I was an avid packer 40 years ago. Now retired and 60, I’ve had to remember and relearn a lot of stuff, and listen to what my body is telling me. My biggest mistake restarting was not hydrating enough! I’m in So. Cal., and you pretty much have to carry any water you hope to drink, and it can go fast. Also, I was not eating enough to keep my energy and electrolytes up. I’ve now got that dialed in, and it has improved my experience and post hike recovery 100%.
I like your points in this video. I especially like what you said about Leave No Trace. I find myself daily picking up trash from campsites and on the trails for other people. I draw the line at things like toilet paper, but I generally will try to put at least one piece of trash in my pocket every time I go hiking. And some days, I pick up a lot of trash and bring a bag with me. I'm not mentioning this to bring glory to me. I am married. My wife does a great job of grounding me. I am just mentioning this so that I hope other people adopt the same idea. I'm reminded of "broken glass policing", I.e., the fewer broken windows in a neighborhood, the more orderly and law-abiding the neighborhood trends. So if the trail is cleaner most of the time, even people that tend to litter on trails will refrain from littering on that trail. Here are a couple of my own topics: 1) If you are a robust snorer, camp away from other hikers/campers. Never share a shelter nor hostel. Your snoring will ruin the next couple of days of hiking for EVERYONE that is bedded down near you because they barely slept for a whole night because of your loud snoring. They/we shouldn't have to use ear plugs, which are dangerous to use in bear country. It is you who should get a corrective mouth guard or one of the new, portable, ultralight CPAP machines, and most of all, camp away. Better yet, stealth camp where it is allowed, for the love of all that is sane. 2) Get yourself a collapsible, ultralight wash basin/dog dish so as to wash your hands when you get to camp. Nobody should be grabbing shelter railings and bear boxes with nasty hands. 3) Stop reviewing other hikers' gear unless you know them well. I am definitely a repeat-offender on this one. I am a gear head. But I have to check myself - you really don't want to hear a stranger's opinion on your gear or how you employ it. I have made a concerted effort to finally stop doing this. 4) Be clean in camp when in-camp. I mean, don't be a slob outside of your tent or hammock. I watched a flip-flopper in CT make a major mess all over the shared picnic table at a shelter, spilling food all over the table, the ground, and taking up nearly the entire table while three others of us were there and right after we all had just talked about the bear warnings and the news that the next campsite was raided by a bear in the night just the night before. (He also snored loudly and had serious trench foot, so his feet literally smelled like a rotting corpse.) Don't be that guy. I overheard the young married couple talk in hushes about sprinting ahead of the guy and ditching him, as they were flip-floppers heading in the same direction and had been stuck with him for weeks. DON'T BE THAT GUY!
Here’s one- overestimating your ability, especially when getting older. I’m older and I tend to refuse that I can’t do that anymore, so I do it anyway. So far, just exhaustion, slower and sore parts, but I know many can and do get into trouble.
Good tips once again! For your point 4 (I think) Sometimes I even test out new meals at home before I take on trail especially for longer trips. I’ve been surprised how disgusting some meals are too many times and can’t finish the dinner and end up having to pack it out. 😂
I wing aspects of trips haha. I always know where I’m going, and make sure I know what the terrain looks like, what weather I can expect etc. and I always make sure someone at home has a detailed trip plan. However, depending on how I feel on the trail, I may change details like miles hiked per day, or campsites on the fly.
Thanks for emphasizing trip planning. I have to concentrate on doing that myself as I often just wing together a trip without the research. Ran into a few problems in the past by forgoing the depth of planning I know I should do.
Hey B.E., agree with everything you said, you can have fun, just don't leave your "garbage" in the campsite. Nothing worse than getting to a remote campsite and finding empty beer cans and liquor bottles, if you carried it in when it was full, you can carry it out when it's empty! thanx for letting me vent.
I've learned so much from through hikers who are you tubers . But ultimately it's your own experience which helps you most . For example a Reccomended bivvy for one climate doesn't suit another more humid and in this climate a bivvy with a more breathable fabric despite less reccomendations would be better. I Recommend sierra design and terra nova
Testing new gear appropriately for sure! I made the mistake of not walking around with the added weight of my pack in my new duds once. I broke them in on day hikes but with a 25ish lb pack for the week gave me plantar fasciitis. It was awful. I had been going out on trail for about 12 years at the time of that mistake and felt like a fool. So test any new footgear with the weight. If you have flat feet always get inserts even if they seem fine. I haven't had an issue since I started this practice. Be skeptical of what companies say about their products. Sleeping bag companies regularly advertise the temperature ratings for their sleeping systems by the "survivable" temperature but don't really make it well known. To be safe, know when temps you will likely run into overnight. When looking at a sleeping bag or quilt, if they say it's rated for 25°F it means you should live through the night at 25°F but you can't expect to be comfortable. So as a rule, I assume I should add 10-15 degrees to what's advertised (depending on how warm you like to sleep), so that 25° bag is now a 35-40° bag in my mind (another hard lesson learned). That is unless the company is completely transparent about what they mean by their rating. I've invested in some complete duds because the weight was low and the advertised temperature ratings were perfect for my needs and discovered that 3 season bag I blew money on is another SUMMER bag.
Bad habits need to be broken and corrected. Now about mistakes , as long as you are breathing and hiking there will be mistakes. I think the key is to learn from them and try not to repeat them in the future. Discounting that some mistakes are so much fun ( not really ) and even sometimes comical. In my 79 years I have made quite a few and still do. Never said I was perfect and never will.
The live ultralight membership is so worth it! Even the $10 a month you pay is useable for a later purchase! How can you beat that?! I love my backpack, tent and sleeping bag that I have from them. They have been game changers for me!! ❤😎
I have a right ankle that sometimes sprains. As an ex Physio I have it sorted out as best i can. I would love to be able to hike in trail runners all the time, but i thin the next time this ankle goes it wont be a simple sprain. We have to be realistic.
If you go into the backcountry with your dog be responsible! I always see dog crap in and around campsites or the trail, OFTEN IN A PLASTIC BAG. I also see dog owners let their dogs run wild, molesting wildlife and barking at other hikers, animals ect. Leave no trace should extend to your pets! If you can't then leave them at home
I never head out without trekking poles. They obviously help you navigate terrain, but I even use them to clear spider webs. If they wouldn’t normally be necessary, on the given terrain, you can still roll an ankle and or sustain a foot injury and they can help support your weight. They can also be used as adjustable splints or as a long make-shift defense weapon against smaller predators. See people all the time without trekking poles
my biggest mistake was the first time I went camping with a backpack. I decided to take a non isolated sleeping pad with me. And a normal sleeping bag cause I didnt like mummy sleeping bags. The tempeture dropped to 1 degrees celcius that night and I was littarly freezing. Even when I had putted on all my clothes I was freezing. I thought by myself ''well maybe im just not waking up anymore next morning, maybe i will freeze to dead in my sleep.'' But luckey me did wake up. xD That was the moment when I realized ''I need better gear"". But even when it was my first time backpacking and it went horibble, it didnt stop me. I love backpacking. Specialy because now I have the good gear.
Id have to say my biggest mistake starting out was hiking too fast. You don't need to go the same speed uphill as downhill and you'll also feel a lot better while taking less breaks!
I’m curious as to what your baseweight is for when you go backpacking in the Uintas. My total pack weight (including 2 liters of water and two days worth of food) ranges from 27-32lbs depending on what temperatures i expect. I feel like this is way too heavy. Some things i could cut out are my platypus gravity works (18oz), upgrade my clothing, backpack, and tent. But for 20 degree nights, how much heavier does your pack tend to be?
Trip planning use the Naismith's rule then the Scarf's equivalence between distance and climb formula equivalent distance = x + 8·y where: x = horizontal distance y = vertical distance α = 8 This gives you the distance equivalence in miles or kilometers You then know how fast you walk and can estimate time It is fail proof
I'm truly surprised you like/prefer the Nemo Quasar Insulated air mattress in preference to the XTherm. Nemo with a mere 30D polyester material & R 3.3 compared to XTherm's 70D material on the bottom side & an R 6.9 --- add the Trekker chair around the XTherm & you now have insulated bottom & back support when inside a tent. XTherm is a no-brainer, in my opinion. Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada
With the Quasar in 3 season backpacking it's not about the R-Value, but rather the comfort of the pads. I have a X-Therm that I'll use for my winter trips this year because I want that warmth, but I personally sacrifice the comfort for the warmth that other pads don't provide. But comfort and good sleep comes first. I sleep better on the Quasar. :)
Winging it can be fun, as long as you know the general area, and you have a SatComm to let someone know where you are. This weekend was such a case. I had a map of the area, and had flagged a couple landmarks, potential water sources, and potential camping areas in my GPS, then just followed trails. I InReached my wife where I left the car and where I ended up camping, in case anything went sideways. Of course it helped that I was never more than 10 miles or so from my car, and expected lows were only in the 50s. Water was my only real concern, so I made sure to carry enough to get me between known reliable sources.
It fis fine to say don't purchase items on weight only is fine if you can afford the best. Some of us cannot. When trying to keep your base weight below 9kg it is inevitable that some equipment may not be ideal but it is what it is. I have just completed the Cape Wrath Trail, 220 miles with an elevation gain of 35,000 feet after starting hiking 9 months before. All the gear was purchased primarily on weight but I did my research. I had no major problems with kit.
I use a printed backpacking list and I cross off each piece off as I put it into my backpack. What I notice is people tend to carry to much crap and I mean crap, chairs, really. I guess they are fine if you are hiking 8 miles or less per day or hiking smooth western switchback trails but if you're really putting miles down miles lose the chair and other heavy gear. I am in my 60s and putting in bigger miles than I did twenty years ago. I got in serous shame and went ultra-light. People bring a bunch of crap to be comfortable in camp and then suffer all day on the trail caring said crap. My sleep system is very comfortably for me and weighs about 1.6 pounds. Show up in shape. I just hiked the Long Trail in Vermont and the people having the biggest troubles were west coast hiker. Yes, we have no switch back and leave your bear cans and chairs home. All I kept hearing is how hard it is. They showed our little mountains no respect. I would be like me hiking out west and being surprised how the altitude kicks my ass. All of this heavy gear is fine if you are super fit more than likely young, if not don't carry crap.
I think it depends greatly on why one is hiking. You are tracking your miles like a competitor, crushing maximum miles. Most of us want to hike for the pure enjoyment. You know...nature and stuff. And carrying a 1.5 lb camp chair might be well-worth the burden on some trips. While you are going to bed at sunset and awaking at sunrise, we are chatting around a fire, trading stories, and getting to know each other better. It isn't an ego trip. It is a social, recreational trip. Additionally, the right pack can comfortably offset that extra weight - maybe they had the wrong pack for that weight. My Seek Outside Divide pack can carrying 45 lbs. more comfortably than my Z-Packs Arc Haul can carry 35 lbs. Anyway, hike your own hike. Bear their complaints with grace, I say. Turn every complaint into an inner yahoo-for-you because of your superior hiking skills and stamina.
@@chriseidam7319 Yeah I agree with that. I think sitting around the fire is more of a western thing since to be honest on the east coast the wood is always pretty much always damp or scarce. I did have an awesome fire on the LT because a kind man had an ATV and was cutting dry wood delivering it to the shelter. It was awesome. In the Whites and Green mountains camp fires are rare, crappy damp wood. I would say if your only hiking a few miles bring whatever you want your not going very far. I did that back when I was young. I have not carried a 45 pound back in a long time, to be honest I could no longer do that. My back is closer to 18 to 22 all in on my first day. Maybe because I start my days so early I am never rushing and often take long breaks. If you go light and are in shape it’s not really hard to put in miles. I truly think it’s a misconception that people putting in big miles are not seeing the sights and enjoying the hike. I used to feel that too until I committed to being fit and light. As they say hike your own hike.
I clicked because I thought it was something related to my gossamer gear pack. Womp womp. I was shocked by the amount of people on the trail trying hammocks for the first time
The thumbnail is a direct tie to me a few years back buying the Levity backpack simply for the weight... that was a bad idea! You just hope those people trying hammocks for the first time are sleeping warm. :)
I was an avid packer 40 years ago. Now retired and 60, I’ve had to remember and relearn a lot of stuff, and listen to what my body is telling me. My biggest mistake restarting was not hydrating enough! I’m in So. Cal., and you pretty much have to carry any water you hope to drink, and it can go fast. Also, I was not eating enough to keep my energy and electrolytes up. I’ve now got that dialed in, and it has improved my experience and post hike recovery 100%.
Good points and important aspects of being out on the trail.
Good advice as usual!
Remember the 7-Ps:
Proper Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
I like your points in this video. I especially like what you said about Leave No Trace.
I find myself daily picking up trash from campsites and on the trails for other people. I draw the line at things like toilet paper, but I generally will try to put at least one piece of trash in my pocket every time I go hiking. And some days, I pick up a lot of trash and bring a bag with me.
I'm not mentioning this to bring glory to me. I am married. My wife does a great job of grounding me. I am just mentioning this so that I hope other people adopt the same idea.
I'm reminded of "broken glass policing", I.e., the fewer broken windows in a neighborhood, the more orderly and law-abiding the neighborhood trends. So if the trail is cleaner most of the time, even people that tend to litter on trails will refrain from littering on that trail.
Here are a couple of my own topics:
1) If you are a robust snorer, camp away from other hikers/campers. Never share a shelter nor hostel. Your snoring will ruin the next couple of days of hiking for EVERYONE that is bedded down near you because they barely slept for a whole night because of your loud snoring.
They/we shouldn't have to use ear plugs, which are dangerous to use in bear country. It is you who should get a corrective mouth guard or one of the new, portable, ultralight CPAP machines, and most of all, camp away. Better yet, stealth camp where it is allowed, for the love of all that is sane.
2) Get yourself a collapsible, ultralight wash basin/dog dish so as to wash your hands when you get to camp. Nobody should be grabbing shelter railings and bear boxes with nasty hands.
3) Stop reviewing other hikers' gear unless you know them well. I am definitely a repeat-offender on this one. I am a gear head. But I have to check myself - you really don't want to hear a stranger's opinion on your gear or how you employ it. I have made a concerted effort to finally stop doing this.
4) Be clean in camp when in-camp. I mean, don't be a slob outside of your tent or hammock. I watched a flip-flopper in CT make a major mess all over the shared picnic table at a shelter, spilling food all over the table, the ground, and taking up nearly the entire table while three others of us were there and right after we all had just talked about the bear warnings and the news that the next campsite was raided by a bear in the night just the night before. (He also snored loudly and had serious trench foot, so his feet literally smelled like a rotting corpse.) Don't be that guy. I overheard the young married couple talk in hushes about sprinting ahead of the guy and ditching him, as they were flip-floppers heading in the same direction and had been stuck with him for weeks. DON'T BE THAT GUY!
Good stuff! Appreciate the additional topics!
Here’s one- overestimating your ability, especially when getting older. I’m older and I tend to refuse that I can’t do that anymore, so I do it anyway. So far, just exhaustion, slower and sore parts, but I know many can and do get into trouble.
Good tips once again! For your point 4 (I think) Sometimes I even test out new meals at home before I take on trail especially for longer trips. I’ve been surprised how disgusting some meals are too many times and can’t finish the dinner and end up having to pack it out. 😂
Ditto
I wing aspects of trips haha. I always know where I’m going, and make sure I know what the terrain looks like, what weather I can expect etc. and I always make sure someone at home has a detailed trip plan. However, depending on how I feel on the trail, I may change details like miles hiked per day, or campsites on the fly.
Thanks for emphasizing trip planning. I have to concentrate on doing that myself as I often just wing together a trip without the research. Ran into a few problems in the past by forgoing the depth of planning I know I should do.
Finally someone mentioning the quasar. Everyone always talks about the tensor lol. I use the quasar and it's great
Hey B.E., agree with everything you said, you can have fun, just don't leave your "garbage" in the campsite. Nothing worse than getting to a remote campsite and finding empty beer cans and liquor bottles, if you carried it in when it was full, you can carry it out when it's empty! thanx for letting me vent.
Agreed weight isn't EVERYTHING I'm more for comfort!!😁✌️💚
I've learned so much from through hikers who are you tubers . But ultimately it's your own experience which helps you most . For example a Reccomended bivvy for one climate doesn't suit another more humid and in this climate a bivvy with a more breathable fabric despite less reccomendations would be better. I Recommend sierra design and terra nova
Testing new gear appropriately for sure! I made the mistake of not walking around with the added weight of my pack in my new duds once. I broke them in on day hikes but with a 25ish lb pack for the week gave me plantar fasciitis. It was awful. I had been going out on trail for about 12 years at the time of that mistake and felt like a fool. So test any new footgear with the weight. If you have flat feet always get inserts even if they seem fine. I haven't had an issue since I started this practice.
Be skeptical of what companies say about their products. Sleeping bag companies regularly advertise the temperature ratings for their sleeping systems by the "survivable" temperature but don't really make it well known. To be safe, know when temps you will likely run into overnight. When looking at a sleeping bag or quilt, if they say it's rated for 25°F it means you should live through the night at 25°F but you can't expect to be comfortable. So as a rule, I assume I should add 10-15 degrees to what's advertised (depending on how warm you like to sleep), so that 25° bag is now a 35-40° bag in my mind (another hard lesson learned). That is unless the company is completely transparent about what they mean by their rating. I've invested in some complete duds because the weight was low and the advertised temperature ratings were perfect for my needs and discovered that 3 season bag I blew money on is another SUMMER bag.
Bad habits need to be broken and corrected. Now about mistakes , as long as you are breathing and hiking there will be mistakes. I think the key is to learn from them and try not to repeat them in the future. Discounting that some mistakes are so much fun ( not really ) and even sometimes comical. In my 79 years I have made quite a few and still do. Never said I was perfect and never will.
I'm guilty of most of these offenses. Live and learn! 🤣
The live ultralight membership is so worth it! Even the $10 a month you pay is useable for a later purchase! How can you beat that?! I love my backpack, tent and sleeping bag that I have from them. They have been game changers for me!! ❤😎
I have a right ankle that sometimes sprains. As an ex Physio I have it sorted out as best i can. I would love to be able to hike in trail runners all the time, but i thin the next time this ankle goes it wont be a simple sprain. We have to be realistic.
If you go into the backcountry with your dog be responsible! I always see dog crap in and around campsites or the trail, OFTEN IN A PLASTIC BAG. I also see dog owners let their dogs run wild, molesting wildlife and barking at other hikers, animals ect. Leave no trace should extend to your pets! If you can't then leave them at home
I never head out without trekking poles. They obviously help you navigate terrain, but I even use them to clear spider webs. If they wouldn’t normally be necessary, on the given terrain, you can still roll an ankle and or sustain a foot injury and they can help support your weight. They can also be used as adjustable splints or as a long make-shift defense weapon against smaller predators.
See people all the time without trekking poles
my biggest mistake was the first time I went camping with a backpack. I decided to take a non isolated sleeping pad with me. And a normal sleeping bag cause I didnt like mummy sleeping bags. The tempeture dropped to 1 degrees celcius that night and I was littarly freezing. Even when I had putted on all my clothes I was freezing. I thought by myself ''well maybe im just not waking up anymore next morning, maybe i will freeze to dead in my sleep.'' But luckey me did wake up. xD That was the moment when I realized ''I need better gear"". But even when it was my first time backpacking and it went horibble, it didnt stop me. I love backpacking. Specialy because now I have the good gear.
You're what makes the Facebook group great! 🙂
Love OV. I am a member and love their clothing.
Thank you Devin, the KT tape worked great. The front pocket on my EVLV looks ugly but it's functional LOL.
Cool! I know it's not the 100% ideal solution.
Id have to say my biggest mistake starting out was hiking too fast. You don't need to go the same speed uphill as downhill and you'll also feel a lot better while taking less breaks!
I’m curious as to what your baseweight is for when you go backpacking in the Uintas. My total pack weight (including 2 liters of water and two days worth of food) ranges from 27-32lbs depending on what temperatures i expect.
I feel like this is way too heavy. Some things i could cut out are my platypus gravity works (18oz), upgrade my clothing, backpack, and tent. But for 20 degree nights, how much heavier does your pack tend to be?
Trip planning
use the Naismith's rule
then the Scarf's equivalence between distance and climb formula
equivalent distance = x + 8·y
where:
x = horizontal distance
y = vertical distance
α = 8
This gives you the distance equivalence in miles or kilometers
You then know how fast you walk and can estimate time
It is fail proof
Right on. Haters will always be haters...ignore them. Good stuff here.
You have to know your physical and mental limitations before you can tinker with them.
What camera did you use for this video? Good work as always!
Thanks! It’s my iPhone 13 Pro.
What arcteryx hoodie are you wearing?
Bro hearted your comment and said “mind your business” 💀
@@garrettsaunders8458 dude I can’t stop laughing
Ha! Totally thought I had commented back! 😂
It’s the Kyanite lt hoodie.
@@BackcountryExposure haha all good! It was a good laugh! Thanks man
I'm truly surprised you like/prefer the Nemo Quasar Insulated air mattress in preference to the XTherm. Nemo with a mere 30D polyester material & R 3.3 compared to XTherm's 70D material on the bottom side & an R 6.9 --- add the Trekker chair around the XTherm & you now have insulated bottom & back support when inside a tent. XTherm is a no-brainer, in my opinion.
Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada
With the Quasar in 3 season backpacking it's not about the R-Value, but rather the comfort of the pads. I have a X-Therm that I'll use for my winter trips this year because I want that warmth, but I personally sacrifice the comfort for the warmth that other pads don't provide. But comfort and good sleep comes first. I sleep better on the Quasar. :)
@@BackcountryExposure all that matters I now want to aquire and test the quaser!!(=
@@BackcountryExposure 10-4
Another one - ditch Helinox chairs! ;D
Where did you film this?
Uinta Mountains.
My new chinese pack was too short. I believe their clothing will be too short as well. Customer service was no help!! Booo!
Winging it can be fun, as long as you know the general area, and you have a SatComm to let someone know where you are.
This weekend was such a case. I had a map of the area, and had flagged a couple landmarks, potential water sources, and potential camping areas in my GPS, then just followed trails. I InReached my wife where I left the car and where I ended up camping, in case anything went sideways. Of course it helped that I was never more than 10 miles or so from my car, and expected lows were only in the 50s. Water was my only real concern, so I made sure to carry enough to get me between known reliable sources.
It fis fine to say don't purchase items on weight only is fine if you can afford the best. Some of us cannot. When trying to keep your base weight below 9kg it is inevitable that some equipment may not be ideal but it is what it is. I have just completed the Cape Wrath Trail, 220 miles with an elevation gain of 35,000 feet after starting hiking 9 months before. All the gear was purchased primarily on weight but I did my research. I had no major problems with kit.
No thanks…🇨🇦
9:36minutes waisted waiting for good advice. Instead watching a buyers guide to empty my pockets.
Sorry you felt it was such a waist of time...
I use a printed backpacking list and I cross off each piece off as I put it into my backpack. What I notice is people tend to carry to much crap and I mean crap, chairs, really. I guess they are fine if you are hiking 8 miles or less per day or hiking smooth western switchback trails but if you're really putting miles down miles lose the chair and other heavy gear. I am in my 60s and putting in bigger miles than I did twenty years ago. I got in serous shame and went ultra-light. People bring a bunch of crap to be comfortable in camp and then suffer all day on the trail caring said crap. My sleep system is very comfortably for me and weighs about 1.6 pounds. Show up in shape. I just hiked the Long Trail in Vermont and the people having the biggest troubles were west coast hiker. Yes, we have no switch back and leave your bear cans and chairs home. All I kept hearing is how hard it is. They showed our little mountains no respect. I would be like me hiking out west and being surprised how the altitude kicks my ass. All of this heavy gear is fine if you are super fit more than likely young, if not don't carry crap.
I think it depends greatly on why one is hiking.
You are tracking your miles like a competitor, crushing maximum miles. Most of us want to hike for the pure enjoyment. You know...nature and stuff. And carrying a 1.5 lb camp chair might be well-worth the burden on some trips.
While you are going to bed at sunset and awaking at sunrise, we are chatting around a fire, trading stories, and getting to know each other better. It isn't an ego trip. It is a social, recreational trip.
Additionally, the right pack can comfortably offset that extra weight - maybe they had the wrong pack for that weight. My Seek Outside Divide pack can carrying 45 lbs. more comfortably than my Z-Packs Arc Haul can carry 35 lbs.
Anyway, hike your own hike. Bear their complaints with grace, I say. Turn every complaint into an inner yahoo-for-you because of your superior hiking skills and stamina.
@@chriseidam7319 Yeah I agree with that. I think sitting around the fire is more of a western thing since to be honest on the east coast the wood is always pretty much always damp or scarce. I did have an awesome fire on the LT because a kind man had an ATV and was cutting dry wood delivering it to the shelter. It was awesome. In the Whites and Green mountains camp fires are rare, crappy damp wood. I would say if your only hiking a few miles bring whatever you want your not going very far. I did that back when I was young. I have not carried a 45 pound back in a long time, to be honest I could no longer do that. My back is closer to 18 to 22 all in on my first day. Maybe because I start my days so early I am never rushing and often take long breaks. If you go light and are in shape it’s not really hard to put in miles. I truly think it’s a misconception that people putting in big miles are not seeing the sights and enjoying the hike. I used to feel that too until I committed to being fit and light. As they say hike your own hike.
Literally a long form commercial
Another "expert" telling us how we're wrong.
If you are out there and enjoying yourself....YOU ARE NOT WRONG
I clicked because I thought it was something related to my gossamer gear pack. Womp womp.
I was shocked by the amount of people on the trail trying hammocks for the first time
The thumbnail is a direct tie to me a few years back buying the Levity backpack simply for the weight... that was a bad idea!
You just hope those people trying hammocks for the first time are sleeping warm. :)