Sharing the best of Florida hiking

Recommended gear for the Ocala National Forest?

The folks with Buck N Bass are looking for recommendations on best gear to carry in their store for section hikers, thru hikers, and day hikers in the Ocala National Forest. LWOP and I suggested fuel. If you have suggestions, share them here and I'll pass them along.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jason on February 12, 2009 at 12:02am: I just tested out a chimney stove called LittlBug and it works quite well. Was able to boil 3qts of water in 6 minutes using small twigs and branches (most all thinner than a finger). The fire is very well contained as per the design to keep the heat tunneled up to the cooking area. Once done the footprint is small so just scatter ashes a bit and brush over with a thin layer of nearby soil. It packs in pieces (by nesting) and is lightweight.

Cannot offer a long term usage report as of now but so far I'm happy with the results and ONF has plenty of fallen/dry twigs to collect while hiking.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dawn Trail on February 25, 2009 at 11:33am: Sandra is this the new store in Salt Springs?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sandra Friend on February 25, 2009 at 4:34pm: Yes, it is.

Dawn Trail said:
Sandra is this the new store in Salt Springs?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Travis McClain on February 25, 2009 at 5:33pm: I would love to see an assortment of hiker specific accessories. Something like a Hiker Wal-Mart! A place where everything is geared toward the hiking enthusiast. Currently I have to wade through fitness items in my local retailers to find wicking clothes. You can get good deals this way but I'd like to walk in a shop and find the major brands that cator to the hiker. The same goes with winter gear, the local stores all stock an abundance of Realtree for the hunting folks. Some of the stuff is warm and light, but I don't want to be camoflage on the trail during hunting season!

Also there are other miscellany things they could offer. For one last weekend one of my hiking partners borrowed a pack from a friend and had to fix a few things on it. If they could have stopped at this new outfitter and found replacement parts and stuff that would have been really convienent. You know things like straps, buckles, zippers, etc.

Also I'd like to see a local outfitter carry food for the hungry hiker. Things like Mountain House and Backpackers Pantry. Not to mention the stuff you might just as well find at the grocery store. I would just pick most of this stuff up at the outfitter if it were available for a reasonable price.

It would also be great if they carried the FTA maps. Sometimes I've wanted to go do a section somewhere on short notice and didn't have a particular map. Having to wait on it to come in the mail would delay the hike. If i could just run by the outfitter that would be REALLY great. They might also offer a lot of the stuff The Orange Blaze Mercantile sales!

Just my 2c; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wahoo on February 26, 2009 at 12:18pm: Yep, fuel. Canisters, white gas, and Heet. After that - moleskin, space blankets, and tater chips. That's all you need!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by lndwlkr on February 26, 2009 at 4:19pm: Dehydrated foods, fuel, soaps, maps some clothing socks, shirts etc.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wahoo on February 26, 2009 at 8:26pm: Yep, the AMK stuff is the way to go for sure. I agree!
Izzy G/Joe Gelman. said:
I'd say they should carry a healthy amount of those new Coleman butane screw on stoves. They look like the JetBoil brand, but are clearly not the same quality. Wal-Mart sells 60 minute burn cans of butane for $4.99. I think the cans will work with any of the screw on top burning stove systems.

Being the survival and wilderness medical nut that I am....I suggest if they decide to carry any First Aid Kits then they should carry Adventure Medical Kits brand. Specifically the "Ultralight & Watertight" and "Light & Fast" product lines.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by lndwlkr on February 7, 2010 at 1:48pm: Is this Store still in business? If so do they carry manly hunting gear?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by kevin on February 8, 2010 at 5:14pm: pat is a great guy and i know he wants to make the most of his shelf space so i'll say just the basics for now, he may even want to do some guide service into the back counrty maybe family groups to hook the kids ya that and bug juice
thanks pat U-DA-MAN; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dawn Trail on February 8, 2010 at 8:26pm: Yes lndwlkr they are. I think they have very little though. I wasnt impressed with her selection of hiking stuff. I got up there all the time so the next time I come in, I will talk to her. Alot of hikers come into Salt Springs from the trail.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by footTRAX on February 8, 2010 at 8:43pm: How about a redneck whacker? I had my share with crazy rednecks in the forest.
Maybe dog food for those wondering GPS enabled dogs with the antenna collars.
Maybe a deer fly, fly swatter for the summer months.
How about a hunter repellent!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by lndwlkr on February 8, 2010 at 11:31pm: Redneck repellent= Natural Ice in a 16oz can. :-)

footTRAX said:
How about a redneck whacker? I had my share with crazy rednecks in the forest.
Maybe dog food for those wondering GPS enabled dogs with the antenna collars.
Maybe a deer fly, fly swatter for the summer months.
How about a hunter repellent!; ▶ Reply to This