The wife and I have a small camping trailer for our excursions that we love. It’s comfortable and keeps us dry, and it’s easier to set up than a tent. We’ve managed a half dozen trips this summer, and love spending time outdoors. However, the downside is that it’s a trailer, and you can’t really take it into the backcountry.

Recently, I’ve been starting to think about doing some hiking/fastpacking that involves staying at campsites along trails. This means traveling light and carrying only what you need to survive. It’s a totally different experience than what you get with a camper, or even car-camping with a tent. In many ways it emphasizes the survival aspect more than just going out to relax. You have to think about how to live when you don’t have the creature comforts of a car.

I’ve only been on one backcountry camping trip, and I had zero gear. We weren’t hiking far to the campsite, so it wasn’t the end of the world, and my friend had enough gear to get us by. Knowing what I know now, I probably looked like an idiot carrying a duffle bag down the Superior Hiking Trail.

That brings me to the point of this blog. I’m thinking of doing a camping trip that involves hiking or running in, and testing myself if I can survive for a couple of days with just my gear and my wits. However, I have very little idea where to start when it comes to gear. Browsing through the REI website is all well and good, but what I really want is to hear from folks about what has worked personally for them.

The parameters are:

• 2 night self-supported outing with hiking each day
• Not looking at winter camping yet, just warm weather seasons
• Might be solo, might be with the wife, so 1-2 people.

What gear have you found to be the best either in quality or value?

What are the essentials that I need to think about getting, that might get overlooked in a google search?

Where have you found you can skimp to lighten the load?

What other questions should I be asking?

Ok Internet, do your thing and educate me!