swore
by Red Wing work boots. If you be in snake country, some sort of heavy leggings.
2. Canteens. At least a pair of 2 quart ones, a
1 gallon if you can find it. I am not too keen on using water purification tables, they usually leave H2O tasting flat and blah.
3. A hiking staff. Feels good in the hand, helps you maintain your pace and stride, has other uses.
4. A small backpack, containing food-fruits, things with natural carbohydrates and sugars to keep you energy up. A first aid kit. Perhaps some nature guides-trees, plants mainly.
5. Depending on the terrain and weather, perhaps shorts worn under some sort of field trousers ala the old Army field pants. That will protect you against briers, etc. Then you can take them off to cool down. Some people like chaps, with long pants they provide double protection.
6 A pedometer calibrated to your stride, part of the fun is recording your mileage. Bear in mind that rough terrain, slopes, etc. will throw your readigs off so you will get a close approximation, not an exact record.

Let me add a comment about long sleeve shirts. A few years ago we stumbled upon a street sale at an outdoors shop. On one of the racks they had "Buzz Off" shirts. We only bought 2, one for me and one for the wifey. Big mistake. We should have bought out the rack.

Its just an outdoors shirt, like the "Ex Officio" brand. Except the fabric is impregnated with insect repellent. That part is really cool. You don't smell it, but the bugs look for dinner someplace else. It adds no weight, no bulk, but a lot of function.

On the boots and socks thing. Wear them a bunch before you go hiking. If only in the evenings and around the house, and up and down the road. Wear them everyplace you can. Get your blisters before you go hiking for the full day.

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Dick Burg

Good advice so far.

I would only add, go to a backpack shop and try on several different types and brands of packs. Bodies are built differently and what may be heaven for one person will be hell for the next.

Once you get your pack and footwear don't just walk on the treadmill. Put them on with some weight in the pack and walk. Go up and down the road or to a park and WALK. See how it feels, learn how to adjust the weight to make it more comfortable.

Most new packs have them anyway, but get one with space for a hydration bottle. It is SO much easier to reach over and suck water through a tube than to have to stop, take off your pack and dig out your water bottle, or have a canteen banging on your leg. Also get a good water filter, so that you can safely refill your water pack along the way. It's a LOT lighter that trying to haul enough water for the whole day. Water weighs over 8 pounds per gallon.

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Illegitimus Non Carborundum

Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon but the weight will go down as you go along. I am probably rather Old School on that one.
I will add to what tyuscian said by adding that train with your pack and boots on terrain
similar to what you will be hiking on. Going up hill takes a lot more out of you than going on the level, climbing is a lot different with a pack on your back. Descending can be very tricky, I suspect there are more injuries on descents than on ascents. And walking over rolling or rough terrain is a lot diffrent than walking on pavement or gently rolling and frequently mown terrain.

Footwear is tantamount to having a nice hike. I'd add to the good advise above, get a good pair of hiking boots and buy some moleskin. After the first 1/2 hour stop, take off the shoes and socks and inspect for hotspots. put the moleskin on those red areas before the skin starts to break down and blister. Then put some duct tape over that...right on the skin so your socks will glide blissfully over the tape and not ball up the moleskin.

Farmer are you hiking around the Buffalo river? It's a beautiful area with lots of elevation changes and lots of rocks...those sturdy boots everyone has mentioned are a must. Smartwool socks are excellent, and always take an extra pair. I wear nylon hiking pants that zip off at the knees if it gets too hot. Nylon shirts are also good. Nylon clothes will wick away sweat and keep you comfortable. Don't wear cotton, you'll be soaking wet. Take a good small light knife. I use a hiking staff and wear a hat but my wife will use neither. I'll be interested to hear how your trip went.

Wear layers so you can add or shed as necessary. Also, get some wet gear. Day hike? $1.50 plastic poncho will cut it. Longer? Get some lightweight breathable rain gear. campmor.com is a good online source, their brand is pretty acceptable, at least by me.

Of course, ditto on good footwear, no cotton socks for longer hikes.

I know you'll have fun, I've spent lots of camping time in NW Arkansas.

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Barry, youngest son of Claud

How far are you going, how many days in the woods, what climate are you expecting?

The trip will be all day Saturday and most of Sunday, small mountains, early June and temp will probably be high 80's to low 90's. I have some good Hi-Tech waterproof boots and a lightweight sleeping bag, but both of my tents are probably too large. I also have a Leatherman Kick, Surefire 6P LED light, and a compass. Besides trail mix and beef jerky what are other good foods to take along? I know my buddy is in really good shape and I think we will be hiking at a fairly fast pace
so I doubt if I want to weigh myself down much and slow him up.

+ 1 on the skives answer. I buy wicking bike shorts without the padding. They have no seams in the crotch and extend about halfway down your thigh. I bought them last at REI. Sorta like tight boxers.

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My Mother likes me.

Many years of backpacking experience have taught me that you ALWAYS end up lugging more than you need. Decide what items you absolutely must have, then throw away half of them. After your first trip, you'll realize you didn't need 3/4 of what you took.

It is all -- and I mean ALL -- in how much your pack weighs. In warm weather, you need no more clothing than what you are wearing, except maybe a light jacket and a spare pair of socks. For a couple of days, you don't even need a toothbrush -- I'm telling you, after a day of bushwhacking you'll be throwing the d****d heavy thing away. A tent, even a tiny backpacker job, is a needless burden -- at most you need a light tarp and groundcloth. A decent-sized metal cup plus a spoon will replace a mess kit. Unless you are being dumped off in the midst of the Amazon Basin, a GPS is a useless brick in your backpack. I have always made a habit of doind my navigation in advance -- weeks ahead of a planned hike, I am memorizing maps of the area, and taking particular notice of all landmarks, streams, roads, trails, etc. I rarely take along even a map and compass, because when I hit the ground I already know where I am.

The mark of a seasoned wilderness traveller is not in how much he takes with him, but how little.

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Pisgah

Advil. Lots of it.

Here is what I keep in a fanny pack that gets placed in the backpack. Bandanna, binoculars, whistle, blistex SPF40, dental floss, tooth brush, tooth paste (in ziplock), mirror, toilet paper, top ramen seasoning packets, 2-3 mylar survival blankets, poncho, 100' braided line, small hotel soap bar, magnesium flint, first aid kit including asparin/benedryl/vicodin (whatever meds you need, this better include an epi stick kit if you are allergic to bees) lighter, sewing kit, some fishing line and hooks, wire saw, pencil and a fer 3x5 notecards in case I need tro post a change of plans at the ranger station, some hard candy, small folding ground shovel, flash light, iodine tabs and cool aid (as the citric acid in the cool aid neutralizes the iodine after it's done doing it's thing) sierra cup, compass and map, ground coffee, 2 pairs of nylons in size lard butt...they are light/warm/and dry out in seconds if they get wet (also use it as a coffee filter). Knife, leatherman tool, and cheap light sharpening tool. GORP, jerkey, and water bladder folded up in top of fanny pack.

All that weighs less than 4# and it is the little survival pack within the backpack. There is usually room for a 5th of JD as my coffee creamer.

In the big backpack: Whisperlite stove, white gas canister, zatarands jumbalya (any fellow hiker staying in my tent had better be able to hold his breath for a long time....he, he, he) I'll bring whatever other food I've dehydrated and vacuum sealed that I am in the mood for. Instead of oil, I bring cured salami and grease the pan for cooking with the salami grease...no potential for oil to ooze in the pack that way.

Light sleeping bag if it's summer (in the high sierra it can get cold at night even in the middle of summer) thermals, I wear light cotton long sleeves on hot summer days but have a change of clothing to non-cotton clothing for camp of if the weather turns cold. When it gets cold, cotton kills. Therma-rest, small tent (if someone else isn't carrying one, light tarp, light wt bear canister, small amount of duct tape, small amount of wire and grommets to make any repairs to the pack as needed.

32oz of water if I'm around streams. More h2o otherwise

pack weight 25-30# not counting any photo gear.

Walking and treadmill that’s a start is your walking the same sort of walking/hiking that your going to be doing. Foot wear, where the rubber meets the road or should I say the foot meets the ground. I’m not much for heavy boots but one must have decent foot wear that provides support/stability. For years I’ve gotten away using a poncho and poncho liner as a light shelter/ sleeping bag. Some folks get loaded down with Gizmo’s. Don’t carry more than what’s necessary and most of that is going to be unnecessary. Start walking with all your gear you contemplate using break it in along with breaking yourself in.

Take a basic Swiss Army knife, maybe one with a saw blade, and a sheath knife with about a five-inch blade. I like Fallkniven's S-1 ( www.fallkniven.com ) Take a compact sharpener/hone.

Waterproof matches, a good Silva, Recta, or Suunto compass. The Model 15 Ranger is a classic Silva design, but you can probably get by with their basic Model 3. Contour maps are important.

I suggest a good moncocular like the Zeiss 8X20B. It'll let you see a lot,and is far lighter and more compact than a binocular.

If you're licensed to carry a pistol, 9mm ammo is compact and light weight for the power. Or, take a .38 or .357 J-frame S&W or a Ruger SP-101.

Hate to be inelegant, but take toliet paper and soap. Toliet tissue is also good campfire tinder.

If you want an axe, the ones from Gerber/Fiskars with hollow fiberglass handles are lightest, and rugged. A folding saw may be better for most trips. At least, have a saw on a Swiss Army knife.

Go to a bookstore and look for books to cover this subject. Don't rely just on the Net.

Be sure that you'll find water, and be able to purify it. Don't become dehydrated. Take tea bags, well sealed, and some sugar. It gives a real lift when tired.

A compact camera can record your adventure, and the pics will be enjoyed for years.

Oh: it gets cold at night. Have a blanket or survival blanket or sleeping bag. And learn to build a fire right, and be sure that you can, legally, where you'll be.

A high quality stainless steel mirror and a folding GI can opener (P-38) are good to have. The mirror can signal, and help you find something that gets in your eye. Some compasses have good mirrors, too.

Antibiotc ointment and other first aid gear in a small kit. Include a snakebite kit, the compact Cutter one.

Good luck. Don't let the bears or the mosquitoes eat you. And don't get into a macho contest with your buddy to see who can walk the fastest. That shouldn't be the goal of the trip. Use it instead to see the land and what lives on it and in the streams. Pause and listen: you may hear something important.

T-Star

Thanks, very informative and detailed advice, and many good points I had not thought of. I'm getting excited!

Much hiking/backpacking/camping equipment comes under the heading of "It is better to have and not need it than to need it and not have it". "Be Prepared" is the Boy Scouts motto.
A first aid kit is a prime example. Rain gear is
another. Extra matches, perhaps fuel tabs if the
stove doesn't work.
Regarding food, plenty of proper carbohydrates, i.e. cereals, bread, the like.
Fruits. I haven't used any of the various trail
foods in years, even when I was in Boy Scouts
1962-1967 we thought the portions were too small.
Conversely if you are in good shape you have your engine tuned up so to speak and running more efficiently. A few years ago I was doing
a lot of bicycling, I finally pedaled a Century-100 miles in 12 hours-iformally, that it. My starting out meal was a sub at a favored pizzeria, I had another one a little while later
plus plenty of H2O, an apple or 2, I ended up doing 112 miles, felt fine when I got home.

Farmer17: I have hiked all over the West. After I became a snow skier, I discovered the use of old ski poles as 'trekking' poles. Work great! You can usually get a pair at Goodwill for next to nothing. They help while walking specially uphill. They are good snake tools and help setting up a survival blanket at night for a shelter half. Take and use some sort of insect repellent. That country is infested with ticks and chiggers. Don't ask me how I know ... Big Cholla

Get ready for a fever to hike that never goes away, thank G-d.

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One day at a time

Try Bestglide.com. They'll sell you a British Osprey Canteen system and carrier. Add a few fuel tabs and you can use the system to cook food. They can also sell you a Coast Guard type ration food bar and some Mountain Home food. Or else use an MRE, which doesn't need water.

If you need matches that are waterproof, get either REI Stormproof or BCB lifeboat matches.

If you need water tabs, try the Katadyn ones. They don't make the water taste as vile as Iodine based tabs and will kill viruses.

Take a small radio with you to be warned of bad weather.

You can use a foo foo hiker pack if you want, but if it isn't something that you're going to do all the time, just get an old Alice pack. They're hard to destroy. If you decide to get in shape you can fill it with lots of useful rocks and lug it around.

Adventure Medical kits sells a variety of first aid kits for just such travels. You might want one of their pocket survival kits (has a whistle, mirror and such) as well if you aren't used to being in the wilnderness.

Great advice so far. I'll add ---

For hardy, high-calorie, super simple meals, try Mountain House freeze-dried entrees. Add boiling water to the contents of the package, and in a few minutes have a satisfying if not gourmet meal. "Cooks" in its own package and requires only one utensil, such as a polycarbonate spoon.

You can spend a small fortune on ultralight stoves and titanium vessels and implements (I have, they're great!) but the best balance of cost, weight, bulk, and ease of use is the JetBoil Personal Cooking System, a marvel of award-winning design.

If you can be assured of finding reasonably clean surface water on your route, carrying a water filter, such as one or another of the Katadhyn (sp?) units will save you lots of weight. This can be a good strategy on a canoe trip, a lethal mistake on desert hike...

Sleeping al fresco, under the stars is great, if you don't need protection from insects, rabid animals, etc., as is regrettably now the case hereabouts. Otherwise, a tent or etc. is in order...

If the trip is overnight, take TWO flashlights plus spare batteries. One normal sized and one pocket light. They have an annoying habit of crapping out at the worst possable times.
Forget swiss army knives. Go with a good multi-tool. I like the Gerber because you can open it one handed.
Carry a disposable lighter in your pocket. If it should get wet, you can blow on the flint and wheel a few times and be good to go.
Minimum of 25 feet of strong cord or light rope. Parachute cord is ideal as its both strong and light.
For rain gear I recommend a good poncho. Covers you and your pack plus can be used as a ground cloth or shelter if need be.
Duct tape. Just a small roll or what's left of a nearly used up roll. This stuff is the universal fix-it kit.
A couple of garbage bags. Useful for everything from keeping stuff dry to packin' out your trash.
A couple of zip-lock bags to organize small items. Much easier to find a bag in your pack rather than individual small items. Put you toliet paper in one to keep it dry.
Don't forget your camera!

Some of this stuff you probably won't use. But as it has been said, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. If you do need it, you'll need it right now!

I spent 12 years as a Boy Scout leader. On any camping trip I had a Mini mag-light and a multi-tool on my belt. A disposable lighter in my pants pocket and a couple of band-aids in my shirt pocket. You'd be surprised how often these few items got used.