Backpacking... For Ever.

[FallenRainbows]

Is your friend a "friend" or just a friend? If not you may want to find a "friend" as it may become very very lonely.

A friend, as in a friend. Funny you should mention that really...
But with my boyish charm and handsome good looks, his animalistic charm and rugged good looks, we should be fine

What's funny about it?
Don't forget condoms and lube!

The funny thing is, well it isn't funny, but hey. Just had a hell of an awful conversation with my Girlfriend (may or may not be my ex next we speak).

We are both straight, not that you'd think that to see us.

 

[Ulixes Dimon]

No i figured you were.
But lube is always important

 

[FallenRainbows]

No i figured you were.
But lube is always important

True, can never go wrong.

 

[almostgold]

I think a combination of a ad-supported website, donations (asked through site), and oddjobs on the trail might give you some. Be prepared to do a lot of farm work and construction, so before you go I would make sure you work in those areas at least a bit.

Speaking of which, how much backpacking experience do you have?

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

This is actually the coolest thing to me and I am beyond envious.
I have often thought if I were not a sick cripple I would be fucking gone doing the same thing.

No advice for you, really. Just thought I'd wish you good luck.

 

[Sarge034]

Good luck and god speed.... but you aint getting any of my money.

I don't expect to, and thank you? I think...

I might have read it wrong, but this sounded like a "send money plz" thread. All I can say is that water and food is a hell of a lot heavier than you think. Bring a Camelback and a SEPERATE filtering device with extra cartridges. Nothing is as depressing as finding water but knowing your filter gave out last time you used it. Nothing is worse than NOT realizing your filter gave out last time you used it and getting giardia. That is why I use two sets of filters. And for the love of god, get good boots that you brake in for at least 2 months prior to your expedition.

I roll with this for water. 3 litter Camelback Ambush with a filter attachment, and a water bottle filter. I use the bottle to fill the Camelback. Think of it as an overlap in security measures.

 

[FallenRainbows]

Good luck and god speed.... but you aint getting any of my money.

I don't expect to, and thank you? I think...

I might have read it wrong, but this sounded like a "send money plz" thread. All I can say is that water and food is a hell of a lot heavier than you think. Bring a Camelback and a SEPERATE filtering device with extra cartridges. Nothing is as depressing as finding water but knowing your filter gave out last time you used it. Nothing is worse than NOT realizing your filter gave out last time you used it and getting giardia. That is why I use two sets of filters. And for the love of god, get good boots that you brake in for at least 2 months prior to your expedition.

I roll with this for water. 3 litter Camelback Ambush with a filter attachment, and a water bottle filter. I use the bottle to fill the Camelback. Think of it as an overlap in security measures.

That is certainly very helpful, genuine thanks. Also, notice the lack of any sort of hint towards a way to donate. Also, suggestions on long lasting boots?

This is actually the coolest thing to me and I am beyond envious.
I have often thought if I were not a sick cripple I would be fucking gone doing the same thing.

No advice for you, really. Just thought I'd wish you good luck.

Thank you, much so, closer to the time that we leave I'd be willing to try and arrange a way to do something for you.

Sorry if this is too personal, what constitutes as a 'sick cripple'?

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Best of luck, I hope you make it.

Good idea to learn to hunt and trap. You can even sell some of your meat if you can find a nearby market. I hear bear is quite the delicacy (that wasn't sarcastic, I hear it's really good).

Honestly, I wish I had your courage rather than my ambitions. The best I can think of doing is moving out of town for university.

 

[Dectomax]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

 

[FallenRainbows]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

My driving instructor recommended that film today actually... odd...

Best of luck, I hope you make it.

Good idea to learn to hunt and trap. You can even sell some of your meat if you can find a nearby market. I hear bear is quite the delicacy (that wasn't sarcastic, I hear it's really good).

Honestly, I wish I had your courage rather than my ambitions. The best I can think of doing is moving out of town for university.

Courage? Pah, it's willpower my friend. the way I see it is:

Life is a book in which to write your story, a tome to keep your memories, your heartbreak and your love, make it an interesting one. Also, wrestling bears comes later.

 

[Sarge034]

That is certainly very helpful, genuine thanks. Also, notice the lack of any sort of hint towards a way to donate. Also, suggestions on long lasting boots?

I did when you replied, but I just kinda skimmed through your post at first and I made an assumption. I am sorry. As for the boots.... It comes down to personal preference, how much money you are willing to part with, and in what conditions/geographical areas you will be traveling through. I personally prefer the a Bates desert combat boot. I like the durability, gortex sides, and the fact that the boot is about 9in tall. The gortex wiks water away from my feet and a tall boot will help keep you from twisting your ankle. Side thought, don't wear cotton socks. Or cotton in general, as cotton has 0 heat retention when wet. Back to the boot. It also has some problems. This boot weighs considerably more than an ankle high boot, but this is a tradeoff for durability and the ankle protection. This boot does pretty well in wet conditions IF AND ONLY IF you care for the boot. You have to clean boot and reapply the waterproofing more than you think. If you fail to do that you WILL have wet feet, and that sucks. However, even if you do waterproof this boot water will get through in extended wet conditions or after about seven seconds of being submerged. You will never find a perfect boot, so you need to decide what is really important to you in a boot and pursue that. I personally want durability and reliability so I go with a slightly heavier design.

One after thought. Have either of you ever done any backpacking? If not, then don't do this trip. Start small and learn the basics close to home. You will get yourselves into trouble and possibly killed by "just jumping into" a long backpacking trip. You don't start climbing by going to Mt Everest. Just a friendly piece of advice, because everything I have said has been real basic stuff.

 

[Dectomax]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

My driving instructor recommended that film today actually... odd...

I'm secretly your driving instructor! Haha!

I wish the best of luck when you start this journey. It will be hard and at times you'll be utterly miserable, no doubt about it but perservere and you will have a unique story to tell.

I would highly recommend learning basic bushcraft and as stupid as it sounds, carry an SAS Survival handbook. Cheap and easy to pick up and it contains EVERYTHING to do with survival. It has information on edible plants, building shelters, cloud movement and types, how to cathc and cook animals, what water is safe to drink. Basically everything you need. I would say this is a MUST have. Try a few weekends with your friend and try out some of the stuff in it. Learning now, will almost definitly help you when it comes to go time.

Where exactly are you planning to backpack?

 

[Dectomax]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

Isn't that one where the guy ended up eating the wrong plant, poisoning himself, and slowly starved to death due to incapacitation in the middle of butt-fuck Alaska? The rest of the movie was cool, the ending..not sure you really wanted to use that story as a reference.

Yes it is! It will show just what an amazing experience you can have and also just how dangerous it is.

 

[katsumoto03]

I've always wanted to do something like this. Not forever, or anything. But a month.

Either way, good luck with this. I'd just like to say that if you did decide to vlog I would totally watch it.

 

[Jfswift]

I'm not sure if you'd really need a job, although I suppose you could apply at temp agencies. Have you ever read the book, "Into the Wild"? For the most part this person lived off the land and only once in a while actually worked.

 

[Raven's Nest]

Best advice is to ask for advice on a backpackers website. There's bound to be one.

What you are thinking of doing sounds awesome and all that but in reality it will be tough and probably frustrating at times. I've had a few friends/aquaintences who have done similar things before and they had similar advice for each other.

1) No matter what happens you will need some form of emergency funds to get you and your friend back home/to safety if anything should happen. You do not want to be stuck in some foreign country without an exit strategy.

2) Have enough money so that you can both feed yourselves every day of your trip. Running out of food in the middle of the city/countryside with no means to procure any is the quickest way to have a bad day. Keep this money in a bank account you can access from any country so that you are never short of the basic essentials.

3) Learn some basic phrases from all the countries you plan to visit. Europe has many countries with some very different languages and outside of the cities, finding someone who speaks English can be rare particularly amongst older people. Keep a phrase book handy at all times, it'll also help you feel the cultures you're passing through which is kinda the whole point.

4) Travel light as possible but always carry the following; Tent/shelter, good solid pair of hiking boots (at least £120's worth) and a few pairs of thick hiking socks,water purification tablets, torch and batteries, first aid kit sleeping bag, tools like a knife, fire starter, fishing line and hooks, compass and maps and two sets of clothes (always keeping one set dry). Not a bad idea to carry some dried gravy stock cubes too, they'll make any thing taste better if you end up eating wild animals.

5) Brush up on basic survival skills. Learn how to make and cook on fires, fish without a rod, perform basic first aid, read maps and orientation and building/finding effective shelters. You don't have to be as good as Bear Grylls but a little knowledge goes a long long way in the wilderness. Maybe get in touch with a local scout group who might point you in the right direction.

If you're planning on a much more urban backpacking trip then most of your time will probably be spent working in bars etc gerund paid under the table so make sure you are both well experienced and capable of doing these jobs. Invaluable to you will be a list of places which are well known for hiring foreign backpackers, again this is probably he kind of information you might get from a back packers website and not a gaming community

I wish you the best of luck in your travels, and so long as you have made all the right preparations and contingency plans, I'm sure you'll have an awesome time, meet some incredible people, visit some fantastic places and walk away with a much more open mind to the human experience

Ah yes, and always bring a towel

 

[FallenRainbows]

That is certainly very helpful, genuine thanks. Also, notice the lack of any sort of hint towards a way to donate. Also, suggestions on long lasting boots?

I did when you replied, but I just kinda skimmed through your post at first and I made an assumption. I am sorry. As for the boots.... It comes down to personal preference, how much money you are willing to part with, and in what conditions/geographical areas you will be traveling through. I personally prefer the a Bates desert combat boot. I like the durability, gortex sides, and the fact that the boot is about 9in tall. The gortex wiks water away from my feet and a tall boot will help keep you from twisting your ankle. Side thought, don't wear cotton socks. Or cotton in general, as cotton has 0 heat retention when wet. Back to the boot. It also has some problems. This boot weighs considerably more than an ankle high boot, but this is a tradeoff for durability and the ankle protection. This boot does pretty well in wet conditions IF AND ONLY IF you care for the boot. You have to clean boot and reapply the waterproofing more than you think. If you fail to do that you WILL have wet feet, and that sucks. However, even if you do waterproof this boot water will get through in extended wet conditions or after about seven seconds of being submerged. You will never find a perfect boot, so you need to decide what is really important to you in a boot and pursue that. I personally want durability and reliability so I go with a slightly heavier design.

One after thought. Have either of you ever done any backpacking? If not, then don't do this trip. Start small and learn the basics close to home. You will get yourselves into trouble and possibly killed by "just jumping into" a long backpacking trip. You don't start climbing by going to Mt Everest. Just a friendly piece of advice, because everything I have said has been real basic stuff.

Oh don't worry, we understand we will die diving into this, we have a year or two to be ready for this, we are starting small, just getting advice from actual people, we plan to start VERY soon with actual bush-craft and stuff, his father has a Caravan is Wales going to go there, learn to do what we can there, not spend a night in the Caravan it's merely a safety net. Thank you for the concern and the help, we also plan a longer first proper trial run in the summer of doing a small trip through France, and hopefully building up from their until we don't die. We are starting preparation nice and early.

post="18.277315.10789628"

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

My driving instructor recommended that film today actually... odd...

I'm secretly your driving instructor! Haha!

I wish the best of luck when you start this journey. It will be hard and at times you'll be utterly miserable, no doubt about it but perservere and you will have a unique story to tell.

I would highly recommend learning basic bushcraft and as stupid as it sounds, carry an SAS Survival handbook. Cheap and easy to pick up and it contains EVERYTHING to do with survival. It has information on edible plants, building shelters, cloud movement and types, how to cathc and cook animals, what water is safe to drink. Basically everything you need. I would say this is a MUST have. Try a few weekends with your friend and try out some of the stuff in it. Learning now, will almost definitly help you when it comes to go time.

Where exactly are you planning to backpack?

Europe, cuts a lot of costs, we know people in some areas, safety net. As I said, a few weekends every so often is the plan, building up from their

Best of luck, hope that a hobo makes a bad deal on the leather made from you and your friend.

We will make damn fine leather.

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

Isn't that one where the guy ended up eating the wrong plant, poisoning himself, and slowly starved to death due to incapacitation in the middle of butt-fuck Alaska? The rest of the movie was cool, the ending..not sure you really wanted to use that story as a reference.

To the OP and his "male companion" (wink), I wish you both the best of luck. I think the previous ideas of doing a trial run for a couple of weeks might be a great idea before you actually leave the country. Also, I'd plan (roughly) your first few months out. Research some countries you want to visit, maybe make pre-arrangements for work and accommodations, and make sure you have a chunk of emergency money in an internationally accessible spot that can always be accessed. Just some thoughts.

Agreed all points, working on finding a bank capable of doing such things, points mentioned before, also the starting plan (as of now [very early]) consists on going to places where we know people the northern parts of Europe (yes we are dodging the winter we are not so silly)