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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: First timer supplies?
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| Author | Message Text | ||
| Argo |
portagerunner: "Argo: "NMJim: "I firmly believe the most essential item is a good pee bottle. Takes the bite out of those middle o' the night calls. 32 oz, wide mouth Nalgene works for me." Outside of mosquito season it's good. And particularly in the rain, you can just go to the edge of the tarp and let it go. But when thick mosquitoes are about, I'd rather not have to exit my shelter. And as God is my witness, I don't know how you use a pee bottle in a hammock. |
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| Ahahn366 |
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| Basketcase |
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| OCDave |
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| scat |
Just get a good list, collect your stuff, check it off & you will be fine. It’s not really rocket science. Put a half roll of TP in a ziplock haha. Cheers have fun. scat |
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| Traveler |
Whatever else you might not have you can live without for a few great days in the woods. |
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| Striboutdoors |
Also curious to know what everyone takes along for food. |
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| boonie |
If you'd like we could look at the outfitter's lists for you - what outfitter are using? There are things I'd leave behind but others might not. We could also examine your list of clothes and personal items and provide suggestions. Apparently you're just getting the equipment and not the food from the outfitter . . . ? When are you going? How many of you? How many days and how far? Experience level, fitness level, etc. ? These things could impact the selections. Food is a somewhat personal preference thing, but I simplified mine quite a lot over the years, especially as I started taking longer trips and going solo. Cold cereal, instant coffee, nuts, ProBar meal bars, dehydrated dinners. If you email me I can send you some general info I've sent to family and friends going with me or going on their own. |
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| soundguy0918 |
Sacred socks - a pair of socks dedicated for inside the tent/sleeping bag, always clean and dry. Campsite shoes - I prefer moccasins but others swear by crocs or Tevas Extra-fine tip Sharpie - for recording smudge-proof notes on your maps Lightweight insulated coffee cup - I use a Corky Cup Have a great trip! |
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| Argo |
NMJim: "I firmly believe the most essential item is a good pee bottle. Takes the bite out of those middle o' the night calls. 32 oz, wide mouth Nalgene works for me." The only downside I have regarding switching to hammock camping is the inability to use a pee bottle. |
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| buz |
I put all meals in some sort of "bag", like for like, all breakfasts together, lunches, and dinners in separate spaces. Easiest is to use plastic bags, but lightweight cloth duffels work as well. This is more important the bigger the group, makes finding the right stuff way easier. |
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| portagerunner |
Argo: "NMJim: "I firmly believe the most essential item is a good pee bottle. Takes the bite out of those middle o' the night calls. 32 oz, wide mouth Nalgene works for me." I thought this was a positive. No bottle required, just be careful where you put your shoes. |
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| alpinebrule |
soundguy0918: Agree with the socks, but I like "holy socks" better (please excuse the pun) and the insulated cup. |
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| Basketcase |
Get a food dehydrator (purchasing meals can be very expensive) and start looking for gear on geartrade.com. They have barely used equipment. |
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| straighthairedcurly |
However, it is a great way to get started and figure out what you like or don't like. The advice to stay organized is wise. Have a system for stuff sacks (tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, etc. I always put all the sleeping gear stuff sacks inside each other and immediately stow them in the tent. Never random things down on the ground by themselves. We carry a small cooking area tarp for the ground and all cooking gear stays on it. That saves us from small items getting set down and lost in random locations. Never portage with loose items. Water bottles, maps, compasses, cameras are always secured to a pack before we start portaging. Amazing how many of these types of lost items we see from other groups at the start or finish of a portage. Bring bungies to secure fishing gear to the canoe. For personal items: Bring one set of clothes for day time travel...these should be the only clothes that get wet. Bring a second set of clothes that will be your dry around camp clothes. You do not need new socks, underwear or t-shirts for everyday. That is just too much unnecessary weight. Make sure to have clothing that still retains warmth when wet. Have a great trip. |
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| alpinebrule |
scat: ".. Took a couple days to get the hang of using leaves… Word of advice, as a trip partner of mine said once after an extended sojourn, "do you know how hard it is to find a leaf in pine forest." TP and an emergency backup. One piece of equipment you don't want to fail. On a more serious note. I like new thin sock liners for each day or so, like new socks, weigh nothing and take up no space; maybe more of a back backing thing but sill do it in the BWCA. Second, long-underwear, fabric appropriate for the season, for inside your sleeping bag. Especially if renting, keeps the bag cleaner and if you have to make a middle of the night sojourn makes it much more pleasant. |
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| OCDave |
scat: "Wow, I went on an Outward Bound canoe trip on the 11 point River in Arkansas/Missouri and we had no toilet paper provided. It was like minimalism to the maximum. Took a couple days to get the hang of using leaves… My own Outward Bound experience was Dog sledding out of Ely. Also no TP on that trip but mastery of the "snow cleanse" is pretty intuitive. |
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| NMJim |
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