I went on my first backpacking trip there last December. Four guys from work knew of my great longing to give it a try. They helped this old gal across a bunch of water crossings and over some pretty rugged terrain. We hiked in at the end of a rainstorm. The nights dipped into the twenties. I pitched my tiny tent on an incline the first night and spent most it inchworming my way back. We were totally cut off from the world. Sound terrible? Nope. It was one of the best times of my life. Oh. And I’m 56 yo.
Thank you for making me feel like I belong in the outdoors community. I feel sometimes like I get a side eye for the gear I bring along. It doesn’t have to be expensive to work, and I have to make money stretch as far as possible. I prefer making it work to not getting out there at all.
The most expensive gear in the world is useless sitting in a closet, which is what happens so many times. It's like so many hobbies people buy all this 'stuff' and it sits there. You are getting so enjoyment by getting out and doing! That's the real deal. Bragging about equipment is not. Also at some point if YOU deside to buy a different piece you will enjoy it more. Anything to keep you on the trail IS the best thing.!
My only litmus test for gear is whether it works for me and I actually use it. This goes for pack food too…why pay a lot of money for freeze dried when you can pack your own dried food for a week or more…oatmeal, potato flakes, rice, etc…cook as you go. A caveat, I do like my expensive pack.
My first backpacking tent was an Ozark Trail tent from Walmart. Lightweight, seam sealed, great quality. $70. I’m still using it. Hundreds of miles, multiple nights, rainy weather, temps in the 30s, and it’s still going strong!!
Lol I bought a 400 dollar tent from REI. The first time I used it on a campsite, the tent fell apart. I went to Walmart and bought a 30 dollar tent. That was 4 years ago. I recently had to use duct tape to keep one of the legs from collapsing. Other than that. It takes me 10 minutes to put up and it drops easy to be put away. I’m pretty close to retiring it cause it’s heavy and not a back packing kind of tent. I will never buy a tent from REI although they did give me my money back for the defective tent.
GOD BLESS YOU and thank you for this much needed video reminding people to not let perfection be the enemy of getting your butt out there hiking now! Us poor folks get a lot of our gear at Walmart and Academy.
Dang, I’m chuckling along with all the cute stuff, then the scenery combined with Holst near the end just got me! So beautiful! Thanks for taking us along, Dixie!
Great video and challenge. I am from Trinidad in the Caribbean and I have gotten very good "affordable" gear from Walmart. All of still going the distance. No 3 to 6 month challenges for me...but serving me well! Love your channel and you are a wonderful inspiration! Lots of love and God's Richest Blessings! 🇹🇹❤️
Alabama is so beautiful. I went to Monte Sano State Park 4 years ago amd hiked all through it. I was amazed at all of the natural rockwork on the mountain. It was stunning! I went at the end of March so all of the trees had fresh leaves which just made everything that much prettier.
Thank you for this....very new to hiking. Just day hiking right now. I have some physical challenges to sort out, and get a feel for just being back out in nature again. Haven't been into it since I was a kid. (50s now). I've been slowly getting gear. having shoulder and back issues, I saved up to get a decent osprey bag (20L tempest) I wanted to keep the bag size manageable, so I wouldn't be tempted to load it with everything and the kitchen sink lol. Next will be my shoes and poles. Again will save up, and get something decent. I don't feel I need the "Best", I'm not that sort of person. I'm just thinking in terms of health / safety for myself that it would be better. Other than those few things, everything else will be budget stuff.
I have rented camping equipment from the university near me. Tents, canoes, kayaks, etc. I mostly picked up camping items at yard sales and thrift stores. People dive into camping, purchase expensive items, and then when they decide camping is not for them, give it all away or sell for cheap! Older adults who may be going to assisted living are a good resource too.
At the end when "I vow to thee my country" came in, that achingly beautiful melody seemed like a fitting tribute to all of nature. Nice pick Dixie gal. God bless you and keep you safe.
I have a Zpacks Nero DCF pack but I still rock the Wal-Mart fanny pack. Only 6oz empty and it cost under 5 dollars at my local Wal-Mart. Can't beat that.
When I started equipping myself for the JMT, I needed a new tent, sleeping bag, boots, and stove. My goal was to purchase one big thing each month, and to fund it, I completely stopped eating out, buying goodies to eat, fast food; no purchases of cosmetics or new clothing that was not needed for my trek, etc. Also, since I am not a coffee drinker, it was very easy for me to not spend money on fancy drinks. It was amazing how quickly I was able to save up for my gear. That year, I bought a used pack (5 lbs) at an REI parking lot sale for $35, which I used for 2 seasons. I have since upgraded to a ULA Catalyst. Thank you for doing this challenge. Very informative.
Thanks for making this video. I spent years waiting to backpack due to not having the money. Like you recommended I eventually got gear over time and knew people who had things I could borrow until I was able to get it myself. I will agree that nature is experienced best being there yourself with health issues keeping me off trail for a bit I’m enjoying the videos and making my future hiking trips to help me get by. Thanks again!
I agree with the idea of gathering the best possible gear over time rather than buying whatever inexpensive things you can find that are immediately available. I have purchased so many replacement items in effort to get the weight down. Price and weight are a delicate balance.
I’ve spent more days/nights in the Sipsey than I could count and I started 30 years ago with a lot of budget gear. Now, I have a load of expensive, ultralight gear but the experience hasn’t changed. Love that place. 🦑
I've got a terrible admission, but why not. A few years back my cousin came to visit from the UK. We decided to go camping, and while I had my own gear, it was mostly for solo/lightweight hiking. As we were going car camping we made a stop at Target and picked up a whole kit (tent, bag, pad, kitchen equipment etc), went camping for a week and then returned it all. I am a regular shopper at Target, so I don't feel too guilty about using it like a lending library when needs must.And a great way to try out kit. To be fair I mostly keep/purchase, but their refund policy does encourage a try-it-out first attitude. Which is why I shop there.
I have learned to watch those slippery, muddy trails. Even worse when there are wet leaves on the slick slope. The older I get the more it hurts when I fall, so be careful out there Dixie!! Great video, thank you for posting!!
Never ceases to amaze me the number of colloquialisms you create. I just wonder how you know toad doodoo is slick. Maybe it has texture that provides traction. ;-) That is one thing I like about backpacking. Trying to figure how to film the beauty of nature in such a way that while you can't always feel the experience or be awed by the expanse, you can still feel some emotion or response that may prompt you to go find it yourself. I am sure you have found, we rarely experience the trail and nature in the same way someone else does.
Definitely buyer beware on Walmart tents. I bought an Ozark trail 2 man tent for a long bike riding trip and we had heavy rain, leaked instantly. So glad I could sleep in a car that night. I would upgrade to at least a Coleman with the floor that comes 4-6inches up the side. Great video!
Ha. I had the opposite issue. My 3-man Coleman tent leaked through the first storm (second use) but my 8-man OT has been a beast through three very rough, windy, downpour conditions.
My first backpack was from a thrift shop, external pack. Tent was a 2-man Coleman on clearance, weighed 6 lbs. The rest was heavy too. But I got out there and did my first overnighter and was hooked. All of it was stolen a few years ago, and I could replace it with better gear, but that stuff will always hold a special spot in my heart. :)
I was feeling especially poor but needed a daypack so I got one from Walmart some years ago. I used it for off trail wildlife fieldwork in the Oregon Coast Range (read: bushwhacking through extremely dense vegetation up and down steep slopes for +12 hours a day) and honestly, it's held up really well. I still use it. It was probably only $20-30.
Wally world and big five are great places for new gear if you can't afford to REI yuppy hike. If you got time to plan ahead don't forget the goodwill alot of lightly used packs find thier way there. Sportsman guide also has a great selection of milsurp clothes for the trail. Lots of great gear can be done DIY on the cheap. For example I've never been a fan of trekking poles but a great lightweight hiking stick is a hockey stick minus the blade my Koho has been in my hand for many an adventure now as I hiked fueled entirely by food from the dollar store, cooked in a pot made from and old fosters beer can, on a homemade tin can stove. Once you get your kit together and refined with a couple trips experience it's a relatively cheap past time. Happy trails!!
I brought a textured f of vinyl foam dinner plate placemat for sitting. I love using it even in the city waiting on the bus. I place it in a 2 gallon plastic bag. So lite weight fits in my back pack
I live in Utah and took up hiking last year. I just bought a Walmart pack pack. It works fine for my 5-10 mile hikes. I did invest in good shoes. *Day hiking.
@@reeseoutdoors7491 My backpack is really small. Since I am going to invest in the ten items, I am going to have to get a bigger backpack. But I don't think I want to invest hundreds of dollars. Back to Walmart I go. :)
thanks, I've been wondering if I should camp again, I will check your budget video too. love the video of the animals, I do that too, take pictures of all the creatures
I don’t think you found the actual “Big Tree.” There are many big trees in the Sipsey, but only one Big Tree! It’s a beautiful area - one of my favorite nearby. Glad to see a budget review though. Maybe one day I will see you on the trails of Alabama!
I second this. Dixie was very close! From the top shelf area by the waterfall with the long free fall, you can see the top of the Big Tree. It's unmistakable when you get to it. Great video as always, thanks for sharing.
Great video that kind of reminds me of what we did back in 2010. We flew into America from the UK so cannot really bring any gear with us not that we had ever owned a tent or that much camping stuff. All we had booked apart from the flight into Salt Lake City was a SUV and first night in a motel. Went to Wall Mart first and as it was late August they had sales on camping gear and boy was we pleased. Got a 5 person Ozark tent which I think is a Wall Mart brand, Coleman stove + gas, sleeping bags, chairs ,cooking equipment etc and we were set (did also visit Target and K-Mart to get all the gear but mainly Wall Mart). First night setting our first ever tunnel tent up was kind of stressful as scared of braking those so thin poles...but all ok. Spent close on 3 weeks living in this gear including 10 days in Yellowstone NP. One if not the best trip of our lives in fact wish we could do it again but flight prices etc have put paid to that plus now in our 70,s. Shows you can do sort of what you did is true and the way to go. Cheers from England.
I use these trekking poles all the time, but I did leave them on a mountain in Colorado during a thunderstorm and would get something less conductive before heading to higher elevation 🙃 Other than that, love them!
Haha great video! When my wife and I used to festival camp, people would come from all over the country and buy their stuff in state and just leave it there. We would pickup a new chair or tent here and there on our way out
This is a wonderful video. Your encouragement for folks to just get out there was so well done. Your Photography is amazing and I'm glad you love taking and editing the shots, but you are so right that no camera really captures it. And your care for all the creeping crawling slithering things is dear. This may be my favorite of all your videos I have seen. And . . I loved the Holst and the Beethoven at the end.
The way I understand it, they tend to compete with local store products, so if you look for Walmarts closer to sporting goods stores you may have better luck.
Big thumbs up! I have a lot of walmart gear: the stove, filter, fuel, drysacks, buff, and more. I spotted that stove on your video. Yes I have more expensive gear also ordered online, but no local REI or similar around . My town has an outdoor shop but is focused on boy scout heavy duty.
Haven’t watched yet, but this is one of the places where you start out on your journey. From here you get the same principle as for tools, replace what you need but isn’t up to standard yet with quality.
It was funny that you mentioned Louis L'Amour and the beginning of the video, because I swear the music played at the end of the hike video was from Lonesome Dove, LOL.
I have used Wal Mart gear for years. I have a Coleman mix fuel jet boil stove that is 19 years old. I use their tents just use a five gallon bucket put the tent in and spray heavy with silicone water proofing. Then let dry. The gear can be upgraded. Just be resourceful.
Ha! I laughed out loud when you crawled into your tent on the bed. That's dedication. It reminds me of when I slept in my new sleeping bag and bivvy bag in an hotel and thought to myself 'Man what am I doing? I must be NUTS!' 🙂. Good to know I've got a sister out there somewhere who is as nuts as me! Thanks Dixie, I follow all your videos and they are all entertaining and informative. 👍🙏
@Homemade Wanderlust Awesome video! I had a Walmart tent set up in my backyard for 2 months straight, and through a tropical storm, no issues but a small puddle in the corner after several downpours.
We are called Alabama the Beautiful for a reason..❤️ This is in my neck of the woods. NW AL has all kinds of places for the novice to the extreme hiker. Thanks Dixie for showcasing our beautiful state and encouraging everyone to get out and enjoy nature. 5 ⭐ video!
I'm using a loaner HP Probook from my college and your footage looks amazing to me. I understand about things looking even better IRL but I think you might be selling yourself short.
Lol...what a great idea, I actually met a through hiker on the AT when I was nobo, who's trail name was Wal-Mart, looking forward to see how the gear holds up? It's just been my observation from a few years ago that through hikers that have used Walmart gear it usually starts to wear out or break down on the trail, for example one through hiker with using a hammock from Walmart in the middle of a rainstorm it broke on him, thanks for sharing this video
Ok, I didn't see a medical bag + bleed kit with a tourniquet. Sure, if you have phone service you can get medical attention but if for some reason you get a bleeding wound stopping it may be necessary for survival otherwise your medical call is just a call for a body recovery. It can happen, a nasty fall a broken bone that gets an artery. A fall on a sharp limb or rock that gets a artery that you cant internally pinch off that only a tourniquet would stop, think about it. PS.. Coleman and several other companies make several different type tent pole repair kits. Although I use a sturdy usmc one man tent I still keep a kit that includes cordage and a couple metal sleeves to splice the break in a pole.
Cool video idea. I’ve been using a Walmart two person backpacking tent for a few years as a budget tent. It’s held up alright but will be getting some new gear soon.
One of the hardest lessons I learned many years ago is that not all tents come with waterproofed seams... Also did you notice the camp across the river when you chose your first spot? Blue tarp upper left.
Believe it or not I bought an Ozark trail backpack about over 6 years ago and it is still intact I got tired of it and bought the Slumberjack 65l and I love it so far
Hi Dixie! Not sure when you were in the Sipsey, but thanks for building that fire ring at your first site! I've camped there the last two weekends (4/22 & 4/29). Sounds like it was your first time in the Sipsey? Hope you come back to visit again!
I was trying to figure out how I got my hiking sticks. I forgot I headed to the NJ transit from NYC to visit Walmart and picked them up. The hiking stuff was basically all sold out when I arrived.
Well done Dixie! I really like how you give folks ideas in budget gear and show them there are options other than the hi end gear. Beautiful trail, the blow downs are never fun!
Oh Dixie, there is so much you missed on those trails! That was a big tree, but not the big tree, and you came so close to some awesome waterfalls and the old cabin!
when tent poles break just splint it with a willow branch, any branch will work but willow is flexible. So willow and duct tape will patch a broken tent pole.
Dixie, My son is working on attempting a thru hike on the AT next year. You advice has been great! He started to do short hikes here in Michigan to get to know his equipment better. He is also planning on taking his dog. The dog did much better on a recent hike of the Michigan Manistee River Trail loop which has a part of the loop the North Country Trail. The question came up for you. Wondering if you have the North Country Trail on you agenda?
I got some of my more important gear from Academy Sports but was able to order everything else from Walmart online and in store. No, it’s not ultra light but I stay comfy 🙏🤗💕
Hello 👋 Dixie, greetings from Northern California. Happy Friday 😊 to you. Thank you for sharing this informative video. I always make time to view your newest videos. You always do a superb job of filming. Walmart has saved me a surprising amount of money on camping 🏕 gear. Do you have outdoor adventure plans for this summer? Stay safe out there. I look forward to your next exciting outdoor adventure 😀. 🤗
I see so often people bring sandals, but never water shoes for river crossings. Is there a reason for that? You can use a water shoe as a camp shoe just as easily, and mine are 3.8oz and not uncomfortable.
