Platypus QuickDraw

“If you're going on short trips, you can take whatever you can carry. If you want to cover longer miles, you want to only take things you need. Since this is your first trip, be sure and [take the 10 essentials](https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ten-essentials.html). Stay current on your local weather before you leave. If you want an easier way to organize and share your pack, use [lighterpack.com](http://lighterpack.com) as an easy way to track. Here's an example pack [https://www.lighterpack.com/r/7pfj9v](https://www.lighterpack.com/r/7pfj9v) . It's useful to see representations of how much stuff weighs. Take notes during and after your trip. What gear didn't work for you? If you bought stuff at REI and it doesn't work, return it and find something that does. Maybe you couldn't sleep on your sleeping pad. Maybe the backpack doesn't fit right. Maybe your sleeping bag feels confining and you want a quilt instead. All of these are valid reasons to return gear and find something that works for you! There are endless ways to sleep in the wilderness. Cowboy camping, hammocking, tarp camping, tents. Just because one doesn't work, doesn't mean you shouldn't try some of the others. As far as gear you're missing- you want a poop kit and to know what the local laws are. Poop kits have a trowel to dig into the ground, soap+water for your hands, toilet paper and/or a bidet, and hand sanitizer. Some areas require wag bags to pack out your solid waste. You also can use a nylofume or trash compactor bag to line your backpack. Inside you put all the things that can't get wet, like your sleeping bag, any electronics, sleeping pad. I'm unfamiliar with that water filter, but if that isn't easy to use, a sawyer squeeze or platypus quickdraw are easy filters to use and can thread onto most plastic water bottles. The CNOC vecto and vesica can thread on as well. A lightweight rain jacket and an insulating layer are important. An inexpensive and not durable solution is a frogg toggs rainjacket, or use a cheap poncho for the rain protection. Hopefully some of this has been useful to read. Have a great trip.”