New Camper from South Jersey

[Treeshadow]

Welcome from South Jersey. See you at a hang

[georgecarr]

Welcome from SJ!

[FakeJicken]

Wow thanks a lot

[The Tree Frog]

Another welcome from south Jersey. Check out www,facebook.com/njhammockclub page

The jersey group gets together almost every month, year round.

[JmBoh]

Welcome from SE PA!

[Zilla]

Welcome from the piney woods of south central Jersey

[coachhahn]

Welcome, for Turnersville! If you're looking for some hiking close by, Harriman in NY is always a good bet.

[njredneck]

Welcome from South Jersey. Like others have said keep an eye on the trip planning page we get out just about every month.

[Ratdog]

Welcome from the swamps of Jersey.

Basics
Water
Shelter
Food
Though some would say shelter, water, food.

Water
Nalgene bottles are nice for carrying water.
Hydration packs also work, but I prefer bottles.
Smart water battles are handy because of the size and they hook up nicely to filtration systems.
Sawyer makes some nice water filters, the mini squeeze and squeeze are popular.
Search on "water filtration" here on HF and you'll get loads of threads with detailed info.
Of course boiling water works and involves playing with fire, so that's fun.
Though the Pine Barrens is loaded with great clean water, it's always best to filter your water source. It only takes one bad experience to really drive that point home.

Shelter
Tarp, stakes, guy lines
Ground cloth
Hammock
Underquilt
Topquilt
Bugnet

Easy to get started for a few bucks but it can get pricey fast when you start looking at all the super nice cottage vendor gear out there. Take your time, don't rush. Lots of stuff on the used market will save you 30-50%. Getting out to an organized gathering of fellow hammockers is invaluable. You can test gear, ask questions, borrow stuff and generally shave months off your research, though perhaps at the expense of a lighter wallet.

Cook kit - another rabbit hole, you'll likely start with one kit, try several to many before settling in on what you like. Canister stove are darn convenient. Can't always build a fire in NJ or many places, keep that in mind. Wood gasifier stoves are fun, effecient and always have a fuel source but are more labor intensive. (A fine way to pass the time at camp). Alcohol stoves are available in endless configurations and do the job and are generally the lightest weight option for short trips.

Firestarter - a lighter works ut don't be surprised if you wind up learning how to put flint to steel and catch a spark because, well, got to pass the time in camp somehow and playing with fire is popular. Haha

Knife - nothing fancy, small and light works

Spork - just because you are not advanced enough for Sprongs yet. Lol sprongs= fork and spoon/tong combo, plenty handy.

You'll likely wind up with a favorite cup and pot eventually. Might be steel, aluminum or titanium but you'll find a fav eventually.

First Aid kit, keep it simple. You won't be setting broken bones and rigging helicopter baskets, bandaids, antibiotics, anti itch, moleskin for blisters etc. biggest issue is usually a scrape or cut, rarely a laceration.

Rain gear. Plan on getting wet and have a plan to get dry.
Rain jacket, lightweight, packable.
Extra set of clothes in a dry bag.

Dry bag, easy as using a trash compactor bag. They are strong, good size for a backpack and water tight if closed properly. Or a $20-$30 dry bag is available from vendors or places like REI.

Backpack - fitment is key. Have an experienced person help, don't dump $300 into a pack when getting started. Plenty of lightweight used packs out there available for less than half that. Find out what size torso, what type strap works well for you, what size, will you be backing for 3 season or 4 season camoing, etc.

REI offers lots of intro classes and that's great. There are some terrific websites out there with specific pack load out configuration lists and how to load the pack so it rides comfortably.

But my number one suggestion, go to a group hang. A car camping one to start. Bring everything you have, introduce yourself and ask for help. You will be overwhelmed with folks wanting to share info, show you gear, help and provide guidance. The biggest issue will be processing all the info.

After you've done your legwork/research, post up a couple threads with specific questions or areas of concern.

EDIT: headlamp, much better than just having a flashlight.

Again, welcome.

[Deadphans]

Hey,

This forum is super helpful and I struck gold finding it online.

I just bought a serac hammock combo because it was cheap and I wanted to test the waters. I do however see this being an obsession the first time I try it.

There's a few good spots around where I live but I'm always open to camping with new people so if your close, give me a shout.

If anyone has any suggestions on the basics necessities for an overnight or 2 days hike I'd appreciate it.

Welcome! You will find a wealth of information too, and, as you say, it will become an obsession. Lots to Learn!

I am in Bordentown. So nice to meet a fellow jersey hanger.