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April 04, 2008
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What kind of preparation and gear do I need for a 250-mile hike?
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Triconi Backpack (courtesy, Gregory)
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My buddy and I are planning a mega-hike down one of Colorado’s mid-length trails
during summer 2009. What type of preparation and equipment will we need for a
250-mile hike? What about an overnighter that I'll be doing later this summer?
— Jason
Pace, Florida
Do you have a question of your own?
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 Just get a notion to take a long hike, did you? How many beers were involved?
And that’s quite a leap from an overnighter, to something that could easily take
a month.
In this case, however, the preparation part is relatively easy. First, take a
small towel or washcloth and put in under the tap. Run cool water on it, and then
ring it out. Lie down in a quiet room, and place the damp cloth over your eyes.
Spend at least 30 minutes in very quiet contemplation. If, after that period of
time, a 250-mile hike still sounds like a good idea, then move on to Step 2.
Step 2: Start hiking. A lot. I’d try to get out on a day hike every weekend,
carrying 20-25 pounds (tip: fill a plastic gallon jug with water to add weight).
Find some hills and elevation, too. You want to be in a position where a 10-mile
day hike is a pretty easy jaunt. Combine that with weekday aerobics and weight
stuff: two aerobics sessions (fast walk, jog, and/or bike at 30-45 minutes a pop)
with some weight work (45-60 minutes twice a week). I find that good upper-body
strength really helps with managing a loaded pack.
Gear-wise, the list is long. The basics:
·Lightweight tent, such as a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 2 ($319;
bigagnes.com)
·A sleeping bag rated to about 30 degrees. Mont-Bell’s U.L.SS.Down Huger #3
($270; montbell.com) is perfect with a 30-degree rating and weighing in at only
one pound, seven ounces. And a pad, such as the Therm-a-Rest Prolite 4 ($109;
thermarest.com).
·Probably a canister-fuel stove…for two people, the Jetboil Group Cooking
System ($119; jetboil.com) is best. But the Primus Yellowstone Classic ($25;
primusstoves.com) would work fine. And for a cook set, MSR’s Blacklite ($60;
msrgear.com) is fairly light and durable.
·A pack with about 3,800 cubic inches of capacity, or more if you plan to
hike for a week at time without replenishing food. Gregory’s Triconi ($250;
gregorypacks.com) is a good starting point.
·All the little accessories: knife, headlamp, waterproof lighter/matches,
first aid kit, etc.
·A mix of clothing that would start with lightweight long underwear (REI
Lightweight MTS runs $32 for a zip long-sleeved tee and $28 for bottoms;
rei.com), add a light insulation layer (Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Jacket,
$140; mountainhardwear.com), maybe a down sweater for cool nights, and a light
waterproof layer for thunder-storms, such as Marmot’s Oracle ($160;
marmot.com).
·Good mid-weight footwear. I’d probably start this trek with a pair of
Scarpa Mustangs ($175; scarpa.com) or Asolo Fugitive GTX’s ($185; asolo.com).
As you can see, if you don’t have this stuff now, it can add up. All of it would
work well on any number of overnighters or weekend trips. All that really scales
up is the amount of food and fuel you need to carry.
Good luck!
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