New Tramper, looking for gear list?

I did check out my local tramping club, they immediately put me off when I read something along the lines of. "We go walking for 4-5 hours every Sunday, if you can't keep up don't show up" Not at all the attitude I'm after given my body current physical limits, and my desire to learn at a casual, non-stressful pace. My main issues which I actually think someone addressed earlier, I'll go back and look, is that my map does state it has a grid north and a magnetic north or some such. Looks like a 10-15 degree wegde. Learning how to find where I am using a topo map (if lost), it says to look for land marks, but the only landmarks on a topo map seem to be the gradients and curves of the terrain itself. Then once learning where I was, setting a point to navigate to and then successfully navigating there. This is why I think I GPS would be great, but sometime ago people stressed I should not rely on a GPS, but instead know also how to use a map as well.

try meetup.com groups are organised on there, auckland clubs tramp around northland, you could join one of their trips when they come up. clubs will often pick people up if they are passing throuh and you've arranged to go with them, clubs should really have different trips for different skill levels if they are going to take the attitude, keep up or don't show up.

Yeah, I think the problem is in Whangarei/Northland, unless it's a sport, or sitting on the couch playing a console, there's just no interest/support. Which is silly because we have a lot of bush/coast here to explore.

"We go walking for 4-5 hours every Sunday, if you can't keep up don't show up" I can think of 2 Wellington clubs that due 4 to 5 hour Sunday walks but I would hardly call there choice of walk similar. Kamatawa and Ridge Runners. You cant join Kamatawa till your 50 and although there members are very fit for there age, age has most definitely weried some of them Ridge Runners if you are 50 and tried to keep up bits would fall off. These guys do double marathons for fun

I'm wondering if you're trying to do too much at once. If you're reading detailed gradients and terrain around you then depending on the extent I think you're probably doing better than 75% of people around you. There is no shortage of people who do little more than follow obvious tracks and signs, believing what a sign says about how long it'll take to get somewhere, and roughly correlating that back to what they see on a map they're carrying. Do you have a specific plan for where you actually want to go? If your idea is to just follow a track to somewhere, it might be enough to just check the local knowledge to ensure that you're unlikely to have any issues keeping to that track, and make sure you have some adequate shelter with you (like a small tent or similar) in case you get stuck along the way for some reason and need to stop overnight.

I'm not doing anything yet, I'm just here gathering information, a lot of the questions I ask are situations I've come across in my head when thinking out where I want to go and what I want to do. Sorry if it sounds like I'm out there already, just very in-depth thinker. I have some local plans currently. I've observed some tracks that have some good spots to split off from where I can then path to some high, level ground where I then plan to just chill out, think about life. It's about a 2 hour trek, then maybe 1 more once I leave the track, while still very close to town. After doing this and some other walks I've planned out. I intend to start moving abroad to russell forest. I have some ideas of which tracks I want to take before branching out again, but nothing concrete at this stage. I know I ask a lot of questions, but in most cases it's you guys confirming what I already think/came up with on my own, I just lack the confidence to trust in myself + don't want to become a statistic. I need to be able to get out there on my own because most likely, I'm just not going to be able to get out there with anyone. Small bites. *Edit* on one of my prior runs I was sussing out some good looking terrain and stumbled into this wonderful no undergrowth (Just a TON of young Totara) area a large circle probably 100m wide. Found it after spotting some good gradients on a topo map. I built a small (safe) fire and just chilled out for a few hours, it was perfect. I think currently, all I really need is a sleeping bag and I've got pretty much the basics covered, if I take pre-cooked food. Kind of tossing up between getting a GPS and an Aarn backpack next, either would really set me up for going further.

I've said this often; tramping comes down to balancing off just four things ... the terrain, the weather, what you carry on your back, and what you carry between your ears. And the last being always the most important. Also there are three forms of tramping - in a group (with mates or a club), with one other person as a pair, and solo. Each offers a different flavour and experience and I highly recommend you keep an open mind to trying all three over time. Club tramping means you get exposed to a lot more ideas and skill sets. Good clubs are a treasure trove of local knowledge and experience with luck you'll make some very good friends. The downside is that you're constrained by the club rules and etiquette. And there is no rule that says you'll automatically get on with everyone either. I suggest going along to a few club nights - you'll get a feel for the people and the slide show/talks are often really good value. Tramping as a pair, especially longer multiday trips, is another experience again. Not often in the modern world do you spend 24/7 within just a few metres of another person. You get to know and depend on each others strengths and weaknesses very intimately. Some of my most memorable trips. With the advent of PLB's and modern gear, solo trips are more feasible than they were when I started out. In the old days conventional wisdom frowned on them for good reasons. But I've done a few and value them highly. The mood is quite different - I find myself almost meditatively calm and intensely focused on every footstep, every action, in the knowledge that I'm only ever one small mistake away from causing myself a big problem. I started out in Scouting, University Clubs and then moved on to long trips in pairs. The skill and confidence to do solos came later. And frankly that's the logically safest progression.

Hey guys, check this beauty out. I found it at mitre 10 when I was getting some hooks lol. Only cost me $30 and the prongs folds up to fit into a little 100mmx100mm carry bag. Got the gas for another $6.50 http://www.kiwicamping.co.nz/butane1.cfm?product_id=1662 It's not on mitre 10 website so I can't give you a direct link. Also update, found a company that runs courses in Auckland. About $60 for their NAVIGATION BASIC (42) course, 2 hours theory followed by a day in teh field. Figured I could do this then head over and get fitted for an Aarn pack at the same time

I'm curious about the local tramping club you looked up. Was it the Whangarei Tramping Club? http://whangareitrampingclub.co.nz

Oh sorry I mis-read your post, yes that was the one.