• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

hiking/backpacking

Ace Rimmer

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
756
Reaction score
5
Originally Posted by oroy38
I'm a big fan of Kifaru packs. The stuff they make is geared more towards the military but the stuff is ridiculously rugged, customizable, and absolutely the most comfortable packs I've ever used. Their packs are pretty expensive, though, but you get what you pay for.

If you are a Kifaru fan you may be interested in their 2008 Closeout sale. They are discounting certain G1 Kifaru packs for 40-50% off.

For the record I do not own any Kifaru gear and am not affliated with them. And even at 40-50% off, I don't think I will ever own any Kifaru gear (for my purposes).
 

derekt

New Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I can't say enough about Vasque boots, as for packs and other gear I am a big fan of quality that isn't outrageously priced. Mountain hardwear, Marmot, Osprey... they make good stuff that isnt crazy expensive.
 

Johnny_5

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 14, 2007
Messages
4,192
Reaction score
5

Pilot

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
2,653
Reaction score
349
Going to be going to the Grand Canyon in March of next year. I need to get a pack, boots, socks, shorts, lightweight sleeping bag, and sleeping pad.

I've just kind of started my search and have plenty of time to accrue these items. So any leightweight, breathable boot suggestions would be great.
 

thats.mana

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
1,820
Reaction score
209
Originally Posted by Johnny_5
What kind of gear are you planning on getting?

I'm looking into it right now, I need a pack, sleeping bag, and maybe a tent. Almost bought a pack in store yesterday, had to restrain myself, lol. I pretty much need the main gear and trying to get everything on a reasonable budget.

What are some websites like sierra trading post? Reviews and what not.
 

Zach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
65
Reaction score
0
Other sites to look at are rei.com, backcountrygear.com, mountaingear.com

They have varying numbers of comments on all sorts of gear.

General recommendations for footwear - low cut, non-gortex given your planned environment (Stylish Pilot). Vasque, La Sportiva, Asolo, Merrell, Montrail, 5.10, etc. all make good shoes. Give some consideration for the weight you'll be carrying and whether or not you need a lot of arch support and ankle support. I hiked for years with a pair of low-cut trail runners from Adidas and they were plenty comfortable. I now have pairs from Asolo, La Sportiva, Montrail, and Merrell in varying cuts and weights. I've had trouble getting a comfortable fit from the Asolos but I think that is just my foot.

Sleeping bags - down bags from Marmot first and foremost, Mountain Hardware second, REI bags possibly third although my bags from them are older and I've heard they've recently suffered quality issues (may be worth checking out anyway since in the past they made great bags). I wouldn't bother with other manufacturers.

Backpacks - Gregory is my favorite manufacturer, followed by Osprey. Arc'teryx is another highly regarded brand (I do have a killer rain jacket from them), but their bags are too heavy for my tastes. Gregory isn't too much better in that regard, but I like the overall design of their bags. Size is a personal consideration dependent on how luxurious you like to camp, although 4,500 cu. in. is a good middle of the road bag size that will allow a variety of trip lengths. If you're planning on doing only shorter trips (weekends), consider a smaller bag, but buy other items accordingly so that you can fit everything.

Tents - various manufacturers including Sierra Designs, Mountainhardwear, Black Diamond, Big Agnes are all good. Up to you how much space/weight you want to bring. Set it up a few times before your first real use to get used to it.

Edit - on shoes, goretex is nice but it makes the boot heavier, maybe a bit hotter, and it takes longer to try. One alternative is to buy a leather boot that can be waterproofed. However, if you're walking in mostly arid climates (Grand Canyon), I don't think goretex is necessary. Particularly on low-cut shoes, as you may get them submerged on a trip and then goretex only slows the drying process. On higher-cut boots, it becomes a better choice.
 

thats.mana

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
1,820
Reaction score
209
Thought I'd give this thread a bump with some pictures.
20ox0m.jpg

1zpk3a0.jpg

t0hw0x.jpg

ic0qat.jpg

14j68ex.jpg

111p6k8.jpg

atrb14.jpg
 

VaderDave

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
4,195
Reaction score
4,772
Looks like a great trip! What part(s) of Desolation did you hike through? My son and I went up to Sylvia Lake this summer--it was his first backpacking trip (he's eight years old). We had a great time.
 

thats.mana

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
1,820
Reaction score
209
Originally Posted by VaderDave
Looks like a great trip! What part(s) of Desolation did you hike through? My son and I went up to Sylvia Lake this summer--it was his first backpacking trip (he's eight years old). We had a great time.

From Echo lake to Tamerack lake to Lake of the Wilderness to Ropi lake than back( sorry for the poor sentence structure
laugh.gif
) Your son is lucky.

Next time I won't bother to go to Ropi unless I really want to see the waterfall (I didn't go this time), Lake of the Wilderness is beautiful and 1.5 miles before Ropi.

If I ever make it out there again it'll be Echo to Wilderness to Aloha.
 

yjeezle

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
1,404
Reaction score
24
Hi, I've been wanting to get into this for a while. Where to start?
 

VaderDave

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
4,195
Reaction score
4,772
Originally Posted by thats.mana
From Echo lake to Tamerack lake to Lake of the Wilderness to Ropi lake than back( sorry for the poor sentence structure
laugh.gif
) Your son is lucky.

Next time I won't bother to go to Ropi unless I really want to see the waterfall (I didn't go this time), Lake of the Wilderness is beautiful and 1.5 miles before Ropi.

If I ever make it out there again it'll be Echo to Wilderness to Aloha.


That sounds awesome. I'll have to bust out my map to see exactly where you went. We live about an hour from DW (El Dorado Hills) so over the years I'd like to explore as much of it as we can, within reason.

It's clear to me, though, that my next purchase needs to be a packable fly rod. This last trip I took my regular two-piece rod and it was sort of a hassle. Every time we had to duck under something along the trail the rod case would catch on it. The fishing up in DW seems to be pretty good, although the fish aren't that large.
 

VaderDave

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
4,195
Reaction score
4,772
Originally Posted by yjeezle
Hi, I've been wanting to get into this for a while. Where to start?

Start with the basics: backpack, sleeping bag, tent. Get some simple cooking equipment, including a packable stove and pot. Get some decent footwear. That's really about it. Look online for some good lists of equipment you might want to carry with you. IMHO, it's always better to err on the side of less stuff as opposed to more stuff. There are few things you can't do without, especially on an overnighter.

The key thing is to go out and get a few nights under your belt. Do some research online for local trails and pick one that seems ridiculously short. Go on an overnighter and see what you think. Learn how to use all your stuff and then you can go from there.
smile.gif
 

thats.mana

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
1,820
Reaction score
209
Originally Posted by VaderDave
That sounds awesome. I'll have to bust out my map to see exactly where you went. We live about an hour from DW (El Dorado Hills) so over the years I'd like to explore as much of it as we can, within reason.

It's clear to me, though, that my next purchase needs to be a packable fly rod. This last trip I took my regular two-piece rod and it was sort of a hassle. Every time we had to duck under something along the trail the rod case would catch on it. The fishing up in DW seems to be pretty good, although the fish aren't that large.


I heard the trout is good out there. I was to lazy to bring my pole out there.
 

VaderDave

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
4,195
Reaction score
4,772
Originally Posted by thats.mana
I heard the trout is good out there. I was to lazy to bring my pole out there.

The ones we caught were small, but the colors were awesome. Plus the fish were pretty stupid, which was a bonus for both my son and me.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.3%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 61 39.1%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 10.9%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 17.9%

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
505,207
Messages
10,579,344
Members
223,892
Latest member
cprice
Top