Even though we travel and get to see new places, sometimes it’s nice to be able to leave the RV and go camping in the woods. Last weekend, we did just that. We went on our yearly epic weekend backpacking trip with my Brother-in-Law and his wife.
We packed everything we wanted to take and distributed it out evenly between us so that one person didn’t have a heavier load than the rest. It’s so nice having a 15-year-old, so he can carry his fair share!
We all rode in one car and parked it in a little spot off the road. Then we hiked about 2-3 miles in the woods until we came to our go-to spot. It’s a nice little spot we found last year that is on a hill by the river.
Water – Our Grayl Geopress!
My favorite addition to last years trip was the Grayl Geopress that we bought this year. This thing was absolutely amazing. Last year we had to try and bring enough water with to last the weekend. In case you aren’t aware, water is heavy!
Before I bought it, I did my research. Grayl has 2 different ones, the Ultralight and the Geopress. The Geopress holds 24oz and the Ultralight holds I went with the Geopress because it holds more water and there is no chance of cross-contamination unlike with the Ultralight.
My Sister in Law had her own water purifier. I can’t recall what hers was at the moment. She did use ours most of the time though because ours was easier to use. I couldn’t bring myself to try hers since the water still looked yellow. They didn’t get sick, so it apparently did what it was supposed to though.
Firewood
Glenn had a hatchet he used to chop firewood from dead trees. It’s kind of cool watching my kid become more independent and help with things like chopping firewood. Totally had to brag on my kid there!
There is nothing like sitting by the fire in the evening, watching the food cook, and listening to the river water sound. In my opinion, it is pure heaven.
Eating
We learned from last year that our pots weren’t big enough to cook with. This is the cook set that we brought with last year. I totally would NOT recommend it if you are planning to cook with it. Apparently it’s not really meant for cooking over a fire with as the plastic on the top completely melted off!
Lesson learned. This year we brought with a big cast iron dutch oven. A little bulky and heavy, but it worked out.
Sleeping
We actually didn’t bring any tents to sleep in. We brought tarps and made our own tents. It actually worked pretty well. It’s a good thing it’s fall and the mosquitoes aren’t that bad!
We used tarps for the top and branches for the ends. I would love to say that I had a great night’s sleep, but that would be a lie. The hard ground and uneven ground killed my back. I think next year, I’m going to gather pine needles and leaves that are on the ground and make a nice soft spot to sleep!
Conclusion
I totally can’t wait until our weekend backpacking trip next year. I absolutely love backpacking (although I could do without the killer back pain from sleeping on the ground). One thing is for sure, I’m definitely going to make a nice cushion next year and I’m going to bring my Grayl Geopress.
