Step one. Get gear ready for backpacking. Step two spend 1-4 weeks in the wilderness. Step 3 consider not coming back then remember all your fun tech toys are still at the house. Step 4 curse a lot at the inability to do both at once. Step 5 prepare gear for going backpacking again because it's never getting out of your system.

That is pretty much right, could have been nicer up there, there was very little snow this season :C but its still awesome to get away. also with some of my mates could come with, but they are always either too busy, too poor or not interested v.v

Step 1- Second hand stores (You would be amazed at some of the backpacking gear I've found there over the years. Picked up a jetboil some years ago that I don't think was ever used) Step 2 burlap sack. Step 3 large enough vehicle to fit the burlap sack filled with "too poor" friend. Had instances where "tight budget" hardly describes the financial restrictions, ended up dedicating a few days to drying out a few weeks worth of food for trail use and storage as we get a lot of edible plant life here (apples, prickly pear fruit, pine nuts, depending on the season yucca flower petals ect. Helps cut down on prepackaged food something fierce.) There is no excuse MUWHAHAHAHA

But seriously, having a spare set of equipment around helps a ton with indecisive folks. So does preparing your own trail foods. Though you also get the occasional friend who has fits of "Oh dear god, nature is touching me! WARGARBLEPANICKATTACK!!" Nothing to do about these ones.

Brings back some fond memories of cooking experiments conducted at ~ 4000 meters. White gas stoves don't work at that altitude while bulkier propane does. Will admit that making, or attempting to make pseudo-pho at that elevation is a learning experience you don't forget, leather tough jerky takes a hell of a lot of boiling to get to the right softness. Still came out delicious in the end so suppose that experiment was a success.

I love second hand stores, picked up an Optimus white gas stove and a neat little primus in one, though there are not man around where I live, people who go out in this country seem to like to keep hold of there gear for many many many years :P. But a jet boil is a pretty nice find. how much did you get it for?

and I'm not one to try and force people out, would rather them come on there own will than have to put up with the never ending whingeing of doom >.< if they cant carry what they need and enjoy the walk then I don't need them killing my good time. (harsh but fair :/ unless its little kids,or first timers, then I will do everything I can to keep them happy)

Pfftttt, half the fun. Especially if you are amazingly familiar with the wildlife and they really need to loosen the hell up. Might not be the sort of person to take their comfort too seriously a lot due to spending years as a high country trail guide for the BSA and Venture scout programs. Every trip would get a few folks from the "oh dear god nature is touching me!" camp, made it our job to scare the crap out of them first to teach them proper respect for the wilderness and then make certain the rest of the trip as good as any time they can recall. Always treated it as a learning experience for everyone involved, even the times I handed the trail map to scouts who weren't familiar with topography (Only part that got under my skin was their scout master lying about medical conditions, would have changed course far earlier if I'd have known, nothing I could do there, him aside. Some of them still send me emails and stuff.) ended up spending about four hours on game trails I was familiar with until I needed to "borrow" the map and explain how to read it to them. Ended up carrying all of their gear personally across the stream while singing because hey, they learned from it and it looked like they could use a good break and some proper wilderness education after that

Their scout master however could have learned "Don't lie to medical staff" a lot earlier in life, you know, especially that part that asks "Do you have a heart condition?" ... that we were required to carry a copy of along with the a field med-kit. That would have been nice. Still, one idiot aside I'll never forget it and neither will any of them.

Jetboil ended up costing 35$ and for a jetboil that was "Yep mine, done."


As for holding to gear *coughs* yeah... guilty there, oh dear gods all kinds of guilty.

Buying gear is the same for anyone who loves the outdoors I think... Im planning an overseas trip around the world starting next year... and OHGAWD! all the awesome stuff that I just dont need >_< its taunting me. Im kinda glad things are so expensive in this country sometimes.... otherwise I would go nuts

Last time I went backpacking in Sweden (2012) just picked up a bunch of gear at a secondhand store. Be weary though if you go this route, some countries tend to associate second hand with "Chic" and thus expensive. It can be cost effective over dealing with our gradually more idiotic luggage fees when it comes to air travel, especially if you can stuff an ultralight sleeping bag into a standard backpack and a good foam ground pad.