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What was your base weight if I could know?

Nice video, but about filtering water, I am not an expert on it.. but if the filter runs slow been clean, doesn’t that tells that there is more membranes in it providing better filtering?

I saw another review where the hiker was just gripping the hand loops without putting his hands through. If you trip, you're gonna face-plant before you can get your hands out.

About to head up and do this loop mid March. Should be too busy. Thank you for sharing the gear setup. Lots of similar stuff! Cheers mate! Great content

what parking lot did you park at? I am looking to go soon.

Hey mate why didn't you talk about extra cushioning and comfort of the hiking boots

Still waiting for new videos😂😂

Great review, great pack... do you still use it as your main pack? Just picked one up, going on a 3 day 2 night trip this weekend.

Great video. Thanks for sharing matt

Great video, super nice camera shots and b-roll.

I found it difficult at first to go beyond standard sizing. Things have been much better for me now that I've gone up a full size (a full size above what most shoe-department experts would recommend). Much, much better now, happier and free of pains, blisters, overheating, over-perspiring and other problems. The extra room serves another purpose as well that isn't necessarily obvious. With each step, there is some extra air circulation inside, around your feet. The action of walking tends to cause a bit of air to be exhaled and inhaled inside and around the feet with every step. I can really notice the difference - significantly more pleasant.

Over decades of hiking, I went lighter and lighter, sometimes hiking in sandals or flip flops. I do not recommend the latter at all. With the extra weight of a backpack, toe-stubbing becomes extra intense. Bad. Really really bad. Big toe meets sharp granite rock in the middle of a power leg swing.... My favorites at this point are the best of the extra-breathable trail runners. But a variety of similar footwear works just fine as well.

You leave out two important categories of footwear for the trail: 1) sandals, 2) barefoot. For sandals, there are the protective, toe-covered sandals, like what Keen’s makes, or open toe. There are also minimalist sandals, like the Xero z-trek. These are amazing, will last forever, longer even than boots, and allow maximum breathability. They have good traction too. You left off minimalist shoes in general - and there are minimalist shoes of various categories. By ‘minimalist’ i mean zero-drop AND no cushion. And most people who buy those also just take out the insoles. The whole point of minimalist hiking shoes (trail runners, sandals or boots) is to get ground feel - that offers maximum flexibility of the foot to move the way it was meant to. Such shoes can be rolled up in one hand. Lastly, going barefoot is even less expensive than minimalist sandals. And for both, you don’t need socks. Barefoot and minimalist shoes require skill, time, patience and training. Most people don’t know how to actually walk…they are used to walking with ‘support’ from the shoe, in a way that encourages heel-striking, bad form and stress on knees/hips and other body parts. Proper walking form distributes pressure throughout the bottom of the feet and his gentle on the body. It takes practice, coordination and development. Such walking makes the feet far more resilient. So the real issue in hiking footwear should focus on FEET and not the shoe. Check out the Barefoot Sisters who hiked the Appalachian Trail barefoot over 20 years ago. Or Barefoot Sue who walks the Camino barefoot several times (in her 60s). Plantar fasciitis, Achilles heel/tendon problems, and many aches and pains of the feet/leg/hip are caused by bad shoes and bad walking form. The irony is that max cushion shoes and ankle ‘support’ get presented as the cure-but they are just bandaids that aggravate the underlying problem. Strengthening your feet with barefoot walking will easily improve your foot resilience by 10-20% on the hiking trail. In other words, you can walk longer distances without getting foot fatigue. 2 billion years of evolution figured it out. We’re very special animals with our big brains that can safely be high off the ground thanks to our ability to walk on two feet rather than needing four. Our feet are marvels of engineering. It’s absolutely tragedy that the shoe industry has convinced us that they, and they alone, have this magical technology that the rest of us need to purchase just to walk. Our feet walk just find on natural surfaces without shoes.

Would you recommend trail runners in muddy terrains? They usually aren't waterproof

Havein down is like havein a high maintenance wife...I'll stick with my extra lb. and cheaper price tag with easy care that gits me through them cold nights in the woods :) lol

The snake you shown look like a blue racer to me

It depends on how long it was keep in the shop

Nice video! What site number was this?

Sorry. Can you disperse camp on the MRT? I’m planning a trip this summer with my kids. Thanks

Can you disperse camp on the MCT?

I take my dog backpacking year round. She’s a Samoyed mix so she’s got a thick fur coat made for winter, so she doesn’t need a vest for winter. I might recommend one for your dog however. I bring an extra Nemo switchback pad, and fold it over for 2X the warmth and cushioning, my dog sleeps on that for her bed. Rubbing bag balm or mushers secret on your dogs paws when you get to your camp is supposed to help their paws from getting scraped up/sore. I recommend getting a doggie backpack for your dog to wear too, to carry their own food and water. I use Arcadia Trail brand pack for my dog, works well. Talenti jars make great water bowls for my pup, you can screw the lid back on when your dog is done drinking and save the rest of the water for the next stop - I hate having to toss clean/filtered water from my dogs water bowl when she’s done drinking and there’s still half a bowl of water left! To train her up for the trail I just did a lot of longer walks/hikes with her. Start with whatever her max mileage to date is, and increase it by one mile every couple of weeks until you’re at the mileage you think you’ll be covering when you’re backpacking. Hope this is helpful!

This was a very helpful and comprehensive overview of all three. I've been enjoying my Merrell Moab 2 boots and hiking shoes and I have a pair of Hoka Speedgoat 5s trail runners that I'm really looking forward to using when section hiking on the AT. It will be intresting how all three types stack up for my own range of hiking types. This gives me a good list of factors to compare with. Thanks.

I have that same pink floyd poster :)

Impressive that you crushed that out within two days. Ive never considered taking the bridle trail that makes sense, I was planning on road walking 3 miles.

Like you I have all three types. I really like the Merrell Moab wide width Edge 2 for hiking without a heavy load

Those falls behind you at 22:00 minutes. I remember sliding down that hill in a down pour on my first ever Lake Vesuvius hike. I got muddy AF, but that water flow topped me off!! Great video!!

not sure if anyone has mentioned but a sock full of rice has always worked great for me when drying out the inside of my boots. hope this helps.

We need more videos from you😂😂🤞🤞

Great review man, subbed! Hey how did you find the carry, did it transfer the weight ok to hips, or you were mostly carrying the weight on shoulders?

Replacing trail runners every 500-600 miles is truly an expensive bummer. During a thru-hike, once one has established trail legs, the legs build muscle to accommodate the weight of the shoes or boots. Therefore, that leg fatigue, because of the extra ounces of weight of the boot, is gone. With the boots, one still has the good boot that will last several years and possibly a rebuild or two. Kentucky

Went for my first backpacking trip, forgot my lighter but still had emergency matches, lol. And I was appauled by all the garbage left by other hickers so had to pick it up on my way. We already have dumps full of garbage, we don't need to spread it further... Nice video man!

So between the trail runner vs hiking shoe, your feet are much less fatigued after a long day when you use the runner? So your feet are still very fatigued from the trail shoe?

I seen some videos and main issue is mineralized water even for cleaning the filter. Mineralized water left some things in your filter and that's the problem! For clean filter when flash is slow down we should use unmineralized or distilled water only, not vinegar or tap water. Left filter in the glass for about 15-20minutes and flash speed should be back to fast. Vinegar or sugested Katadyn flash metod doesn't help much. All the best, Tom.

Good video. Good content. Music is distracting. But good content bro 👍

We used to go camping in the gorge every year. However, with the last few years of being super crazy overcrowded, we have stopped going. It is best to go during the week, or either early spring before the place gets nuts. It is a very beautiful part of Kentucky. This year we are going to hit Sheltowee trace and do some backpacking there. And Miquels is a must! Thanks for the video and enjoy!

Nice Video! Nothing beats being in the woods. ;)

Wool is very good too. It insulates even when wet up there with the best synthetics

一堆廢話

I wear a medium/low hiking "boot" not for ankle support (mine are strong) but for ankle protection. I really don't know what to call them since they aren't really boots imo, but they are much more robust than the flimsey ninja slipper type popular "trail runners" The ones I wear are made specifically for hiking - the right tool for the task imo. Years ago I was a trail runner and even then, carrying nothing but water (sometimes) I preferred a tougher more durable trail running shoe than these things that people call trail runners these days.

A salesperson at a high priced outdoor gear store is a salesperson first and last. They really don't care what is best for a person. You might glean some info from such a person, but don't give them too much credit. A hiker has to become an expert on his or her own feet. There is no such thing as a good brand for everyone. Brands tend to have certain characteristics like overtight toe boxes (Danner), lack of durability (trendy shoes), Too narrow or too wide, etc. Not all feet are alike, but very few if any brands accommodate more than a few variations. It's critically important to find one or two brands that match your type of foot. You have to not fall for marketing hype or you'll likely get this wrong.

I know this was posted a year ago but it just showed up in my feed. Great mix of music and sounds of nature in your filming. Looks like an awesome trail. I look forward to seeing some of your other vids.

Looks like a fishing spider. Thanks for sharing!

I am a 68 year old and when I'm 70 will make another attempt at the CDT. I hiking experience as a young adult (another lifetime ago. Some of which I was out for two months. Always in boots). In the last 10 years have hiked section hikes on CDT and AT. This was always done in boots. However my last attempt at CDT was in Keen hiking shoes, blister city. I met other hiking shoe hikers with blisters too. Pretty common. I look at the CDT and know if I use hiking shoes I will end up spending more money on them then if I just got a good pair of boots. Then there is the vibram sole I long for also (had it in former hiking boots. Always awesome hate to hike without it). Comment/question: does not ones body adapt to the "extra" weight of the boot after a few weeks and make the adjustments (build strength, endurance, etc., that one might not have at the start of the hike-"trail legs", etc? Perhaps the people who shift to hiking shoes are not giving themselves enough time to make it to that point? OR have a poor fit, OR are not using adequate socks? Well, all this makes me seriously consider taking my Salomons or purchasing a new pair say of Danners or a new pair of Salomon hiking boots. Please reply and thanks for the fine video and the reply if you are able. On wetness-I carry a lightweight hiking sandal for water work (like Gila river hiking on CDT). Thus avoiding obvious wet problems. This would mitigate the problem with wet hiking boots. I guess I am trying to talk myself into hiking boots. Stability, wide platform, good grip, durability, buy only once (hope)-This is very attractive to me. The rush to hiking shoes and the industry seems to be a fad. I think this because replacing every 300-500 miles is real turn off. OK, Really would love to read your input. Thanks. -White Mexican

Trail runners all day long for AT backpacking for me... also I need to let my ankle muscles support what they were created to support they don't need help if you work them out. Boots are the worst and take forever to dry out like you said. Trail runners for me are the way to go light, dry faster, and good foot support on the trail.

I just picked up the Katadyn filter, not the kit, and a 2liter Hydrapak seeker bag. So far so good. I'm a little bit sceptical about the the Sawyer 100k liter assertion and have heard a lot of complaints about the supplied bags. For the amount of hiking and backpacking I'll be doing next season I think the Kat will be just fine. Great video, love your pooch! Greetings from Colorado!

I use a down-filled sleeping-bag (Rab Ascent 700) in my campervan where it is dry, and has a shelf where it can be stored uncompressed, and it is phenomenal. When in comes to backpacking (in the Scottish Highlands and West Coast) then my synthetic bag wins hands down every time. My synthetic bag (Snugpak) lives a MUCH tougher life and gets knocked around/washed a lot, but my down bag is cosseted and treated like a princess!

Hi Matt, choosing between these two and was wondering how the Katadyn bag has held up? I have read some reviews that said their bag started to leak after a few weeks of use.

LOL 😄 Camping shoes, that's funny. In a way it is a day camp at least for me. I just joined a local hiker's group & looking for the best day hike shoes. So far your video is well done!

Very informative! Thanks for sharing.

I have both. I tend to use the Sawyer on day hikes because it’s physically smaller and I can screw it onto almost any disposable water bottle. I take the Katadyne on longer overnight trips because it’s easier to collect the water and the bag holds a huge volume that lets me have sufficient water to cook dinner, have a hot beverage, have a hot breakfast/coffee and start the next day with water. It’s also easy to clean on trail. The Sawyer bag is an absolutely horrible design and breaks easily. I actually tossed my Sawyer bag after 7 uses and I now use a different bag.