This is a follow up post to compliment the last Back to Back video I recently put up on Youtube about the cost of backpacking. After finishing the video, I got to thinking, and thought why not put up a solid yet fairly economical gear list for someone new to Ultralight backpacking?
*Update: Since writing this article, I've added a video to my Youtube channel covering some easy and cheap DIY / MYOG gear, which you can check out here.
I will assume that this will be for someone that has little or no backpacking gear. Or maybe if you are reading this and have more "traditional" type gear, you can always sell it online or give it away to friends or family. I won't cover absolutely everything, just the essentials, and this is for typical "high season" use, i.e. summertime or temperatures no lower than around 7C / 45F. I am also putting a focus on gear that is built to last, and don't want to be too stingy with fancy/deluxe gear.
This gear list is intended to be used for section hikes and/or weekend adventures, but in a pinch could be used for longer periods of time under the right conditions--though I wouldn't use this exact list for most thru-hikes on my thru-hike bucket list. One could probably fit up to a week of food in the given pack plus all the gear, and anything less than a week should be no problem.
I've also rounded up both the weights and the costs to get conservative estimates, and always keep in mind you can buy a lot of these pieces of gear used, which is something I do often. The only thing that I didn't include is either a cell phone or a wristwatch, which could be good to bring with you. I bring my cheapo cell phone with me and it doubles as my clock (and calculator or timer/alarm if needed). Some people have one or the other, others have both; but not everyone likes to take one or both out into nature, not to mention that prices of both are all over the place.
And keep in mind that this could be a base set of gear to start with and add stuff on to--for example if you are into bushcraft/woodlore/survival stuff (like if you came over here from Ross' blog), there would still be plenty of room for a folding saw, fishing kit, etc. With a lighter, more minimalistic gear list like the one below, you will be able to hike further and with greater ease, have more energy to do other stuff out in nature, and take better care of your back and joints.
First I'll cover stuff that most people probably have laying around their house, or can be found for super cheap or free.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
Cesar's Guide to the E1 Trails in Sweden: Bergslagsleden Part 2
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This is Part 2 of my 6 part series of trail guides for Bergslagsleden. Please read my introduction and epilogue to this trail here if you haven't done so yet. This entire trail is also a part of the E1 trail system, and you can read more about that in my E1 trail guides here. Please keep in mind it is still a work in progress. And you can find the official trail website here if you haven't already.
This report covers stages 14-12, or from Laxå to Leken/E18 highway.
The small town of Laxå has a train station where you can connect to Göteborg in the west and Stockholm in the east, and many stops in between. There is the usual helpful things like a pizza shop, supermarket, hostel, etc. in Laxå, but not much else. The Leken area is right next to the E18 highway and has daily bus connections to the town of Karlskoga in the west and the city of Örebro in the east. Örebro is about 28km from Leken (about 25-30min bus ride), is a bigger city (sixth largest in Sweden), and has train connections to many parts of Sweden, and will of course have more to offer for resupplying and luxuries.
Hiking southbound on the E1 you continue on Bergslagsleden and the beginning of Västra Vätterleden, and you can read my report on this section of trail here. Hiking northbound the E1 continues on the Bergslagsleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 12 (Leken) to Stage 8 (Mogetorp) here.
Now on with the show!
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On my last trip report I was sick with strep throat, yet still managed to have a good hike. This time my health was fine, but other circumstances worked against me, giving me some added challenges--yet once again, I still managed to have a good hike. Again I think this says a lot about this trail, but there were some minor issues that will address. While not quite as visually stunning as my last section hike, these three stages still offer quite a lot of beauty, and the trail continues to be one of the most well maintained trails I have ever hiked on. Trail shelters and access to fresh tap water are fairly common, for instance, and so are trash cans, places to have a fire, and outhouses.
Due to work and family obligations, I unfortunately didn't have much time to devote to exploring everything that these three stages has to offer, which is quite a lot. There are several other trails that intersect with Bergslagsleden in this area, as well as several interesting sights and landmarks. The more I hike Bergslagsleden, the more it becomes one of my favorite trails, and the more I tell myself that I'd like to go back and hike it again one day--I'd love to do a thru-hike of it as a stand-alone trail.
This is Part 2 of my 6 part series of trail guides for Bergslagsleden. Please read my introduction and epilogue to this trail here if you haven't done so yet. This entire trail is also a part of the E1 trail system, and you can read more about that in my E1 trail guides here. Please keep in mind it is still a work in progress. And you can find the official trail website here if you haven't already.
This report covers stages 14-12, or from Laxå to Leken/E18 highway.
The small town of Laxå has a train station where you can connect to Göteborg in the west and Stockholm in the east, and many stops in between. There is the usual helpful things like a pizza shop, supermarket, hostel, etc. in Laxå, but not much else. The Leken area is right next to the E18 highway and has daily bus connections to the town of Karlskoga in the west and the city of Örebro in the east. Örebro is about 28km from Leken (about 25-30min bus ride), is a bigger city (sixth largest in Sweden), and has train connections to many parts of Sweden, and will of course have more to offer for resupplying and luxuries.
Hiking southbound on the E1 you continue on Bergslagsleden and the beginning of Västra Vätterleden, and you can read my report on this section of trail here. Hiking northbound the E1 continues on the Bergslagsleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 12 (Leken) to Stage 8 (Mogetorp) here.
Now on with the show!
---
On my last trip report I was sick with strep throat, yet still managed to have a good hike. This time my health was fine, but other circumstances worked against me, giving me some added challenges--yet once again, I still managed to have a good hike. Again I think this says a lot about this trail, but there were some minor issues that will address. While not quite as visually stunning as my last section hike, these three stages still offer quite a lot of beauty, and the trail continues to be one of the most well maintained trails I have ever hiked on. Trail shelters and access to fresh tap water are fairly common, for instance, and so are trash cans, places to have a fire, and outhouses.
Due to work and family obligations, I unfortunately didn't have much time to devote to exploring everything that these three stages has to offer, which is quite a lot. There are several other trails that intersect with Bergslagsleden in this area, as well as several interesting sights and landmarks. The more I hike Bergslagsleden, the more it becomes one of my favorite trails, and the more I tell myself that I'd like to go back and hike it again one day--I'd love to do a thru-hike of it as a stand-alone trail.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Back to Back Episode 1 is Up on Youtube
Just a quick announcement that Ross from the Wood Trekker blog and I have put up the first episode of what will hopefully be a series on wilderness backpacking called Back to Back. I have to say the title is growing on me, being a good shorthand for "from one backpacker to another." The first video is more if an introduction and setting up the format and first topic, and Part 2 and 3 are our in depth discussions related to the first topic.
Here is Part 1 of the episode, my video setting things up.
And here is Part 2, Ross' video.
And here is Part 3, my response.
Keep an eye out on my Youtube channel in the future for more episodes of Back to Back if you are interested. I am glad we got the ball rolling, and I think it will be great to be able to bounce ideas and learn from Ross and hopefully other backpackers as well. I have to say, I am excited about the prospect of this project continuing on and maybe expanding, and have really enjoyed collaborating with Ross.
That's about it. Just wanted try and get the word out some. As always, feedback and questions are welcome and encouraged.
Here is Part 1 of the episode, my video setting things up.
And here is Part 3, my response.
Keep an eye out on my Youtube channel in the future for more episodes of Back to Back if you are interested. I am glad we got the ball rolling, and I think it will be great to be able to bounce ideas and learn from Ross and hopefully other backpackers as well. I have to say, I am excited about the prospect of this project continuing on and maybe expanding, and have really enjoyed collaborating with Ross.
That's about it. Just wanted try and get the word out some. As always, feedback and questions are welcome and encouraged.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Swedish Warp Zone: The Beauty of Flugsvamp Mushrooms
This post will be short and sweet. I was looking over the pictures from my last section hike and noticed there were a lot of pictures of mushrooms that I didn't include in my trip report. I liked the way some of them came out, so figured I would do a whole post just devoted to these pictures. The granola bar in some of the pictures is for size reference. Seeing all these mushrooms out there had me humming the Super Mario Brothers theme song quite a lot on my trip. For those of you that didn't ever play SMB on NES, this is what I am talking about:
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Cesar's Guide to the E1 Trails in Sweden: Bergslagsleden Part 1
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This is Part 1 of my 6 part series of trail guides for Bergslagsleden. Please read my introduction and epilogue to this trail here if you haven't done so yet. This entire trail is also a part of the E1 trail system, and you can read more about that in my E1 trail guides here. Please keep in mind it is still a work in progress. And you can find the official trail website here if you haven't already.
This report covers the last stage of Västra Vätterleden hiking northbound, which leads directly to the southern starting point of Bergslagsleden, as well as the first three stages of the trail (17-15). I include the last stage of Västra Vätterleden for pragmatic reasons as a section hiker, which has mostly to do with public transportation, using the lakeside town of Karlsborg as a start/endpoint. Stage 15 ends close to the town of Laxå.
However if you are a thru-hiker and need to stock up on supplies, want/need a hostel or hotel, craving a good cup of coffee and/or a warm meal, or just want to do some sight-seeing, I recommend paying Karlsborg a visit. There are regular buses that connect to the village of Forsvik (where the E1 continues), and also to the city of Skövde where there is a train station for further connections.
Hiking southbound on the E1 the next trail is the northern half of Västra Vätterleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 2 (Forsvik) to Stage 4 (Hjo) here. Hiking northbound the E1 continues on the Bergslagsleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 14 (Laxå) to Stage 12 (Leken) here.
Now on with the show!
This is Part 1 of my 6 part series of trail guides for Bergslagsleden. Please read my introduction and epilogue to this trail here if you haven't done so yet. This entire trail is also a part of the E1 trail system, and you can read more about that in my E1 trail guides here. Please keep in mind it is still a work in progress. And you can find the official trail website here if you haven't already.
This report covers the last stage of Västra Vätterleden hiking northbound, which leads directly to the southern starting point of Bergslagsleden, as well as the first three stages of the trail (17-15). I include the last stage of Västra Vätterleden for pragmatic reasons as a section hiker, which has mostly to do with public transportation, using the lakeside town of Karlsborg as a start/endpoint. Stage 15 ends close to the town of Laxå.
However if you are a thru-hiker and need to stock up on supplies, want/need a hostel or hotel, craving a good cup of coffee and/or a warm meal, or just want to do some sight-seeing, I recommend paying Karlsborg a visit. There are regular buses that connect to the village of Forsvik (where the E1 continues), and also to the city of Skövde where there is a train station for further connections.
Hiking southbound on the E1 the next trail is the northern half of Västra Vätterleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 2 (Forsvik) to Stage 4 (Hjo) here. Hiking northbound the E1 continues on the Bergslagsleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 14 (Laxå) to Stage 12 (Leken) here.
Now on with the show!
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