In early August I’ll be heading up to Minnesota with Graham and Company for our fishing trip. It’s in celebration of his 40th birthday and should be a blast.

So, I’ve been pulling stuff out of storage (no small feat) and getting stuff organized and ready. I tried to get at my four-man tent, but it’s buried so deep that it was easier just getting another (smaller) tent. So, now I have a one-man, two-man, and four-man tent.

Hints On Tents: I really like the MSR (Mountain Safety Research) line of tents, especially their “quick and light” stuff. As the name implies, the tents are very light and very quick to set up (especially important when it’s pouring rain and you are trying to get dry). I own their Zoid 1 and 2 man tents. They aren’t cheap, but they are well worth the money.

I had a lot of equipment already, because I was planning on doing a through-hike on the Appalachian Trail. (The complete trail is about 2,100 miles and takes about 6 months to complete.) Though, I did pick up some more clothes and some lightweight (summer) sleeping bags.

Hints On Sleeping Bags: For cold weather, I use Wiggy’s bags. The guy who owns the company is a bit of a fanatic, but in a good way. They are the preferred bag for the U.S. Navy Seals. Enough said. For summer bags, I’m trying out the Marmot Trails bag, which doesn’t have any insulation.

For a 3-5 day fishing trip during the summer, I’ll be bringing the following clothing:

• Two pairs of pants. I choose BDU‘s, since they can take a beating and quick-dry. You can get either heavy weight (good for winter/spring/fall) or “hot weather”, which is much lighter. I usually get used stuff, with the rip-stop material. Make sure it’s at least 40% synthetic. Cotton kills! No denim–it doesn’t dry.
• Three short-sleeved t-shirts. Again, go with 100% polyester, as it wicks away sweat and drys super-quick.
• Four pairs of socks. I’m bringing two synthetic and two wool. You’ll feel stupid spending $15 on ONE pair of socks–until you wear them for 18 hours straight.
• Three pairs of underwear. For treks in the backcountry, I use Wickers, as they dry quick. Notice a theme? Quick drying = your friend. Slow drying = death.
• Rain gear (tops and bottoms, though tops are most important). I hate all rain gear, because I always feeler hotter in it, but that’s just me. Useful if you don’t want to look like a prune. In my opinion, keeping your gear dry (ex. your bedding and clean clothes) is more important than keeping you dry.
• Hats. I’m bringing a baseball cap made of oil cloth and my wider brimed Alf Bush Hat for the canoe.
• Bathing suit. Doubles as shorts. I have a pair from Columbia that stuffs into its back pocket for easy storage.
• Low-rise hiking shoes and Teva sandals. I’ve got an old pair of Merrells that feel good and are broken in. The Tevas are good for the water, though they get too “slimy” for extended hiking (at least with my sweaty feet). The Tevas are fine for the canoe and water work, but I’ll put my faith in a good pair of socks and my Merrells. They may stink, but they have never given my dainty heels a problem.

In addition to the above, I’ll have my usual kit full of gear. Bags, pads, cooking, knives (of course) and so on. I won’t bore you with the details, but rest assured that anyone who hikes with me comes out alive.