Preparing for an independent hike or a trip by car begins with the choice of things and clothes. They must maintain comfort, take up little space, fulfill their purpose. Comfortable tourist equipment is the main factor in obtaining pleasant emotions from being in nature, during independent trips.
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Equipment Requirements
First, a list of things is compiled, which depends on the type of travel. If you plan to travel by car, you can take a relatively large amount of luggage – a camping tent, a gas stove, a heater. For a hiking trip, tourist equipment and equipment should be compact, it is desirable to perform several functions.
General requirements:
- Material. For a trip to the mountains or the forest, protection from moisture is important. Therefore, for outdoor activities, backpacks and tents made of waterproof material are chosen.
- Weight, dimensions. All tourist equipment is placed in a backpack, car trunk. Some models are laid out (assembled) at the parking lot so that they do not take up much space in the stowed state.
- Exploitation. During the trip, breakdowns are possible. This applies to tourist homemade equipment. The way out is that things can be repaired, fixed by yourself without special tools.
- Versatility. Each item of equipment performs a double or triple purpose. This reduces the overall weight, volume of luggage.
Checking these parameters occurs even before buying in an online store or designing a homemade product. So, the sleeping bag should fit freely in a backpack, have a waterproof cover.
Classification
The collection of cargo for travel begins with its distribution by type. Camping equipment is divided into several categories. For each, you need to determine the purpose, functionality and relevance in a hike or a car trip. This is influenced by the duration of independent travel, modes of transportation, individual or group company.
Types, classification of tourist equipment and equipment for hiking:
- Clothing, shoes, hats, other accessories that the tourist wears. They must protect against weather conditions, promote the correct distribution of cargo, and not hamper movement.
- Movement and transportation of goods. These include cars, including campers, skis, bicycles, sea and river boats. These vehicles need to be adapted for long-term operation in extreme conditions.
- Accommodation and rest. For comfortable recuperation and sleep, camping tents and sleeping bags are used. Additional items – kitchen utensils, tools for lighting a fire.
- Special. These include life jackets, tourist and hiking first-aid kits, ice axes, climbing tourist equipment and equipment, maps, compasses.
These things can be group or individual purposes. In the latter case, they are used for the needs of the entire group of travelers.
Equipment rental
Prices for good and multifunctional equipment are high. Therefore, you can consider renting it. This is beneficial if the frequency of use of tourist equipment is not higher than 2 times in 1 year. If this happens more often, it will be more profitable to buy specialized things for the trip.
The peculiarity of equipment rental is to inspect it and identify possible defects. You need to study the appearance, try the practical application. Will a backpack, tent or sleeping bag be comfortable under hiking conditions. It is advisable to take all the items at one rental point. So you can get a discount, it will be convenient to return items.
A separate category is the rental of tourist vehicles. These include off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, sea and river vessels. They must fulfill their purpose, be in good condition. Repair of these tools in field conditions is difficult, they take a minimum of tools with them to optimize the place.
Homemade camping equipment
Experienced campers and predecessors prefer camping homemade gear. It can take a lot of time and money to make, and the cost is often higher than factory models. But this way you can make unique hiking items with increased functionality.
Advantages of homemade hiking equipment:
- Reliability. The tourist himself controls the manufacturing process, the quality of materials.
- Multifunctionality. In one subject, you can combine several practical functions.
- Budget optimization.
The disadvantage of this method of preparing for a hike is the complexity of manufacturing. Some types of hiking equipment require special equipment. Otherwise, the quality will suffer, which will cause damage to the equipment during the trip.