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3 Day Backpack Trip

My dad, brother, oldest son and 3 nephews are getting ready to go on a 3 day backpack trip in about 5 weeks. As we are preparing, I am trying to decide what we will need. Below are the items I have decided on so far.

1. 3000 cubic inch backpack

2. Sleeping bag that compresses to a small size and weighs less than 4 lbs.

3. Knife, of course. The one I am taking has a fire starter, sharpener, hammer and emergency whistle.

4. First aid kit

5. Mini water filtration kit

6.Paracord

7. Dehydrated food

8. Small fishing kit.

Keep in mind, we are planning everything we use during the whole trip.

Let's hear your suggestions for other necessities.

I plan to take a small camera and will share the experience with you all.

3 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 29, 2014 at 8:43

There are also other factors to consider. Are you taking a three day hike from point A to point B and camping along the trail or do you have a central base camp where you will be exploring nearby trails and returning to the same place to sleep every night? How familiar are you with the area? Will you be hiking well managed trails or going off the beaten path? How many miles/kilometers do you plan to cover every day? All of these factors determine what you need to actually have on your back on on your feet. Most of what I originally laid out was for a hike over rough terrain through the wilderness and moving from one point to the other over a three day period.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on July 30, 2014 at 16:52

Currently the plan is to go from point A to point B, camping along the way, with no base camp. If we are unable to invest the money we want to (lack of funds) we may take the other approach (have a base camp). We already have tents and sleeping bags that would work, if we don't have to carry them all day. We will not know the area very well, but will be on marked trails. We hope to wonder off the path for a few hrs. but should not be too rough of terrain. As we get closer to the time to make the decision, I will let you know which approach we are taking. Thanks again Tobias.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on August 13, 2014 at 19:44

We are only a few weeks away from leaving for our 3 day excursion now. I have almost everything that I think I need. Here is a pick of the tent I picked up for $15 and the backpack I got for $20. You can see my hat, water can and Gerber knife that I will be taking also. I have learned a lot already, thanks to your help and other research I have done. I am excited about the trip and all that we will learn while on the trip.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on August 13, 2014 at 19:47

Here is a pic of the tent.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 13, 2014 at 19:49

Hey good buy on the tent!

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on August 17, 2014 at 15:55

Jeremy, all of your equipment looks first rate. Please keep us posted on your trip and if you can carry a camera to, please take pictures for us. We will enjoy them. I love seeing pictures of other parts of the country.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on August 17, 2014 at 22:07

Robert - I will be taking a camera for sure. I want to save the memories and to be able to share the experience too.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on August 31, 2014 at 16:43

Ok, here is an update form our trip. The good news is, we survived and made it home safely. The bad news is, we had to cut our trip short, due to the weather.

We left home for our trip early Saturday morning (6 AM). We landed in the area where we were to start hiking around noon. We then had a difficult time finding the parking areas. After much searching and stopping to ask the locals for directions (yes men do sometimes ask for directions) wee finally found a parking area that wee felt comfortable leaving my brother's Suburban. We unloaded and set out on the trail at 3:45 PM. Yes this is much later than we anticipated. As we began hiking the trail, we began to figure out that the two older guys, my dad and myself, were not very fit. As we wondered through the woods, on the trail, we decided to find an area to set up camp. We ate supper, which my brother cooked on his portable camp stove. The freeze dried food was actually pretty good. After finding an area, setting up camp and eating something, my brother and I decided to go looking for water. We ran out faster than anticipated. Unfortunately, the water source that was near by, was dried up. As we continued to descend, we began to find small traces of water (small pools). We decide to trek a little farther down, and did find some very slightly flowing water. We gathered some of the water, filtered and treated it with iodine. We then had to climb back to the top, where our camp was. By the time wee reached camp, I was exhausted. We then prepared to go to bed. After going to bed, we were concerned about trying to sleep with high temps and high humidity. About 1:30 AM, we were awoken by a heavy rain and a thunder storm. Shortly after the rain started falling heavy, we heard a loud cracking noise and then a large thud. A tree had fallen about 40 feet behind our tent. We decided that it may not be safe to stay there any longer. We were also staring to get wet inside the tents. We decided to pack up and hike back to the truck. We started back on the return hike at 6:05 AM. We all had our head lamps on and started back out. About 20 minutes before arriving to the truck, the sun came up enough for us to turn our head lamps off. We reached the truck started to throw packs into the back and the skies opened up again. I believe we made a wise choice to abandon the rest of the trip.

Although we all were sore, tired and very wet, we all had a good time and would like to plan another trip, sometime in the fall (possibly next year).

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on August 31, 2014 at 19:36

Here are a couple of pics with me in them :)

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 31, 2014 at 20:11

LOL, unlike Kaleb you do not look like your having fun. I am glad you enjoyed the time with the family. Maybe a bit different planning for next years outing

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on August 31, 2014 at 20:24

That's a tough one, Jeremy. Been caught in thunderstorms before. I can be a rough go especially if you're on high ground surrounded by trees. Not a whole lot better is you're on low ground either. Rain is always a challenge. On the bright side, you'll have more stories to tell! Glad to see everyone is safe and sound!

Permalink Reply by Ms Data on August 31, 2014 at 20:25

Love your pics Jeremy. You kind of look like you stepped out of Apocalypse Now - which is better than Deliverance, all things considered. ;-) I hope you won't give up, backpacking can be so much fun it just takes a while to get it all right.