As a female I probably wouldnt unless I had a big entourage with me (which doesnt exist) :/

 

I already do "casual" hiking, so I'd probably enjoy that as well

 

Sure, sounds fun

 

Oh man, backpacking is super fun. I haven't been in forever, but I'd love to go again sometime. If you do end up going, be sure to practice using your camp stove before heading out on the trail.

 

Yes I would....maybe Europe.... or Peru?

 

Wilderness or travel backpacking? I'd do both.

 

I've done both. And you don't need a while lot of money either if you do it right.

Carrying a 50 lb pack loaded with sleeping bag, tent, cooking equipment, food, water and a change of underwear for 10 miles a day through the mountains, miles from civilization. No showers for days or weeks. Dehydrated food that causes lots of gas. Mosquitoes, deer flies and noseeums.

What bliss!

It depends on where you go and how long you go for. My backpack weighed 35 lbs when I went to the Canadian Rockies, and 25 lbs at the Grand Canyon.

Not without regular internet access.

Someplaces are spotty, butt my iPhone allows me to get on-line in the US in most places. Part of the reason to go backpacking is to get away from the Internet and see the world.

 

I would if sunlight before 9am did not melt my brain and make me physically ill. Brain does not process sunlight right. Half my house has the windows blacked out and I sleep and feel better on days I never see the sun. So while I love doing it the whole tent as only barrier from sunlight and being up at dawn to get the day started just doesn't work. My brain crashes followed by all physical ability with some vomiting within days.

 

I could totally get into something like that. I just don't have the money or people to go with.

 

Isn't the whole point of backpacking doing it solo when you are broke? I have seen too many Hostel movies to ever consider doing anything like this.

 

As a female I probably wouldnt unless I had a big entourage with me (which doesnt exist) :/

Wouldn't it be cool if we all had the money to meet up and have a SA backpack-a-thon.

 

Yes!

 

This is on my list, someday.

 

Carrying a 50 lb pack loaded with sleeping bag, tent, cooking equipment, food, water and a change of underwear for 10 miles a day through the mountains, miles from civilization. No showers for days or weeks. Dehydrated food that causes lots of gas. Mosquitoes, deer flies and noseeums.

What bliss!

 

yup, I do.

 

Not without regular internet access.

 

I've been slowly aquiring lightweight camping gear for backpacking and kayaking.

If you've got a 50 lb pack you are seriously doing somethign wrong and should leave the kitchen sink at home lol

 

I back packed through Mexico for a couple weeks. It was fun but that was back when I was bullet proof. It was a journey loaded with anxiety and I wouldn't do it again. First thing I did when I got to Mexico was hit the pharmacy up for Xanax and Rohyp. Hard sleeping on a train that constantly stops a million miles from nowhere, people sleeping under your feet on the floor, chickens (BYO Lunch) and filth. Vacations like that definitely contributed to or sped up my anxiety/phobias. I used to love just taking off wherever, whenever with little money. Won't even consider it now. Oh well...

 

after I'm done with the army I'm gonna spend a few months backpacking.

it'd be a nice change to carry a lighter load, sleep once in a while and actually be able to light a fire when you are all wet from the rain/your own sweat(you can't light a fire in the army because the enemy will discover your location).

 

Depends a lot on the amount of food and water you have to carry. It sucks to go to a dry camp.

 

I would walk across Canada using the Trans Canada trail. I know of two people who did it in ten months.. I would probably cycle it though.. it would be so fun! I'm going out to Alberta to visit family this summer I hope we do something like we did last time I visited.. we went out to British Columbia mountains and portaged with canoes to this lake and went camping for a week, the way we camped was basically backpacking because each night we slept at a different site, woke up in the morning and canoed to a different location. I was a lot younger though and didn't enjoy it as much as I would today.

If I ever did something like that I would definitely do it along side someone else though.

The movies Nothing Personal & Into The Wild really sparked an interest in making this happen.

 

Niiiice. I've gone on canoe trips (which yes did involve huge backpacks) in Georgian Bay but I'd say it was more paddling than portaging.

The best experience I had was in Kananaskis, Alberta (ya know, where they shot those Inception scenes) when I was doing field research for a few weeks. We had a base camp but you still brought everything with you when you hiked up the mountains. Had to prepare for potential situations of being lost given most of us were hiking solo to cater to our own research topics. So um, remember to pack bear spray. Especially if you're going in the summer and they're at lower altitudes.

Into the Wild is a favourite of mine. I've been meaning to read the book.

 

I have done - and yes, yes, yes I want moooooar

I'd love to do an entire trip around Australia with no vehicle - just hitchhiking.

Always wanted to go backpacking in Europe - typical eh?

 

I'd love to do an entire trip around Australia with no vehicle - just hitchhiking.

Always wanted to go backpacking in Europe - typical eh?

I'll join you. I recommend biking instead of hitchhiking. It is better for scheduling and being a tourist.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=77475&v=12Z

 

Depends a lot on the amount of food and water you have to carry. It sucks to go to a dry camp.

Actually if you know what to pick you can make up about half your food (technically you could make it all up but most of us aren't used to such a diet and would suffer horrible digestive upset) in fruit and vegetation along the way and it doesn't actually taste bad. Only way to get mulberries since they don't store long. Horses make good mulberry picking ladders and you can get enough to survive the whole day on them from a good tree. An apple is enough fuel for a good 3-4hrs of hiking, riding, biking... I hauled out 3, 5gallon buckets of black berries from 1 acre of woods once. Then there's all the common vegetation but I hate vegetables and greens so while I know what you can eat and I've fed it to the animals while avoiding giving them commercial diets I stuck with berries and snatched an apple here or there. I will always remember the story of a downed pilot who tried to hike to civilization and starved to death. He was laying in a field of purslane, a common salad green in many countries, when they found him. He just didn't know "red root" as we call it here was edible.

We also eat far more than we need to. Sometimes I pretended to run away from home for about 36hrs and took with me a bag of cereal and a chocolate bar and wasn't hungry when I returned at like 3am with no one having noticed. I could maintain weight on a bowl of cereal and half a can of soup while spending all day outside in the summer. You won't put on bulk exercising and eating so little but you don't need to have bulk to hike or bike. Lean muscle will get you farther.

That's one reason weighing near 200lbs now from meds and that year of inactivity followed by little activity from heart problems drives me insane. I was unstoppable for 25 years hiking and biking all day and in 3 I can barely go up the stairs and I'm getting yelled at by doctors to exercise more when I'm doing my best but they have no idea how hard it is just to move. I desire to hit a few doctors. Namely my cardiologist.

 

yeaaah. really want to do it around asia soon

 

Yea Im going around June time just around Europe for three weeks, not much but I hope to do more later, I cant wait

 

Sounds fun!

I've only done short backpacking trips, but I always have fun. I'd like to try portaging at the Boundary Waters sometime (in northern Minnesota)

 

Wow! I logged on to make a topic on this and it was just posted. I was thinking about it. I already do a lot of walking but it's around suburban areas and hardly the same. In the summer I have the coast which is nice. I want to try more countryside areas outside of the city, open areas or forests, hills etc. Maybe get up early one day and do it, eventually camp out.

I'd love to walk Hadrians Wall or something like that. I feel it would be a good hobby. I like getting away from people. Unfortunately I'm a bit anxious about it, not sure what equipment to get etc.

 

depends on how you define backpacking.. a day-long hiking trip, okay.. but as far as some kind of weekend or extended trip, I could never go alone.. aside from that i'd need lots of preparation with someone who is already experienced.. how expensive is putting together all the basic gear/equipment?

 

I definately would