Beginner Hiker

[lbrown13]

Hey folks!

First time posting! I am new to hiking. I am a really big guy. 6'5 and 265 lbs (huge feet too! lol). I have started hiking

with my girlfriend and I want to get whatever necessary equipment I need to help me be safe

and that will help me enjoy these hikes. I am starting out relatively slow on short (1 - 2 miles) easy trails.

What are your recommendations for gear? 

Thank you in advance!!!!

Larry

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Hi Larry and welcome to the forum! Any particular gear item or category you're looking for advice on? Sounds like you're starting off with some short hikes that should be pretty straightforward. Here's an article on the 10 essentials from Issue 21 that could be worth a read as well:

https://www.trailgroove.com/issue21.html?autoflip=11

[lbrown13]

Aaron,

Thank you so much for your response! This article definitely helps! 

I have purchased some Merrell hiking shoes and they are wonderful. 
I think maybe I need hiking poles to help me with my balance.  Perhaps a 

small backpack? Just looking for suggestions.

Thank you again!!!

Larry

[Jaeagle]

Ok so first question is how handy are you?

for poles I would recommend the carbon fiber trekking poles from Costco. Around $30 but they are solid and a great place to start. 

Are you looking for a day hiking set up or an overnight? 

Best advice I got and wish I would have taken at first was buy quality to start because your going to end up with it anyways. I wasted so much money on cooksets and different “must have items” when I could have gotten the same item much cheaper because it wasn’t labeled hiking or backpacking. I can share my current gear list if interested and also can point you I. The direction of some quality gear that won’t break the bank!

[lbrown13]

Thank you Jaegle for your reply!

I am mainly interested in day hiking. However, I would like to be a little prepared

in case I were to get lost or ended up staying out longer than anticipated. Also, I am not very handy. lol

Larry

[Jaeagle]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B018MZ1W74/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519064607&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=hydration+backpack+3l&dpPl=1&dpID=51wFC6ZrTYL&ref=plSrch this is my go to day pack! Huge water bladder and plenty of extra room for snacks, first aid and  rain gear. Speaking of rain gear I love the frogg toggs they are a very good price and they are light. 

If you are wanting to start an overnight set up amazon has the Osprey atmos 50 on sale currently which is the pack I use. It’s considered heavy at 4 lbs but the suspension is out of this world. There is a huge cult following including myself who think that the Costco down throws are the best budget option for a backpacking quilt. Tons of tutorials online to convert them. For a cookset you have some questions to ask yourself. 1) are you going to just be boiling water? 2) are you going for back country gourmet? 3) do you plan on cooking at all? 

As for just boiling water which is my usual I have a Toaks titanium 550 with a BRS stove it’s the lightest canister set up you can get. I am sure someone will have an alcohol suggestion that’s just not my scene. As for back country gourmet aka cooking food instead of rehydrating I have used an old boy scout mess kit which has a frying pan for eggs, meats and anything else. As for the last if your going overnight why not just bring precooked foods and keep warm via body heat. Precooked chicken and steak are great options there. 

Last big choice is shelter. Tent, hammock or tarp. All great options and all have pros and cons. I will let a master explain these as I have all but tend to go tent due to that’s what I am most comfortable with. 

Please ask tons of questions as I love answering and I also learn from them as well!!

[Brett]

All good info, thanks

[ppine]

Beginners want to bring everything.  The trick to having a comfortable and manageable pack is to figure out what not to bring.