This is what I some of the equipment I use for my trips and some books I’ve found helpful over decades of hiking and backpacking that you may find useful.

The links below may be affiliate links and I do receive a very small commission if you decide to purchase anything.

Books.

 

The Complete Walker

by Colin Fletcher & Chip Rawlins

This is one of the books that started it for me almost 20+ years ago. No nonsense, down to earth advice and easy read, almost like an advice column for walkers/hikers/backpackers. Humble advice that still remains pertinent today although some of the gear is a bit outdated; this is not a gear book but more of a hiking ethos book.

I was sad to learn Fletcher passed away in 2007. I learned so much from him and his style of hiking.

Mountaineering - Freedom of the Hills

by The Mountaineers

The Mountaineers is well-known alpine club founded in 1906 serving the Pacific Northwest, based out of Seattle. Now in their 9th edition, this book remains a good reference staple for alpine travel and general reference.

Bags.

 

I’m a huge fan of Mystery Ranch. Dana Designs, headed by by Dana Gleason, produced some of the best backpacking frames in the 90’s. He disappeared from the industry, later returning to do first responder equipment under a new brand, Mystery Ranch.

Some of the bags, all the “military” ones, are Berry compliant and are manufactured in USA. The rest are designs in the states but like nearly all things, manufactured overseas.

These are not ultralight bags but Mystery Ranch’s suspension system is bar-none, in the S-tier of frames. The torso adjustment system hands down beats 90% of the bags out there. While most manufacturers create several sizes with fixed torso lengths, most Mystery Ranch systems you can tweak the torso height within a bag size range. This really increases the comfort since the shoulders to waist distance is tailored specifically to your torso length. The bags are well thought out and heavy duty.

Terraframe 3-zip 50

This is a great 3-4 day pack. The expansion system really allows for the hiker to over haul if needed, for example, fetching water for camp, hunting, carrying rocks for fun, etc. The triple zip converts it from a big tube to a open pack.

  • Amazon - https://amzn.to/3HcaW74

  • REI - https://www.rei.com/product/164598/mystery-ranch-terraframe-3-zip-50-pack-mens

  • Direct - https://www.mysteryranch.com/terraframe-3zip-50-pack