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looking for a trail/camping area

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Me and a few buddies are looking to do a several mile hike to an area that we could set up camp for 2 nights. Sort of like a wilderness type scenario. Using our blow out bags alone, we'd like to hike it, and maybe build a small makeshift shelter (sticks+leaves) and use the bare minimum to rough out the weekend. What would you guys recommend as a good place to do this? We don't really want a designated campsite to "pretend"...we really want a worst case scenario to practice.

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I'd do a section of the Appalachain Trail that runs through NJ from about Harriman, NY through northern NJ High Point area and into PA.

Agreed. That's as good an area as any in NJ to do that kind of exercise. Worthington State Park and thereabouts.

You can also try Loyalsock State Forest in PA (PA DCNR - Loyalsock)

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I agree with the AT suggestions others made. Have you or anyone in your group ever done any winter backpacking? It is not like you are in the White Mountains or the Dacks but still need to be careful. Don't hike too strenuously and take your time building the shelter...sounds like fun, enjoy!

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The AT is a good suggestion. I was there in August, and there is a camping area near Deckertown Rd. See here for the Deckertown Rd. to Culver Gap description

 

http://www.njskylands.com/odhikeaptrl.htm

 

Here is the view from Sunrise Mtn. This is the day before Irene hit.

 

AT-Hike1-L.jpg

 

There is also Mahlon Dickerson reservation in Morris County, near Jefferson. They have camping areas, and also a lot of trails for hiking.

 

http://www.morrisparks.net/aspparks/mahlonmain.asp

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Actually we havent, which is why we would like to try.

 

Still need to hang food in tree...don't buy into the hibernation theory in this weather. Chapstick too if scented and I recommend the shirt you wear while cooking your food. I am probably too cautious when it comes to bears. Bringing large heavy duty trash bags...come in handy in many ways. Tell us how it goes. I have not backpacker in about 5 years.

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I have hiked several of the NY, NJ and PA sections. There is a lot of information at some of the trail websites like http://appalachiantrail.com/.

 

All of the smellables get hung between a couple of trees. This winter should be nice, not too cold.

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Think of this as a SHTF dry run. We are trying to avoid bringing too much with us, while also trying to anticipate the worst. Med kit, MRE's, and bare essentials to make due for the weekend. I have preperations for fire starting that I will only resort to if 2 sticks and some paracord wont work. Appalachian in worthington state park was my first thought, but I've heard some things like only being able to camp within a certain distance from the trail, and others are just the normal campsite. I've tried contacting some of parks for info but havent gotten a response yet. When I get some more info I'll make a decision on location and what to bring. Thanks for all the suggestions.

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Think of this as a SHTF dry run. We are trying to avoid bringing too much with us, while also trying to anticipate the worst. Med kit, MRE's, and bare essentials to make due for the weekend. I have preperations for fire starting that I will only resort to if 2 sticks and some paracord wont work. Appalachian in worthington state park was my first thought, but I've heard some things like only being able to camp within a certain distance from the trail, and others are just the normal campsite. I've tried contacting some of parks for info but havent gotten a response yet. When I get some more info I'll make a decision on location and what to bring. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

I recommend trying fire by friction in your backyard before heading out. It is far more difficult than you think.

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I recommend trying fire by friction in your backyard before heading out. It is far more difficult than you think.

 

Oh I know. I've successfully done it before. Like I said though, I have my backups like firesteel and magnesium to go along too. I would much rather fight to make fire for 2hrs and have to use an alternative method, than be absolutely clueless in the event that it happens.

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I would suggest the AT. Although I wouldn't suggest 'destroying' foliage to make shelter and whatnot, the AT is a really great trail to hike. There are rules to it, but none of them are really enforced. You have to be something like 50 feet off the trail to camp, and can't have fires. I will say again, these are rarely enforced and you only need to worry about it if you're camping very close to a ranger station.

 

If you're bringing the bare minimum for a SHTF situation, it's going to be tough but doable, especially in the winter. Your lucky the temps nowadays haven't been super cold. Do realize it gets cold at night, and gets even colder up in northern NJ.

 

Make sure you have a very warm sleeping bag (0 - -20 degree) or else, good luck. I would bring a lot of clothes to layer, that is probably going to be most of your weight. Not sure if you drink but beer and liquor are probably the most weight in my pack during the winter, I usually hike up 10 beers and a water bottle filled with rum...so friggin heavy but I never not bring alcohol while winter backpacking.

 

There are quite a few ponds and streams on the trail, so you don't have to worry about bringing that much water. I would bring Nalgenes and be able to pump water into them when you need. Not sure if you plan on bringing food or looking for it out there, if the second one maybe you should just bring food.

 

In terms of fire, bring a lighter. Sure, everyone says oh you have to learn how to start a fire with this and that and blah blah blah. This day in age, buy a 100 pack of lighters and always have 2 or 3 stashes in your car, different rooms of your house, etc etc. Bring a couple, have two in your pockets and two in your pack in case of anything. Also have your friends bring a few and also have back up fire starter (mag). Make sure you hike and watch the sun or your watch, you don't want to get caught in a crappy area to camp and the sun quickly setting. Making a shelter, gather firewood and starting a fire is a pain the you-know-what after dark. I would suggest starting to look for a camp site 2 hours before sunset, that gives you enough time to start looking. Usually an hour is a good enough time for a couple people to stack wood and a couple people to make shelter.

 

Shelter is easy. It's simple to make a lean-to or a teepee design. You won't be able to fill in the cracks with live leaves or anything, but if you are really going all out, mud makes a great roof.

 

Make sure to stay warm and don't work your body too hard, and even though it's friggin cold out make sure you still drink enough water. If you start sweating, shed a layer and once you get warm put that layer back on. If you go on a night with freezing temps, your water is going to freeze in 10 mins. I would suggest, if you have bottles of water on you, to leave them in your sleeping bag with you or on your person, or near you. Leaving them in your packs will let them freeze, your body temp will aid in not allowing them to freeze. You can also heat rocks by the fire and put them beside you while you sleep.

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All those places are nice, and likely "easy". You want to feel a bit more misreable try Pine Barrens, get sand everywhere, no straight wood to speak off, lots of ticks (and yes they are out already, I had to pull a couple off the dog after a hike this week, and it wasn't even the pine barrens), a general fire hazard so you consider that light/smoke discipline. fewer paths, more undergrowth, easier to get lost, harder to get found.

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Recessed Filter, I feel like I was reading an excerpt from a survival book right there lol. That's everyting I've been taught, or read already. I dont like the idea of carrying lighters because it kind of takes some of the fun out of it. Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone!

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If I wanted to go on a SHTF practice trip, I would want to bring along a firearm, even if only a .22 rifle. So I guess that would mean a hiking/camping trip in a free state. Ideally I would want to wear a handgun and carry a rifle.

 

Is the App Trail gun friendly?

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There is a section of the AT in the free state of PA that you could hike in 2-3 days. It starts out near Cabela's in Hamburg and you could hike east towards New Jersikstan. You'll need to ferry a car to the end but it is a great section to hike and you should be able to CCW if you have a PA CCW permit or FL/Utah Non-resident CCW permit. Need to check out the CCW regs for the AT, if any.

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Recessed Filter, I feel like I was reading an excerpt from a survival book right there lol. That's everyting I've been taught, or read already. I dont like the idea of carrying lighters because it kind of takes some of the fun out of it. Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone!

 

You'd be surprised by how many people say they wanna go minimal backpacking and don't have any common sense of what to bring or do. Just was reminding you of some important things.

 

I believe the AT is gun friendly in free states.

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You'd be surprised by how many people say they wanna go minimal backpacking and don't have any common sense of what to bring or do. Just was reminding you of some important things.

 

I believe the AT is gun friendly in free states.

I can only imagine how many people have done that, thinking they were just fine. As much as I would like to have a firearm strapped somewhere to add to my weight and feel of carrying with the pack, I don't think I'll be trying to get a carry permit to do that.

 

I think we may have decided on Worthing State Park for the first dry run.

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I can only imagine how many people have done that, thinking they were just fine. As much as I would like to have a firearm strapped somewhere to add to my weight and feel of carrying with the pack, I don't think I'll be trying to get a carry permit to do that.

 

I think we may have decided on Worthing State Park for the first dry run.

 

Interesting question though. I have not tried to CCW while wearing my pack. I'll need to check that out. I doubt the Super Tuck would work out or be accessible. The new boots arrived and I broke them in last weekend.

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I'd also like to do it so that I can maybe organize a little better. Perhaps, figure a better mounting point for a rifle and sidearm. Whether or not I would sling my AR at a low and ready, or strap along side the pack. I'm sure I would just use a leg holster for my sidearm. I'm curious how much would change when carrying 50lbs on my back when it came to those tactics.

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Interesting question though. I have not tried to CCW while wearing my pack. I'll need to check that out. I doubt the Super Tuck would work out or be accessible. The new boots arrived and I broke them in last weekend.

 

If I were to carry a pistol while hiking, I would want it to be readily available for immediate access. The lower strap from most packs is going to block the access to an IWB. I'd probably go with some sort of fanny pack, as lame as that sounds, but it would do the job well. I'd also look into the small pouches they make that you can attach to the front straps of a pack, that would be easily accessible as well.

 

With a long gun, I'd probably get some sort of scabbard and be able to access it by reaching behind my neck with one of my hands. Hiking many miles every day with a shotgun slung over my shoulder would get on my nerves really quickly.

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I'd also like to do it so that I can maybe organize a little better. Perhaps, figure a better mounting point for a rifle and sidearm. Whether or not I would sling my AR at a low and ready, or strap along side the pack. I'm sure I would just use a leg holster for my sidearm. I'm curious how much would change when carrying 50lbs on my back when it came to those tactics.

If I were to carry a pistol while hiking, I would want it to be readily available for immediate access. The lower strap from most packs is going to block the access to an IWB. I'd probably go with some sort of fanny pack, as lame as that sounds, but it would do the job well. I'd also look into the small pouches they make that you can attach to the front straps of a pack, that would be easily accessible as well.

 

With a long gun, I'd probably get some sort of scabbard and be able to access it by reaching behind my neck with one of my hands. Hiking many miles every day with a shotgun slung over my shoulder would get on my nerves really quickly.

 

I agree on a scabbard for the pack. I'll check out the pack this weekend to see how I can attach one and be able to place it within easy reach. I also need to check out an OWB Serpa to see how it might interfere with the waist strap on the pack or perhaps a pocket holster for the front cargo pocket on my hiking pants.

 

This scabbard should work... http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/molle-shoulder-shotgun-scabbard.aspx?a=944422

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Carrying a handgun with a backpack is always a compromise. Last summer I did exactly that hiking in Alaska and my answer was having sufficiently offset holster that my pack waist strap rode between the gun grip and my hip. The more common option is a cross draw shoulder holster or a chest holster. Of course if you are trying to carry concealed thats a lot harder.

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The AT is a great hike in some sections of New Jersey. Some areas are still as rural as the day they made the trail. There are shelters along the way in the Sussex area should you opt not build one or if you need a place to get in out of the rain/snow quickly. The shelter coordinates are in this website:

http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/

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Carrying a handgun with a backpack is always a compromise. Last summer I did exactly that hiking in Alaska and my answer was having sufficiently offset holster that my pack waist strap rode between the gun grip and my hip. The more common option is a cross draw shoulder holster or a chest holster. Of course if you are trying to carry concealed thats a lot harder.

 

That's a good point. A shoulder holster would work and you could always wear a vest or be wearing rain gear to keep it concealed. I'll have to see how the backpack straps interfere.

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I don't think I'd like a shoulder holster. It seems like it would interfere with my chest strap on my pack. If I wasn't concealing, I'd still go back to my fanny pack option or even better yet, a thigh rig.

 

Only thing is with a thigh rig, they tend to be a little floppy so doing a lot of mileage or anything more than a couple-days trip would probably start to become annoying. Plus having the pistol on your leg would add a little extra weight to your leg, with most people preferring to have that weight on your upper body.

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My pack has padded waist straps that might be at the perfect height to mount a holster on. Now that I think about it, I think that might be perfect. The pads come far enough in front so that I wouldn't need to reach to the side or behind myself.

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