Reddit Reddit reviews The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail

We found 14 Reddit comments about The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail
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14 Reddit comments about The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail:

u/FIRExNECK · 16 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

Darn Tough socks, Membership to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, REI gift certificate those seem like solid gifts.

Edit: How could I forget Andrew Skurka's [The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide/dp/1426209207)?!

u/[deleted] · 7 pointsr/hiking

If you do three consecutive years, you won't really need to worry about getting in shape, just staying in shape during the off seasons (I assume you won't be hiking in the winters). If you live in the south, you can still get outdoors to hike. If you live in the north, then treadmills and stair steppers are the way to go if you can't stand the cold (like me). The bigger concerns, at least for me, are personal health and money. Injuries and sickness happen, so you have to avoid those. And you need to make sure you're insured while on the trail. You also won't have much, if any, income for 3 years. That's tough. I have an AT thru-hike slated for 2015 and a PCT thru-hike for 2016, but it's already tough on me financially. Things keep popping up and eating into the PCT fund.

For general long distance hiking, here are some of my favorite books:

Andrew Skurka

Michelle Ray

Jan Curran

The Logues

u/MrManBeard · 6 pointsr/WildernessBackpacking

For a complete beginner I usually recommend you pick up a book. There's so much information that it's hard to get anything from Reddit replies. Backpacking becomes a very personal activity after a few years and everyone has different ideas about the best set ups for gear and what not. So start with one of these books and really get an understanding of all the different types of gear. Also if you're in the states and have an REI close by you should see what kind of courses they offer. Most REI's have some kind of free intro to backpacking course. If you're cautious and prepared, going solo is just as safe as going in a group.
The top 3

The Ultimate Hikers Guide

The Backpackers Field Manual

The Complete Walker IV

The first one is probably the most easily digestible. The 3rd is my favorite but that's just because I enjoy the writing style. It's also arguably the most comprehensive.
I'd suggest you grab one or more of those books and start getting an understanding of all the gear. You could start with some easy overnight trip.

Edit: I just want to add, if you've never been backpacking at all you should look into gear rental and plan a quick trip. I've known plenty of people that think they want to do it until they do and they hate it. REI's have gear rental, some colleges have Outdoor Rec departments that rent gear. You could also look for a meetup.com group near you and message them about wanting to learn. I used to go out with a Meetup group and we would always gladly put a bag together for someone wanting to try it out.

u/zorkmids · 6 pointsr/Ultralight

I'd recommend either Andrew Skurka's book or Dan Ladigan's book.

Andrew Skurka's website is also a good resource.

The Backpacking Light forums are excellent.

Ten Pound Backpack is pretty helpful for gear comparisons, once you know roughly what you're you're looking for.

u/rusty075 · 5 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

You're probably going to be disappointed in the responses you get to this question. "Best Gear" is sort of like asking for best ice cream flavor, or best color - you're going to get a lot of opinions based on personal preference, but very few hard-and-fast "best" verdicts.

Best Gear will be whatever works for your needs and hiking style. Take sleeping pads for example: my "best" might be a luxurious thick, heavy pad so I can sleep really well and rest my sore back, but your "best" might be a super thin and light pad to reduce your pack weight. Both are right answers, just for different reasons.

But the good news is you've got time. You can start researching, and doing little test trips to try out different things to see what works for you. If you want to get started learning about gear, and the philosophy behind it, Andrew Skurka's book is a pretty good read.

u/MungoParkplace · 5 pointsr/Ultralight

Buy these books before you spend any more money on anything else. They can save you a lot of money over the course of your upcoming months of gear-nerding out.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpackin-Tips-Inexpensive-Lightweight/dp/0762763841

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide/dp/1426209207

u/highwarlok · 3 pointsr/CampingandHiking
u/MissingGravitas · 2 pointsr/hiking

Where's the trip? I'm curious about the need for that much water, but could see it in a desert. The pack should be fine, if a tad heavy, but if you end up having to carry bulky items it may be too small. (Worry about that later though.)

Aside from /r/Ultralight, Skurka's blog has good content both his book and this other one are good to look through.

One other suggestion I'd make is to adjust the gear list people get, otherwise you could end up with a bunch of inexperienced people with 60lb packs and all the fun that brings. There are a number of threads (on BPL, in /r/ultralight, and elsewhere) that list ultralight setups that try to stay under a given dollar amount. You can use those give people lists that include both common lightweight items and their budget alternatives. Remember, if they pack too much, you might end up having to carry it.

u/ChiefBromden · 2 pointsr/backpacking

Um. no. It's really not. It's a fantastic book, written by arguably one of THE best hikers in the world. Andrew Skurka. The book answers the types of questions many people come here and ask like: 'hey, I'm going X, what type of gear is best for this trip'. Take a look inside at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide-Techniques/dp/1426209207#reader_1426209207 Sure, he names some specific product names...but there is far more information on just general gear selection in there.

u/camawon · 1 pointr/WildernessBackpacking

This book by long distance backpacker Andrew Skurka is quite useful. Anybody can pick it up and read it. He's all about taking only what you need via thorough preparation before your trip, but he isn't "stupid light" nor elitist about gear.

u/ryandury · 1 pointr/CampingandHiking

You're actually better off getting a pack that's 'too small' - It forces you to be a little more disciplined in what you pack. I would suggest nothing larger than 50 Litres. I highly recommend reading 'The Ultimate Hikers Gear Guide by Andrew Skurka' - Your body will be thankful. It's seriously worth the investment. Guaranteed your backpack will be more than 10lbs lighter after reading it.

u/YepYepImaRep · 1 pointr/Ultralight

All the data says pepper spray is more effective than guns in bear attacks, so I'd lose that right quick. Second, read Ray Jardine, Justin Lichter, and Andrew Skurka.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Backpacking-Jardines-Lightweight-Hiking/dp/0963235931/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341345684&sr=8-2&keywords=ray+jardine

http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Tested-Thru-Hikers-Insights-Backpacking/dp/0984855009/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341345701&sr=1-1&keywords=trail+tested

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide/dp/1426209207/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341345724&sr=1-1&keywords=andrew+skurka

You will find every suggestion we could come up with on here and more. Personally I find ponchos to be a shitty option, and sleeping bags and quilts are very nice. If you're on the Kenai, you will want a bugproof shelter, too.

u/dark_stream · 1 pointr/WildernessBackpacking

Andrew covered that. Saves you from rebuying the whole kit until you finally get it right: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide-Techniques/dp/1426209207