help please

ok i need a little advice, never been back packing but it is my plan for as soon as possible just want to get out there and see the world. only thing is i dont have a clue where to start. any help would be very gratefully recieved.

thank you all

Start locally. Explore all of what Scotland has to offer. Get a feel for it, get used to the low budget life and the minimal comforts.

Then... go out and explore man. Europe is just right under ya.

yeah i was thinking of just getin around scotland and england for a while, been trying to get friends interested but there not up for it, i mean ive been on camping trips but i really want to just live outside you know. but my main problem is the total lack of knowledge on how to go about it in the most successfull way, i know i must be sounding dumb lol is there any websites or books that might help me out man?

Is it jus a coincidence that a girl was just asking in a differenmt thread some advice on bakpacking??? Nvm im stupid this is the backpacking forum not the marijuana forum, my bad.

Hia!

Wll, I don't know wether you have started your travels yet,
or if you are still stuck with not being sure how and what to do next...

I can only say for myself that it took me a while to get my head round
as obviously like most people growing up in europe and the western countries
it was a dream, vision, lifeplan to do so but it was such an abstract way of thinking compared to what I was used to and grew up with.

So I just decided not to do it slow, but to just go ans jump into the cold water.
So I went and cancelled my flat, sold my furniture and all the stuff,
I couldn't take anywhere anyway and bought myself some decent equipment
like a tent, an isolationmat, a propper sleeping bag....

You gather loads of experiance alone in doing that and what I think is
the most important to follow and trust your own instincts and intuition.
Cause everything you need to know is there allready, it's jusat a sake
of finding a way to access that knowlage.

I'm in England at the moment, so if you want and are still arround,
we could meet and have a chat and a cup of hot chockolate if you want!

Rainbow blessings, me! :rainbow:

I agree you're best starting off with local day hikes with a loaded pack, then work your way up to one, then more over nights. The key is to be prepared against the elements, so be sure to bring the right kind of clothes, synethics and wool, no cotton. A lot of peopled get killed from exposure 'cause they under-estimate how fast the weather can get ugly. Over time you can buy the equipment you need, but I can give you a brief list here:

A head lamp. The new ones with the LED's are nice, 'cause they last. I usually carry an extra.

A knife.

Sleeping bag (down is warm, light, and compact, but be sure to pack it in something waterproof, it's useless when wet).

A Tent.

A Sleeping pad to provide a thermal barrier between you and the ground.

Two one liter water bottles, Nalgenes are nice 'cause you can pour boiling water into them.

A cooking stove. I use an NRS Whisper Light, with a fuel bottle of white gas.

A mess kit with utensils.

A water filter or water purification tablets, it sucks getting giardia.

Food, preferably instant stuff that cooks up easily on the stove, and make sure you bring snacks, like a bag of raisins and peanuts, and cliff bars.

Clothing, including rain gear and a wool hat.

Toiletries.

Hiking boots.

It's important not to bring too much extra crap, but you'll figure it out with experience, which is why it's important to start off slow, and get dialed in, then you can brake in your boots without being stuck out there with blisters, and you can figure out what works for you.

I did it all at once. Started walking ten miles a day to get used to the physical aspect of it. Pared my possessions down to what would fit in a 4ft by 6ft by 3ft space(what fits in a compact pick up truck) so I could store it at my parents house. Sold my car. Then I took off for a long hike. I just did not have the ability to take a week off from work here and there to gradually get into backpacking as I would be paying rent and such while away. Oddly enough it was very easy to let my regular life go and spend my little savings on mostly just food for a while. I found other backpacker I met on the trail helpful in getting me on a good path(so to speak).

It must be the freedom of having so few possessions, and therefore so much less to think about, that makes back packing so real.