I love outdoor activities, however, I'm not very experienced, here i need your helps, tips and charings!

now, I'm planning on a 4 days trip with 3 ot 4 other friends.

1.) Caving (2hrs trial)
2.) Day Hiking (8 hrs roundtrip)
3.) Camping for 2 nights (it's about 2-6 degree celsius at night)




what do i need to watch out for (and prepare, equipments...etc) the above 3 activities? considering I'm just an amature.
wild life cautions, safety, camping, caving, hiking tips, sharing of yours, pictures...etc.

pls share

 

Don't even know where to begin...

But this seriously may not be for you! Four days is a long time.

I say go to a local REI or Sun & Ski (don't mess with Academy or Oshman's, etc. because they don't know shit) and ask there salesmen what you would need. It is going to be real expensive.

Names to remember:

You'll need some high-quality hiking clothes (not skiing clothes!). My preference is Marmot, but Columbia, North Face, Mountain Hardwear, and REI's own line are very good. What you should be looking for is the material used. You want either Gore-Tex or a 300-Series Polartec.

OK, first, get a good-quality hiking jacket. Look for features like a second set of zippers that will let you zip-in a fleece. You'll definitely want a hood with a drawstring. Also, the better jackets have drawstrings around the waist and at the bottom. Columbia's Titanium Alloy is probably the best you can get, though very expensive. My brother has one and it looks great, and performs great. The seams are all heat-treated and sealed - it's waterproof and wind-proof (very important).
Some jackets will have a lining on the inside that kinda like a fish net. My advice is to cut that crap out - you don't need it.
As for the zip-in fleeces, you need one, but you don't always need to zip in. For example, when it's f*cking cold out and you have to unzip your jacket real quick, if your fleece is zipped in, both the jacket and the fleece come off. Sometimes, you only need to unzip the jacket, so it's pointless to also unzip the fleece.
Tips on fleece: look for Polartec WindPro - it's windproof and waterproof (plus hella warm) so you can actually wear it on the outside. If the WindPro is too expensive, just find a decent Polartec. With fleece, rub your fingers into the material; if it starts to clump and turn into balls, it's crap. Also, the tighter-weave material is what you're looking for - none of that Old Navy Performance Fleece crap.
With pants, again make sure they're hiking pants. Look for Gore-Tex or Polartec and basically, you want the pants that don't have an interior lining that's separate - it gets real bothersome. For pants, I prefer Mountain Hardwear.
Also, look for thermal underwear - long pants with the hooks at the bottom, and long-sleeve shirts.

Oh shit, I just reread your post and realized it was 2-3deg Celsius, not Fahrenheit...

OK, forget everything I told you. What I quoted you is too hardcore for only 35ish deg Fahrenheit...

My advice - go to a REAL outdoor store and ask them to help you. My fav is definitely REI, but Sun & Ski is also nice.

 

thanks alex, very good review!
I missed the importance of high quality clothes. I'm not very sure if I have those in my closets, sound professional to me and you remind me about putting on windproof jacket for hiking.
i wonder if clothes for skiing work fine? all of us have skiing/snowboarding clothings and we probably wont spend big $$ investing new clothes.

thanks!

 

Well, skiing clothes will work fine - as long as they're skiing skiing clothes, not skiing clothes from the Gap.