Comment on How do you get into wild camping, it seems so overwhelming and a lot of information to try and gather?

scrion@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

Think about it like this: you don’t have to go to the Australian outback and survive there for a week with nobody being around.

Start with a one day hike so that you can pack and carry enough gear that will ensure you can spend the night and figure it out from there. Take a note of stuff that you missed and add it to the list of items you’ll research and buy. Drop stuff you didn’t need.

You’ll probably need clothes, a tent, a sleeping bag and mat, a flashlight, a stove & fuel, lighter, plus kitchen utensils / cutlery, water bottles, food, toiletries, toothbrush, a towel, first-aid kit, some insect repellant, sunglasses, your phone (solar charger), some money or credit card, and potentially maps and a compass if you’re planning a longer hike and there might not be any reception (or you lost your phone). There are apps (e. g. Locus) that have dedicated “outdoor” map types and allow map downloads, so they work offline and provide more useful information about the terrain.

Look at camping / hiking communities where people post their minimal loadout pictures to get an idea of how little gear really is needed to get around and add stuff you’d like for comfort from there. There is a whole “ultralight” movement out there that will give you an idea of the absolute basics you’ll need, people typically post overhead pictures of their gear there and add descriptions.

Regarding your specific question for drinking water: there are solutions to filter water so it can be safely consumed, search for “portable water treatment”, e. g. LifeStraw, Geopress etc., plus chemical additives that purify water.

Yes, you can make bacon&eggs, you’d typically crack the eggs at home and seal them in a bag to carry them along. A camping stove will allow you to fry food and boil water, plus you can always start a fire (where legal!).

Sleeping bags will be rated for certain temperatures, get one that matches the climate you plan to sleep in, then optimize for weight and cost - we can’t tell you how to weigh each factor since that depends on destination, group setup (load distribution) and naturally, your financial situation.

If you want to get more serious about being self sufficient, you might want to look into “bushcraft” later on, although I do consider this an advanced topic separate from camping / hiking, and it won’t work in every corner of the world. Still, there are decent books about it and the topic is interesting either way. A good starting point could be: www.amazon.com/…/1507206690/

Overall, don’t overthink things and start with small, short trips, you’ll learn as you go.

source
Sort:hotnewtop