Right here is probably the best place in case there's somebody else in the same boat. You can click on the "I Want To Go Backpacking For The First Time" link in my signature for a little discourse on that, and then there's what's written below:Originally Posted by BossLady
~Shelter for Friday and Saturday nights, hammock for sure, and tarp is recommended, bug net optional but if you don't have one, bring plenty of DEET. Underquilts will likely not be required and the weather forecast will determine the need for a tarp, although its a good idea to have something to at least keep the dew off of you. Sleeping bags are probably going to be worthless weight, but I carry a muslin sleeping bag liner just in case the night time temp gets close to 70.
~Food: A dish for the Friday night Pot Luck, Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Saturday and breakfast for Sunday. Its always a good idea to have one hot meal a day, but this is optional, especially if you don't have a stove. Pop Tarts make an excellent hot weather breakfast, along with some coffee (instant or in bags), and I like to put some orange drink powder in a bottle of water to simulate orange juice. You might not drink coffee in the morning, but everybody should pray that I don't forget mine.
Lunch can be a sandwich prepared before you leave home, but avoid mayonnaise in this heat if at all possible. A few tortillas in a zip lock bag make an excellent stand in for bread, and you can get single serving peanut butter and jelly packs at WalMart, Sprouts, Kroger, etc. to make sandwiches on the trail. Fresh fruit is good and can be refreshing. I love mandarin oranges. You can also make a trail mix with raisins, cranberries, and other dried fruits in the bulk food aisle at Kroger, Sprouts, or Whole Foods. Mini-cheese wheels are great. I have a little mnemonic I've used for years for lunch:
Something salty
Something sweet
Some kind of bread
Some kind of meat
Not exactly Michelle Obama approved nutrition advice, but its been lunch for me on the trail since the 1960's.
For Dinner, I'd normally advise against canned food due to the weight, but if we're able to get the key to the gate to the lake, we'll be able to take stuff like that over there in the morning before we head out. If you haven't done any "freezer bag cooking", you should bring pots and utensils to cook with. You can google the term and find all sorts of videos and websites that tell you all about it. I'm going to be trying out some dehydrated canned chicken mixed in a Knorr side dish for my Saturday supper.
Fire: As mentioned above, if we're able to get that gate key, this is simplified a great deal for those who have heavy stuff like Coleman stoves. But you can also use alcohol and canister stoves, and if the rains continue, its likely we'll be able to build campfires as well. I'm pretty sure that if you find yourself without a way to cook Saturday night, there'll be a couple folks who will let you use their stove just so they can show it off.
Clothing is your call (no guys, it is NOT optional). Some people embrace the funk and wear the same set of clothes day and night till they get home and their wife makes them strip in the garage before coming into the house. I embrace it to a degree, but I wear a tee shirt and jammie bottoms when I sleep in case I need to go running through the woods screaming like a little girl in the middle of the night. I also don't like sleeping in the clothes I cook and eat in for fear I will smell like food to a raccoon or a rat. Crocs or flip flops are handy for walking around in camp. A small tarp or something to put under your hammock so you don't have to put your bare feet on dirt is handy as well.
Flashlight and/or headlamp is going to be essential. Its recommended you go to WalMart and find the little fans they sell. Get the kind with the ring that will allow you to hang it from your ridgeline, and get a small biner if it doesn't have one. Bring extra batteries for the fan. Camp chairs are optional, and doable if we get the gate key as would be tables, etc. A small First Aid kit with a couple of bandaids and some alcohol wipes is a good idea. A pocket knife is another essential item. Bug juice is also going to be on your shopping list. Get DEET. You can also go to Tractor Supply and ask for some permethrin. Its an insecticide that is used in stables. it comes in spray bottles (which is what I use) or a concentrate that you dilute and dip your clothing and gear into. It is toxic to pets when wet, but absolutely safe when dry and will last an entire season. EVERYTHING I wear or sleep in is heavily doused in permethrine. I haven't had a problem with skeeters or bugs since I started using it. Google the name and you'll find plenty of info about it.
The most important thing is water and something to carry it in. The Army recommends one gallon per person per day for all cooking and drinking needs for people who are outside in this climate. I'll be bringing three gallon jugs (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), a double handfull of 16 oz water bottles, plus the Smartwater bottle that I carry on my chest. I will be staging water at the lake on Friday even if we don't have the key to the gate and I'll also bring my group sized water filter as well. I'm fairly certain that more than one person coming will have a personal filter as well. If everybody brings their own water, and brings more than they think they will need, we'll have enough, but nobody should count on anybody else bringing enough water for more than themselves. My personal rule of thumb is that if I pack water out at the end of a trip, I've brought enough. This comes from not bringing enough on just one trip. You don't want that kind of memory.
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