The Great (low budget) Hiking Guide and Thread

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Personally I think water bladders are the way to go over bottles, you can pack them easier, and the tube lets you drink without having to unpack/repack or carry the bottle constantly. Obviously its nice to have a decent bottle if you're on a long term trip and want something to store and possibly boil water in, but for the bulk of water storage I love using bladders.

Right now im looking into an affordable but still quality hammock. I'm not a fan of mats or tents and would rather just stay off the ground entirely. If youre going to overspend anywhere though i'd do it on boots and extra socks.
 
Awesome thread and relevant to my interests. Portable light sources are also not a terrible idea. Nebo makes some fantastic inexpensive stuff:

Galileo collapsible lantern

Einstein headlamp

Even if you don't buy those, get something with a red light mode, so you can avoid blinding yourself just trying to find your latrine at night.
 
Nicholas Gur dijo:
Personally I think water bladders are the way to go over bottles, you can pack them easier, and the tube lets you drink without having to unpack/repack or carry the bottle constantly. Obviously its nice to have a decent bottle if you're on a long term trip and want something to store and possibly boil water in, but for the bulk of water storage I love using bladders.

Right now im looking into an affordable but still quality hammock. I'm not a fan of mats or tents and would rather just stay off the ground entirely. If youre going to overspend anywhere though i'd do it on boots and extra socks.
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great points, added them into the thread
 
Nicholas Gur dijo:
Personally I think water bladders are the way to go over bottles, you can pack them easier, and the tube lets you drink without having to unpack/repack or carry the bottle constantly. Obviously its nice to have a decent bottle if you're on a long term trip and want something to store and possibly boil water in, but for the bulk of water storage I love using bladders.

Right now im looking into an affordable but still quality hammock. I'm not a fan of mats or tents and would rather just stay off the ground entirely. If youre going to overspend anywhere though i'd do it on boots and extra socks.
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How do you clean and dry your water bladder? That’s where I always struggle with them
 
I typically just drain and dry it after use. I've never needed to clean it, although they do have tablets to clean it.
 
Newfag14 dijo:
How fast clothes dry also play an important role, even more so if it's a multi day hike where you need to wash them on the go.
Cotton clothes will soak up more sweat, moistly cling to you and take way longer to dry then synthetic materials.
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Would like to add to this:
Never use cotton clothing for outdoors wear. "Cotton kills" as the saying goes.
Not only is cotton less durable than synthetic fabrics like polyester it has a complete inability to wick away any moisture. It's also very inefficient at retaining body heat. In hot climates this leads to discomfort, but in winter climates this can lead to conditions for hypothermia which can quickly kill you.

Polyester/nylon/synthetic are the best materials for outdoor clothing in warm environments. Wool (merino) / wool lining is the best for cold climates. I wouldn't consider this a "fancy or uncommon" material as you can buy clothing like that anywhere. Clothing is not something you want to cheap out on. If it's just a day hike sure, but for any multi-day trips clothing and hiking boots should be your first investment.

Clothing should always be considered in layers. You'll want a basic layering system that is relative to your environment. The idea is that you start out for the coldest weather, and be able to remove or put back on layers.
 
Nicholas Gur dijo:
Right now im looking into an affordable but still quality hammock. I'm not a fan of mats or tents and would rather just stay off the ground entirely.
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I can absolutely recommend the DD hammocks. I have a Frontline and a Travel hammock and they are both great. I use the Travel in winter and the Frontline when it's warmer and there's mosquitoes around.
They both came with webbing suspension, which I used for quite a while, but eventually swapped out for Whoopie Slings and tree huggers.
I used to use the DD underblanket, but now I use an inflatable sleeping pad instead.

Edit: missed a word.
 
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888Flux dijo:
Would like to add to this:
Never use cotton clothing for outdoors wear. "Cotton kills" as the saying goes.
Not only is cotton less durable than synthetic fabrics like polyester it has a complete inability to wick away any moisture. It's also very inefficient at retaining body heat. In hot climates this leads to discomfort, but in winter climates this can lead to conditions for hypothermia which can quickly kill you.

Polyester/nylon/synthetic are the best materials for outdoor clothing in warm environments. Wool (merino) / wool lining is the best for cold climates. I wouldn't consider this a "fancy or uncommon" material as you can buy clothing like that anywhere. Clothing is not something you want to cheap out on. If it's just a day hike sure, but for any multi-day trips clothing and hiking boots should be your first investment.

Clothing should always be considered in layers. You'll want a basic layering system that is relative to your environment. The idea is that you start out for the coldest weather, and be able to remove or put back on layers.
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Thank you for your contribution.
I will edit my opinion on cotton and be more hard on it, just saying that it's suboptimal and clingy after sweating was not enough.
I will add your point about merino wool and synthetics, my knowlege of merino it is rather limited since I'm a massiv cheap skate and just though it out with body heat, light full body thermal underwear,
and keeping the layersystem you mentioned in mind. Despite using it I 100% forgot to mention this importan basic point 😅
 
Frostnipped Todger dijo:
I can absolutely recommend the DD hammocks. I have a Frontline and a Travel hammock and they are both great. I use the Travel in winter and the Frontline when it's warmer and there's mosquitoes around.
They both came with webbing suspension, which I used for quite a while, but eventually swapped out for Whoopie Slings and tree huggers.
I used to use the DD underblanket, but now I use an inflatable sleeping pad instead.

Edit: missed a word.
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Will add it to the camping set up section, I even went by a DD hammock model to estimate a rough price for a hammock that has a great price/value
 
For my own hikerino adventures the most important skill I've picked up is learning to READ A MAP. Get good maps (that won't fall apart from being folded and stuck in and pulled out of your backpack/a pouch, or from moisture)* and check frequently until you get a feel for I've walked this long, so here's how far I've gone, so I'm HERE on the map, here's what I should generally expect from the terrain, I should be X minutes from this intersection with another trail, a road, the campsite, my car, whatever (it doesn't take long to develop this skill really if you're hiking frequently). Then you don't have to check as often but still do it regularly. Don't rely on muh phone GPS or even maps downloaded on your phone. Get quality physical maps and learn how to use them, you'll get big confidence from doing so and it could save you hours of unplanned walking or even your life fr

*Not as important if you're just going for a short hike up to a full day hike, most state and national parks and forests have free maps at parking lots etc. that will last a decent amount of use, but anything overnight try to get a map of higher-quality material
 
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draggs dijo:
For my own hikerino adventures the most important skill I've picked up is learning to READ A MAP. Get good maps (that won't fall apart from being folded and stuck in and pulled out of your backpack/a pouch, or from moisture)* and check frequently until you get a feel for I've walked this long, so here's how far I've gone, so I'm HERE on the map, here's what I should generally expect from the terrain, I should be X minutes from this intersection with another trail, a road, the campsite, my car, whatever (it doesn't take long to develop this skill really if you're hiking frequently). Then you don't have to check as often but still do it regularly. Don't rely on muh phone GPS or even maps downloaded on your phone. Get quality physical maps and learn how to use them, you'll get big confidence from doing so and it could save you hours of unplanned walking or even your life fr

*Not as important if you're just going for a short hike up to a full day hike, most state and national parks and forests have free maps at parking lots etc. that will last a decent amount of use, but anything overnight try to get a map of higher-quality material
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This will also be added to the guide.
 
Ok, I made a few new edits, tell me if it's OK how I quote/paraphrase and mention the people who contribute and how I could do it in a better way.
I'm indeed a newfag and I genuinely want to create a good thread / guide, giving credit to people who contribute.
Feed back is welcome.
I will do a proper spell / grammar check in a few days. I will reorder, reformat, rewrite as soon as I have more content.
 
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Norwegian Trailer Trash dijo:
I have always found it good to carry a small roll of sail tape for quick repairs of tents, water bladders, rain coats, pretty much anything that you need to not have a hole in. It's water proof, can be placed when wet, and is reasonably affordable.
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First time I heard of sail tape.
Sounds like a superior alternative to duct-tape that actually could be worth the extra weight when hiking, especially in terrain where your stuff could be easily damaged.
I would also consider it as a must have when camping since that hobby is more lenient when it comes to weight managment in most cases.
 
Newfag14 dijo:
First time I heard of sail tape.
Sounds like a superior alternative to duct-tape that actually could be worth the extra weight when hiking, especially in terrain where your stuff could be easily damaged.
I would also consider it as a must have when camping since that hobby is more lenient when it comes to weight managment in most cases.
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The big trap with duct tape is thinking you need to take a whole roll. Rewrap some around your hiking polls, spiraling it down with enough overlap that the is mostly affixed. You don't need a ton, just enough for emergencies. You'll add like, an oz or so tops to your carry weight and it'll be distributed on your polls. I hike pretty light (under 20 lbs dry) and never had a weight issue.

I would do that and have a small roll of sail tape in my pack. Use the duct tape (rather, I used gorilla tape because it has better adhesive) for quick or non critical tasks (ex: tear in down jacket, broken sunglasses, etc). Sail tape for mission critical and "wet" areas (rainjackets, tents, etc).
 
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