Backpacking
Canfield's is proud to employ a staff who not only sell backpacks and backpacking gear, but who also use the gear we sell. Our employees have been backpacking everywhere from Peru to Alaska, as well as around the continental United States. We know what it's like on the trail, and we're motivated to help you find the gear that will meet YOUR needs. Whether you're headed to one of Nebraska's beautiful state parks or the remotest parts of the Rockies, we're here to help. We're your source for knowledge, supplies, and oh, yeah, BACKPACKS in Omaha, Nebraska!
Don't miss the Winter Backpacking Tips below!
How to load your backpack:
To load a backpack, use these tips to keep the load balanced and your stuff where you need it.
- Use an assortment of small stuff sacks for your gear. Waterproof sacks will keep your gear dry in a downpour. Keep like items in a color-coded sack. For example, keep clean shirts in a blue sack, toiletries in a green one, and socks in a brown one. Fire starters can be kept in their own small sack, too. Bonus tip: dryer lint makes an excellent tinder. Keep it in a film canister in your fire starter sack.
- Nest items when you can, for example, put your fire starter sack inside your cooking pot.
- Put your sleeping bag inside the bottom of an internal frame pack or outside on the bottom of an external frame pack. Put heavy items like your stove and food near the center and as close to your back as possible. Heavy items should go high in/on and external frame pack.
- Your tent can be removed from its bag and distributed along the sides and top of your internal frame pack to spread out the weight. Do the same with an external frame pack, or put the whole tent on top, either under the top flap or lashed to the frame on top.
- Clothing should also be distributed around the sides and top of your pack. The lightest items should be furthest out from your back.
- Use the lid pocket for items you'll want easy access to, like sunscreen, snacks, headlamp, and map when you're not using it.
- Stove fuel should go in a low, exterior pocket in case it leaks.
- Cinch all compression straps to stabilize the load.
- Once you find a method that works for you, develop the habit of always packing the same items in the same places. That way you'll always be able to grab whatever you need whenever you need it, and you'll never have to hunt for anything.
Canfield's stocks all that the dedicated backpacker requires for any length of trip, such as:
Backpacks - both internal and external frame models. We'll fit them to you, including putting weight inside the pack you're trying in the store, to make sure you're buying what will work for you.
Boots - No backpacking trip is comfortable if your feet are killing you. We'll work with you for as long as it takes to find you boots that FIT.
Sleeping Bags - synthetic or down-filled, in lengths to fit most anybody. We'll explain the differences in the various fill materials, shell materials, and styles.
Tents - We have small, lightweight tents and larger, multiple-person tents. We'll explain what makes a tent good (or not so good) for backpacking.
Sleeping Pads - Even in the best sleeping bag, cold, hard, uneven ground is no picnic. Sleeping pads insulate you from the heat-sapping ground and help you sleep like a baby. Canfield's carries several different models. We'll help you pick just the right one for you.
First aid kits, Socks, Water Bottles, Water Filters, Maps, Compasses, GPS units, Stoves, Fuel, Matches, Pots and Pans and Utensils, Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Food, Emergency Supplies, Headlamps, Knives, Tarps, Paracord, Clothing that wicks away moisture, Raingear... if you can use it for backpacking, Canfield's carries it, and we know how to use it.
We know backpacking. We love backpacking. We want you to love it, too! That's why we'll help you find the gear YOU need. We won't sell you something just because we're trying to clear it out or because it's the most expensive thing we carry.
Stop by and talk to Richard, Jeremy, or one of the other employees in our Camping Department before your next trip. And remember to ask about RENTALS!
(this link takes you outside Canfield's website)
Testimonial from a Happy Canfield's Client:
"I was in Canfield's last summer and wanted to thank you for all your help and expertise. I, an amateur backpacker, was able to truly enjoy an incredible experience backpacking Snowmass Lake Trail, Colorado. Your knowledge guided me to select the best of everything for the long weekend, from the right shoes to hike over 30 miles, including Buckskin Pass, to a backpack, tent, and sleeping bag that kept me warm and dry. Even the professionals on the trip commended me for being so well prepared for the journey. One guy's gear got so wet he had to leave the next day. I, on the other hand, wasn't fazed a bit. This was my first ever backpacking trip, the best trip, and I-can't-wait-to-do-it-again trip. Thanks again!"
- Marilyn I.
Winter Backpacking Tips and Tricks
Backpacking in the winter? You bet! Think of it: no mosquitoes or ticks, no crowds, no sticky humidity. What could be better? The nights are crystal clear, too - perfect for stargazing. Of course, you need to be prepared for the conditions. Following are some tips and tricks to help you enjoy your adventure.
- Pack lots of food. You'll burn more energy than normal just to stay warm, so pack carbohydrates. Eat during rest breaks and have a snack at the end of the day while supper is cooking. Have some candy and/or granola bars. Pack a chunk of cheese and cut off bite-sized pieces for snacks.
- Drink lots of water. You won't feel like you're sweating like you do in the summertime, but the dry winter air will sap your moisture plenty fast. Drink up - a lot. Rescuers say dehydration is just as big a problem in the winter, if not more so, as it is in the summer.
- Keep your tent ventilated. Ventilation is important so your warm, moist breath can escape. Otherwise your sleeping bag and all your gear will be frosty in the morning.
- Heat water before bedtime and fill a Thermos bottle with it. Keep it inside the tent or even, on especially cold nights, inside your sleeping bag with you. In the morning you'll have hot water for coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider, and/or instant oatmeal while you're cooking breakfast or breaking camp.
- Put your boots inside the tent, or even inside your sleeping bag on especially cold nights, overnight. If they're wet or muddy, turn your sleeping bag's stuff sack inside out and put the boots inside it (so the mud gets on the outside, not the side that will contact your sleeping bag).
- Don't breathe into your sleeping bag. The moisture from your bag will make you cold and clammy.
- Warm up before bedtime. Do jumping jacks. Go for a brisk walk. Do something to warm yourself right before crawling into your sleeping bag. Your body heat will warm the bag; the bag won't warm you.
- Answer the call of nature before bedtime. Besides avoiding the unpleasantness of having to get up in the middle of a frigid night, you'll empty yourself of a reservoir of water that your system would otherwise have to expend energy keeping warm.