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up camp, and go exploring. This is generally an out and back adventure.
Since you’ll be setting up a base camp, the weight of everything you’re
going to be carrying is a factor. There is definitely a trade-off between
comfort and weight. Comfort will add weight but it doesn’t have to be
a lot. Modern gear has gotten much lighter weight over the past ten
years. My first backpacking tent weighed seven pounds! My current
one weighs two and a half pounds. A coworker and I put together a full
backpacking set-up as if starting with nothing a few years ago. We set it
up as “worst case scenario” where she would be carrying all the group
gear (tent, cook kit, stove, fuel, water filter, first aid kit) for herself and
her boyfriend. Once packed, we weighed everything (other than water)
and it totaled eighteen pounds including the pack!

THRU-HIKING
Thinking of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? This is for you. You start at
one place and hike toward an end destination. In the case of the PCT,
most hikers start at the Mexican border and finish at the Canadian bor-
der. Lots of other thru-hiking destinations have gained in popularity
over the past decade. Just a few of note in the United States include
the AT (Appalachian Trail), CDT (Continental Divide Trail). They are
all part of the National Scenic Trails System. “The Camino de Santiago”
has also become a popular tourist destination for Thru-Hikers willing
to travel internationally. We even have a trail that has yet to be officially
recognized starting literally across the street from Mountain Provisions.
The starting point of the Siskiyou Peaks Trail is the water fountain in the
middle of the Ashland Plaza.

RIVER CAMPING
Multi-day raft trips are a lot like car camping. You don’t need to be
overly concerned about weight so you can camp in comfort and style.
Compared to a backpacking set-up, my river kit adds a tarp for shade
and extra covered space for rain, a cooler for food and adult beverages,
a much thicker and more durable sleeping pad, way more clothes, and
a cast-iron Dutch oven. I eat well while backpacking, but dinners are
nowhere near what river meals are like!

Whichever style of camping is for you, we’re here for you to make sure
you get the best gear for your adventure and make sure you know how
to use that gear correctly. You don’t need everything. You need the right
things!

Bryant Helgeland is the owner/operator of Mountain Provisions, on the
Plaza in Ashland. Active in several outdoor sports (Telemark skiing, XC
Skiing, Road and Mountain biking, Hiking, Backpacking, Kayaking), he
has been a seminar speaker on many of those activities. He attended a
NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) semester trip to Chile shortly
after college. During high school he was a counselor at YMCA outdoor
camps. Contact him at bryant@ashlandmountainprovisions.com or the
store’s Facebook page.

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