Maybe you've read Bill Bryson's ode to backcountry naiveté, A Walk in the Woods, and figured your backpacking learning curve will follow a similar, slightly awkward path. We can't promise newbies like Bryson that any backpacking excursion will be uneventful in the best sense of the word, but we can provide you (and Bryson if he'd have asked) a preferred list of essentials that will add a measure of convenience, practicality, and safety as you operate in self-imposed wilderness seclusion.

Photo © Artville

Caveat emptor: all told, this new gear ain't cheap. But neither are the suits, computers, and athletic club memberships that you deem "essential" in your daily urban environment—and this stuff has got a pretty extensive half life to accompany the high price tag. So go ahead and pull out the plastic, log a little OT, and do whatever it takes to round up your home-on-the-trail essentials. We guarantee that at the very least you'll be packing along some serious civility and comfort as you traipse into the Great Wide Yonder, which, of course, should increase the fun quotient. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

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