"I want to do something epic for @mini.turbodb's spring break," @mrs.turbodb mentioned to me a few weeks ago.
At the time, I think we were on our way home from a day of skiing, and I jokingly suggested that we could take @mini.turbodb on her first ever backpacking trip, through the Grand Gulch. After all, I'd recently created a goal around hiking the length of this amazing gash on the Earth's surface.
Anyone who has followed along for a while will likely recall that I don't like carrying weight on my shoulders. In fact, I have a collection of variously-sized fanny packs that keep the weight on my hips for exactly that reason. Certainly, @mrs.turbodb knows this well, and I assumed that my joke would land as I intended, and that we'd end up discussing other options.
Plus, given that we had no backpacks, no sleeping bags, no sleeping pads - and didn't even own a ground tent - I was shocked when my joke suddenly became "the perfect plan."
"Character building," "a life experience," "something she's never done," and "something she'll remember forever," were all reasons that this was a fantastic opportunity.
"She doesn't like camping," "water is going to be extremely scarce - to the point we might go to bed thirsty," "we have no gear at all," and "even if she looks back and appreciates it when she's 30, we're all going to be miserable while we do it," I countered.
And so, it was settled. We were going.
We'd enter Grand Gulch via Government Trail and exit through Kane Gulch. But first, we'd need to acquire an entirely new genre of gear. It was going to be Her First Time Backpacking.
Underway on Government Trail | First Backpack #1 - "I want to do something epic for @mini.turbodb's spring break," @mrs.turbodb mentioned to me a few weeks ago. At the time, I think we were on our way home from a day of skiing, and I jokingly suggested that we could take @mini.turbodb on her first ever backpacking trip, through the Grand Gulch. After all, I'd recently created a goal around hiking the length of this amazing gash on the Earth's surface. Anyone who has followed along for a while will likely recall that I don't like carrying weight on my shoulders. In fact, I have a collection of variously-sized…
Left the Light On | First Backpack #2 - I wasn't sure how comfortable @mini.turbodb would be under the stars and on slickrock, but with a few strategically placed rocks - which we all placed around our pads - to alert her to a getting-too-close-to-the-edge situation, she slept great. Better than either @mrs.turbodb or me, in fact! We'd set an alarm for two minutes before sunrise, which was technically about 30 minutes later than we should have gotten going. The cool morning temperatures are much nicer to hike in, and we weren't yet familiar with how long it would take to filter our water. Regardless, we had a relatively…
Hump Day | First Backpack #3 - Despite dozing off easily, our second night on the trail wasn't as great as the first. With all the dusty, dry conditions, I woke up in the middle of the night with a bloody nose, and our proximity to water resulted in a few mosquito bites - on the face - for @mini.turbodb. Still, we were all in reasonably good spirits when @mrs.turbodb's alarm went off, and soon, she and I were packing stuffing our backpacks - having informed the kiddo that she could stay warm in her bag - in preparation for the short walk to refill our water…
Are We There Yet? | First Backpack #4 - Even before we'd pulled our sleeping bags out of the tent, I was distracted. Just outside an alcove behind the grassy area we'd called home, I'd stumbled upon some colorful spring flowers that were also waking up to a new day. Indian Paintbrush. (left) | Evening Primrose (Oenothera). (center) | Utah Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis). (right) The difference between the three of us and the flowers was that the flowers hadn't been stuffed into an ultralight Marmot Superalloy 3P for the last 12 hours. Now, I shouldn't complain too much - the mosquito netting of the tent did its job fantastically…
Junction Ruin and Out at Kane Gulch | First Backpack #5 - With only 4 miles between us and a hot shower, we strolled right past the mouth of Kane Gulch on our way to check out Junction Ruin. Then, the plan was to tick off another mile - or so - of the trail out, in search of a nice slickrock camp site for the night. But oh, how plans change. High above the wash, there was no way we were going to get ourselves up to this gem of a ruin. As we approached the enormous alcove in which Junction Ruin sat, it began to rain. The storm we'd expected…
Best of luck on your upcoming family trip, hope it exceeds your expectations. If it has been since your BSA days, backpacks have improved a lot since, with most of the weight on the hips, so hope you find one with the right balance. If I may, you might take a look at the Osprey Atmos AG LT 50 it rates very high in comfort, and expect many of your hikes will be desert (warmer) it has a suspended mesh backpanel, so breathable and cooler against your back. Could be bigger and heavier than you need, but if sometimes you carry stuff for others in your group or a drone maybe not, so use it as a baseline to compare features with others. Most good stores have some weights to put in a pack to test weight transfer to the hip belt.
Thanks! Yeah, the equipment is so much different than what I remember. Internally framed packs, sleeping bags and pads that are both warm and light weight. And a 3-person tent that weighs 2 lbs 14.2 oz. Total nuts!
I'll be putting together a list of the gear I end up with, since - hopefully at least - I'll end up using it on more trips, and the "first" won't also be the "last." One thing is for sure - the gear hasn't gotten any less expensive! 😉
I support Skidoo's suggestion of an Osprey pack. I'd suggest specifically one with their "Airspeed" suspension, which are perfect for desert use. I've been using them for years. Some are on sale on Osprey's web site. I favor collapsible water containers (Platypus, or the like).
Interesting to hear two recommendations for Osprey. I'm headed over to their site to check them out. As of right now, I purchased an ULA Ultra Circuit, which has gotten rave reviews (if you believe them) and weighs almost nothing.
That ULA is an impressive piece of hardware. Sounds like it could sluff off a blizzard. My old North Face internal frame ("lost" a couple of moves ago) foam padded back panel was pretty comfortable, but if it was warm enough out to break a sweat, it and my back got hot and pretty soggy. So mesh backpanels are a big win in my book. In cooler weather with some layers on its not an issue.
Look forward to seeing your gear list along with the field testing and reviews.
Gear prices have sure outpaced inflation, but then we are willing to pay more for the lightest gear.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Did some hikes with overnights in the high Sierras.
Picking up the 4x4 hobby gave me the outdoors with less sweat.
Ah dude! Shorts are about the right length, but the bedroll isn't near large enough! 1987 my dad and I - Ocean Pacific cord shorts - who says cotton kills?