I had no idea what a , "ladder" was until I read this comment. I thought it was hiker lingo for some sort of fire starting device that I don't have. Lol.
you guys don't carry ladders? i bring an extendable 20' aluminum ladder. just in case i want to do some roofing on the trail. or pick some eggs from an eagle's nest or just hop up there and soak in the view.
Part of the Southern accent is to leave out the "Y" or "Yuh" sound that non-Southerners vocalize when they pronounce the letter "I". So, when a Southerner pronounces "eye", it's a single, short syllable. A non-Southerner pronounces "eye" more like "i-yuh" (but without much of the "uh" at the end).
Fat. I tend to carry a lot of fat that I don't need. Not really sure why I brought it in the first place but for some reason I always tend to bring it right back out the next time.
I like to bring someone new to hiking along. They carry all the extras you don't need but might want. They believe that the extras are necessary. That way it is available but you don't have to carry
Thomas Edworthy it’s cool to tell them it’s tradition for the newbie to carry all the gear. Telling them it’s critical they not fail in their first three or four outings or they’ll never be known as a 🤔... hmmmm; official TRAIL BLAZER or SURVIVALIST. 😂
True facts! They'll be like, " Hey want some coffee? He I have an extra ramen bowl." I'm all, " Yeah that sounds great." Once a newbie packed in some smoked sausage for the first night. 2 of them. We tore it up son.
Before going on the first hike, pack everything (including food and water) in the backpack you intend to use. Then carry it for a full day - regardless what you do (work - mow the lawn - go shopping) carry the pack for the whole day. Trust me - the next morning when you try to get out of bed, you will know exactly how much weight you need to remove from your pack. And once you have done your first hike, you will be able to reduce the weight of your pack even further.
LoL Just had a mental picture of what "do everything" in it meant and had to laugh some as to the mental legerdemain of this of so tiny comment that most soldiers would instantly understand but some civilians might have a problem with so here's some advice from an old soldier accomplished in some of the physical requirements of what "do everything in it all day long" means: 1) While defecating ( yes I said pooping ) wearing the pack, find a log to set the pack weight on while you "do your daily" or whatever so it doesn't drag you backwards into your own fun, all I'm saying on that one. If your lucky enough to actually have a toilet, set the pack on tank on the back of the toilet or wedge it against the wall to hold it there if your not lucky enough to have a tank on the toilet or you can switch the pack to the front to make it more centered on your body while doing your thing. 2) While urinating: If male, practice the "drunken wall lean" where you lean your entire body weight against a wall or tree at about a 30 deg angle and let fly. One handed slam is also popular but limits you to one hand for obvious reasons. Sorry ladies it's back to number the number 1 section for you but I would suggest taking a friend with when you do since you don't want to get bum rushed ( I Did not invent the term, sorry ladies) while doing your thing by any type of animal of the two or four legged variety. 3) Shift your pack around frequently ( side to side, front then back) since wearing it in one spot can cause callouses (not so attractive for the ladies) in weird areas you don't want to have to explain later or actual blisters if part of the webbing or pack needs repair which usually causes it since the pack did what it was designed to do which means it took some of the damage instead of the gear like it is supposed to do. This is common and happens all of the time but can become a problem later on longer hikes. 4) My Grandfather and Fathers advice that I'll pass on to you: If you at least have it, you can use it or put it on and / or take it off. If you don't, you can't do either previous option. Which means when cutting down your pack weight make sure you do not toss some piece of critical gear that you may need later due to some unforeseen circumstance you did not foresee but mother nature loves to whack us monkey's on the head with routinely like clockwork. The 20 lbs of weight I will never get rid of while I'm in the woods are my coat, my knife and my tomahawk: While hiking they are constantly near me or hanging from my belt but they are always with me. With them, I don't need all of the rest of the stuff and that is the last line (in my mind at least) of all the previous gear before them because all of the above 3 items would allow me to survive indefinitely if necessary. My last line of defense as it were. Find what's critical for your needs and always carry it, always. Again, you can't use it if you don't have it and your pack is located at the top of cliff that you just fell down and can't get back up without taking a huge detour which will take a 1/2 day trek to do so. Also, Congratulations you just survived a fall, your awesome. 5) Subconsciously get used to going through most doors in civilized areas sideways since most packs will either hit the door during the swing back causing you to bounce around in the door like an old ping pong game or cause you to hit something plus can get stuck in the door which makes you look dumb (and helpless, well until you back up and have to do it all over again) . You can also try backing through the door instead at a 45 deg angle which allows you to see behind you while your doing so. Both methods work but take some time to get used to doing and require practice to do smoothly, so while your wearing your pack for the day do that as well so you can find the best method that works best for you. I've been switching my gear position so long that I pretty much do it completely without even thinking about it now and you can too. Another problem with packs in civilized areas, your pack has all these straps and clasps that don't like anything else but they do love to get wedged in weird areas, slap paperwork around and hit everything behind you cause you weren't looking. Better to use strap keepers to keep the pesky buggers in line and manageable.
@@jdeekaye6556 The advice I first heard, at least for thru-hiking is: your pack with everything EXCEPT food/water shouldn't weigh more than 30 lbs total. This was years ago, and I suspect with modern gear it could probably go a LOT lighter. I'm in the process of replacing old equipment right now, and major items are half what they used to weigh (pack, tent, pad, stove, etc). I wouldn't be surprised if I get my pack down to 20 lbs easily.
I grew up a hundred miles north of NYC in the Catskills. One of my favorite things was to go around to local camping areas on mondays to see what the city people had left behind. Tents, sleeping bags, coolers, food, alcohol, tarps, ropes, tools, axes, etc. etc. After a rain was always extra good because they had bugged out and run for the car to go home.
@@gregbors8364 none. These were soaking wet and collapsed gear left by fleeing cityots up for one or two days. There were no cars left in the parking area.
Ditto but in Northern California. Couldn't believe how wasteful people are, not to mention they are encouraging wild animals to frequent campsites by leaving food out.
I build a complete "misting station." Includes shade tent. Automatic 16v mister fans fed from a 20 gallon tank at all four corners powered by a SOLAR PANEL which I also carry. However I do not carry chairs... that's for rookies... so you gotta bring your own butt pads and sit on the ground sorry...
So I used to work at an outfitters for over a decade. There were 2 pieces of advice I gave people who were doing long hikes. 1st, Yes an extra pair of shoelaces is worth the weight even if you don't use it, you'll be happy if you need it. 2nd, Make 3 lists. List A: The stuff you are packing for the trip before you go. List B: when you get home, the list of the stuff you actually used. List C, The items you didn't use and might be able to remove from future trips. I only say might because you could have had abnormally warm or dry weather. Just because you didn't use the puff jacket or sleeping bag doesn't mean you don't want to bring them on the next trip.
I tell people to build their skills FIRST, then choose equipment. For example...if you can tie knots, you don't need carabiners, hooks, or a lot of bungee chord stuff. Packing you backpack properly and ankle strength is injury prevention. We didn't have trekking poles. If we needed stability like that for a certain area, we modified a a tree branch. Our balance was key, not relying on equipment.
For those of us relying on wood-burning backpacking stoves, a few cotton balls soaked in Vaseline and stored in a plastic match box, really helpful in very rainy conditions, say June on the AT in North Carolina. Remember you aren't carrying fuel bottles, so you are still ahead of the game.
For what it's worth, I always carry Esbit tablets. Depending on the stove (I have the Solo), they work without any wood. Also, Esbits are an excellent fire starter that will actually dry out the wood so you can continue refueling with wet wood (that the fire dries out). On the West Rim Trail, I carried a large zip lock and gathered leaves and twigs (which I carried). Once the fire was started in the stove, wet could be dried out and burned. Esbits are easier. Just a thought.
Highlighting that a good number of things that are mid to high priority for bushcraft are dead weight when backpacking. Different goals require different tools. The goal of backpacking is to cover ground from A to B with as much ease as you can manage. Paring down to essentials just makes your life easier. In a more bushcraft oriented experience, you're usually taking your gear to a central location where you secure a temporary camp to store your heavier stuff and then take minimal gear when you go about your business nearby. So, that hatchet and saw, ferro rod, etc is easy to ditch while backpacking, but is a real quality of life upgrade if you're planning to stick to one site for a while.
It's not, but her channel is. Her channel isn't about "going backpacking in the wilderness", it's about trail backpacking. They're two different things. Both enjoyable. But thru-hiking is to wilderness backpacking what boxing is to true combat. It's a stylized form that gives a nod to the other but isn't the same thing. If you need to put dozens or hundreds of miles down on a trail, you use LW and UL gear to accomplish that best. But if you're going off-trail into the bush/wilderness, UL gear is not suited for it and will go to pieces. She's leaving out the distinction between thru-hiking and real backpacking in the title. She should have just said thru-hiking.
One more comment: for those expecting to swim or bathe often enough to want a towel, I'd recommend instead a synthetic chamois. They're small and light, and you can repeatedly wring-out water as you dry off, and they dry quickly in the breeze, way better than any traditional towel.
Hiked Havasupai for a week and took a chamois for drying after swimming, or what my aunt would have called a bird bath when hot and dusty on a dry trail. Worked like a charm w a smidge of water. Rinses clean fast, Weighs nothing and drys in a minute.
Always carry multiple ways to start a fire, the only reason I exist is because a cheap lighter saved my dads life, after a long swim through a lake in the Boundary Waters. Not everyone on that trip made it out. Going to a friends funeral 60 years early is something you should avoid.
Graydon Sharp Absolutely. Great point. Multiple ways to start a fire is my #1 priority and I can think of 5 or 6 ways that all together would be under pound.
Nathaniel Offer right??? They weigh next to nothing and take up zero space, one thing I’m never without in the woods is multiple means of fire starting. I’m also in grizzly territory in many of the places I’m out in and I’d rather have a few extra ounces of bear mace and a bear bell then have absolutely zero protection
@@staticalphabetsoup637 Not hiking any longer (I'm 75 now) but I always had a small bell on my pack frame to warn the bears. Heard more than my share crashing through the woods over the years. I was also the only one who worked for an hour to get a fire going in a bad rain storm. The rest of the group had to admit it was a life saver due to hypothermia setting in on all of us by the time it had caught and was producing heat.
Dixie made a white Russian with mini bottles of vodka & kaluha on one of her wilderness jaunts; powdered milk too. Ya, pip-squeek liquor bottles would be wonderful on a long trek!!
@@kriskabin Why not just buy a single plastic bottle... it probably weighs less, less waste, and the empty bottle can be used as a container plus vodka is good for cleaning. If you need to get drunk best bang for your buck is probably everclear, same bonuses with a larger container, plus its flammable. Tastes like shit but you can mix it/chase it with some powder drink or mio.
@@lifesabeach5405 What? Damn they've gone soft. lol. I think we road marched around that distance tackling misery and agony but no 49lb rucks. Our large alice rucks alone were stuffed with damn near everything we owned, around 80-85lbs. Not including the vest, etool, 2x qt canteens, kevlar and m16. Factor on top of it we did it in middle of winter so wore winter bdu's with cold weather jackets, gloves, kevlar liner balaclava. Good times and sore kidneys.
@@lifesabeach5405 True, but the idea is make you go above and beyond what you'd normally do, for that rare circumstance. Not to mention the strength training. I still hike with a 40+lb loadout, I could certainly travel MUCH lighter, but this gives me a better workout.
Washing doesn't have to be a choice between baby wipes or a solar shower. I pack a flannel and a small bar of soap so each morning I can boil a kettle and have a strip wash using my mess tin as a hand-basin. It makes me feel so fresh and is also a gentle way to stretch and warm the muscles ready for a day.
You mean I have a choice? Acme makes all of my backpacking gear! Their cast iron pack frame is indestructible - can't say enough good things about it sturdiness...... If Road Runner endorses it it's good enough for me.
Dixie is so nice and polite and so downright Southern that she cannot help but remind us every time she doesn’t want to upset anyone by telling them what to take, or think. I love it. Dixie is the best.
@@jlt131 she's saying that you don't need to bring the whole hospital with you. Most of the time the only thing you'll need to treat is blisters, scrapes, and sun burn. You should rely on your survival skills and ability to improvise tourniquets and splints until the medevac chopper comes to get you. Cause, ya know, it's not the end of the world and you should have an emergency s.o.s. beacon on you...
@@jlt131 I have been backpacking for over 45 years and I have never needed much other than motrin, mole skin. I have never even used a bandage. I did help to carry out a man who broke his leg. Nothing other than real pain killers would have helped that man. My pack is super light and I carry very little. I find being light and being in good shape is the best thing you can do for your safety
@@mtadams2009 well you've had some good luck then. I would hate to be with you when that luck ends. I've been hiking with people that have broken legs, gone into anaphylaxis, sliced themselves open, and many other injuries. I've used bandages big and small, and wouldn't think of doing even a day hike without a proper first aid kit along. It's people like me that will hopefully be there when you injure yourself and you need help. I hope you thank whoever it is profusely and perhaps change your tune.
@@toastiesburned9929 relying on a medivac for something you could've treated yourself by carrying an extra half pound of emergency gear is a ridiculous waste of resources.
A great trick someone once told me when trying to lighten my load was to: A) Empty out my pack on the bed or the floor of my home. B) Separate everything into three piles; "Definitely Need", "Might Need", "Probably Don't Need". C) Pack everything in the "Definitely Need" pile into your pack. D) Go hiking. E) Repeat until pack is of acceptable weight. At first I scoffed at this, but I was surprised at just how much stuff I was able to cull once I realized that no, I didn't need XYZ and if the rare situation happened that I did I could improvise around not having it. True, I am guilty of slipping a few comfort items into the "Definitely Need" pile, but my pack shrunk significantly after just two hikes.
The trick I've learned as I've gotten older: A) empty out the pack on the floor, B) wonder where I ever got all this crap, c) give up and go grab a beer and watch the ballgame.
You should consider in the weight of certain stuff. There are quite a lot of thing that you probably wont use but that are so light that you should pack them anyway. If you only pack what you definitly need then you run the risk to be helpless if something goes wrong with your trip
hi. why do all American hikers feel the need to hike on a designated route? it's a big country and seems everyone only hike on a few trails. just go any bloody where.
@@ianrimma private property, safety, not knowing the area, yada yada. Lots of reasons, America is a big place and in the middle of nowhere people won't really be able to help you get home. There are a lot of trails around though even my small suburb has one.
The united states is far larger than most people realize, and far emptier. If you get lost in some of the larger unincorporated areas you can walk for days without encountering any sign of civilization. People die this way pretty frequently, especially in the desert. Unless you are a skilled navigator and are confident in your water sources and how to ward off predators, off trail hiking can be INCREDIBLY dangerous. Also, a lot of smaller hiking areas are protected and going off trail is illegal because of potential damage to the local environment. It's also not always clear where public property ends and private property begins, so for most people hiking off trail just isn't safe of feasible. The trail networks are also quite extensive and there isn't usually that much to be gained by intentionally avoiding established routes.
@@ianrimmaMOST "HIKERS" are city dwellers, they don't know better. Most of us are followers, not Leaders. Personally, I like making a BIG LOOP, so I don't come back on the same route I walked out on. -- most "hikers" are sissy La-la, liberal hippies smoking weed. They smoke pot, to escape real life, and come up with crazy B.S. (then they like modern art to fit in..... Yeah, can't think for themselves. But, that's not all of us.
on forest service projects we'd always find old bottles plates utensils etc... and never tell any one lest the archeologists declare it a 'cultural resource' and shut down the project
Just depends on what you're goals are. If it's mileage, less is better. If you love cooking gourmet meals in the back country, you may pack more. It important to recognize what your goals are and pack accordingly.
And the easiest way to shed extra weight is to leave opinions about other people's gear at home, they weigh you down. When I was poor and couldn't afford an ultralight sleeping bag, and only had a two person tent, I would have ultralight hikers stare reproachfully at me like I was doing something wrong because my pack was bulky. Trust me, taking the stick out of your but will shed several unnecessary ounces.
LOLOLOLOL LOL too funny dude. I think people newbies on trails want people to carry them. Thank God for the Ranger patrols for when people really do need assistance,
@Chelle Bright I have taken a crazy carpet along on an overnight snowshoe trip for some sledding fun! it also came in handy in camp for several things.
I don’t care what amount of shite people with me carry as long as it doesn’t effect me. I double up on light, knife, fire, water,food and socks the only luxury item is whiskey and that gets lighter every night !
Dan 5675 - Spoken like a man of Irish or Scottish descent. I remember a time when a drop or two may have saved my life... There I was, high on Ben Nevis, and I hadn’t even started drinkin’. The winds were howling.... Ah, but this is a good story. We should break out the whiskey and take our time with it....
LOL.....I was wondering when someone would mention the best luxury item! Ours is a bladder full of wine, makes all that freeze dried food taste way better. A bit heavy on the start ,but after the trip is over we both agreed it was worth every ounce.
@@jakeski3142 If you mean my Puma White Hunter, then the answer is no. I've put the knife into semi-retirement and started carrying a Mora Garberg (fantastic field knife and I highly recommend it). I'll pass the Puma down to my son when he is old enough, until then, it will sit in a display case.
I always bring what I call my “good luck brick.” It’s a masonry block that I carved my initials in when I was six and I always hang it off my pack for good luck.
Ex army here, and my backpacking has always been minimalist. All of the things you listed made me amazed about the things people will take. I went on a weekend trip with a friend that had all kinds of extra stuff. I did our 3 day trip with a day pack, and she kept commenting about all of the things she thought I should have that were totally unnecessary.
It all depends of what you want to do. If it's a short, two day trip with your friends, you might as well pack more stuff, better food and cooking equipment, just for the comfort. All that weight matters on long, epic adventures, where you have to do some real distance. When i go out for a short hike with one or two overnight stays with me mates, i always take a little chair, some extra cooking stuff etc. Stuff i normally wouldn't bring.
Great video. I'm fairly new to long-distance hiking, and this helped reinforce what I learned in the last few years. The two exceptions for me are a large fixed blade, and tomahawk. The knife is my luxury item - I throw knives and axes for fun, and there isn't a shortage of dead trees and random stumps in the forest. I started carrying the tomahawk when I got a twig stove, but quickly realized that I can chop up fallen branches with my knife. After a couple of hikes I stopped bringing the tomahawk. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was followed by a mountain lion for about half a mile. I waved my arms and yelled, but it couldn't care less. Eventually it came out onto the trail in front of me, and again didn't respond to any of the "officially recommended" behavior. I eventually ran it off, but the whole time I had my "Rambo knife" out, and wished I had the tomahawk. Guess what I've started carrying again.
A tomahawk sounds like a way better solution for this and similar activities. You probably aren't going to be building a log cabin, so an axe or a hatchet seems a little overkill. A lighter option, yes, but nonetheless respectable in ability. A good sized saw is far from bad as well, for the wood you'll be getting, it's a more efficient option for the lager sized pieces
I can't believe how much better my "hiking" trips to the mall are now. Plus I hardly ever get questioned by security with the smaller packs and minus the Rambo knife.
I ditched my wife after 3 hours in my hike, 230 pounds lighter.... I was happy and the wolves really where appreciative. My girlfriend now has a lot more uses and is much lighter, highly recommend. But I really need to nourish my wolves hear soon...
I did most of my overnight hiking back in the 1970''s and 1980's when some of the gear described in this video had not yet been invented. if I were to hit the trail again today, I would still do it with the same equipment and bring my sheath knife just because I like it for butchering trout and grouse and because it is excellent for everything else too. As for cell phones, I am too old to have ever wanted one. The mess kit is another item that I would go without. What I did was to bring a few paper plates and a fruit can with a coat hanger wire bail across the top. In the pack I kept it in a plastic bread bag so that it would not make other items black with soot. Inside it I would store two cans of Sterno canned heat. I would also carry a Sterno stove, a roll of aluminium foil, and a plastic cup. I would use the fruit can as a pot and the foil to wrap and bake fish and fowl. I would smear the shiny side with vegetable shortening so that it would better separate from the meat. I would save the Sterno and the stove for rainy day cooking inside the tent and for those rare venues bereft of firewood. Inside the roll of foil, I would carry a 12: taper candle. I usually did not carry a flashlight. I would carry the cup along with the map and the compass in a shoulder bag where I had easy access without removing the pack. Inasmuch as there were no towns or other re-supply points along my route and I might be on the trail for as many as nine days, i devoted most of my cargo capacity to food. I would pack one full change of relatively nice clothes in the pack and one extra set of underwear and two pairs of extra sox. I would start out wearing old ragged pants and shirt that I would burn up near the end of the trip when they were profoundly filthy. I would wash the sox and underwear with my bar of soap. I prefer button-down -the-front shirts over t-shirts so that I can open the front when it was hot, but would still have the shirt betwixt my shoulders and the pack straps. I carried a .22 rimfire pistol to forage grouse. My tent was and is a two-man back packer tent with aluminium poles and j-pegs. It was mosquito proof before the zipper wore out. I could replace that. My pack was and is a 3/4 length Camp Trails, circa 1972. I carried a light air mattress because I am fussy about my sleep. I also liked to carry a paper-backed book for the trip. I would save my Rice a Roni boxes and toilet paper cores for kindling. With wet wood, i could use some of the Sterno to start a fire. I took some things out of the first aid kit and replaced them with my toothbrush, toothpaste, looking glass, and razor. On a few hikes I packed a pair light canvas shoes for fording creeks. That kept my boots dry and afforded comfortable footwear for camp. For fire starting, I just carried matches with an emergency supply in a match safe. For washing, I just used lakes, creeks, and my bar of soap. My back packing experience was an education in how little one needs to be well supplied and happy. .
Thank you so much!!! I was like “why are soooo many people buying rocket stoves?!” I love the small ones but carrying fuel ? I want to build fires! Thats a skill I enjoy practicing!!! Love the sterno can options. Trying to picture what you use. Need visual. Loved reading your thread.
Canister stoves are very cheap nowadays (start at $10) and are extremely quick and efficient. I think that's why so many opt for them. In the eighties i could see sterno being a more popular off the shelf solution when Coleman fuel stoves were heavy and expensive, but there's better stuff out there now.
After 26 years in the military I've learned it's better to be stinky with a lighter load than to smell good but be miserable carrying extra crap. You're such a sweetheart! Thanks for the advice!
Rick Chollett Haha. You could tell the rookies from the experience people by how much bags they packed for JRTC and the field and how they packed them. I always had 1 ruck and a small backback
I had to leave a new pair of leather boots on the trail because they filled up with sweat and weighed about 3lbs each. After walking about 16 miles I could barely pick up my feet. It was my first hike.
As we said in the Army. KISS Keep it simple stupid. If I carry something into an area for a trip and never use it. It gets the shelf. Carry what you need and ditch the rest.
My respective units for JRTC, NTC etc all had required packing lists; we had no options on what we could take below the minimum lists. You CAN tell the REMFs from the guys who go outside the wire more often....
tc556guy As a radio guy I hardly had room for much luxuries after packing the radio, extra batteries and an antenna. Made for a hell of a load during mountain warfare training.
I took my dad backpacking on the NCT and the night before we left, I went through his bag: the man had a FULL SIZE TEA KETTLE! I couldn’t believe it. I ended up removing almost 2/3 of what he had packed...inflatable life raft (really?), 5lb lantern, blow torch haha...I had all our essentials (kitchen, food, etc, so in the end he had his chocolate (because he HAD to have it), clothes, sleeping bag and...his own tent because he didn’t want to share one. Granted...I made him carry more water 💦 to make up for his pack being so light! Poor guy was also using an external frame pack from the 50’s but he made it!
2:47 - I went sans multi tool for a long time. Then I had a zipper fail on my down jacket and the only way to fix it was with pliers (borrowed them). I've also had a bag zipper fail in a mountain snow storm (fixed with a multi tool). Do not go sans multi tool into winter weather.
Despite all the jokes I really enjoyed this list of things. I'm not trying to go ultra light or minimalist but I don't want to carry unnecessary weight if I don't have to.
I think there should be a distinction made that this is for through hiking... Essentially a several day long trail hike. This is very different from exploring, fishing, and bushcraft style trips.
Apart from the multi tool one I'm totally with you! And most of the time you won't "need" it, but if you get thrown into a real survival situation (life or death) I will take a multi tool over pretty much anything else. To me a good one is indispensable
i use a multitool quite frequently in everyday life i dont see why it wouldnt apply to the trail. Knife, pliers, mini saw, file... that shit will save your hands and allow you to build simple tool out of alot of shit. Then you got the can opener... not unheard of for someone to bring a canned good and the screw drivers that can fix anything from a pair of glasses to screws in your gear like flash lights. In terms of cutting weight out most of these tool sit on your belt, not your pack, and dont really contribute to the load your bear like something in your pack does.
Those plyers and tweezers must be a lifesaver when you happen to step on or touch the wrong plants. The micro needle-like thorns from cactus or those spiked weed seeds that stick to any piece of fabric
What are you gonna do with all those allen keys and screwdrivers? If you are just hiking with a tent, you don't need it. Unless you're into building shelters or doing some other stuff apart from just sleeping in your tent. Then again, there's nothing wrong in having one if it makes you feel safer.
Fun fact, my scoutmaster once loaded a dutch oven into somebody's pack when distributing the troop gear. That was only a one mile intro to backpacking for the young scouts while us older guys did a longer trek, but still...
I'm watching this on the side of a mountain on my yearly deer hunting trip. About 75% of these items have been removed from my pack over the last 5 years that we have done this trip. The first year I looked like a gypsy roaming the woods. Also love when the dog peed on the tree haha
@@garrett3055I am a deer hunter too. And my EMERGENCY GEAR: Ace bandage, vet wrap, tube of glue (medal super glue). Neosporin, an airplane bottle of Yukon Jack, A small pill bottle with naproxen, Excedrin, vicoden. -- probably more than I need. But, small, and will get me out of the woods. OFF BUG SPRAY is more important than a first aid kit!
I take a small piece of light tarp material (~4’x2’) to use to sit on and to place my tent vestibule. It beats sitting on the wet ground. Folds up very small, does weigh much and has many other possible uses.
Lol, I have in-laws that have that same accent and when I first read the ladder comments I was like,??"When did she say ladder?" Makes me realize how accustomed to that accent I have become.
You can forget getting me to do anything without my Leatherman! I had one on me when I got married, and I don’t even check the mail without one. Also, Opinel makes a great, lightweight, small, pruning blade. If you carry the right Leatherman or Victorinox, you won’t need it. Most other saws are crap. Silky makes the best but weight might keep it at home.
I agree with your video wholeheartedly! The heaviest thing in my pack is my bear canister filled with food. I've discovered that when I'm backpacking my appetite goes down considerably and I'm not sure why. Now that I know my food requirements my pack is much lighter. My luxury item is my pad, a Klymit Insulated Static V Luxe. At age 61, I like to be comfy. It's easy to ditch the heavy extra clothes, leave the oxygen tanks in the ER, to get an ultralight tent, and to get a smaller lighter pack. And it's so much nicer to walk with a lighter pack!
Being former army, A multi tool is life. Especially in field. Also, Gun shot wound kits are great multi purpose dressing kits because a GSW is a form of puncture wound and if you've ever known someone accident prone.... sharp sticks, rocks, falls, animals, all create puncture wounds. Sam splints, are super light, can roll up and fit in your kit quite nice. Sprains and breaks happen at the worst times. In fact, never outsource your personal safety in any environment, especially in BFE.
I can’t believe she said you don’t need an extensive first aid kit., that’s gotta be the dumbest thing to tell hikers. I’d love to hike with that nurse. She’s extremely valuable on trail or in bush.
Thank you to all the commentors in the thread. I have had the best time of the whole week here in the comments section. And I'm going to have to go now because my stomach is hurting from too much laughing. This is the funniest comment section on the whole internet. Ya all rock!
I have one large drysack that fits perfectly into my backpack. Never have to worry about anything getting wet. Additionally, in summer, I often swim across lake areas and river areas. The drysack is awesome for buoyancy.
Some of these gave me a chuckle and a reminder of my first traveling experiences. I don't hike, I live on a bicycle but I think that this channel is always going to be one of my most beloved go-to's for advice ♥️. I have a lot of gratitude for this channel!
This was a great video. I think an important point is that bushcrafting (and the associated tools like hatchets and saws) has no place on any trail used by the general public. For example, if everyone who hikes the AT would cut down a sapling to make a walking stick, tent stakes, etc., there would soon be no more saplings within a mile of the trail. With that said, on trails through wilderness areas, a minimal amount of survival equipment on your body will save your life if you and your equipment should get soaked in a river crossing, you get off trail (like that woman who died in 2013 while hiking the AT), or if you lose your backpack (from theft or simply not being able to find it). That happened to me in the Mojave desert. I ran out of water 20 miles from my jeep. I stopped to sleep through the heat of the day. When i woke up i was so thirsty that i wandered away from my camp to find a barrel cactus. I found the cactus and it saved my life. However, I could not find my camp. I made the decision to head for my jeep with just the clothes on my back and my folding knife. When i made it to the road, two gas line workers gave me some water and later a deputy sheriff gave me a ride back to my jeep. The next day I headed back to the desert (with a lot of water!) to look for my gear. After two days of looking I gave up (drones were not widely available at that time). To this day, my Kelty backpack and all the gear in it is still somewhere between the Old Woman and Turtle mountains. This all happened many years ago. If I did not have my knife to cut open cactus, I would have died in the desert. This is what I carry on my person for survival purposes: 1. A paracord bracelet with jute string dipped in candle wax woven into it (as a waterproof fire starting tinder), and a small fire steel and striker as a buckle. 2. A space blanket in my pocket (to wrap around myself if i need to dry my clothes and can be used to carry water) 3. A knife (I prefer a small neck knife). For those of you into survival lore, this covers Dave Canterbury's 5 C's: cordage (The paracord in the bracelet), cover (space blanket), container (space blanket), cutting (neck knife), combustion (jute cord, fire steel, and striker in bracelet) Furthermore, I suggest making a couple of bracelets (there are plenty of YT videos on how to do this) so you have an extra to practice with.
I particularly liked your closing comments, about how with more experience you are willing to let go of items, i.e. realise that you don't actually need / use them, can't be bothered with them. Also you become more skilled at using what you've got, in different ways. And a big part of going on trips is about leaving the junk behind, equipment as well as mental baggage. You become less bothered about what anyone thinks any more, like my old yellowed compass - I retort that I found it in the urinal at the Clachaig Inn (Scotland) in 1979 (a mountaineering joke!). NIce vid, thanks.
I once ditched, in an old tree, a 2 liter of Coke after about an hour in on the App Trail. 3 days later I found it on the way out and drank it. Such a nice treasure to celebrate an end to a great adventure. :)
And when the going got tough on Oregon Trail in the 1840’s and ‘50s, it was littered with iron stoves, bedsteads, and all those things people were sure they “needed” to take. This is not to mention the corpses.
I carry an 18ft tall backpack with a fully functional hospital,kitchen and laundromat... No less than 40 half gallons of rum,600lbs of dog food,Nam 3 flashlight with Predator self destruct mode
This is great! Haters are haters. I feel like you nailed it. People confuse backpacking with survival or on the opposite end glamping. Backpacking is neither. We're not in Baffin Island or by our car, we're on the AT or PCT, in the wilderness but rarely far from people or rescue services.
Use a star fire or the equivalent and you won't have to cut firewood. Or a long fire doesn't have to be even lengths of logs. The more hard work you have to do, the more calories you burn, so then you have to take more food and carry more weight. Cutting firewood takes lots of calories, and if you also have a long hike, you won't feel like doing that anyway. But each person's idea of hiking and camping is different too. I like taking a short hike and staying in one spot for several days while practicing some elementary camp craft just for the challenge and wild edible plant foraging for fun...long hikes or always being on the go does not sound relaxing to me. For that, a slightly heavier pack that also might lend more comfort is fine. I make a terrible masochist. If your camp craft is good enough, you don't even have to have a heavier pack, you just need more imagination. But I wouldn't skimp as much. I am 76 years old and prefer not to sleep on the hard ground, be cold, or do much strenuous work. I also like to eat well. But if you like something else, knock yourself out. No one should care except you, so all is good. One thing I would ditch is a stove that requires heavy canister fuel. There are many light weight materials these days that do the same job even if you can't have a campfire where you are going. A campfire does lend more than heat and light, though. The atmosphere of one is hard to beat.
as more of a "camper" vs " hiker" i sort of agree but these guys are more hard core distance hikers so they are just looking to build a quick little cook fire, eat, and go to bed
@@KissMyConverseFool When you have hiked your butt off all day, many times unless a fire has already been created by your new overnight housemates, you don't always have the Entergy to build and maintain a cooking fire. Havng/using a lightweight decent pack stove is perfect, worth it, and carried by many.
Obviously you don’t over do it, I agree with some of your list. but the idea behind bringing a lot of the things you mentioned is that you’re prepared for the unlikely. The Boy Scout Motto is “Be Prepared” for a reason. Its not likely that a two day trip turns into a month of survival in the wild, or a routine hike turns into a cougar attack on your buddy. If I have to carry a couple more pounds in order to ensure that everyone is safe and we have means to survive. Then it’s worth it. Having a trauma kit and quick clot on hand in particular is important.
I fully agree on a lot of things. I always look at it from a more bushcraft perspective, so a thru hike will probably take me forever. When I see a nice camping spot might want to stay there for a few days and when I see a pond, river, lake or stream most likely want to try and catch a fish. I fully agree on the knife thing. Nobody has ever needed a 'Rambo' knife but a SAK as tool/knife and a fixed blade that's easy to clean with a maybe 4 inch blade is really all you need if you are not trying to construct some base camp with a toilet and all. For first aid I do carry a few band aids for minor cuts and other minor wounds. I carry tampons and duct tape for more serious wounds. The tampons can be used as fire starter but you can also cut them halfway open length wise, butterfly them open, put on the wound and fixate with the duckt tape. The duckt tape can also be used for repairs. For hygiene I carry a plastic bottle with baking soda. You can use it to wash up, take away smell, brush your teeth and you can put some in water if you need some minerals in your system. I do carry a lighter and a ferro rod (firesteel) but the ferro rod only makes sense if you know how to use it. I carry one light source and no spare batteries. It's amazing how you can do even night hikes in the woods if you take the time for your eyes to get used to the darkness. Using a light actually kills you night vision and your eyes have to adjust again. I do carry a few zip ties for when the straps of the backpack break or tear. My luxury would be a hip flask with some liquor for in the evening at the camp fire.
I do the tampon thing, too but I add 2 maxipads. They're great for covering large areas, they're sterile, and light. They can be used for blisters (cut a blister sized hole) or for burns (used two on another hiker who burned himself).
I agree with everything you listed except bear spray. I backpack in NW Washington and western Canada. Had to use it once so far. It’s not just for bears but large kitty cats as well!
A friend of my mom's lost her son to a black bear in Alaska. He was hiking with friends and stepped off the trail and down the side of a log to change the film in his camera. Yes, it was a while back. The poor kid surprised the bear who lashed out and decapitated him. I guess bear spray would not have helped because it happened so fast. But yes, if I do a long hike, I would need the spray for bears and cougars. And wolves? And if alone, coyotes? Worth the weight.
Great advice Dixie. I only do 2 or 3 day hikes and bring way too much stuff here in Vermont. At 60 years young I still learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing.
When I hit 45 with several major accidents in the past, I really cut the gear. I never carried much other than on a few early trips in the 70s. But now I just can't. I'm only 58, but the key to staying out there is leaving more behind, for me.
Fun fact bear spray is significantly less potent than pepper spray because bears are more sensitive. Using bear spray for self defense on a human is probably just a good way to enrage them. I’d just pick up pepper spray at that point if you’re concerned. I mean they don’t weigh very much in comparison.
If you're a thru-hiker that's one thing, but if you're a licensed medical professional you may well carry the gear: A) you're licensed to use, B) that can save a life, C) that you can't fake in a field situation. I'm sure the hiker with heat exhaustion/stroke who is unconscious (or any other number of situations where IV fluids would be helpful) could be really glad that a nurse would choose to bring a sterile unit of saline, a start kit, and primary tubing in his or her pack. I'm not a thru-hiker, and I carry a very heavy penalty in weight for medical stuff that I'm both licensed to use and would find immensely helpful or can't fake in the field or improvising will cost time or reliability.
@ Darren Erickson: I agree completely. Ego-based comments aside, a med-kit is essential insurance for me when hiking for multiple days in the deep country as I do here in the North Cascades. Like you, I have the ability and professional experience to administer First Aid to myself and others if needed. A well thought out and effective med-kit does not have to be bulky or heavy... mine rolls out and is contained in a re-purposed portable chefs kit which was easily modified to accommodate the contingencies I think can be practically dealt with. You are wise to "pack possibilities" rather than packing ignorance. Be safe and have a great 2019 hiking season!
Yes, a lot of these cuts seem to depend on the 'privilege' of knowing someone else on the crowded trail will probably be carrying it and/or be around to help. _"Don't bring extra fire-starting tools, if your lighters break someone else will help you out."_ That'll help you greatly if you end up losing the trail accidentally and need a fire to survive the night. I've seen a different thru-hiker's "first aid kit" (heavy air quotes) that fit into an Altoids tin. Literally just a needle and thread to pop blisters and some band-aids. Good luck with that when you cut your leg open on sharp rocks you didn't see under the snow, or a compound fracture after a widowmaker falls on you. Would you rather carry a few more ounces and live? Or die and end up as the bad example in a Bear Grylls show?
For firestarting, I carry lighters (usually at least two, in case one gets lost or quits working) and a candle. A candle will give you a sustained flame, which often makes the difference, especially if there's no dry kindling around.
The lightest firestarter I've seen so far is dryer lint. It's free, packs down super tight, is very lightweight, is very easy to start with a lighter or ferro rod and striker, and you only need to use a little at a time in ideal conditions. The candle is still a good idea, if all the potential kindling is wet like you said. Now I'll consider packing one as well! Edit - It's a firestarter, don't know why I called it kindling. It burns out kinda quickly to be considered kindling.
My son got mad at how much underwear I packed! That was 3 years ago. He camps one weekend a month all year round. Now he packs his own gear and no underwear other than what he has on 😱🤢
I am a bit of a weight weenie myself but, because I spend a lot of my time on the eastern slopes of the Rockies west of Calgary, you really need the bear spray. Unlike the west coast mountains, bears are very food stressed. Encounters are not common but the bear spray has made a difference for a lot of folks around this part of the world. Bear bangers are not useful especially in narrow canyons... leave them behind.
I get the impression that a lot of this advice is based on areas farther south and warmer. Also, a lot seems directed at people traveling established trail systems in the U.S. My experiences, and gear choices over 50-odd years (some years _were_ pretty odd) have been tweaked over and over. There's a channel called "Dave's Real Survival" put together by a guy closer to my own age. Dave goes into a lot of the same areas in the bush that I do. I've found some of his DIY innovations for winter outings to be pretty good.
I put some cotton/petro jelly in a dry match tube years ago and just let them ride in my pack without thinking about them until last week. From that time until last week I'd always lucked out at finding something dry and flammable. But on last weeks hike, after drenching rains all day long I couldn't find a scrap of dry kindling and remembered my little tube of cotton. 1 ball lit the evening fire and 1 ball lit the breakfast fire. You'll get my tinder when you pry it from my cold wet hands.
Silas Wilson unless it's a river it's always bad form just like pissing directly in the creek is bad form. It doesn't just affect people drinking the water but everything that depends on the creek or lake, like fish. Its almost always bad form to use soap directly in a body of water.
Contractor bag is something that we used in the military. Those dry bags always degraded with how much abuse they got from us. Fun fact, those dry bags make your pack buoyant, so if you gotta wade across a river or you find your boat sinking you can throw your rifle on top and grab onto your bag like a floaty lol.
I like to carry a small flashlight and a small headlamp (single AAA battery for each) when hiking at night. Together they are as bright as I want them to be, provide the redundancy that I want, and are light enough that I don't notice the weight.
Certainly do appreciate all your work I’ve come back to this a few times and each time I hear something a little different and I have to rethink purposely rethink something I’m taking or think I want to take this is greatly appreciate it you’re a damn good presenter
The capacity of hiking backpack is actually quite limited, which means that content of backpack obviously depends on: how long you are hiking for, where do you intend to hike, how much gear you need to carry, and certainly - what kind of gear you need to carry. What will you put in your backpack? (How to determine what kind of gear you need to carry?) It is a separate and quite delicate question, and very personal decision. For example - if we were able to ask a paleolithic savage about his choice, he would probably bring only stone axe and pointed pole. Would he not be the world's lightest backpacker? He wouldn't need even backpack. Since there is no enough space in average backpack for all that „gear that backpackers ditch first” (unless you've met someone who is capable of carrying at least 200 liter hiking pack) the choice of equipment will be also dictated by: environment, terrain configuration and many other factors. What I meant to say is: I will take different types of equipment, depending on the situation. Sometimes i will pack a folding saw and axe, and sometimes not. Sometimes i will pack a large cook kit and extra supply of food, and sometimes not… Depending on the situation. Second, and no less important - we are not all fans of „ultralight backpacking”! I don’t worry about weight too much and I can carry 18 kg (±40 pounds) all day long with no problem. I would be carrying even more weight (up to 25 kg/±55 lbs) if it means comfort and insouciance. Such weight would slow me down considerably, but there are people (and I am one of them) who will choose: reliable and bulky double-wall geodesic tent, instead of some fancy, made of „Dyneema”, single wall, low-pitched, narrow and cramped ultralight backpacker tent. Some people also prefer (and I am one of them) a decently insulated and lumpish sleeping pad that weighs about 2½ lbs, instead of overpriced and ill-fitting, pancake thin and poorly insulated ultralight sleeping pad that weighs only about 14 ounces, but is often the cause of excruciating back pain in the morning. As far as I am concerned - Comfort and insouciance in the first place! And finally - backup flashlight and first aid kit should be essential parts of hiking equipment! Under no circumstances should be considered as „redundancies”! (I certainly do not mean about „field surgeon/medical specialist extended medical kit” containing: stethoscope, sphygmomanometer cuffs, glucometer, tongue depressors… and other medical diagnostic equipment - like you've mentioned in the video) Top lid pocket (a backpack brain) weighs next to nothing. Why would anyone remove insignificantly heavy detachable pocket on the top of a backpack that can be used to carry more gear when the pack's main compartment is full, or can be converted to 10-15lt daypack with front stash? Not to mention that it's ideal place for: rain gear, first aid kit, GPS device and topographic maps, because it's first within hand's reach when the backpack is laid on the ground.
I completely agree. I think it comes down to how people hike, and these folks that only hike on "BIG NAME" trail are a little insufferable. I've counted 3 people so far who seem to think they are outdoor experts because they have completed the AT (there are literally rest stops all along it). I like to just walk into the woods til I find a nice spot, not having some of the stuff they insist is unnecessary is asking for a bad situation.
Used to hike with 45 lbs as a kid. Later had 72 lbs for a Teton hike (carried wife's stuff so we hiked the same pace). Now hiking with my 16, 22 y/o sons I'm packing 19 lbs (all in weight w 2L water) for 4 days out -and liking it a LOT better. Agree that sleep comfort is worth a bit of extra weight and that's why it works to cut down in a smart way in other areas. Keep an open mind.
Items i regretted to carry at my first multi-day hiking: - Hatchet - Way to Heavy tent ( i use a hammock today) - Cotton-Wool Clothes (Lightweight sportswear is waaay faster dryied AND way lighter) - Too much food. I'm a good eater but on the trail I needed way less food then I Thought Items I was luckjy to have with me: - Kindling (Small very dry Woodpiecec soaked in resin) - Full covering Rain-Poncho - Nalgene Bottle (It really helps with cold feet
All solid advice. I would add that smart water and gatorade bottles are a good alternative to nalgenes. I met a dude at mt rogers that was carrying 20-30 lbs of batteries and around 10 flashlights. Blew my mind. Pretty sure he was on the run and/or mentally ill.
I'm for two light sources, reason. I was in an AT shelter by myself one night, stormy and extremely dark, when my Mag light bulb blew.(old school) If you don't know where they store the spare bulb in a Mag light, it's in the butt end of the flashlight under the spring, if that doesn't make it hard enough to find, the bulb is the size of a grape seed with two wire prongs on it. So what you have to do is, remove the end cap, remove the spring, locate the spare bulb, remove the bulb, replace the spring, place the end cap back on. Remove the lens cap and remove the burned out bulb and replace with the new bulb, to replace the bulb you have to try to put the two wire prongs into the two tiny holes, all the while doing this by feel in the dark. I have to say, it was truly an exciting moment when I got those two prongs in the holes. So carry two sources of light, or an extra hiking buddy. AT 88/93
What’s the big deal about having it be dark for a little while? Just go to sleep. Believe it or not you can survive without a flashlight. I almost never use one anyway. There is enough light by the stars and moon to see enough to get around once your eyes adjust to the dark.
I can't imagine one of those useless mag lights these days. Times have changed and you wont be changing the bulb on a quality flashlight these days, plus way more runtime/lumen. If you don't own one yet pick one up any 18650 powered olight or fenix etc will have you sending old mag lights to the scrap bin.
Yes yes yes...there is always the fringe case where a second something will be needed. Unless ou are rock climbing or are in a blizzard...you can get by on very little.
I found out that ditching my own brain saved more weight than ditching my pack brain. After doing that, I found out that I could just ditch everything. And I didn’t even have to go on the trail.
If the smell of sweat bothers you on the trail, carry and use magnesium tablets! That is, the nutritional supplements that you eat. The stink mostly comes from magnesium deficiency, which is caused by all that physical exercise. I recommend magnesium citrate or one of the other organic compounds. Inorganics like the cheap magnesium oxide can upset the sensitive stomach.
In retrospect, the Dutch Oven was a mistake.
🤣
dayum, what about the dumbbell?
😂
Did she mad about the smell?
I hope that lady enjoys it
I heard “I actually do keep a ladder and a backup ladder.”
Then I realized she said lighter. Man, that was one hell of a confusing bit
Thanks for clarifying!
I had no idea what a , "ladder" was until I read this comment. I thought it was hiker lingo for some sort of fire starting device that I don't have. Lol.
you guys don't carry ladders? i bring an extendable 20' aluminum ladder. just in case i want to do some roofing on the trail. or pick some eggs from an eagle's nest or just hop up there and soak in the view.
Part of the Southern accent is to leave out the "Y" or "Yuh" sound that non-Southerners vocalize when they pronounce the letter "I". So, when a Southerner pronounces "eye", it's a single, short syllable. A non-Southerner pronounces "eye" more like "i-yuh" (but without much of the "uh" at the end).
Me Too! I had to go back and listen to that part again. Didn't understand why she needed a ladder to start a fire.
Fat. I tend to carry a lot of fat that I don't need. Not really sure why I brought it in the first place but for some reason I always tend to bring it right back out the next time.
me too !
Same! I tend to lose it during the hike, no sure why I keep bringing more back with me hahaha
HAHAHAHHA
LOL I resemble that comment a little bit.
😂
I cut 3 ounces and several days off my trip switching from weed to cocaine.
Change from coke to speed save money and take another day off ur trip 😂😂😂
I died reading this thread
The Outdoor Experience ... Classic comment award goes to you. I nearly choked.
Hahahaha
See, that’s one of those personal things, cause you can pry my bong from my cold dead hands. Weed is the only drug you need.
And yes, I am high.
You are right, a ladder is excessive, I think a step ladder is a lighter option.
😂
I have no option. My ladder left us, so all I *have* is my step ladder
I mean okay, if she wants to bring a ladder, fine... But a backup ladder? C'mon now!!! LOL
@@zeffery101 LOL! This comment is seriously overrated! Nice. :)
A ladder, a stepladder, what is the difference? You need to stop judging things based on narrow-minded cultural assumptions.
I like to bring someone new to hiking along. They carry all the extras you don't need but might want. They believe that the extras are necessary. That way it is available but you don't have to carry
Thomas Edworthy it’s cool to tell them it’s tradition for the newbie to carry all the gear. Telling them it’s critical they not fail in their first three or four outings or they’ll never be known as a 🤔... hmmmm; official TRAIL BLAZER or SURVIVALIST. 😂
My last hike I didn't even bring a pocket knife, knowing that the 3 newbies I brought would each have a couple of knives.
Genius!
You should change your name to Richard because that is a real Richard move. smdh
True facts! They'll be like, " Hey want some coffee? He I have an extra ramen bowl." I'm all, " Yeah that sounds great." Once a newbie packed in some smoked sausage for the first night. 2 of them. We tore it up son.
Before going on the first hike, pack everything (including food and water) in the backpack you intend to use. Then carry it for a full day - regardless what you do (work - mow the lawn - go shopping) carry the pack for the whole day. Trust me - the next morning when you try to get out of bed, you will know exactly how much weight you need to remove from your pack.
And once you have done your first hike, you will be able to reduce the weight of your pack even further.
This is an excellent idea, thanks.
Pretty cool advice!
What base weight do you think it ok for an average build female and still be able to get out of bed?
LoL Just had a mental picture of what "do everything" in it meant and had to laugh some as to the mental legerdemain of this of so tiny comment that most soldiers would instantly understand but some civilians might have a problem with so here's some advice from an old soldier accomplished in some of the physical requirements of what "do everything in it all day long" means:
1) While defecating ( yes I said pooping ) wearing the pack, find a log to set the pack weight on while you "do your daily" or whatever so it doesn't drag you backwards into your own fun, all I'm saying on that one. If your lucky enough to actually have a toilet, set the pack on tank on the back of the toilet or wedge it against the wall to hold it there if your not lucky enough to have a tank on the toilet or you can switch the pack to the front to make it more centered on your body while doing your thing.
2) While urinating: If male, practice the "drunken wall lean" where you lean your entire body weight against a wall or tree at about a 30 deg angle and let fly. One handed slam is also popular but limits you to one hand for obvious reasons. Sorry ladies it's back to number the number 1 section for you but I would suggest taking a friend with when you do since you don't want to get bum rushed ( I Did not invent the term, sorry ladies) while doing your thing by any type of animal of the two or four legged variety.
3) Shift your pack around frequently ( side to side, front then back) since wearing it in one spot can cause callouses (not so attractive for the ladies) in weird areas you don't want to have to explain later or actual blisters if part of the webbing or pack needs repair which usually causes it since the pack did what it was designed to do which means it took some of the damage instead of the gear like it is supposed to do. This is common and happens all of the time but can become a problem later on longer hikes.
4) My Grandfather and Fathers advice that I'll pass on to you: If you at least have it, you can use it or put it on and / or take it off. If you don't, you can't do either previous option. Which means when cutting down your pack weight make sure you do not toss some piece of critical gear that you may need later due to some unforeseen circumstance you did not foresee but mother nature loves to whack us monkey's on the head with routinely like clockwork. The 20 lbs of weight I will never get rid of while I'm in the woods are my coat, my knife and my tomahawk: While hiking they are constantly near me or hanging from my belt but they are always with me. With them, I don't need all of the rest of the stuff and that is the last line (in my mind at least) of all the previous gear before them because all of the above 3 items would allow me to survive indefinitely if necessary. My last line of defense as it were. Find what's critical for your needs and always carry it, always. Again, you can't use it if you don't have it and your pack is located at the top of cliff that you just fell down and can't get back up without taking a huge detour which will take a 1/2 day trek to do so. Also, Congratulations you just survived a fall, your awesome.
5) Subconsciously get used to going through most doors in civilized areas sideways since most packs will either hit the door during the swing back causing you to bounce around in the door like an old ping pong game or cause you to hit something plus can get stuck in the door which makes you look dumb (and helpless, well until you back up and have to do it all over again) . You can also try backing through the door instead at a 45 deg angle which allows you to see behind you while your doing so. Both methods work but take some time to get used to doing and require practice to do smoothly, so while your wearing your pack for the day do that as well so you can find the best method that works best for you. I've been switching my gear position so long that I pretty much do it completely without even thinking about it now and you can too. Another problem with packs in civilized areas, your pack has all these straps and clasps that don't like anything else but they do love to get wedged in weird areas, slap paperwork around and hit everything behind you cause you weren't looking. Better to use strap keepers to keep the pesky buggers in line and manageable.
@@jdeekaye6556 The advice I first heard, at least for thru-hiking is: your pack with everything EXCEPT food/water shouldn't weigh more than 30 lbs total. This was years ago, and I suspect with modern gear it could probably go a LOT lighter. I'm in the process of replacing old equipment right now, and major items are half what they used to weigh (pack, tent, pad, stove, etc). I wouldn't be surprised if I get my pack down to 20 lbs easily.
I grew up a hundred miles north of NYC in the Catskills. One of my favorite things was to go around to local camping areas on mondays to see what the city people had left behind. Tents, sleeping bags, coolers, food, alcohol, tarps, ropes, tools, axes, etc. etc. After a rain was always extra good because they had bugged out and run for the car to go home.
I wonder how much stuff you accidentally stole from people who were just out on day hikes lol 😆
@@gregbors8364 none. These were soaking wet and collapsed gear left by fleeing cityots up for one or two days. There were no cars left in the parking area.
Ditto but in Northern California.
Couldn't believe how wasteful people are, not to mention they are encouraging wild animals to frequent campsites by leaving food out.
Brilliant
One of my favorite things is avoiding the hungry bears in the spring.
I always carry a car door.
That way when it gets hot I can always wind down the window.
I do the same but my door has automatic windows so I carry a 12v car battery along too. Totally worthwhile.
Good one🤣
@Patrick
A car door? That is just stupid.
Carrying A/C is what you want.
HHAHAHAAHA!!! Nice joke...I will have to retell that one!LOL Especially for a few friends who don't like hiking or camping etc...!!
I build a complete "misting station." Includes shade tent. Automatic 16v mister fans fed from a 20 gallon tank at all four corners powered by a SOLAR PANEL which I also carry. However I do not carry chairs... that's for rookies... so you gotta bring your own butt pads and sit on the ground sorry...
So I used to work at an outfitters for over a decade. There were 2 pieces of advice I gave people who were doing long hikes. 1st, Yes an extra pair of shoelaces is worth the weight even if you don't use it, you'll be happy if you need it. 2nd, Make 3 lists. List A: The stuff you are packing for the trip before you go. List B: when you get home, the list of the stuff you actually used. List C, The items you didn't use and might be able to remove from future trips. I only say might because you could have had abnormally warm or dry weather. Just because you didn't use the puff jacket or sleeping bag doesn't mean you don't want to bring them on the next trip.
I tell people to build their skills FIRST, then choose equipment. For example...if you can tie knots, you don't need carabiners, hooks, or a lot of bungee chord stuff.
Packing you backpack properly and ankle strength is injury prevention. We didn't have trekking poles. If we needed stability like that for a certain area, we modified a a tree branch. Our balance was key, not relying on equipment.
For those of us relying on wood-burning backpacking stoves, a few cotton balls soaked in Vaseline and stored in a plastic match box, really helpful in very rainy conditions, say June on the AT in North Carolina. Remember you aren't carrying fuel bottles, so you are still ahead of the game.
For what it's worth, I always carry Esbit tablets. Depending on the stove (I have the Solo), they work without any wood. Also, Esbits are an excellent fire starter that will actually dry out the wood so you can continue refueling with wet wood (that the fire dries out). On the West Rim Trail, I carried a large zip lock and gathered leaves and twigs (which I carried). Once the fire was started in the stove, wet could be dried out and burned. Esbits are easier. Just a thought.
Highlighting that a good number of things that are mid to high priority for bushcraft are dead weight when backpacking. Different goals require different tools. The goal of backpacking is to cover ground from A to B with as much ease as you can manage. Paring down to essentials just makes your life easier. In a more bushcraft oriented experience, you're usually taking your gear to a central location where you secure a temporary camp to store your heavier stuff and then take minimal gear when you go about your business nearby. So, that hatchet and saw, ferro rod, etc is easy to ditch while backpacking, but is a real quality of life upgrade if you're planning to stick to one site for a while.
I find adapting bushcraft to backpacking is the ideal...Basically that's what Boy Scout camping and backpacking was. Minimalist bushcraft.
I logically ditch my water first because it's the heaviest.
That’s the move the pros won’t tell you about
They want the real good tips for themselves
Exactly! I just lick the dew of my tent in the morning and im good to go for the day!
The Dragon Warrior can exist solely on the few dew drops of a ginkgo tree.
I hold up other hikers for their water and food. 4/5 they give it up. 😂
@JOSEF BORG During hunting season perhaps? But I agree, not too useful during holiday camping.
my dad always said the longer you hike the softer the rocks get ( for sitting)
that is so true!
Indeed! And the pack gets lighter.
@Michael Anderson - hike longer
For your feet as well
My Dad always said, "Miles build stamina, hills build character!"
I lost it when I saw your dog peeing in the back
@B Hughes - I thought her dog was giving editorial comment.
That dog is losing some of their own weight for the hike.
Me too! LOL
@@manfredknight8940 hahahaha
Dogs have no respect
The world of backpacking isn’t just through hiking. I pack heavy and in my style, I love it. It’s about enjoying where I am. Not where I’m headed !
It's not, but her channel is. Her channel isn't about "going backpacking in the wilderness", it's about trail backpacking.
They're two different things. Both enjoyable.
But thru-hiking is to wilderness backpacking what boxing is to true combat. It's a stylized form that gives a nod to the other but isn't the same thing.
If you need to put dozens or hundreds of miles down on a trail, you use LW and UL gear to accomplish that best. But if you're going off-trail into the bush/wilderness, UL gear is not suited for it and will go to pieces.
She's leaving out the distinction between thru-hiking and real backpacking in the title. She should have just said thru-hiking.
I saved 9 pounds by switching to GEICO
Ha!
Now I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
Well I really don't know much about insurance but I did sleep at a Holiday inn once
What are you, British?
One more comment: for those expecting to swim or bathe often enough to want a towel, I'd recommend instead a synthetic chamois. They're small and light, and you can repeatedly wring-out water as you dry off, and they dry quickly in the breeze, way better than any traditional towel.
Hiked Havasupai for a week and took a chamois for drying after swimming, or what my aunt would have called a bird bath when hot and dusty on a dry trail. Worked like a charm w a smidge of water. Rinses clean fast, Weighs nothing and drys in a minute.
Also extremely absorbent.
Damn. Chamois. Didn't even think of that! And I just bought one of those camping towels too.
Always carry multiple ways to start a fire, the only reason I exist is because a cheap lighter saved my dads life, after a long swim through a lake in the Boundary Waters. Not everyone on that trip made it out. Going to a friends funeral 60 years early is something you should avoid.
Graydon Sharp Absolutely. Great point. Multiple ways to start a fire is my #1 priority and I can think of 5 or 6 ways that all together would be under pound.
Yeah ditching a ferro rod to save weight is mental
Nathaniel Offer right??? They weigh next to nothing and take up zero space, one thing I’m never without in the woods is multiple means of fire starting. I’m also in grizzly territory in many of the places I’m out in and I’d rather have a few extra ounces of bear mace and a bear bell then have absolutely zero protection
Two is one, one is none.
@@staticalphabetsoup637 Not hiking any longer (I'm 75 now) but I always had a small bell on my pack frame to warn the bears. Heard more than my share crashing through the woods over the years. I was also the only one who worked for an hour to get a fire going in a bad rain storm. The rest of the group had to admit it was a life saver due to hypothermia setting in on all of us by the time it had caught and was producing heat.
I haven't started backpacking yet, and I'm glad to see that a case of beer isn't on the list
Dixie made a white Russian with mini bottles of vodka & kaluha on one of her wilderness jaunts; powdered milk too.
Ya, pip-squeek liquor bottles would be wonderful on a long trek!!
@@kriskabin Why not just buy a single plastic bottle... it probably weighs less, less waste, and the empty bottle can be used as a container plus vodka is good for cleaning. If you need to get drunk best bang for your buck is probably everclear, same bonuses with a larger container, plus its flammable. Tastes like shit but you can mix it/chase it with some powder drink or mio.
@@mikec8679 Totaly agree, a 12 oz bottle fo everclear is the way to go. A drink at night and can fuel your alcohol stove.
Cold shots!! Ftw
@@steveunderhill5935lol they still make those?
Please forward this valuable information to the US Army Infantry.
Why? They wouldn't listen anyway.
I was there, they barely listen to orders! Lol
@@vincedunn9983 I was referring to all the extra stuff they made us pack that we didn't really need.
@@janfalcon2020 dude make sure you can send your allice in somebody's hummer
@@lifesabeach5405 What? Damn they've gone soft. lol. I think we road marched around that distance tackling misery and agony but no 49lb rucks. Our large alice rucks alone were stuffed with damn near everything we owned, around 80-85lbs. Not including the vest, etool, 2x qt canteens, kevlar and m16. Factor on top of it we did it in middle of winter so wore winter bdu's with cold weather jackets, gloves, kevlar liner balaclava. Good times and sore kidneys.
@@lifesabeach5405 True, but the idea is make you go above and beyond what you'd normally do, for that rare circumstance. Not to mention the strength training. I still hike with a 40+lb loadout, I could certainly travel MUCH lighter, but this gives me a better workout.
Washing doesn't have to be a choice between baby wipes or a solar shower. I pack a flannel and a small bar of soap so each morning I can boil a kettle and have a strip wash using my mess tin as a hand-basin. It makes me feel so fresh and is also a gentle way to stretch and warm the muscles ready for a day.
Martin Joiner ah awesome thanks for posting this
Why would you wait till morning to wash, Martin? I wash up as soon as i get to camp if there is cool clean water around.
What about your gooch
Jump in the creek and scrub with sand or pine or cedar, you'll stay fresh and not attract bugs as much, then air dry. ZERO weight and clean.
And then you eat out of it again? Is that like drinking your bath water?
I know that I should ditch my anvil, but I'm always worried that I'll need one out there.
You may need to reshoe a horse!
Make sure it's an Acme anvil!
You mean I have a choice? Acme makes all of my backpacking gear! Their cast iron pack frame is indestructible - can't say enough good things about it sturdiness...... If Road Runner endorses it it's good enough for me.
Hope you bring the hammer too. Never know when you will need to build a sword.
Might have to drop it on a coyote's heas
Dixie is so nice and polite and so downright Southern that she cannot help but remind us every time she doesn’t want to upset anyone by telling them what to take, or think. I love it. Dixie is the best.
too bad she doesn't have actual helpful advice. telling people their first aid kit is excess weight is incredibly irresponsible
@@jlt131 she's saying that you don't need to bring the whole hospital with you. Most of the time the only thing you'll need to treat is blisters, scrapes, and sun burn. You should rely on your survival skills and ability to improvise tourniquets and splints until the medevac chopper comes to get you. Cause, ya know, it's not the end of the world and you should have an emergency s.o.s. beacon on you...
@@jlt131 I have been backpacking for over 45 years and I have never needed much other than motrin, mole skin. I have never even used a bandage. I did help to carry out a man who broke his leg. Nothing other than real pain killers would have helped that man. My pack is super light and I carry very little. I find being light and being in good shape is the best thing you can do for your safety
@@mtadams2009 well you've had some good luck then. I would hate to be with you when that luck ends. I've been hiking with people that have broken legs, gone into anaphylaxis, sliced themselves open, and many other injuries. I've used bandages big and small, and wouldn't think of doing even a day hike without a proper first aid kit along. It's people like me that will hopefully be there when you injure yourself and you need help. I hope you thank whoever it is profusely and perhaps change your tune.
@@toastiesburned9929 relying on a medivac for something you could've treated yourself by carrying an extra half pound of emergency gear is a ridiculous waste of resources.
Thankfully, brown dog only irrigated today, spared us his fertilization duties!
Scrolled down just for this comment. :)
A great trick someone once told me when trying to lighten my load was to:
A) Empty out my pack on the bed or the floor of my home.
B) Separate everything into three piles; "Definitely Need", "Might Need", "Probably Don't Need".
C) Pack everything in the "Definitely Need" pile into your pack.
D) Go hiking.
E) Repeat until pack is of acceptable weight.
At first I scoffed at this, but I was surprised at just how much stuff I was able to cull once I realized that no, I didn't need XYZ and if the rare situation happened that I did I could improvise around not having it. True, I am guilty of slipping a few comfort items into the "Definitely Need" pile, but my pack shrunk significantly after just two hikes.
The trick I've learned as I've gotten older: A) empty out the pack on the floor, B) wonder where I ever got all this crap, c) give up and go grab a beer and watch the ballgame.
You should consider in the weight of certain stuff.
There are quite a lot of thing that you probably wont use but that are so light that you should pack them anyway.
If you only pack what you definitly need then you run the risk to be helpless if something goes wrong with your trip
i like this method
the video is ok, but the comments are priceless'
hi. why do all American hikers feel the need to hike on a designated route? it's a big country and seems everyone only hike on a few trails. just go any bloody where.
@@ianrimma private property, safety, not knowing the area, yada yada. Lots of reasons, America is a big place and in the middle of nowhere people won't really be able to help you get home. There are a lot of trails around though even my small suburb has one.
The united states is far larger than most people realize, and far emptier. If you get lost in some of the larger unincorporated areas you can walk for days without encountering any sign of civilization. People die this way pretty frequently, especially in the desert. Unless you are a skilled navigator and are confident in your water sources and how to ward off predators, off trail hiking can be INCREDIBLY dangerous. Also, a lot of smaller hiking areas are protected and going off trail is illegal because of potential damage to the local environment. It's also not always clear where public property ends and private property begins, so for most people hiking off trail just isn't safe of feasible. The trail networks are also quite extensive and there isn't usually that much to be gained by intentionally avoiding established routes.
There all im here for😂😂😂
@@ianrimmaMOST "HIKERS" are city dwellers, they don't know better. Most of us are followers, not Leaders. Personally, I like making a BIG LOOP, so I don't come back on the same route I walked out on. -- most "hikers" are sissy La-la, liberal hippies smoking weed. They smoke pot, to escape real life, and come up with crazy B.S. (then they like modern art to fit in..... Yeah, can't think for themselves. But, that's not all of us.
The dog pissing in the background was priceless lol
I was once backpacking in deep bush country when I came across an abandoned 18" cast iron frying pan.
on forest service projects we'd always find old bottles plates utensils etc... and never tell any one lest the archeologists declare it a 'cultural resource' and shut down the project
Just depends on what you're goals are. If it's mileage, less is better. If you love cooking gourmet meals in the back country, you may pack more. It important to recognize what your goals are and pack accordingly.
And the easiest way to shed extra weight is to leave opinions about other people's gear at home, they weigh you down. When I was poor and couldn't afford an ultralight sleeping bag, and only had a two person tent, I would have ultralight hikers stare reproachfully at me like I was doing something wrong because my pack was bulky.
Trust me, taking the stick out of your but will shed several unnecessary ounces.
I eat gourmet with a 12 pound base load and all my buddies hare carrying less than me. I get laughed at quite a bit yet I love me hot meals.
Backpacking is a learning curve of what you don't need!
George Wamser
...what you can do without.
@@JPascal61 and what you can’t.......
My pack shrinks with every trip lol
I always take a collapsible wheelchair so when I get tired, others can push me along. You carry a ladder to start a fire?
wheel chairs are indispensible for when you get tarred.
LOLOLOLOL LOL too funny dude. I think people newbies on trails want people to carry them. Thank God for the Ranger patrols for when people really do need assistance,
Plus a wheelchair is great fun on the downhill trails, and I can rest while my fellow hikers catch up.
Laughing pretty hard now....
@Chelle Bright I have taken a crazy carpet along on an overnight snowshoe trip for some sledding fun! it also came in handy in camp for several things.
I don’t care what amount of shite people with me carry as long as it doesn’t effect me. I double up on light, knife, fire, water,food and socks the only luxury item is whiskey and that gets lighter every night !
I carry pure grain alcohol, good for inside and out. Or cooking, I guess, though I've never been that hungry.
Whiskey, after fall hits, is a necessity for my group 😂
@Peter Quinlan Another myth looking for followers.
Dan 5675 - Spoken like a man of Irish or Scottish descent. I remember a time when a drop or two may have saved my life... There I was, high on Ben Nevis, and I hadn’t even started drinkin’. The winds were howling.... Ah, but this is a good story. We should break out the whiskey and take our time with it....
LOL.....I was wondering when someone would mention the best luxury item! Ours is a bladder full of wine, makes all that freeze dried food taste way better. A bit heavy on the start ,but after the trip is over we both agreed it was worth every ounce.
I saved 40lbs off my hiking gear by reducing the size of my belly fat.
I need to do that. You don’t by chance happen to still carry that Rambo knife?
@@jakeski3142 If you mean my Puma White Hunter, then the answer is no. I've put the knife into semi-retirement and started carrying a Mora Garberg (fantastic field knife and I highly recommend it). I'll pass the Puma down to my son when he is old enough, until then, it will sit in a display case.
No joke, I lost 20 Lbs over the last few months. Definitely able to pack more and go further now.
@@bubbalexi I bet you feel better also.
@@tjsogmc +1 for the Mora. It's really a great knife.
I would never ditch my combination chainsaw-flame thrower...
Groovy! Ya never know when you will meet some Evil Dead on the trail. "Pack smart - pack S-Mart," baby!
That made me snort
I never ditch my hotel room.
I always bring what I call my “good luck brick.” It’s a masonry block that I carved my initials in when I was six and I always hang it off my pack for good luck.
Groovy.
Ex army here, and my backpacking has always been minimalist. All of the things you listed made me amazed about the things people will take.
I went on a weekend trip with a friend that had all kinds of extra stuff. I did our 3 day trip with a day pack, and she kept commenting about all of the things she thought I should have that were totally unnecessary.
It all depends of what you want to do. If it's a short, two day trip with your friends, you might as well pack more stuff, better food and cooking equipment, just for the comfort. All that weight matters on long, epic adventures, where you have to do some real distance. When i go out for a short hike with one or two overnight stays with me mates, i always take a little chair, some extra cooking stuff etc. Stuff i normally wouldn't bring.
What did you bring with you in your day pack? Did you take any tent or just sleep outside?
@@tomekkruk6147 Agree completely. I'm absolutely taking a 1 or 2 lb chair with a back on it for a weekend trip.
Great video. I'm fairly new to long-distance hiking, and this helped reinforce what I learned in the last few years. The two exceptions for me are a large fixed blade, and tomahawk. The knife is my luxury item - I throw knives and axes for fun, and there isn't a shortage of dead trees and random stumps in the forest. I started carrying the tomahawk when I got a twig stove, but quickly realized that I can chop up fallen branches with my knife. After a couple of hikes I stopped bringing the tomahawk. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was followed by a mountain lion for about half a mile. I waved my arms and yelled, but it couldn't care less. Eventually it came out onto the trail in front of me, and again didn't respond to any of the "officially recommended" behavior. I eventually ran it off, but the whole time I had my "Rambo knife" out, and wished I had the tomahawk. Guess what I've started carrying again.
@@cloudsquirrel lol
@@cloudsquirrel only a fool thinks this is a way to improve anything. Run along.
A tomahawk sounds like a way better solution for this and similar activities. You probably aren't going to be building a log cabin, so an axe or a hatchet seems a little overkill. A lighter option, yes, but nonetheless respectable in ability. A good sized saw is far from bad as well, for the wood you'll be getting, it's a more efficient option for the lager sized pieces
A S&W .44 Magnum is less than 3 pounds. lol
@@johnharris8191 That's pretty light, for a felony.
If you let baby wipes dry out , you can "rehydrate" only the ones you need in a ziploc, much lighter
james holbrookjr I cant tell if you’re being serious or not
WILL It is truth. Ziploc baggies are lighter and easier then the plastic containers. to re hydrate add a little water. works like a charm.
I can't believe how much better my "hiking" trips to the mall are now. Plus I hardly ever get questioned by security with the smaller packs and minus the Rambo knife.
I ditched my wife after 3 hours in my hike, 230 pounds lighter.... I was happy and the wolves really where appreciative. My girlfriend now has a lot more uses and is much lighter, highly recommend. But I really need to nourish my wolves hear soon...
yes
Life hack
You don't have to get married dummy. Jebuz. "Blow Me Up Tom"
I did most of my overnight hiking back in the 1970''s and 1980's when some of the gear described in this video had not yet been invented. if I were to hit the trail again today, I would still do it with the same equipment and bring my sheath knife just because I like it for butchering trout and grouse and because it is excellent for everything else too. As for cell phones, I am too old to have ever wanted one. The mess kit is another item that I would go without. What I did was to bring a few paper plates and a fruit can with a coat hanger wire bail across the top. In the pack I kept it in a plastic bread bag so that it would not make other items black with soot. Inside it I would store two cans of Sterno canned heat. I would also carry a Sterno stove, a roll of aluminium foil, and a plastic cup. I would use the fruit can as a pot and the foil to wrap and bake fish and fowl. I would smear the shiny side with vegetable shortening so that it would better separate from the meat. I would save the Sterno and the stove for rainy day cooking inside the tent and for those rare venues bereft of firewood. Inside the roll of foil, I would carry a 12: taper candle. I usually did not carry a flashlight. I would carry the cup along with the map and the compass in a shoulder bag where I had easy access without removing the pack. Inasmuch as there were no towns or other re-supply points along my route and I might be on the trail for as many as nine days, i devoted most of my cargo capacity to food. I would pack one full change of relatively nice clothes in the pack and one extra set of underwear and two pairs of extra sox. I would start out wearing old ragged pants and shirt that I would burn up near the end of the trip when they were profoundly filthy. I would wash the sox and underwear with my bar of soap. I prefer button-down -the-front shirts over t-shirts so that I can open the front when it was hot, but would still have the shirt betwixt my shoulders and the pack straps. I carried a .22 rimfire pistol to forage grouse. My tent was and is a two-man back packer tent with aluminium poles and j-pegs. It was mosquito proof before the zipper wore out. I could replace that. My pack was and is a 3/4 length Camp Trails, circa 1972. I carried a light air mattress because I am fussy about my sleep. I also liked to carry a paper-backed book for the trip. I would save my Rice a Roni boxes and toilet paper cores for kindling. With wet wood, i could use some of the Sterno to start a fire. I took some things out of the first aid kit and replaced them with my toothbrush, toothpaste, looking glass, and razor. On a few hikes I packed a pair light canvas shoes for fording creeks. That kept my boots dry and afforded comfortable footwear for camp. For fire starting, I just carried matches with an emergency supply in a match safe. For washing, I just used lakes, creeks, and my bar of soap.
My back packing experience was an education in how little one needs to be well supplied and happy. .
Thank you so much!!! I was like “why are soooo many people buying rocket stoves?!” I love the small ones but carrying fuel ? I want to build fires! Thats a skill I enjoy practicing!!! Love the sterno can options. Trying to picture what you use. Need visual. Loved reading your thread.
Some of these damn kids need to just get in the weight room! LOL
Canister stoves are very cheap nowadays (start at $10) and are extremely quick and efficient. I think that's why so many opt for them. In the eighties i could see sterno being a more popular off the shelf solution when Coleman fuel stoves were heavy and expensive, but there's better stuff out there now.
After 26 years in the military I've learned it's better to be stinky with a lighter load than to smell good but be miserable carrying extra crap. You're such a sweetheart! Thanks for the advice!
Rick Chollett Haha. You could tell the rookies from the experience people by how much bags they packed for JRTC and the field and how they packed them. I always had 1 ruck and a small backback
I had to leave a new pair of leather boots on the trail because they filled up with sweat and weighed about 3lbs each. After walking about 16 miles I could barely pick up my feet. It was my first hike.
As we said in the Army. KISS Keep it simple stupid. If I carry something into an area for a trip and never use it. It gets the shelf. Carry what you need and ditch the rest.
My respective units for JRTC, NTC etc all had required packing lists; we had no options on what we could take below the minimum lists. You CAN tell the REMFs from the guys who go outside the wire more often....
tc556guy As a radio guy I hardly had room for much luxuries after packing the radio, extra batteries and an antenna. Made for a hell of a load during mountain warfare training.
I took my dad backpacking on the NCT and the night before we left, I went through his bag: the man had a FULL SIZE TEA KETTLE! I couldn’t believe it. I ended up removing almost 2/3 of what he had packed...inflatable life raft (really?), 5lb lantern, blow torch haha...I had all our essentials (kitchen, food, etc, so in the end he had his chocolate (because he HAD to have it), clothes, sleeping bag and...his own tent because he didn’t want to share one. Granted...I made him carry more water 💦 to make up for his pack being so light! Poor guy was also using an external frame pack from the 50’s but he made it!
we had an exchange student try to bring a hair dryer camping once. it was a site with no power.
I laughed at the blow torch lol
But he made it haha
Man was prepared for everything except hiking
Why the hate on rafts? It could be fun to go out by a lake. It's really situational though
@@misham6547 I would hate to hike with an inflatable raft on my back. If you're using a vehicle it's fine.
2:47 - I went sans multi tool for a long time. Then I had a zipper fail on my down jacket and the only way to fix it was with pliers (borrowed them). I've also had a bag zipper fail in a mountain snow storm (fixed with a multi tool). Do not go sans multi tool into winter weather.
So what you're saying is, essentially, 'Stay on the trail, and don't get lost.'.
Despite all the jokes I really enjoyed this list of things.
I'm not trying to go ultra light or minimalist but I don't want to carry unnecessary weight if I don't have to.
I think there should be a distinction made that this is for through hiking... Essentially a several day long trail hike. This is very different from exploring, fishing, and bushcraft style trips.
Yes, for bushcrafting the entire purpose of the trip is usually literally just an excuse to use your axe(s), saw(s) and knives!
@Will Deal totally with you on that
This video's intentions and purposes are pretty damn clear, dude
@@tyler_c4282 You could lighten your load by leaving the meat. 🤣
@@thenextcountry no, I was unaware what she meant until he explained it.
Apart from the multi tool one I'm totally with you! And most of the time you won't "need" it, but if you get thrown into a real survival situation (life or death) I will take a multi tool over pretty much anything else. To me a good one is indispensable
i use a multitool quite frequently in everyday life i dont see why it wouldnt apply to the trail. Knife, pliers, mini saw, file... that shit will save your hands and allow you to build simple tool out of alot of shit. Then you got the can opener... not unheard of for someone to bring a canned good and the screw drivers that can fix anything from a pair of glasses to screws in your gear like flash lights. In terms of cutting weight out most of these tool sit on your belt, not your pack, and dont really contribute to the load your bear like something in your pack does.
Those plyers and tweezers must be a lifesaver when you happen to step on or touch the wrong plants. The micro needle-like thorns from cactus or those spiked weed seeds that stick to any piece of fabric
What are you gonna do with all those allen keys and screwdrivers? If you are just hiking with a tent, you don't need it. Unless you're into building shelters or doing some other stuff apart from just sleeping in your tent. Then again, there's nothing wrong in having one if it makes you feel safer.
Will a Swiss army knife do the trick?
Skeletool cx is a good one that’s light.
I ditched my Slovakian seamstress when I realized I could probably fix my gear with dental floss.
And if you're Les Stroud, you can always get a needle and thread out of some agave.
I love how you are so specific, if she was Czech would you have kept her?
@@aussiestallion69 Depends. I'd first do an extensive background investigation. It'd all depend on whether or not she Czeched out. :D
🤣🤣
What no multi tool! how evil next you tell me no cast iron skillet.
not the skillet, have you ever tried to make flapjacks in a dutch oven? Got to have the skillet.
Fun fact, my scoutmaster once loaded a dutch oven into somebody's pack when distributing the troop gear. That was only a one mile intro to backpacking for the young scouts while us older guys did a longer trek, but still...
Hahahaha love your dog watering the plants behind you.... Great video
Milwaukee Dan Haha, Hank knew what he was doing!
thought the same thing!
1:40 LOL !! Puppy is making *Hiking Markers* LOL
Haha yeah saw that 🌊👌
1:40 Canine version of GPS WAYPOINTS and inukshuks! lol
I'm watching this on the side of a mountain on my yearly deer hunting trip. About 75% of these items have been removed from my pack over the last 5 years that we have done this trip. The first year I looked like a gypsy roaming the woods. Also love when the dog peed on the tree haha
Do you take a extensive first aid kit deer hunting?
@@garrett3055I am a deer hunter too. And my EMERGENCY GEAR: Ace bandage, vet wrap, tube of glue (medal super glue). Neosporin, an airplane bottle of Yukon Jack, A small pill bottle with naproxen, Excedrin, vicoden. -- probably more than I need. But, small, and will get me out of the woods. OFF BUG SPRAY is more important than a first aid kit!
One of the lightest nicest "camp chairs" I have found was a kneeling pad from dollar general, super lightweight and cost a buck.
Good idea imma try
I take a small piece of light tarp material (~4’x2’) to use to sit on and to place my tent vestibule. It beats sitting on the wet ground. Folds up very small, does weigh much and has many other possible uses.
Did anyone else pause the video to figure out how she lights fires with a ladder? or a backup ladder?
You gotta be from the south to understand the difference between a ladder and a lighter :)
To climb trees and get to those hard to reach small branches and pine cones
yup! I looked up "fire-starter ladder"
Yup, I looked up "fire-starter ladder"
Lol, I have in-laws that have that same accent and when I first read the ladder comments I was like,??"When did she say ladder?" Makes me realize how accustomed to that accent I have become.
You can forget getting me to do anything without my Leatherman! I had one on me when I got married, and I don’t even check the mail without one. Also, Opinel makes a great, lightweight, small, pruning blade. If you carry the right Leatherman or Victorinox, you won’t need it. Most other saws are crap. Silky makes the best but weight might keep it at home.
Shout out to the dog. Without him I wouldn’t remember this invaluable information!
I agree with your video wholeheartedly! The heaviest thing in my pack is my bear canister filled with food. I've discovered that when I'm backpacking my appetite goes down considerably and I'm not sure why. Now that I know my food requirements my pack is much lighter. My luxury item is my pad, a Klymit Insulated Static V Luxe. At age 61, I like to be comfy. It's easy to ditch the heavy extra clothes, leave the oxygen tanks in the ER, to get an ultralight tent, and to get a smaller lighter pack. And it's so much nicer to walk with a lighter pack!
My saying: the more you know the less you need....
And that goes for the baggage we acquire during our journey in life
💓💓
THAT GUY ON A BICYCLE of consurvation Old saying: You are as rich as the things you can afford not to have.
So true, which is why I got divorced! LOL
Being former army, A multi tool is life. Especially in field. Also, Gun shot wound kits are great multi purpose dressing kits because a GSW is a form of puncture wound and if you've ever known someone accident prone.... sharp sticks, rocks, falls, animals, all create puncture wounds. Sam splints, are super light, can roll up and fit in your kit quite nice. Sprains and breaks happen at the worst times. In fact, never outsource your personal safety in any environment, especially in BFE.
I can’t believe she said you don’t need an extensive first aid kit., that’s gotta be the dumbest thing to tell hikers. I’d love to hike with that nurse. She’s extremely valuable on trail or in bush.
Out on a hiking with friends we came across a lady and her two worthless companions. She had fell and had a compound fracture her lower leg.
@@lincolnworsham1085 ouch
Thank you to all the commentors in the thread. I have had the best time of the whole week here in the comments section. And I'm going to have to go now because my stomach is hurting from too much laughing. This is the funniest comment section on the whole internet. Ya all rock!
I have one large drysack that fits perfectly into my backpack. Never have to worry about anything getting wet. Additionally, in summer, I often swim across lake areas and river areas. The drysack is awesome for buoyancy.
Some of these gave me a chuckle and a reminder of my first traveling experiences. I don't hike, I live on a bicycle but I think that this channel is always going to be one of my most beloved go-to's for advice ♥️. I have a lot of gratitude for this channel!
It's easier if you just set up camp in your back yard, that way you're close to you kitchen, bathtoom, and computer or TV.
@Dead_Outsane71 i swim in the sunsets of Hawaii every night in my bathtub
who ordered the large double cheese and pepperoni..??
I can’t give up my horseshoe game kit. Hefty but the sound of ringers at camp in the evening lifts my spirits.
Excellent! Just my experience, i camped for about 50 years, and this is the best way to get rid of weight!
This was a great video. I think an important point is that bushcrafting (and the associated tools like hatchets and saws) has no place on any trail used by the general public. For example, if everyone who hikes the AT would cut down a sapling to make a walking stick, tent stakes, etc., there would soon be no more saplings within a mile of the trail. With that said, on trails through wilderness areas, a minimal amount of survival equipment on your body will save your life if you and your equipment should get soaked in a river crossing, you get off trail (like that woman who died in 2013 while hiking the AT), or if you lose your backpack (from theft or simply not being able to find it). That happened to me in the Mojave desert. I ran out of water 20 miles from my jeep. I stopped to sleep through the heat of the day. When i woke up i was so thirsty that i wandered away from my camp to find a barrel cactus. I found the cactus and it saved my life. However, I could not find my camp. I made the decision to head for my jeep with just the clothes on my back and my folding knife. When i made it to the road, two gas line workers gave me some water and later a deputy sheriff gave me a ride back to my jeep. The next day I headed back to the desert (with a lot of water!) to look for my gear. After two days of looking I gave up (drones were not widely available at that time). To this day, my Kelty backpack and all the gear in it is still somewhere between the Old Woman and Turtle mountains. This all happened many years ago. If I did not have my knife to cut open cactus, I would have died in the desert.
This is what I carry on my person for survival purposes:
1. A paracord bracelet with jute string dipped in candle wax woven into it (as a waterproof fire starting tinder), and a small fire steel and striker as a buckle.
2. A space blanket in my pocket (to wrap around myself if i need to dry my clothes and can be used to carry water)
3. A knife (I prefer a small neck knife).
For those of you into survival lore, this covers Dave Canterbury's 5 C's: cordage (The paracord in the bracelet), cover (space blanket), container (space blanket), cutting (neck knife), combustion (jute cord, fire steel, and striker in bracelet)
Furthermore, I suggest making a couple of bracelets (there are plenty of YT videos on how to do this) so you have an extra to practice with.
Beginner here, what would I need cord for?
@@TragoudistrosMPH replacing a shoe lace, making a splint, repairing your pack, making a shelter if your tent is messed up etc. etc. etc.
Glad you made it out.
@@TragoudistrosMPH
Literally everything, just go camping overnight and take some with you. You will find a use for it.
wow!! underrated comment
I particularly liked your closing comments, about how with more experience you are willing to let go of items, i.e. realise that you don't actually need / use them, can't be bothered with them. Also you become more skilled at using what you've got, in different ways. And a big part of going on trips is about leaving the junk behind, equipment as well as mental baggage. You become less bothered about what anyone thinks any more, like my old yellowed compass - I retort that I found it in the urinal at the Clachaig Inn (Scotland) in 1979 (a mountaineering joke!). NIce vid, thanks.
I once ditched, in an old tree, a 2 liter of Coke after about an hour in on the App Trail. 3 days later I found it on the way out and drank it. Such a nice treasure to celebrate an end to a great adventure. :)
And when the going got tough on Oregon Trail in the 1840’s and ‘50s, it was littered with iron stoves, bedsteads, and all those things people were sure they “needed” to take. This is not to mention the corpses.
I carry an 18ft tall backpack with a fully functional hospital,kitchen and laundromat... No less than 40 half gallons of rum,600lbs of dog food,Nam 3 flashlight with Predator self destruct mode
Kosher Moses you must have the Flextrek 37 Trillion: whipsnake edition backpack ( see th-cam.com/video/ZAtzN_ScKXY/w-d-xo.html )
Ill help you carry the dog food if you share the rum.
i always carry a portable nuclear reactor with me as well, works great for on the go charging
Weak.
Kosher Moses393 & Rogue rum is important. Rum will.cure a snake bite, though you have to drink plenty of it before you're actually bitten.
This is great! Haters are haters. I feel like you nailed it. People confuse backpacking with survival or on the opposite end glamping. Backpacking is neither. We're not in Baffin Island or by our car, we're on the AT or PCT, in the wilderness but rarely far from people or rescue services.
Exactly.
Nailed it.
Just wanna drop this: one of the most experienced and easily captivating backpackers on TH-cam, very easy to follow along with and understand
Everything being spoken about is because of the temperate climate she's in. You'd need your axe etc if you were in winter forest in Canada.
I haven't needed an axe in winter hiking in Canada. Not saying it wouldn't have helped me, but I didn't really need it.
Use a star fire or the equivalent and you won't have to cut firewood. Or a long fire doesn't have to be even lengths of logs. The more hard work you have to do, the more calories you burn, so then you have to take more food and carry more weight. Cutting firewood takes lots of calories, and if you also have a long hike, you won't feel like doing that anyway.
But each person's idea of hiking and camping is different too. I like taking a short hike and staying in one spot for several days while practicing some elementary camp craft just for the challenge and wild edible plant foraging for fun...long hikes or always being on the go does not sound relaxing to me. For that, a slightly heavier pack that also might lend more comfort is fine. I make a terrible masochist. If your camp craft is good enough, you don't even have to have a heavier pack, you just need more imagination. But I wouldn't skimp as much. I am 76 years old and prefer not to sleep on the hard ground, be cold, or do much strenuous work. I also like to eat well. But if you like something else, knock yourself out. No one should care except you, so all is good.
One thing I would ditch is a stove that requires heavy canister fuel. There are many light weight materials these days that do the same job even if you can't have a campfire where you are going. A campfire does lend more than heat and light, though. The atmosphere of one is hard to beat.
as more of a "camper" vs " hiker" i sort of agree but these guys are more hard core distance hikers so they are just looking to build a quick little cook fire, eat, and go to bed
Nobody lights camp fires on Everest or in the Antarctic. With the correct gear a fire is totally unnecessary.
@@KissMyConverseFool When you have hiked your butt off all day, many times unless a fire has already been created by your new overnight housemates, you don't always have the Entergy to build and maintain a cooking fire.
Havng/using a lightweight decent pack stove is perfect, worth it, and carried by many.
Obviously you don’t over do it, I agree with some of your list. but the idea behind bringing a lot of the things you mentioned is that you’re prepared for the unlikely. The Boy Scout Motto is “Be Prepared” for a reason. Its not likely that a two day trip turns into a month of survival in the wild, or a routine hike turns into a cougar attack on your buddy. If I have to carry a couple more pounds in order to ensure that everyone is safe and we have means to survive. Then it’s worth it. Having a trauma kit and quick clot on hand in particular is important.
I fully agree on a lot of things. I always look at it from a more bushcraft perspective, so a thru hike will probably take me forever. When I see a nice camping spot might want to stay there for a few days and when I see a pond, river, lake or stream most likely want to try and catch a fish.
I fully agree on the knife thing. Nobody has ever needed a 'Rambo' knife but a SAK as tool/knife and a fixed blade that's easy to clean with a maybe 4 inch blade is really all you need if you are not trying to construct some base camp with a toilet and all.
For first aid I do carry a few band aids for minor cuts and other minor wounds. I carry tampons and duct tape for more serious wounds. The tampons can be used as fire starter but you can also cut them halfway open length wise, butterfly them open, put on the wound and fixate with the duckt tape. The duckt tape can also be used for repairs.
For hygiene I carry a plastic bottle with baking soda. You can use it to wash up, take away smell, brush your teeth and you can put some in water if you need some minerals in your system.
I do carry a lighter and a ferro rod (firesteel) but the ferro rod only makes sense if you know how to use it.
I carry one light source and no spare batteries. It's amazing how you can do even night hikes in the woods if you take the time for your eyes to get used to the darkness. Using a light actually kills you night vision and your eyes have to adjust again.
I do carry a few zip ties for when the straps of the backpack break or tear. My luxury would be a hip flask with some liquor for in the evening at the camp fire.
I do the tampon thing, too but I add 2 maxipads. They're great for covering large areas, they're sterile, and light. They can be used for blisters (cut a blister sized hole) or for burns (used two on another hiker who burned himself).
Thx for adding this useful info and experience 🙂
@@railarintala YW
I agree with everything you listed except bear spray. I backpack in NW Washington and western Canada. Had to use it once so far. It’s not just for bears but large kitty cats as well!
A friend of my mom's lost her son to a black bear in Alaska. He was hiking with friends and stepped off the trail and down the side of a log to change the film in his camera. Yes, it was a while back. The poor kid surprised the bear who lashed out and decapitated him. I guess bear spray would not have helped because it happened so fast. But yes, if I do a long hike, I would need the spray for bears and cougars. And wolves? And if alone, coyotes? Worth the weight.
if I know I'm in bear country I think I'd like some. tho tbh having a whistle is arguably better
Almost had to spray a coywolf out here on the east coast. They are out there! Apex predators
Great advice Dixie. I only do 2 or 3 day hikes and bring way too much stuff here in Vermont. At 60 years young I still learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing.
When I hit 45 with several major accidents in the past, I really cut the gear. I never carried much other than on a few early trips in the 70s. But now I just can't. I'm only 58, but the key to staying out there is leaving more behind, for me.
Bandanas are great, I always take 1/2 of a chamois. It rinses out good and drys quickly. Also good for handling hot cooking items.
My leatherman goes with me everywhere. It saved my life once.
Erik Stone how did it save ur life ?
Charlie in the trees!!!!
As a solo female I carry bear spray more for the two legged “animals” I may encounter on the trail.
Very sensible
more like 2 and a half legs...
@@direwolf6234 ?
@@reiver3419 from the 'timbers of fenario'
Fun fact bear spray is significantly less potent than pepper spray because bears are more sensitive. Using bear spray for self defense on a human is probably just a good way to enrage them. I’d just pick up pepper spray at that point if you’re concerned. I mean they don’t weigh very much in comparison.
I used buffalo chips once for fuel. But really they do make a shitty fire.
Eric Taylor bravo
Doritos make a goid fuel source
Uh oh, dad joke alert!
I tried cow chips once, but it was a bunch of BS
Banksia tree cones are better and more hygienic.
"... you're just probably going to smell like butt."
Take my like, my subscription and my heart, young lady 🤣
Me three! 😅
If you're a thru-hiker that's one thing, but if you're a licensed medical professional you may well carry the gear: A) you're licensed to use, B) that can save a life, C) that you can't fake in a field situation. I'm sure the hiker with heat exhaustion/stroke who is unconscious (or any other number of situations where IV fluids would be helpful) could be really glad that a nurse would choose to bring a sterile unit of saline, a start kit, and primary tubing in his or her pack. I'm not a thru-hiker, and I carry a very heavy penalty in weight for medical stuff that I'm both licensed to use and would find immensely helpful or can't fake in the field or improvising will cost time or reliability.
Darren Erickson You pack your fears.
Maybe. I tend to think I pack possibilities.
@ Darren Erickson: I agree completely. Ego-based comments aside, a med-kit is essential insurance for me when hiking for multiple days in the deep country as I do here in the North Cascades. Like you, I have the ability and professional experience to administer First Aid to myself and others if needed. A well thought out and effective med-kit does not have to be bulky or heavy... mine rolls out and is contained in a re-purposed portable chefs kit which was easily modified to accommodate the contingencies I think can be practically dealt with. You are wise to "pack possibilities" rather than packing ignorance. Be safe and have a great 2019 hiking season!
Yes, a lot of these cuts seem to depend on the 'privilege' of knowing someone else on the crowded trail will probably be carrying it and/or be around to help. _"Don't bring extra fire-starting tools, if your lighters break someone else will help you out."_ That'll help you greatly if you end up losing the trail accidentally and need a fire to survive the night.
I've seen a different thru-hiker's "first aid kit" (heavy air quotes) that fit into an Altoids tin. Literally just a needle and thread to pop blisters and some band-aids.
Good luck with that when you cut your leg open on sharp rocks you didn't see under the snow, or a compound fracture after a widowmaker falls on you.
Would you rather carry a few more ounces and live? Or die and end up as the bad example in a Bear Grylls show?
@@TheMrVengeance Doesn't anyone carry matches anymore?
For firestarting, I carry lighters (usually at least two, in case one gets lost or quits working) and a candle. A candle will give you a sustained flame, which often makes the difference, especially if there's no dry kindling around.
The lightest firestarter I've seen so far is dryer lint. It's free, packs down super tight, is very lightweight, is very easy to start with a lighter or ferro rod and striker, and you only need to use a little at a time in ideal conditions. The candle is still a good idea, if all the potential kindling is wet like you said. Now I'll consider packing one as well!
Edit - It's a firestarter, don't know why I called it kindling. It burns out kinda quickly to be considered kindling.
fireblox starters work without fail small 1 inch squares of compressed wax & sawdust burn intensely for 5 mins boz or 144 cost $18...
Rule One for your first ever camping trip: don't let your mother near your pack. She will sneak all sorts of "treats" in... 😱🤗😉
My son got mad at how much underwear I packed! That was 3 years ago. He camps one weekend a month all year round. Now he packs his own gear and no underwear other than what he has on 😱🤢
I am a bit of a weight weenie myself but, because I spend a lot of my time on the eastern slopes of the Rockies west of Calgary, you really need the bear spray. Unlike the west coast mountains, bears are very food stressed. Encounters are not common but the bear spray has made a difference for a lot of folks around this part of the world. Bear bangers are not useful especially in narrow canyons... leave them behind.
I get the impression that a lot of this advice is based on areas farther south and warmer. Also, a lot seems directed at people traveling established trail systems in the U.S. My experiences, and gear choices over 50-odd years (some years _were_ pretty odd) have been tweaked over and over. There's a channel called "Dave's Real Survival" put together by a guy closer to my own age. Dave goes into a lot of the same areas in the bush that I do. I've found some of his DIY innovations for winter outings to be pretty good.
Remember, you're in Brown/grizzly country. She specifically called out that the bear spray is unnecessary when you're only in Black Bear country.
mawzthefinn I’m sorry but that’s not correct. In Banff National Park and in K Country, we have both. Black Bears still pose a threat to humans.
I do historic trekking.... back packing with eighteenth century clothing and gear. I wish I could show you my kit. Pretty light
@Furtive Ah, but that would lose the flirty/stalky undertone.
I wish i could show you my kit too, its super lightweight 😉😉
Flintlock, buck knife and possibles bag
I wanna see!
I put some cotton/petro jelly in a dry match tube years ago and just let them ride in my pack without thinking about them until last week. From that time until last week I'd always lucked out at finding something dry and flammable. But on last weeks hike, after drenching rains all day long I couldn't find a scrap of dry kindling and remembered my little tube of cotton. 1 ball lit the evening fire and 1 ball lit the breakfast fire. You'll get my tinder when you pry it from my cold wet hands.
They’ll be easy to pry out since your hands are so cold and stiff
I had no idea people actually use outdoor shower devices when backpacking. I assumed everyone just used biodegradable soap and a creek. Clean enough.
Silas Wilson it's considered bad form to bathe in creeks or lakes. Take a pot of water into the woods and do it there.
Rick Bloom it's bad form to do it up immediately up stream from where water is gathered.
Silas Wilson unless it's a river it's always bad form just like pissing directly in the creek is bad form. It doesn't just affect people drinking the water but everything that depends on the creek or lake, like fish. Its almost always bad form to use soap directly in a body of water.
Piss is alot more bio degradable than any soap ever, and mostly sterile. it would be alot worse soaping up in the stream than pissing in it.
Eeeeeek...do not wash in the creek. Use a bottle away from the water source.
Contractor bag is something that we used in the military. Those dry bags always degraded with how much abuse they got from us. Fun fact, those dry bags make your pack buoyant, so if you gotta wade across a river or you find your boat sinking you can throw your rifle on top and grab onto your bag like a floaty lol.
I like to carry a small flashlight and a small headlamp (single AAA battery for each) when hiking at night. Together they are as bright as I want them to be, provide the redundancy that I want, and are light enough that I don't notice the weight.
Olight I3E EOS - 1/3 of one ounce.
Certainly do appreciate all your work I’ve come back to this a few times and each time I hear something a little different and I have to rethink purposely rethink something I’m taking or think I want to take this is greatly appreciate it you’re a damn good presenter
I carry bear spray, not the big one, but a smaller version, for the human predators
oh. I can think of something better to carry for that. Heavier but more effective
@@n8_sh00ts8 I’m over here carrying everyday not noticing the difference still carrying on the trail...
Your dog peeing in the back. 😂😂 Keepin it real that's why I like your videos
The capacity of hiking backpack is actually quite limited, which means that content of backpack obviously depends on: how long you are hiking for, where do you intend to hike, how much gear you need to carry, and certainly - what kind of gear you need to carry.
What will you put in your backpack? (How to determine what kind of gear you need to carry?)
It is a separate and quite delicate question, and very personal decision. For example - if we were able to ask a paleolithic savage about his choice, he would probably bring only stone axe and pointed pole. Would he not be the world's lightest backpacker? He wouldn't need even backpack.
Since there is no enough space in average backpack for all that „gear that backpackers ditch first” (unless you've met someone who is capable of carrying at least 200 liter hiking pack) the choice of equipment will be also dictated by: environment, terrain configuration and many other factors. What I meant to say is: I will take different types of equipment, depending on the situation. Sometimes i will pack a folding saw and axe, and sometimes not. Sometimes i will pack a large cook kit and extra supply of food, and sometimes not… Depending on the situation.
Second, and no less important - we are not all fans of „ultralight backpacking”! I don’t worry about weight too much and I can carry 18 kg (±40 pounds) all day long with no problem. I would be carrying even more weight (up to 25 kg/±55 lbs) if it means comfort and insouciance.
Such weight would slow me down considerably, but there are people (and I am one of them) who will choose: reliable and bulky double-wall geodesic tent, instead of some fancy, made of „Dyneema”, single wall, low-pitched, narrow and cramped ultralight backpacker tent. Some people also prefer (and I am one of them) a decently insulated and lumpish sleeping pad that weighs about 2½ lbs, instead of overpriced and ill-fitting, pancake thin and poorly insulated ultralight sleeping pad that weighs only about 14 ounces, but is often the cause of excruciating back pain in the morning. As far as I am concerned - Comfort and insouciance in the first place!
And finally - backup flashlight and first aid kit should be essential parts of hiking equipment! Under no circumstances should be considered as „redundancies”! (I certainly do not mean about „field surgeon/medical specialist extended medical kit” containing: stethoscope, sphygmomanometer cuffs, glucometer, tongue depressors… and other medical diagnostic equipment - like you've mentioned in the video)
Top lid pocket (a backpack brain) weighs next to nothing. Why would anyone remove insignificantly heavy detachable pocket on the top of a backpack that can be used to carry more gear when the pack's main compartment is full, or can be converted to 10-15lt daypack with front stash? Not to mention that it's ideal place for: rain gear, first aid kit, GPS device and topographic maps, because it's first within hand's reach when the backpack is laid on the ground.
To people who know what they're talking about (even just a little), it's easy to see the commentators that have experience or not. =)
I completely agree.
I think it comes down to how people hike, and these folks that only hike on "BIG NAME" trail are a little insufferable. I've counted 3 people so far who seem to think they are outdoor experts because they have completed the AT (there are literally rest stops all along it).
I like to just walk into the woods til I find a nice spot, not having some of the stuff they insist is unnecessary is asking for a bad situation.
Used to hike with 45 lbs as a kid. Later had 72 lbs for a Teton hike (carried wife's stuff so we hiked the same pace). Now hiking with my 16, 22 y/o sons I'm packing 19 lbs (all in weight w 2L water) for 4 days out -and liking it a LOT better. Agree that sleep comfort is worth a bit of extra weight and that's why it works to cut down in a smart way in other areas. Keep an open mind.
Items i regretted to carry at my first multi-day hiking:
- Hatchet
- Way to Heavy tent ( i use a hammock today)
- Cotton-Wool Clothes (Lightweight sportswear is waaay faster dryied AND way lighter)
- Too much food. I'm a good eater but on the trail I needed way less food then I Thought
Items I was luckjy to have with me:
- Kindling (Small very dry Woodpiecec soaked in resin)
- Full covering Rain-Poncho
- Nalgene Bottle (It really helps with cold feet
All solid advice. I would add that smart water and gatorade bottles are a good alternative to nalgenes.
I met a dude at mt rogers that was carrying 20-30 lbs of batteries and around 10 flashlights. Blew my mind. Pretty sure he was on the run and/or mentally ill.
I'm for two light sources, reason. I was in an AT shelter by myself one night, stormy and extremely dark, when my Mag light bulb blew.(old school) If you don't know where they store the spare bulb in a Mag light, it's in the butt end of the flashlight under the spring, if that doesn't make it hard enough to find, the bulb is the size of a grape seed with two wire prongs on it. So what you have to do is, remove the end cap, remove the spring, locate the spare bulb, remove the bulb, replace the spring, place the end cap back on. Remove the lens cap and remove the burned out bulb and replace with the new bulb, to replace the bulb you have to try to put the two wire prongs into the two tiny holes, all the while doing this by feel in the dark. I have to say, it was truly an exciting moment when I got those two prongs in the holes. So carry two sources of light, or an extra hiking buddy. AT 88/93
What’s the big deal about having it be dark for a little while? Just go to sleep. Believe it or not you can survive without a flashlight. I almost never use one anyway. There is enough light by the stars and moon to see enough to get around once your eyes adjust to the dark.
It doesn't seem like the moon and stars were out that night but generally I agree with you.
I can't imagine one of those useless mag lights these days. Times have changed and you wont be changing the bulb on a quality flashlight these days, plus way more runtime/lumen. If you don't own one yet pick one up any 18650 powered olight or fenix etc will have you sending old mag lights to the scrap bin.
Yes yes yes...there is always the fringe case where a second something will be needed. Unless ou are rock climbing or are in a blizzard...you can get by on very little.
headlamp like the armytek elf c2 plus some 18650 batteries is the way to go. AA's/AAA's suck and are expensive.
I found out that ditching my own brain saved more weight than ditching my pack brain. After doing that, I found out that I could just ditch everything. And I didn’t even have to go on the trail.
when i went to the doctor about a back issue his advice was never lift anything heavier than a 3 oz martini or a young women's dress....
Any recovery time? Lol!
If the smell of sweat bothers you on the trail, carry and use magnesium tablets! That is, the nutritional supplements that you eat. The stink mostly comes from magnesium deficiency, which is caused by all that physical exercise. I recommend magnesium citrate or one of the other organic compounds. Inorganics like the cheap magnesium oxide can upset the sensitive stomach.