I just got out of the Marine Corps and I want to hike all over the country. Thing is, I don't really want to be that guy wearing combat boots and carrying an FILBE pack, but I have them and backpacking packs are fricking expensive and I'm not rich. Should I just rock the shit I have or is shelling out for fancier, lighter, expensive gear worth it?
use what you have until you can upgrade, but do you need to carry an arsenal's worth of shit to sit on a log in da woods?
The pack definitely won't be full. I'm kinda done with carrying shit loads of stuff. Just basics. Tent, food, water, a few odds and ends.
Backpack is fine. Chunky as shit but not too bad. I'd get different shoes/boots though if you got the money for that. I used to have a surplus pair of temperature weather boots and man those really fricked my Achilles after while.
Temperate* phoneposting
agree on the boots. military boots are meant to be as disposable as the warrior wearing them sadly. don't skimp on feet protection.
I have basically every pair of USMC authorised boots. The That's by Danner are really nice imo, and my basic waterproof goretex boots made by a variety of manufacturers are also really nice. I hiked in running shoes for a while, but I'm getting tired of having wet feet on soggy/muddy trails.
>combat boots and carrying an FILBE pack
If you are comfy with this gear, use it until you need to replace it and can afford to do so. If you don't want to be That Guy, just don't wear camo. In fact, don't wear camo at all unless you are hunting.
I definitely don't want to wear camo. I really do like my cammie pants though. I don't really understand hiking pants. Shorts and a frick load of bugspray or...track pants? Those water resistant hiking pants that zip away into shorts look goofy and dorky AF.
hiking pants are a meme bro. the non waterproof zip offs are good but waterproof pants are clammy as hell. there's two ways to do your lower body layering system. i'll only be talking about 3 season conditions in this post, winter is totally different and some of the things i say will be wrong in winter/alpine conditions.
- the most common is shorts + synthetic or wool leggings + gaiters. you can just wear the shorts alone or any combo thereof. leggings are nice to sleep in and can be wrung to damp. i prefer synthetic in the summer and wool in the winter.
- the less common method is shorts + baggy windbreaker pants + gaiters with optional leggings. not waterproof pants, just baggy nylon. the downside this method has is it can tear against thorns and brush. the upside it has is you can keep your legs out of the sun and/or wind without getting too warm. they also dry out pretty much instantly. "ballet warm up pants" in XXXXXL is the go-to thru hiker pants but i wear some thicker ones i got at goodwill from nike or reebok or something.
- with either setup ideally you take off the windbreaker pants or leggings if it rains and just have shorts on. the wind pants setup doesn't require taking the shorts off or anything to remove them which is based. only your torso really needs to be warm/dry and rain pants are too sweaty to move in. shorts dry out quick. the ideal shorts are paper thin and hydrophobic but anything that doesn't hold much water works. they're just there for modesty you don't actually need pants innawoods. i swear by 5ultimate hydro shorts but some thin light weight swim trunks from the thrift store with the liner cut out is pretty close to ideal too.
there is a time and place for nylon hiking pants, its climbing and off trail bushwhacking in thick bush. they're not very ideal for trails or typical hiking. your intuitions are correct.
Wow, that was very eye opening. Thanks for sharing! I'm glad to see I was gravitating towards the right direction. When I walk my dog in the pouring rain, I wear 5" running shorts that dry faster than swim shorts, flip flops and a gortex jacket. The baggy nylon track pants and leggings with shorts are definitely something I'll try very soon.
the only thing i dislike about nylon track/warmup pants is the material sticks to your skin when its wet. but they're designed to be over-sized and elastic to be taken off quickly so its no big deal. feels very close to shorts, but keeps ticks and bugs away and let me not put sunscreen on my legs.
>I don't really understand hiking pants.
I don't know what you mean by hiking pants, but I have some pants that are water resistant, breath well, slightly stretch, dry fast, light enough I won't boil over. I wear them on cool mornings. They weren't cheap though.
>Shorts and a frick load of bugspray
This.
>or...track pants?
Heavy as hell. Avoid unless you have no other option.
>Those water resistant hiking pants that zip away into shorts look goofy and dorky AF.
Those are fricking memes for suburban moms.
there's 2 different kinds of pants called track pants we're talking about this kind. they're like 90-200 grams depending on what denier nylon and what size, paper thin nylon trashbag pants. i think people stopped calling them track pants in the 80's or 90's we're probably both boomers.
these specific ones are very popular with the thru hiker and ultralight crowds:
https://www.amazon.com/Daydance-Ballet-Ripstop-Perspiration-Trousers/dp/B08J3TR8X6
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256801334255281.html
but i prefer slightly thicker ones because there's a lot of brush in my region.
just rock the military shit and replace things slowly over time. see what pieces of gear you already have that work and some that don't. the more experience you can have to know what works for you and what doesn't, and as you buy better gear over time you can do more challenging or longer trips. if you're not confident with your gear just stick with 3 seasons and better weather forecasts.
there's nothing wrong being the guy in military boots with a filbe pack its just annoying when people post about it like its somehow superior to recreational or ultralight gear.
also a lot of gear doesn't have to be expensive if you have a garage or somewhere to work and a bit of /effort/ and creativity. for example i have 3 camp kitchens. one was made entirely from things from my recycle bin and cost $0. one was a mix between that and stuff from walmart and aliexpress and cost $50. the third kitchen was like $300 with high end off the shelf ultralight stuff. i use the two hobo kitchens on more trips, pretty much any time there isn't a burn ban where i'm camping.
if you're interested and would actually read it i can make you a big ass effortpost on ultra-cheap ultralight backpacking and what i think is worth saving money on and what isn't. especially if you are willing to buy used gear you can make very good ultralight 3 season all weather loadouts, complete for $500 or less.
I would appreciate your mega post tremendously! I've been scouring the web looking for high value gear and I'd love to see what you've come across.
sure thing anon i won't get around to it until tonight or tomorrow. if this thread slides off the catalogue i'll post it in the budget gear thread or something.
Thanks a bunch. I really appreciate that.
there are so many personal preference type things and polarizing opinions when it comes to gear that its good to have as much experience and the best idea of what you like and what you don't possible before spending your $$.
i don't think high end and ultralight has to be expensive, but there are a few items i would never cheap out on like sleeping bags and to an extent backpacks.
frick I bought all this gear and I just realized I don't have pants
i think a pack is generally worth it for utility, but don't do it for fashion.
How much military, pseudo-military shit makes you look like a mall ninja? Is there a handy illustrated scale like with furries?
Like if you have a milsurp or vaguely tacticoolish pack but you're dressed otherwise normal it's ok, right?
When you add a plate carrier for a hike through the woods you’ve gone to far
Until that point as long as it has a legitimate use and you’re not just carrying it for looks it’s not mall ninja imo
Keep using the Filbe. Pick boots that don't need approval. There is no upgrade. There's just expense and acceptance of levels of performance for that.
Most important. Do you want to sleep outside more? If so, keep the snivel gear.
Do you expect to hike while you do or hitch hike? Then you will want to dress down a bit. Wear camo if you want though. No one gives a shit and just growing your hair out will eliminate the assumptions.
You can just ranger roll everything clothes wise a lot easier if you get some nylon pants that are lighter. But if you are doing the winter thing keep your waffle layers. They are gold.
Decide on what you are going to do food wise. Pack it in or source it along the way? Nothing wrong with keeping a few spare meals for the walk. One thing I would suggest you get asap is at least one trekking pole. They can go good with a tarp shelter and will increase your walking range and reduce fatique. It's the one thing that you wont get in the cookie cutter fitness of the marines. It's a luxury you can have now, so do it. Same as the boots. I would wager that tarp and hammock would be a lighter way to go. Keep your bag and down the weight of other things. Lots of people will tell you to get raingear. With the filbe you'll tear the shit out of most of the civ dead bird shit and rain layers. The stuff is weak. Very weak. Get a poncho. A good one and let that be your rain aid. One big enough to go over the pack is best.
TLDR
Tarp instead of tent if you want
Books mandatory replace because distance
Pole to make life much easier
Keep winter waffle gear if it's getting cold.
Poncho isntead of rain layering.
Most importantly How long do you want to do this, how much cash you got, what do you want to get out of this and how comfy are you with rural vs urban hobo camping it?
I was on the fence about trekking poles. If they're really worth it I'll get a pair and try them out.
I was actually looking for a MARPAT rain poncho yesterday. I don't live near a base anymore and I can't find them locally. I don't remember which manufacturers make legit ones. That said, I've always had the habit of putting my clothes in waterproof compression sacks. So abrasive friction should be kept to a minimum.
I'm very comfortable with rural hobo camping. I was in the infantry, so that was basically my job. Urban hobo camping in public spaces is basically relegated to me sleeping inside my car.
I meant while wearing the stuff. Hip belt can wear through raingear layers in the long term.
For the ruban the big issue isn't the comfort it's the parade of buttholes who can make life annoying. Vagrancy laws and getting moved on when you are on a day you want to just bed down suck. Rural you can do anything. Just beware of hunting seasons and all the usual live areas.
BW ponchos are heavy but the germans make it indestructible. Plenty of good ones. No need to worry too much on that.
Long as you boots bag and sleeping are taken care of, you're set. Personally I like a big square tarp because you can config them for almost anywhere. Battery bank for phone and keeping that emergency power shit is helpful.
You probably have flashlights for days too. Realistically all that really matters is that you can sleep dry, eat clean and carry it all without breaking up the knees on the downhill. Whatever happens I hope you can chill and enjoy.
Cringe poncho user
Based Packa enjoyer
poles are nice if you're in mountainous terrain, they save so much strain on your knees over time if you use them as brakes downhill. if you're somewhere like colorado its almost mandatory gear, but if you're in a flat area you can probably skip them.
if you wanna try trekking poles cheap and you're american the two models they sell at costco are $30/$50 and are very nice. no discernable difference from my high end name brand poles.
>poncho
ponchos are unusable when there's above mild wind. the only way to fix it is a shock cord belt, which requires having someone else present to wrap it around you every time you want to take your backpack off. they're great for casual weather and emergency use. i really like the IDEA of a poncho. but in practice they suck and aren't viable as rain gear a lot of the year.
if you like the idea of a poncho get a packa instead. it works the same but fixes all the major downsides that make normal ponchos not viable.
https://www.thepacka.com/
very very well designed stuff.
>rain gear
rain gear is kind of complicated because america and europe banned the only good material for making rain gear out of because its horrible for the environment. most gear that uses a durable water repellent and membrane type system suck dick to varying degrees, for many reasons.
here's an archived post an anon made recently that goes over all the materials you can still buy rain gear in that aren't awful. anything not made of a material on this list is awful:
https://archive.alice.al/out/thread/2416304/#q2422165
tl;dr is columbia outdry is the best over-all. outdry jackets tend to be cheap and go on sale a lot on europe and aren't as available in america. frog toggs ul2 are the most common choice for americans, but the material tears easily and they're not the best ventilated.
not telling you not to buy or own a poncho. i use one as my summer rain gear. when there isn't high winds they're very breathable and pleasant compared to a jacket.
>usa milsurp waffle thermals
easily the best piece of milsurp kit for PrepHole that exists. seconding anon telling you to keep those they're a great winter base layer especially the lighter weight waffle thermal shirt thingy in the 4 season setup.
Or just use a snugpack patrol poncho
Or a sea t summit pack one if wind is that big a deal.Not that it's ever actually been an issue. German ponchos have a tie down inside them.
Honestly wind isn't the problem. The lower legs are. I've actually used patrol ponchos/sleeved ones a bunch but always go back to the normal ones with ties. If you can't put a tube over you and your pack for some reason it's not the gear, its the lack of coordination.
I've used those and found them brittle. The snugpack one is nice on sale and the sea 2 summit one is a little too short like the Packa is.
>don't really want to be that guy
Anon, don't judge people, if they want to hike in larp gear more power to them.
Once you stop judging, you will fill comfortable to do the same yourself.
Just stay inside. Don't want you and one of your PTSD episodes ruining my trip.
Was in the leaf army, imo I prefer combat boots for hiking as they provide really nice support, but some might find them heavy.