When I was a backpacker. We didn’t even have cell phones. And I wore all the wrong clothes. Had the wrong tent. And had the wrong food. And yet here I am today still alive at 71 years old.
I’m 50-something and started camping/hiking before cell phones were invented, and then later, affordable. That being said, I upgraded my iPhone recently with a satellite sos feature. Hope I never need to use it.
Calibrating amount of water you carry based on how much you drink and distance to next source is fine. But extra still nice. Sometimes sources turn out to be dry or just unpleasant. Also, when you come across others struggling it's nice to be able to offer water. Finally, you never know if you or someone in your party is going to be injured or otherwise stuck in place for an extended period of time. It's nice to have water on you while providing first aid because that's one less thing you need to worry about.
I can testify to the "next source turns out to be dry" thing. I was hiking the Arizona trail and according to week old reports on Farout / Guthook there was water ten miles down the trail. Turn out that the source was dry when I got there, and the next one was too. The one after was a reliable source and I finally got water, but was I glad that I was hiking with a liter extra, because by the time I finally got there that extra water was gone and I was thirsty. (Thank you to whoever is putting all these wildlife drinkers on the AZT. Without these hiking the trail would be so much more difficult)
Yeah maybe I should have been more clear, I always still carry a little extra. Just not a ton extra. On the PCT last year I was routinely carrying 6L of water, which was more than almost everyone else haha
I’m East Tennessee born and raised so I’ve hiked a lot in my life. A lot, a lot. I never thought about windy days when I was younger. I don’t mean high wind warning days, just days of like 20-30mph winds which are common 3 seasons out of 4 here. Then one day I was hiking on an above breezy day and a giantass tree fell about 10ft in front of me. The only reason the branches didn’t get me was because there were no branches near the bottom…it was a pine. It shook the ground and didn’t fall slowly like in the movies…it just slapped the ground in about a second. If I had been less than 10 steps ahead I wouldn’t be typing this comment. Never again. A nice breeze is great, above that and, nope.
For people who pack too much food I recommend finding a hiking partner who is broke and has a big appetite to unload your extra food on as your go. It’s a win-win.
You should try drying your own food. This really changed our menu while hiking. Basically you can dry anything and then cook what you would back home. But the easy way out is minced meat and basic vegies. Those combined with macaroni, dried potato, rice etc and different spices gives you tons of variety.
For finding the perfect amount of food to bring with you there are 2 ways of thinking. You can be super scientific with it or you can look at how much you normally eat on a 2 or 3 night backpacking trip and plan around that. What I personally like to do is to bring enough food to where I know I can safely survive then see what I can bring on top of that. We won’t die if we go a few days without food but you don’t want to starve yourself. I also find that the dehydrated food gets old so I do a lot of food prep at home. There are some good books to read on the topic my favorite is “the well-fed backpacker” by June Fleming. Hope this helps!
My first night of my first through hike I DID look up to check for widow makers. The 3 pines surrounding my tent all looked healthy and very much alive. In the middle of the night there were gale force winds, rain and hail. One of the pines, 10 feet from my tent, toppled, fortunately away from my tent. As it fell, one of its branches sheared off and hit my toes. SO, it doesn’t have to be a dead tree to become a widow maker. I was just lucky.
The sound of a crack will never leave my memory. Sound asleep Crack, woke my partner and grab their back yelling run. Lucky the tree fell behind us. The only time Crack saves😊
Ants aren't the only thing you need to check for. To a point, it depends on the species of the trees. Ash trees get emerald ash borers. Pine trees get pine bark beetles. Hemlocks get woolly adelgid. There's something killing the oaks around here, but I don't remember what it's called. There are just a few examples of things that will weaken the tree.
For anyone that owns a Garmin device, I recommend getting Garmin's Search and Rescue (SAR) insurance. It's only $35 / year and covers any expenses incurred for a rescue / extraction. A helicopter rescue can run $50 k or more!
One thing I always wonder about when I watch survival videos is that two must have things are so seldom mentioned. This is the super lowtech time tested items: 1: The emergency whistle. These whistles can be over 120db and that is loub. So loud in fact that ear protection should be worn when using it. This sound level can be maintained without breaking the vocal cords. 2: A small extra compass. I have these two thing hanging from zippers on my Ski clothes. My Mountain bike clothes etc. Don't stick them in the backpack because that might be lost when you need them.
Whistle is such a good idea and I haven’t heard them mentioned on hiking videos much. And you can blow into for hours and days. Yelling for help will wear you out quick, and isn’t as loud.
Many of the cheap (and ultralight) plastic whistles just go "(weeeee !)" and the sound doesn't carry far. As you indicated, get a REAL (percussive) one, like you'd see at a sporting event, parade or construction site.
I have to say that i wasn't interested in hiking by any way until i found this channel, first i was like "this Kyle dude seems cool" then got me hooked and thinking a hike of my own, there is some beautiful trails here in Finland so i planned a hike some before the summer ends... Thanks Kyle keep on the awesome work !
I’m such a geek that when I get back from a backpacking trip, I count up how many calories I ate each day (from wrappers). Then I put in how many hours of hiking I did, and how many non-hiking hours (for first and last day). I actually came up with a formula to calculate how many calories I need each day. Probably a PITA to try doing this while shopping on a thru hike. But for shorter trips where I pack all my food ahead of time I’ve finished with only 1 extra bar left after 3 days.
I'm actually envious 😁 I chronically bring too much food & I don't want to eat that stuff at home, so it sits in gear tote until next time. I could def improve in this area.
The term “widow maker” in the lumber industry actually means dead branches up high in a dead or living tree. It doesn’t exactly mean a dead tree next to you. Ive learned sooo much about backpacking ever since I became subbed to your channel! I’m actually on my way to go camping right now! Thank you for everything
that footage of Flossy filtering muddy water through his Sawyer BEFORE the bandana will never ever absolutely EVER get old. Luke is on nonstop troll patrol with that shit. 🤡🤡🤡🤡🔥🔥🔥🔥
Not a backpacker here, but I do long tours with my motorbike every summer all across Europe. I can totally relate to the "buying/bringing too much food" thing... same here 😅 I like the idea about the SOS device, maybe I should consider getting one of these, too. Never thought about it thus far, so thanks for the inspiration!
I do boondocking (self contained camping on public lands) on my motorcycle. Still working with the food thing as I think there’s nothing better than a good cooked meal made with fresh ingredients out in the wild. I’ve brought my Garmin Inreach Mini 2 on the last couple rides and even with the cheapest plan, you can define lists of people you can message that you’ve gotten safely to camp (unlimited) and you get 10 outgoing regular text messages as well, responses don’t seem to count against you. Spring for the extra $50 to get the Mini 2, it has WAY more battery life than the first version.
I learned the widowmaker issue early on. Being an assistant scout master and one of the main camping guys, looking after the safety of the kids really raised my awareness. On my own, I could maybe get a little complacent, but with scouts in tow, it's all about bringing them all back safe. You never want to face a parent and explain what went wrong. So I learned to scan for dodgy trees. Dead, too much tilt, asymmetrical branch loading or questionable root structure. And most commonly, bad branches. But a lot of the camping has been in Idaho's Palouse area and southern Arizona. So widowmakers are just the first step. Flash flooding paths, pooling areas and lightning risk (relative high ground, tallest trees) are the big ones. Depending on location, dangerous animals can be an issue. Idaho had re-introduced Canadian gray wolves besides the usual bears and cougars. Arizona has lots of venomous nasties, black bears, cougars and jaguars. The jaguars give the border patrol agents nightmares. I've actually had two trees blown up by lightning within 50 yards of my tent during one storm at summer camp. Big trees with 2-3 foot diameter trunks. Lightning is no joke in Arizona, especially in the mountains. On one backpacking trip near the Palouse river, which is just a 200 foot deep sudden slit in the ground, we had one scout that was a sleepwalker. The river was about 50 yards away. No moon. Precautions were taken. Minor risks are too close to water, low/cold air pooling and insect hives/nests. Each campout was training time for how to pick an ideal camp site. Since I was always doing safety training, it was pretty easy to focus on all the real risks and not skip any. To be honest, safety monitoring and training are the only mandatory tasks for a scout leader when on an outing. The boys should be doing the rest. Let them screw up and learn. Just don't let it get dangerous.
You have a ton of good information in just this little blurb. I'm in the Puget Sound area, but often think about a lot of the things you mentioned just because it's good to have in your wheelhouse when outdoors. Even though our landscape is very different, some of those issues can still happen. Thank you for your comment, it's very insightful. : )
I was in the scouts here in Australia as a kid and one of the big ones was never put up your tent under gum trees. They can look perfectly fine until a gentle breeze knocks off a massive branch and crushes you (they are prone to dropping massive branches for very little reason). When we set up camp the first thing we did was look up, if you can see trees above you then move on and find somewhere else. Thankfully we don't have any large predators to worry about, just the reptiles, insects, and plants 😅
Thank you for your service. As an Assistant scout master, and a registered nurse, that last part has been the best part. It’s great watching them grow and learn and being confident that they can do a majority of the campouts on their own.
I hike in the southern Utah/northern Arizona desert. You need to bring all of your water with you. You will die if you think a spring or creek is going to be reliable. But yes judge the mileage of the hike and the temperature of the day and bring accordingly. No less then tree to four Liters.
You could inventory the water and food you overpack, enter it all in a spreadsheet, and boom. You have data that tells you how you should pack consumables. I guess I could do that too. I got stuff to do. I'm just gonna overpack.
I took a month-long NOLS course prior to my PCT experience. We used mostly whole foods, and were actually cooking actual meals out of a cookbook on our vintage whisperlites (they weren’t vintage back in ‘91), so when I hit the PCT in ’93 (way before gps or TH-cam 😬) I followed suit, carrying tortillas, dehydrated refried beans from the bulk section, an entire spice kit (my backpack reeked of garlic powder), and freaking blocks of cheddar cheese that got all soft, oily & nasty in the hot weather (the NOLS course had been in Alaska, so that hadn’t been an issue. Plus there were enough people that nothing went to waste)… I’m surprised I never attracted any critters! Not only did I carry way too much food, I also got bored with it. And there’s something about solo hiking that makes repetitive meals kinda depressing. I had a spicy variety of freeze dried meals… but I concur with your diarrhetic assessment. I have no thru-hiking aspirations these days, but I still go out on 2-3 night excursions. I’ve been digging the Tasty Bite meal packets, along with a ready to eat rice pouch. My favorite is the Bombay potatoes! Makes for a great breakfast if there’s leftovers. Anyhow, that’s my share. Great channel & good luck on that goal! You’ll get it. Oh - I also carried the largest Swiss Army knife they make while on the PCT. The “Swiss Champ.” Look it up. Hilarious. 🤦♂️
Ohh I love the Bombay potatoes. Infact, I love all the indian cuisine there's just a dramatic shift in flavour philosophy be it vegetarian or meat based everything is filled with jaw dropping taste burts !!
2 things. #1, going it alone. Just like the SOS button device, a lot of hiking deaths and near-deaths are directly attributable to being solo. #2, activities that are high risk under the circumstances, namely climbing of any kind, and almost all being in water above the waste scenarios. By far and away, hiking injuries and fatalities are almost always caused by falls, or water. A solo hiker doing any climbing or high risk water scenarios multiplies their probability of injury or death exponentially! That`s my 2 cents................
I've started dehydrating some of my own meals. There's definitely a learning curve to it but it's a fun little challenge I've enjoyed. I think I've got eggs down pretty well.
@@MsRotorwings It's surprisingly easy. The big thing I learned was to combine them with a starch BEFORE cooking. So really it's like a breakfast skillet. Otherwise eggs are like gravel.
Picture old codger.....Back when I was your age we carried heavy crap that was all that was available and we liked it that way!..said no one ever. I started backpacking in the the late 1980's and I LOVE the lightweight/ultralight stuff available now! Started with a steel Peak1 white gas stove -now tiny canister stove. From steel cookware to titanium pot, cup and spoon. Started using FD meals early on and still do. Great choices out there now. Used map and compass (what the hell is a GPS?) even to navigate on canoe trips in Algonquin and Killarney parks in Ontario. Would have loved GPS then! Anyway, you're spot on with mistakes newbies make. Luckily there is good advice out there to help them make wise choices. Love your channel.
That's refreshing to hear. I tend to hear older hikers complaining about newfangled ideas like the UL movement and from data I've seen they tend to carry much heavier packs
Bring almonds on your hike, bring nuts and seeds. They are not going to make a mess. You can add them to your soup. You can put seasoning on them to change the flavor. They are full of all the good stuff that you need when you are doing these kind of activities.
Try trading food on the trail. Almonds get old fast for you, but maybe someone else is sick of thier food and wants to trade.... think back to elementary school lunch box trades!
I brought the perfect amount of food on a six day thru hike once. However, any time a person brings “the perfect amount of food”, it was probably a bit too little as every crumb was consumed. On one trip I brought what I thought was an extra day’s worth of food on a not so long trip. I ate the entire extra day’s food plus that days compliment, had bonked from low blood sugar (I’m not diabetic), and that trip scared me a bit because not enough can have bigger consequences than just being hungry.
Bonking like that is just a temporary thing because your body isn't trained to metabolize fat it's much more efficient and your energy levels are much more stable if you can convert to a more keto like diet and get more of your trial calories from fat. We are addicted to carbs as our energy source.
Sure you can customize the messages - you just have to set it up on the website, not on the device. That was one of the first things I did when I got mine…
What most people dont have the time to realize as far as carrying weight is a great supported frame and pack can go a long way with helping carry weight and still feel light and fast. It's just that most never try to find the answer for more weight. It seems most are going for as light as possible. On top of this, the strength factor of getting used to weight can be a great habit for human structure health. I like ultralight too, but dont mistake comfort for ultralight. There are nuances that allow for heavier weights and comfortability. Goodblessings out there
I always bring too much water. As for the almonds I usually put them in a ovenproof dish with a lot of soy sauce and bake them. They get really salty and maybe a bit sticky, depending on how long you bake them, but they taste so much better than almonds out of the bag... I guess you can do it with other liquids too but I haven't tried. Edit: Don't cover the almonds with the sauce, just stir them from time to time until the soy sauce has evaporated.
@@KyleHatesHikingWhy not make your own trail mix instead of just eating almonds by themselves? Not sure if you have WinCo supermarkets in your area, but they have a huge section where you can buy dried goods in bulk (by weight). All the fixin's to make a trail mix to your preferences. You can even make something similar to a Chex Mix. You can make your mix sweet, savory, spicy, or any combination thereof. There's also fantastic brand name trail mixes available now which come in all kinds of varieties with different flavor options, as well as formulated for certain things like energy or endurance. You'll get a lot more different nutrients with a variety of different nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and even candy coated dark chocolate candies (like M&M's) than you will with just a bag full of _only_ almonds. The sugars in the fruits, or candies, in a well made trail mix will jumpstart your digestion of the more calorie dense carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the almonds and other nuts and seeds, giving you more nutrition and energy when you need it than just the few lowly almonds you eat out of a bag before throwing the rest away.
I am not a hiker but I like the topic and watch & read about it. I was wondering why nobody mentions Macadamia nuts. Salted, roasted, caramelized... Even "natural" they taste pretty nice and give tons of energy. Mixing your own freeze dryed meals sounds fun. The diarrhea mostly comes from all the used spices and preservation additives I guess. Just put in the basic carbs, vitamin veggies and protein sources and your trusted spices. The empty ziploc bags can be used for different purposes then and do not give you the feeling of carrying trash all the time.
Dude I've been thinking about getting an SOS device a lot lately after a hiker was lost for 2 days in an area I regularly go to and I know there is limited reception and I do a lot of solo stuff. This just reinforces that I should have one despite the cost. I'm looking at the Zoleo over the InReach mainly because it's a couple of hundred dollars cheaper but still has the functionality that I need. Great video and I'm the same with water and taking more food than I need and never use.
What you already don't have a GPS device ? What are you stupid ? Get one now !! There's no need for Garmin itself there are hundreds of different devices. Do your due diligence and give yourself a chance to be rescued and not getting killed !!
BRUH I ate my body weight in Wasabi Soy blue diamond almonds on my AT thru and could go the rest of my life without eating or seeing one. They are good, but dang... I really screwed myself on that one, lol
Because I hate freeze dried food, I make my own trekking lunches: 1. Take a carbohydrate source which doesn't need cooking that long like: asian noodles or my favorite instant polenta 2. Take a vegan dried protein source (i am not vegan, but their shelf life is much longer) 3. Take freeze dried veggies and/or dry your own veggies 4. Take some nuts 5. Take a packet soup, packet sauce or dry your own sauce. That's important, take something which is really tasty for you 6. Put everything in reusable zip lock packs The weight is a little bit higher, the cooking time is a little bit longer, but it is totally worth it, and you can get really creative.
I learned that thru-hiking is to backpacking what boxing is to true combat. It's a stylized form that's mostly useful for doing that one thing. UL gear is mostly made for trails. And even then, you may end up making a video called "Our backpacks keep breaking" while following one while using it. It's not wilderness gear.
🤔 I've had my inreach for 2 years and I never realized I could pause my subscription🤦♀️. Thanks for the information! I'll definitely be doing that in the winter, to save money. Since I live in Washington, there is to much snow for me to go very far in the winter, my butt dosen't handle the cold well at all.
Great video. I always understood widowmakers to be dead branches on a tree, whether or not the tree was alive. And whereas people want to naturally seek the shelter of a tree, they don't necessarily look up to make sure it is safe directly above them. It makes sense that a dead tree itself could also be considered a Widowmaker.
I calculate my daily calories so I don’t carry too much: 2500 calories covers BMR and camp chores (morning and evening) then add 125 calories per mile on average. A low elevation change day (around 5% might end up being closer to 110, and a 10% day might end up being around 150). I maintain weight on all my hikes, so it works for me. I’m about 175 lbs with a total pack weight of around 20lbs, plus or minus a few.
At this point dehydrated meals are such a hit or miss for me. I pack dehydrated LUNCHES because most of my backpacking trips are for work and we have a base camp. Therefore our backcountry work is done from hiking to and from a base camp and I really only find myself packing lunches and eating dinner and breakfast at a base camp. Those meals I usually prep beforehand. (also, halfway through a hike is probably when im hungriest so i could eat anything edible at that point). Food planning is different for everyone depending on the kind of backpacking youre doing, so plan accordingly!!! As for weight, I think the Knorr instants are such a good substitute (consider the water you have to pack to rehydrate your meals too) Such a good video full of tips for even experienced backpackers!!!
Camel up at the water spot-always carry a bit more water as the trail could be sunnier, steeper, longer than expected, I could drink 4-6 liters at stop when I was Rangering. I would rather take multiple pee breaks then become dehydrated. Cool off before you get hot-neck sausages under a big hat when the weather is cool (mornings) will lower your body temp and during the day you will be fresher. Every hour of hiking you should get on your back and drain the legs-raise them above your heart, another way to keep cool and refresh. 3:1 ratio for water and electrolytes-every 3rd sip should be electrolytes. #1 tip Have Fun!
I'm an experienced hiker, working my way up to start backpacking. I always carry my backpack which holds up to 18L of water for any hike, I've gotten to the point if I am familiar with the trail I fill up the water bladder with how much water I believe I will need and will even pack a water bottle or two extra just in case. I always make sure to leave a case of water in my vehicle as well for when I return. I carry electrolyte tablets and powder with me especially if it's a hotter day. I never thought about looking out for dead trees as I also have a hammock that I lay out in to rest up sometimes, so I will need to keep that in mind for future reference! It does suck that the SOS Satellite Devices are always pricier, I'm currently saving up for one since I hike alone most days and you never know if you'll run into trouble or get hurt.
I always bring extra water, hydrolytes, and food.... but as an Aussie, it's almost always hot when I've gone hiking or done field work so it's important to ensure you have plenty to hand
Suggest: Carry more food and water than you need, and add some river stones to your pack. It will help buff you out for when you want to do something more challenging.
The almonds at the end got me! I've been backpacking for over 15 years and I still bring cliff bars every single time even though I think I ate maybe 5 in total in those 15 years.
I have tried cliff bars a number of times and just cannot stand trying to choke those nasty things down…lol. I stick with nuts and dried fruits. And yes… a liter of water with electrolytes every day on every trip.
Unfortunately i broke my ankle recently so i havent been able to hike so i got bored and started dehydrating meals myself and its actually pretty fun and i can def make better food than you can buy, id recommend more folks getting into making hiking meals at home
GPS w/SOS, hope you have battery power and a signal. Map and compass, with common sense works well if you know how to use all three. A good diet plan will have the needed electrolytes in the food. We had guys eat an MRE when they ‘over drank water’ and that often did the trick. For folks that were getting dehydrated, did have powdered Gatorade to add to their canteen. If they couldn’t drink it, they got the IV normal saline or lactated ringers.
Dehydrate your own meals. Use a vacuum sealer to make your own portion-sized meals. Saves money and you get the food / menu you really like, in the portion size you want
Friends and I started hiking & camping on our own before 10 years old, in the 1960's. No GPS or cellphones. A day or so of food for week+ excursions. Fishing pole and 22lr rifle for food. No water filters or boiling water. Bedroll. Bushcraft shelter if it rained. No wonder Amerixa is so weak now.
By the way, if you live in Hurricane Country (south Louisiana here) then having a variety of rehydratable meals in your go bag is an excellent idea. You might get stuck car camping for a while, or stuck at home without power (we had no power for ten days after Ida.) You can try a dehydrated meal out now and then, rate it, keep track until you're ready to get your go bag ready for the next storm season, and stock up. There is only so much canned tuna, peanut butter, and jerky one can eat before some rehydrated Pad Thai or Lasagna sounds goooooood.
If you have a newer iPhone, I think 14+, there is an SOS feature built in. Last weekend I was up in the Colorado Mountains at 9,200ft and my truck got stuck. My phone said, SOS, where the 5G usually is. What I've learned since then is that when you don't have cell or WiFi service your iPhone uses a satellite network for communication. Not saying it's a good replacement for a dedicated SOS radio but it's a good backup or better than nothing.
In the boy scouts, after tearing down our camp site, the entire troop would form a line with our arms stretched out to either side as far as we could reach until our fingertips touched the other person's on either side of us, then walk forward to do a sweep of the campsite and pick up any trash or litter we found, as well as pick up any items we may have dropped and overlooked. We'd do something a bit similar on trails where we stopped to take a break too, but not as intense. It would be to line up along the trail and search our immediate arm's length radius both on and to the sides of the trail. It was rare for any scout in our troop to lose something on a hike or at our campsite.
Legit the only "luxury" thing that needs to be brought. I usually use a hammock so I have a chair with that, but nothing is better than doing some alpine fishing and putting your feet up and chilling out to the max.
Oh man, that really dates you brother. I remember the days when a rock or log or even the ground was fine, but those days are long gone. My camping chair goes in my pack first, then everything else less necessary goes in after that.
@@Drew.Joseph, That’s funny man. I’ve actually seen people bring way too much crap on a camping trip. They might as well just stayed at home. In one case I remember a camper was CHASED back home. I’ve been camping with my father since I was a little kid in the 60’s. All we ever brought was an old Army tent, sleeping bags, an axe, a couple knives, a flashlight, fishing gear, a zippo lighter and a cast iron skillet. We could survive on that stuff forever it seemed. I remember going up to the Indian reservation for Easter weekend with dad to watch the ice break on the Wolf River. I was so young, maybe 6 years old, I only remember little flashes of the trip but my dad filled me in on what actually happened after I got old enough to understand. My father was old Army buddies with the chief of the tribe and we were the only white people allowed on the reservation to camp there. It wasn’t really a “campground” but just a spot along the river to pitch a tent and fish in the deep woods of Northern Wisconsin. My mom and sister wouldn’t go camping with us since it was always just roughing it with zero amenities. I loved it though. I remember the ice cracking right on schedule that weekend and a huge chunk of ice taking out the log me and dad were standing on earlier that day. I remember the guy in the Winnebago parking not far from us and my dad telling me to wait in our camp as he went for “help”. I knew by the frown on my dad’s face that this guy was in some kind of trouble so I waited as my dad struck off down the trail. Meanwhile, I watched the Winnebago guy hanging up oriental lanterns and firing up a generator. Then the glow of a tiny black and white television set. I’d never seen such a thing in the woods. My father returned to camp and sat down. I asked, “What’s going on dad?” He smiled, “Cane has this under control, son.” (Cane was the Indian chief) Dad was watching intently at the Winnebago guy who was oblivious to what was going down. I kept my young eyes glued on what my dad was watching. A few minutes later, “BOOM!” The little TV set exploded and went black. My dad started laughing as the Winnebago guy shut down his generator, packed everything up in a panic and drove away. Cane walked nonchalantly into our camp carrying a rifle and sat down. “Wonder why he left in such a hurry?” He and my dad laughed, and I didn’t understand what had happened really, but whatever it was, it was a good thing. My father told me later. I’m sure you’ve figured out that Cane shot out the Winnebago guy’s TV to chase the trespassing white man off his reservation. Those were the days when nobody called the cops and if they did, the cops would just laugh and tell him to kick rocks. Now I’m 60 years old and my dad’s long gone, but I still camp the same way. I’d never even consider bringing a generator or a TV even though that’s allowed now, and I wish these people understood how irritating that is and how that’s not camping.
Yup, I get so paranoid about it. There's been a few times where I setup my tent, and then ended up moving it to a different spot because I saw a dead tree within striking distance.
No matter where you hike, be certain to check the WATER REPORT for your locality. Even if you’ve hiked there before; conditions change. I have definitely been caught short on H2O because of two of three known water sources were dry. I was lucky enough to be able to get a little water from a stranger on trail. Thankfully, this was a well-traveled trail in Yosemite, otherwise it could have been disastrous.💦🌿
Skimp on food if you like - running out is unpleasant but not fatal. But always carry some spare water. There's so much that can go wrong - injury, illness, dry water sources... In a desert lack of water can kill you within a couple of days, and even a few hours can be damn unpleasant (don't ask me how I know...).
Mountain House Chili Mac provides a comfort that can really lift your spirits when out in the woods on a cold, damp, Autumn night after walking 15 miles but then again so can warm gravy.
Dude, if you're customizing, I'd like the one with the built-in massage thingie, sun roof, arm rest coffee warmer (hate it when my camp coffee goes all cold and icky)... oh, and the RPG launcher for the grizzlies and other small nuisances... LOL!
Beer cooler? A chilled, tasty beverage which can conceal your cache from a snooping ranger or bogarting backpacking stranger (ie: “Would you care for some bourbon from my flask” and they bogart half of your flask. Thank You is optional). Anyhow, follow me for more ideas. Just kidding! I have ideas… Occasionally they’re almost lucid. Please don’t follow me… I’m lost.
Good advice,the new iPhone 14 series has SOS satellite built in and I’d imagine every generation will from now on…. I’d forgot about this feature, but checked after you reminded me and it’s there. Nice I spend lots of time in the bush.
Backpacker meals cost so much i could almost eat at a restaurant for that price. Happy i got myself a good dehydrator so i can make my own backpacker meals. I almost never go on anything longer than an overnighter, and then i dont mind carrying some fresh meat, but having access to precut dehydrated vegetables is very convenient for making dinner that taste like proper home made meals. Gonna try with meat soon, and start preparing bigger batches of different types of backpacker meals. I almost never go on anything longer than an overnighter though, so for me its totally reasonable to bring fresh meat. For 1 or 2 days longer, id be ok eating vegetarian foods, and just bring some whey proteins mixed with carbs to make sure i get enough proteins for fast recovery. I almost always have protein shake with half a serving of carbs (helps with protein uptake) for breakfast when im at home, and take a few key quality supplements. Mainly zink, vitamin B, and magnesium. Zink and L-Tyrosine (amino acid - which i get from the protein shake) is used for making dopamine (anti depressant basically), which is in turn used to produce my favorite neurotransmitter; noradrenaline (mental focus) 🤘
I have eaten so many different MREs from different countries, and whilst some of them have been absolutely horrendeous, the Mountain House chicken-something, and mac'n'cheese were so God damn awfull that they still give me the chills - NEVER again I'm going to put that allmost-like-food resembling mass in my mouth.
How good does a cheeseburger taste after hiking for several days! Omg. Also, if you’re looking for a good bladder for mainly a cooking water source. Drink you a box wine and use that bladder. It lasts for several days and seems to be very strong. I’m not a avid hiker but was trained for 6 months. I learned a lot. Especially window makers lmao😅
I set camp on the AT one night in Pennsylvania, and a fellow thru hiker set his hammock up on a dead tree. It came crashing down when he got in and was *this close* to crushing him AND the surrounding tents. Luckily, everyone was okay, but he passed away 2 days later due to an unrelated incident. Yall be careful in them woods! Widowmakers are everywhere! Hope yall dig the edit! Peace :)
Have you really considered just taking a bag of trail mix? A mixed variety of nuts, seeds, even dark chocolate and raisins for sweetness. They're a great way to get calories and have healthy fats, and it tastes great, not just almonds. You can mix your own to whatever you like. I like the textures and flavors :P
I used to like canned kippered herring when I camped. The smoked flavor and a cup of Earl Grey would get me hike-motivated in the AM. In retrospect: Not such a great idea in Bear Country. But my companions were impressed that it contained about 3/4 of my daily protein requirement :D
I normally bring pre-cooked pork, rice, and some vegetables that I prepared. It would normally lasts me a day when I set camp. I also bring noodles and eggs. Snacks would be peanuts, dates and dark chocolates. I like cooking outdoors. This August I am planning to cook spaghetti on my way to Lake Holon with my buddy.
I don’t hike anymore,but gps devices were not available. We didn’t go on any long hikes, only two or three nights at a time. We hiked the Enchantment basin out of Leavenworth before permits were required, and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area and quite often were the only people around. All in the PNW of course
when it comes to meals, i don't know why so many campers don't make their own. no judgement but i don't get it. salted peanuts. electrolytes! energy per gram is high! fibre! basmati rice. carbs! protein! fibre! the best and easiest carb/protein/fibre combo in the most compact carry. 20 minutes and yum. olive oil. very high energy to weight ratio. add it to your rice. salt, pepper, maybe some dehydrated veg... dehydrated cooked sausage. electrolytes! flavour! pork fat energy! no need to cook it on trail but it's perfect in that basmati rice and 20ml of olive oil. dehydrated apples. fibre! cut up apples, shake in a bag with a little sugar and cinnamon... son of a... all these items are so easy to prepare before departure. probably 1/3 the cost. definitely a much better choice for your health. taste is in your control. in 20 years of backpacking/canoeing i've never bought or brought a packaged meal.
one time i was kayaking to an island and i brought too much food, but not enough WATER! It was a hot summer and i was kayaking 5 miles! I ran out of water when i got to the island and realized i was gonna need more for the trip back. Luckily i had a survivor water filter and was able to just take some pond water and refill all of my water bottles with it otherwise i would have dehydrated quickly. You can live longer without food than without water. Especially in hot environments. Bring extra water on hot days and something to filter or clean water safe enough to drink.
All the weight the gram-weenies save is probably enough to offset water and extra food. Especially if you or your hiking partner gets sick or injured or there's some other reason you need to stay in one place longer than you expected.
I personally would opt for the Spot X. Doesn’t require cell for messages and has a keyboard. Yes it’s heavy but it’s much cheaper and is just about as well with coverage
@@gregsantos9392 I have read you are correct about limited coverage, but I will never be setting foot in the Pacific Ocean, nor foreign countries or the extreme north of Canada, only because of my socioeconomic and location being lower 48. That being said I am more turned on by the garmin inreach mini or mini 2 than when I made this comment, but I’m months away from purchase. I also have the iPhone 14….
Some years ago I discovered I had developed inflammatory disease. For decades, I didn't know what it was. It had been developing my whole life, so I thought it was just normal. Turns out it isn't normal, it's the result of carbohydrates which are the staple of a normal agricultural diet. Inflammatory disease can present in various ways, depending on our personal physiology it attacks various different symptoms. It may present as IBS, heart disease, respiratory disease, allergies, diabetes, dementia, lupus, Parkinson etc. I had a lot of respiratory symptoms, IBS, upper digestive bloating pain sciatica etc. It got so bad I could hardly eat anything, could not maintain weight, lost over 20 kg in 6 months & though I was going to die in my 50s. In desperation, I went on an elimination diet, which consistently identified any king of carbohydrate as the cause. However there are only 2 sources of energy for humans, carbohydrate or fats. So, even though we have all been taught the evils of a high fat diet all out lives, carbohydrate was clearly killing me. So despite what I thought I knew my only option to survive a little longer was for switch to animal fats for energy. Well my inflammatory disease gradually disappeared entirely. Now at 67, I am trim fit, active and have zero inflammatory pain. Hiking again, I take meat based foods. No carbs & hardly any vegetation based foods at all. I'm practically a carnivore now. Of particular note is pemmican which I prepare at home. By weight, it's basically a 50% dried meat ground up to a powder & 50% tallow or dripping with a little salt & spices to taste. Pemmican has a heap of energy & does not require refrigeration. If it is made without the salt or spices, it can last for years without refrigeration, as long as it remains dry. This is basically what hunting peoples such as native Americans have used as their staple long term preserved food stores for thousands of years. It is how they were able to fuel their bodies for endurance hunting (running down game till it collapsed form heat exhaustion). Turns out we have been lied too about diet for many decades, there is no clinical basis in favor of the modern carbohydrate rich diet, it is the primary cause of inflammatory as we age, including heart disease. ALL Carbs are converted to sugars for absorption through the gut wall. This causes blood sugar to spike which triggers an insulation reaction that cause the excess sugars to be converted into fats and laid down as body fat, arterial plaque etc. The only other source of dietary energy is fats which are converted to ketones for absorption through the gut wall into the blood stream. Excess ketones are simply excreted through urine & are not known to be retained in any form in the body. There appears to be no known detriment to human health from ketones unless the individual has clinical keto-acidosis which is a rare disease well beyond that which can result from diet alone. Basically I am saying this because the normal dehydrated carbohydrate rich diet of hikers is so devastating for human health. I found out the hard way, so I give your warning in hopes that you don't have to go through that. It's so against the normal advice we have all been given for decades that I expect it will mostly fall on deaf ears, but I say it anyway in hopes that some, even one person might avoid what I went through or worse.
Great video! I just went to Yosemite with my son and forgot my Garmin. I totally regretted it. We didn't need it, but it's nice to have the peace of mind.
It is not just dead trees that you must look for. Also, look for dead or diseased limbs in the trees. Many of those limbs are large enough to easily kill a person, especially in old growth forests within parks.
Good list - and it shows the changes in improving what is around. I will state though that I still wear a woolen jumper instead of a fleece. A good Aran pattern - thick , wickable, flexible and breathable. Not purchased but one that I have made myself.
Some great tips here. Have you seen the gear skeptic's nutrition videos? His videos were a huge help for packing food. Takes more prep, but keeps the weight down.
I’m thinking some of your “mistakes” are geared more for long thru hikes vs hitting the trail for 3-4 days. I can agree with just about everything you stated - except being totally onboard with the freeze dried meals. Over long distances, I found the freeze dried meals to be a good augmentation to my pack for weight reasons. However, on those long weekend getaways - I’d rather punt a hamster in front of a pet store for extra points, instead of putting one of those meals in my head. TMI? Nah… I’d never punt a hamster. Guinea Pig? Stand back, I’m going full send… On those short trip adventures with friends, getting creative with food preparation has been a fun alternative to being absolutely hungry and having a “Snickers Moment” at mealtime. Or… It might been thanking one’s creator while sitting in a compost pit toilet, rationing toilet paper, pondering foliage and singing the praises of the Eagle Scout who meticulously planned out this structure and whose plaque now adorns the door to your post Mountain House culinary delight moment. I would like to say that I own such a t-shirt, inscribed with “No $hit, there I was…”, but I’m afraid it might get lost in the translation like a gerbil at a karaoke Cher celebration gala - post encore. Suffice it to say, I am not a foodie, but I prefer to eat better and enjoy myself more. I’ll happily trade the weight in order to do so on shorter treks. Kyle, thanks for all you do on your channel - not mention the opportunity for my little rant. Safe hiking… 🎉 C
Can’t remember which trail, but they discovered a camp of some one that had a medical thing 3 years after they went missing. They did find a note .. um but another person was found shortly found after their passing, they pitched right of trail like 5 miles from a official stop .. their passing is still odd and they had a large sum of cash
I have not gotten my GPS device yet but I got the IPhone 14 which has SOS and I have not yet gone on any LONG hikes. I will likely add the device before hiking season this fall
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When I was a backpacker. We didn’t even have cell phones. And I wore all the wrong clothes. Had the wrong tent. And had the wrong food. And yet here I am today still alive at 71 years old.
I love it ❤😂
I'm 71 too!
You probably do serious miles then, lol. If you’re only doing five in and five out, the tolerances for bad preparation are much higher.
I’m 50-something and started camping/hiking before cell phones were invented, and then later, affordable. That being said, I upgraded my iPhone recently with a satellite sos feature. Hope I never need to use it.
I played Russian roulette and I’m still alive. Take that millennials!
Calibrating amount of water you carry based on how much you drink and distance to next source is fine. But extra still nice. Sometimes sources turn out to be dry or just unpleasant. Also, when you come across others struggling it's nice to be able to offer water. Finally, you never know if you or someone in your party is going to be injured or otherwise stuck in place for an extended period of time. It's nice to have water on you while providing first aid because that's one less thing you need to worry about.
I always carry a little extra. In the form of a full bladder. You can always drink pee!!!!! Just ask Kyle's mom
I can testify to the "next source turns out to be dry" thing. I was hiking the Arizona trail and according to week old reports on Farout / Guthook there was water ten miles down the trail. Turn out that the source was dry when I got there, and the next one was too. The one after was a reliable source and I finally got water, but was I glad that I was hiking with a liter extra, because by the time I finally got there that extra water was gone and I was thirsty.
(Thank you to whoever is putting all these wildlife drinkers on the AZT. Without these hiking the trail would be so much more difficult)
Yeah maybe I should have been more clear, I always still carry a little extra. Just not a ton extra. On the PCT last year I was routinely carrying 6L of water, which was more than almost everyone else haha
@@KyleHatesHiking 6L is actually a lot
@@helpfulcommenter13.2 pounds.
More than some people's entire packs.
I’m East Tennessee born and raised so I’ve hiked a lot in my life. A lot, a lot. I never thought about windy days when I was younger. I don’t mean high wind warning days, just days of like 20-30mph winds which are common 3 seasons out of 4 here. Then one day I was hiking on an above breezy day and a giantass tree fell about 10ft in front of me. The only reason the branches didn’t get me was because there were no branches near the bottom…it was a pine. It shook the ground and didn’t fall slowly like in the movies…it just slapped the ground in about a second. If I had been less than 10 steps ahead I wouldn’t be typing this comment.
Never again. A nice breeze is great, above that and, nope.
Im happy for you to be alive
For people who pack too much food I recommend finding a hiking partner who is broke and has a big appetite to unload your extra food on as your go. It’s a win-win.
😂😂😂
🤝
🤣🤣🤣
😂
I volunteer as tribute
You should try drying your own food. This really changed our menu while hiking. Basically you can dry anything and then cook what you would back home. But the easy way out is minced meat and basic vegies. Those combined with macaroni, dried potato, rice etc and different spices gives you tons of variety.
For finding the perfect amount of food to bring with you there are 2 ways of thinking. You can be super scientific with it or you can look at how much you normally eat on a 2 or 3 night backpacking trip and plan around that.
What I personally like to do is to bring enough food to where I know I can safely survive then see what I can bring on top of that. We won’t die if we go a few days without food but you don’t want to starve yourself.
I also find that the dehydrated food gets old so I do a lot of food prep at home. There are some good books to read on the topic my favorite is “the well-fed backpacker” by June Fleming.
Hope this helps!
You carry extra food and water for the same reason you carry an SOS device.
My first night of my first through hike I DID look up to check for widow makers. The 3 pines surrounding my tent all looked healthy and very much alive. In the middle of the night there were gale force winds, rain and hail. One of the pines, 10 feet from my tent, toppled, fortunately away from my tent. As it fell, one of its branches sheared off and hit my toes. SO, it doesn’t have to be a dead tree to become a widow maker. I was just lucky.
Scary AF
The sound of a crack will never leave my memory. Sound asleep Crack, woke my partner and grab their back yelling run. Lucky the tree fell behind us. The only time Crack saves😊
So true. Also look for ant activity at the base of trees. The inside of a healthy looking tree could be weakened.
Ants aren't the only thing you need to check for. To a point, it depends on the species of the trees.
Ash trees get emerald ash borers.
Pine trees get pine bark beetles.
Hemlocks get woolly adelgid.
There's something killing the oaks around here, but I don't remember what it's called.
There are just a few examples of things that will weaken the tree.
For anyone that owns a Garmin device, I recommend getting Garmin's Search and Rescue (SAR) insurance. It's only $35 / year and covers any expenses incurred for a rescue / extraction. A helicopter rescue can run $50 k or more!
One thing I always wonder about when I watch survival videos is that two must have things are so seldom mentioned. This is the super lowtech time tested items:
1: The emergency whistle. These whistles can be over 120db and that is loub. So loud in fact that ear protection should be worn when using it. This sound level can be maintained without breaking the vocal cords.
2: A small extra compass.
I have these two thing hanging from zippers on my Ski clothes. My Mountain bike clothes etc. Don't stick them in the backpack because that might be lost when you need them.
And don’t get the toy, Made in China unreliable compasses. Those don’t count as a small back-up compass.
Whistle is such a good idea and I haven’t heard them mentioned on hiking videos much. And you can blow into for hours and days. Yelling for help will wear you out quick, and isn’t as loud.
Sometimes that cheap extra compass can often be better than a good one. You probably won't accidentally lose it.
Many of the cheap (and ultralight) plastic whistles just go "(weeeee !)" and the sound doesn't carry far. As you indicated, get a REAL (percussive) one, like you'd see at a sporting event, parade or construction site.
It's also a defence mechanism. Blowing a whistle in an attackers ear can do considerable damage.
Food tastes so much better when you sit in a camp chair while eating.
100% agree. 2 yrs ago all the ultralight sufferers made fun of my chair. Don't leave home without it!!
Your mom told me when you were a baby all you would eat was Knorr made with mother's milk😶🌫
😂😂
@rayosunshine Only a Kyle's mom would do that
I have to say that i wasn't interested in hiking by any way until i found this channel, first i was like "this Kyle dude seems cool" then got me hooked and thinking a hike of my own, there is some beautiful trails here in Finland so i planned a hike some before the summer ends... Thanks Kyle keep on the awesome work !
That's so cool to hear!! Start slow, be safe, and have a blast!
we have excellent trails in Finland
Hell yeah welcome to the club.
I’m such a geek that when I get back from a backpacking trip, I count up how many calories I ate each day (from wrappers). Then I put in how many hours of hiking I did, and how many non-hiking hours (for first and last day). I actually came up with a formula to calculate how many calories I need each day. Probably a PITA to try doing this while shopping on a thru hike. But for shorter trips where I pack all my food ahead of time I’ve finished with only 1 extra bar left after 3 days.
Lol that is awesome ,slightly psychotic lol
I'm actually envious 😁 I chronically bring too much food & I don't want to eat that stuff at home, so it sits in gear tote until next time. I could def improve in this area.
So what is your manic formula?
Congratulations.
My 10 year old son can determine Kilojoules consumed vs Kilojoules expended without any help from his parents.
@@BatCaveOz Simple arithmetic isn't that hard after all. I am glad your son doesn't have intellectual deficiencies.
The term “widow maker” in the lumber industry actually means dead branches up high in a dead or living tree. It doesn’t exactly mean a dead tree next to you.
Ive learned sooo much about backpacking ever since I became subbed to your channel! I’m actually on my way to go camping right now! Thank you for everything
that footage of Flossy filtering muddy water through his Sawyer BEFORE the bandana will never ever absolutely EVER get old. Luke is on nonstop troll patrol with that shit. 🤡🤡🤡🤡🔥🔥🔥🔥
I CANT STOP USING IT ITS SO FUNNY TO ME any time Kyle talks about water I'm like, "Awwww, here we go again"
Absolutely kills me. What a beloved man.
@@luke_mckay You are a living editing god
@@helpfulcommenter 😂 thanks boss man, I'll think of you next time I use it. 👌🏼
Not a backpacker here, but I do long tours with my motorbike every summer all across Europe. I can totally relate to the "buying/bringing too much food" thing... same here 😅 I like the idea about the SOS device, maybe I should consider getting one of these, too. Never thought about it thus far, so thanks for the inspiration!
Sounds fun! Glad you could take something away from the vid even if you're not a hiker, thanks for watching
I do boondocking (self contained camping on public lands) on my motorcycle. Still working with the food thing as I think there’s nothing better than a good cooked meal made with fresh ingredients out in the wild. I’ve brought my Garmin Inreach Mini 2 on the last couple rides and even with the cheapest plan, you can define lists of people you can message that you’ve gotten safely to camp (unlimited) and you get 10 outgoing regular text messages as well, responses don’t seem to count against you. Spring for the extra $50 to get the Mini 2, it has WAY more battery life than the first version.
Just remember that it is $50K plus to push the button. You will pay the entire cost of the rescue operation, which will probably involve a helicopter.
I learned the widowmaker issue early on. Being an assistant scout master and one of the main camping guys, looking after the safety of the kids really raised my awareness. On my own, I could maybe get a little complacent, but with scouts in tow, it's all about bringing them all back safe.
You never want to face a parent and explain what went wrong. So I learned to scan for dodgy trees. Dead, too much tilt, asymmetrical branch loading or questionable root structure. And most commonly, bad branches. But a lot of the camping has been in Idaho's Palouse area and southern Arizona. So widowmakers are just the first step. Flash flooding paths, pooling areas and lightning risk (relative high ground, tallest trees) are the big ones. Depending on location, dangerous animals can be an issue. Idaho had re-introduced Canadian gray wolves besides the usual bears and cougars. Arizona has lots of venomous nasties, black bears, cougars and jaguars. The jaguars give the border patrol agents nightmares.
I've actually had two trees blown up by lightning within 50 yards of my tent during one storm at summer camp. Big trees with 2-3 foot diameter trunks. Lightning is no joke in Arizona, especially in the mountains. On one backpacking trip near the Palouse river, which is just a 200 foot deep sudden slit in the ground, we had one scout that was a sleepwalker. The river was about 50 yards away. No moon. Precautions were taken.
Minor risks are too close to water, low/cold air pooling and insect hives/nests. Each campout was training time for how to pick an ideal camp site. Since I was always doing safety training, it was pretty easy to focus on all the real risks and not skip any. To be honest, safety monitoring and training are the only mandatory tasks for a scout leader when on an outing. The boys should be doing the rest. Let them screw up and learn. Just don't let it get dangerous.
You have a ton of good information in just this little blurb. I'm in the Puget Sound area, but often think about a lot of the things you mentioned just because it's good to have in your wheelhouse when outdoors. Even though our landscape is very different, some of those issues can still happen. Thank you for your comment, it's very insightful. : )
I was in the scouts here in Australia as a kid and one of the big ones was never put up your tent under gum trees.
They can look perfectly fine until a gentle breeze knocks off a massive branch and crushes you (they are prone to dropping massive branches for very little reason).
When we set up camp the first thing we did was look up, if you can see trees above you then move on and find somewhere else.
Thankfully we don't have any large predators to worry about, just the reptiles, insects, and plants 😅
Thank you for your service. As an Assistant scout master, and a registered nurse, that last part has been the best part. It’s great watching them grow and learn and being confident that they can do a majority of the campouts on their own.
Great info, thanks. Will definitely think of all the useful details you kindly shared.
Flossmeister pre filtering water after he puts it through the filter. Classic 😂
yup haha we were not thinking straight in that clip. we were pretty dehydrated
I hike in the southern Utah/northern Arizona desert. You need to bring all of your water with you. You will die if you think a spring or creek is going to be reliable. But yes judge the mileage of the hike and the temperature of the day and bring accordingly. No less then tree to four Liters.
You could inventory the water and food you overpack, enter it all in a spreadsheet, and boom. You have data that tells you how you should pack consumables. I guess I could do that too. I got stuff to do. I'm just gonna overpack.
I took a month-long NOLS course prior to my PCT experience. We used mostly whole foods, and were actually cooking actual meals out of a cookbook on our vintage whisperlites (they weren’t vintage back in ‘91), so when I hit the PCT in ’93 (way before gps or TH-cam 😬) I followed suit, carrying tortillas, dehydrated refried beans from the bulk section, an entire spice kit (my backpack reeked of garlic powder), and freaking blocks of cheddar cheese that got all soft, oily & nasty in the hot weather (the NOLS course had been in Alaska, so that hadn’t been an issue. Plus there were enough people that nothing went to waste)… I’m surprised I never attracted any critters!
Not only did I carry way too much food, I also got bored with it. And there’s something about solo hiking that makes repetitive meals kinda depressing. I had a spicy variety of freeze dried meals… but I concur with your diarrhetic assessment.
I have no thru-hiking aspirations these days, but I still go out on 2-3 night excursions. I’ve been digging the Tasty Bite meal packets, along with a ready to eat rice pouch. My favorite is the Bombay potatoes! Makes for a great breakfast if there’s leftovers.
Anyhow, that’s my share. Great channel & good luck on that goal! You’ll get it.
Oh - I also carried the largest Swiss Army knife they make while on the PCT. The “Swiss Champ.” Look it up.
Hilarious. 🤦♂️
Funny about the knife. I was the same with a Leatherman and now I use a Swiss Army that weighs less than an ounce.
Ohh I love the Bombay potatoes. Infact, I love all the indian cuisine there's just a dramatic shift in flavour philosophy be it vegetarian or meat based everything is filled with jaw dropping taste burts !!
Still have my Whisperlite!
I’m not a thru hiker but would definitely be an over packer of food and water
Probably only things I would pack if I ever go on a hike 🤣
2 things. #1, going it alone. Just like the SOS button device, a lot of hiking deaths and near-deaths are directly attributable to being solo. #2, activities that are high risk under the circumstances, namely climbing of any kind, and almost all being in water above the waste scenarios. By far and away, hiking injuries and fatalities are almost always caused by falls, or water. A solo hiker doing any climbing or high risk water scenarios multiplies their probability of injury or death exponentially! That`s my 2 cents................
If you have extra almonds, crush ‘em and add ‘em to something else. Oatmeal, noodles, whatever. You get a little crunch, and they don’t go to waste.
I’ve never died while hiking.
You're a liar.
I've started dehydrating some of my own meals. There's definitely a learning curve to it but it's a fun little challenge I've enjoyed. I think I've got eggs down pretty well.
I've always wanted to try this!
Eggs? I’m impressed. They are not easy to dehydrate and still taste good.
@@MsRotorwings It's surprisingly easy. The big thing I learned was to combine them with a starch BEFORE cooking. So really it's like a breakfast skillet. Otherwise eggs are like gravel.
Picture old codger.....Back when I was your age we carried heavy crap that was all that was available and we liked it that way!..said no one ever. I started backpacking in the the late 1980's and I LOVE the lightweight/ultralight stuff available now! Started with a steel Peak1 white gas stove -now tiny canister stove. From steel cookware to titanium pot, cup and spoon. Started using FD meals early on and still do. Great choices out there now. Used map and compass (what the hell is a GPS?) even to navigate on canoe trips in Algonquin and Killarney parks in Ontario. Would have loved GPS then! Anyway, you're spot on with mistakes newbies make. Luckily there is good advice out there to help them make wise choices. Love your channel.
That's refreshing to hear. I tend to hear older hikers complaining about newfangled ideas like the UL movement and from data I've seen they tend to carry much heavier packs
Kyle your comments section and advice has been incredibly helpful thank you
Bring almonds on your hike, bring nuts and seeds. They are not going to make a mess. You can add them to your soup. You can put seasoning on them to change the flavor. They are full of all the good stuff that you need when you are doing these kind of activities.
Try trading food on the trail. Almonds get old fast for you, but maybe someone else is sick of thier food and wants to trade.... think back to elementary school lunch box trades!
I brought the perfect amount of food on a six day thru hike once. However, any time a person brings “the perfect amount of food”, it was probably a bit too little as every crumb was consumed. On one trip I brought what I thought was an extra day’s worth of food on a not so long trip. I ate the entire extra day’s food plus that days compliment, had bonked from low blood sugar (I’m not diabetic), and that trip scared me a bit because not enough can have bigger consequences than just being hungry.
Bonking like that is just a temporary thing because your body isn't trained to metabolize fat it's much more efficient and your energy levels are much more stable if you can convert to a more keto like diet and get more of your trial calories from fat. We are addicted to carbs as our energy source.
Sure you can customize the messages - you just have to set it up on the website, not on the device. That was one of the first things I did when I got mine…
What most people dont have the time to realize as far as carrying weight is a great supported frame and pack can go a long way with helping carry weight and still feel light and fast. It's just that most never try to find the answer for more weight. It seems most are going for as light as possible. On top of this, the strength factor of getting used to weight can be a great habit for human structure health. I like ultralight too, but dont mistake comfort for ultralight. There are nuances that allow for heavier weights and comfortability. Goodblessings out there
I always bring too much water.
As for the almonds I usually put them in a ovenproof dish with a lot of soy sauce and bake them. They get really salty and maybe a bit sticky, depending on how long you bake them, but they taste so much better than almonds out of the bag... I guess you can do it with other liquids too but I haven't tried.
Edit: Don't cover the almonds with the sauce, just stir them from time to time until the soy sauce has evaporated.
Good idea with the almonds! Never thought of that before
@@KyleHatesHikingWhy not make your own trail mix instead of just eating almonds by themselves? Not sure if you have WinCo supermarkets in your area, but they have a huge section where you can buy dried goods in bulk (by weight). All the fixin's to make a trail mix to your preferences. You can even make something similar to a Chex Mix. You can make your mix sweet, savory, spicy, or any combination thereof. There's also fantastic brand name trail mixes available now which come in all kinds of varieties with different flavor options, as well as formulated for certain things like energy or endurance. You'll get a lot more different nutrients with a variety of different nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and even candy coated dark chocolate candies (like M&M's) than you will with just a bag full of _only_ almonds. The sugars in the fruits, or candies, in a well made trail mix will jumpstart your digestion of the more calorie dense carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the almonds and other nuts and seeds, giving you more nutrition and energy when you need it than just the few lowly almonds you eat out of a bag before throwing the rest away.
I am not a hiker but I like the topic and watch & read about it. I was wondering why nobody mentions Macadamia nuts. Salted, roasted, caramelized... Even "natural" they taste pretty nice and give tons of energy.
Mixing your own freeze dryed meals sounds fun. The diarrhea mostly comes from all the used spices and preservation additives I guess. Just put in the basic carbs, vitamin veggies and protein sources and your trusted spices.
The empty ziploc bags can be used for different purposes then and do not give you the feeling of carrying trash all the time.
Dude I've been thinking about getting an SOS device a lot lately after a hiker was lost for 2 days in an area I regularly go to and I know there is limited reception and I do a lot of solo stuff. This just reinforces that I should have one despite the cost. I'm looking at the Zoleo over the InReach mainly because it's a couple of hundred dollars cheaper but still has the functionality that I need.
Great video and I'm the same with water and taking more food than I need and never use.
What you already don't have a GPS device ? What are you stupid ? Get one now !! There's no need for Garmin itself there are hundreds of different devices. Do your due diligence and give yourself a chance to be rescued and not getting killed !!
yeah definitely get the device! best of luck
I hike solo all over the country and I have never had one. I probably won't get one either honestly
@@Last_Chance. Your braincells are choking inside with your extra high intelligence !!
I love my zoleo!! Easy to use and does the job. I’ve never needed it but the peace of mind is worth it!
Blue Diamond has wasabi almonds that are the shit
BRUH I ate my body weight in Wasabi Soy blue diamond almonds on my AT thru and could go the rest of my life without eating or seeing one. They are good, but dang... I really screwed myself on that one, lol
Because I hate freeze dried food, I make my own trekking lunches:
1. Take a carbohydrate source which doesn't need cooking that long like: asian noodles or my favorite instant polenta
2. Take a vegan dried protein source (i am not vegan, but their shelf life is much longer)
3. Take freeze dried veggies and/or dry your own veggies
4. Take some nuts
5. Take a packet soup, packet sauce or dry your own sauce. That's important, take something which is really tasty for you
6. Put everything in reusable zip lock packs
The weight is a little bit higher, the cooking time is a little bit longer, but it is totally worth it, and you can get really creative.
I learned that thru-hiking is to backpacking what boxing is to true combat. It's a stylized form that's mostly useful for doing that one thing. UL gear is mostly made for trails. And even then, you may end up making a video called "Our backpacks keep breaking" while following one while using it. It's not wilderness gear.
🤔 I've had my inreach for 2 years and I never realized I could pause my subscription🤦♀️. Thanks for the information! I'll definitely be doing that in the winter, to save money. Since I live in Washington, there is to much snow for me to go very far in the winter, my butt dosen't handle the cold well at all.
Great video. I always understood widowmakers to be dead branches on a tree, whether or not the tree was alive.
And whereas people want to naturally seek the shelter of a tree, they don't necessarily look up to make sure it is safe directly above them.
It makes sense that a dead tree itself could also be considered a Widowmaker.
I calculate my daily calories so I don’t carry too much:
2500 calories covers BMR and camp chores (morning and evening) then add 125 calories per mile on average. A low elevation change day (around 5% might end up being closer to 110, and a 10% day might end up being around 150). I maintain weight on all my hikes, so it works for me.
I’m about 175 lbs with a total pack weight of around 20lbs, plus or minus a few.
At this point dehydrated meals are such a hit or miss for me. I pack dehydrated LUNCHES because most of my backpacking trips are for work and we have a base camp. Therefore our backcountry work is done from hiking to and from a base camp and I really only find myself packing lunches and eating dinner and breakfast at a base camp. Those meals I usually prep beforehand. (also, halfway through a hike is probably when im hungriest so i could eat anything edible at that point). Food planning is different for everyone depending on the kind of backpacking youre doing, so plan accordingly!!! As for weight, I think the Knorr instants are such a good substitute (consider the water you have to pack to rehydrate your meals too) Such a good video full of tips for even experienced backpackers!!!
Camel up at the water spot-always carry a bit more water as the trail could be sunnier, steeper, longer than expected, I could drink 4-6 liters at stop when I was Rangering. I would rather take multiple pee breaks then become dehydrated. Cool off before you get hot-neck sausages under a big hat when the weather is cool (mornings) will lower your body temp and during the day you will be fresher. Every hour of hiking you should get on your back and drain the legs-raise them above your heart, another way to keep cool and refresh. 3:1 ratio for water and electrolytes-every 3rd sip should be electrolytes. #1 tip Have Fun!
I always look for dead trees when setting up camp, but mainly because they are the best firewood.
I'm an experienced hiker, working my way up to start backpacking. I always carry my backpack which holds up to 18L of water for any hike, I've gotten to the point if I am familiar with the trail I fill up the water bladder with how much water I believe I will need and will even pack a water bottle or two extra just in case. I always make sure to leave a case of water in my vehicle as well for when I return. I carry electrolyte tablets and powder with me especially if it's a hotter day. I never thought about looking out for dead trees as I also have a hammock that I lay out in to rest up sometimes, so I will need to keep that in mind for future reference! It does suck that the SOS Satellite Devices are always pricier, I'm currently saving up for one since I hike alone most days and you never know if you'll run into trouble or get hurt.
THANKS, especially 4 your honesty. very helpful.
I always bring extra water, hydrolytes, and food.... but as an Aussie, it's almost always hot when I've gone hiking or done field work so it's important to ensure you have plenty to hand
Suggest: Carry more food and water than you need, and add some river stones to your pack. It will help buff you out for when you want to do something more challenging.
The almonds at the end got me! I've been backpacking for over 15 years and I still bring cliff bars every single time even though I think I ate maybe 5 in total in those 15 years.
They’re great for breakfast.
I have tried cliff bars a number of times and just cannot stand trying to choke those nasty things down…lol. I stick with nuts and dried fruits. And yes… a liter of water with electrolytes every day on every trip.
Unfortunately i broke my ankle recently so i havent been able to hike so i got bored and started dehydrating meals myself and its actually pretty fun and i can def make better food than you can buy, id recommend more folks getting into making hiking meals at home
GPS w/SOS, hope you have battery power and a signal. Map and compass, with common sense works well if you know how to use all three.
A good diet plan will have the needed electrolytes in the food. We had guys eat an MRE when they ‘over drank water’ and that often did the trick. For folks that were getting dehydrated, did have powdered Gatorade to add to their canteen. If they couldn’t drink it, they got the IV normal saline or lactated ringers.
Dehydrate your own meals. Use a vacuum sealer to make your own portion-sized meals. Saves money and you get the food / menu you really like, in the portion size you want
Friends and I started hiking & camping on our own before 10 years old, in the 1960's.
No GPS or cellphones. A day or so of food for week+ excursions. Fishing pole and 22lr rifle for food. No water filters or boiling water.
Bedroll. Bushcraft shelter if it rained.
No wonder Amerixa is so weak now.
By the way, if you live in Hurricane Country (south Louisiana here) then having a variety of rehydratable meals in your go bag is an excellent idea. You might get stuck car camping for a while, or stuck at home without power (we had no power for ten days after Ida.) You can try a dehydrated meal out now and then, rate it, keep track until you're ready to get your go bag ready for the next storm season, and stock up. There is only so much canned tuna, peanut butter, and jerky one can eat before some rehydrated Pad Thai or Lasagna sounds goooooood.
If you have a newer iPhone, I think 14+, there is an SOS feature built in. Last weekend I was up in the Colorado Mountains at 9,200ft and my truck got stuck. My phone said, SOS, where the 5G usually is. What I've learned since then is that when you don't have cell or WiFi service your iPhone uses a satellite network for communication.
Not saying it's a good replacement for a dedicated SOS radio but it's a good backup or better than nothing.
loving the dehydrated meals rant
It's good practice to always look around your campsite or the place you took your pack off for a break to make sure you don't leave anything behind.
In the boy scouts, after tearing down our camp site, the entire troop would form a line with our arms stretched out to either side as far as we could reach until our fingertips touched the other person's on either side of us, then walk forward to do a sweep of the campsite and pick up any trash or litter we found, as well as pick up any items we may have dropped and overlooked. We'd do something a bit similar on trails where we stopped to take a break too, but not as intense. It would be to line up along the trail and search our immediate arm's length radius both on and to the sides of the trail. It was rare for any scout in our troop to lose something on a hike or at our campsite.
Dialing in the amount of water and food to carry is tough and going to be dependent on your individual needs and the terrain.
The worst mistake I’ve ever made on trail was not bringing my camp chair.
Legit the only "luxury" thing that needs to be brought. I usually use a hammock so I have a chair with that, but nothing is better than doing some alpine fishing and putting your feet up and chilling out to the max.
Oh man, that really dates you brother. I remember the days when a rock or log or even the ground was fine, but those days are long gone. My camping chair goes in my pack first, then everything else less necessary goes in after that.
One time I forgot my house
I just put my foam sleeping pad up against a rock or tree and have a nice place to sit
@@Drew.Joseph, That’s funny man. I’ve actually seen people bring way too much crap on a camping trip. They might as well just stayed at home. In one case I remember a camper was CHASED back home.
I’ve been camping with my father since I was a little kid in the 60’s. All we ever brought was an old Army tent, sleeping bags, an axe, a couple knives, a flashlight, fishing gear, a zippo lighter and a cast iron skillet. We could survive on that stuff forever it seemed.
I remember going up to the Indian reservation for Easter weekend with dad to watch the ice break on the Wolf River. I was so young, maybe 6 years old, I only remember little flashes of the trip but my dad filled me in on what actually happened after I got old enough to understand.
My father was old Army buddies with the chief of the tribe and we were the only white people allowed on the reservation to camp there. It wasn’t really a “campground” but just a spot along the river to pitch a tent and fish in the deep woods of Northern Wisconsin.
My mom and sister wouldn’t go camping with us since it was always just roughing it with zero amenities. I loved it though.
I remember the ice cracking right on schedule that weekend and a huge chunk of ice taking out the log me and dad were standing on earlier that day. I remember the guy in the Winnebago parking not far from us and my dad telling me to wait in our camp as he went for “help”.
I knew by the frown on my dad’s face that this guy was in some kind of trouble so I waited as my dad struck off down the trail.
Meanwhile, I watched the Winnebago guy hanging up oriental lanterns and firing up a generator. Then the glow of a tiny black and white television set. I’d never seen such a thing in the woods.
My father returned to camp and sat down. I asked, “What’s going on dad?” He smiled, “Cane has this under control, son.”
(Cane was the Indian chief) Dad was watching intently at the Winnebago guy who was oblivious to what was going down. I kept my young eyes glued on what my dad was watching. A few minutes later, “BOOM!” The little TV set exploded and went black. My dad started laughing as the Winnebago guy shut down his generator, packed everything up in a panic and drove away. Cane walked nonchalantly into our camp carrying a rifle and sat down. “Wonder why he left in such a hurry?” He and my dad laughed, and I didn’t understand what had happened really, but whatever it was, it was a good thing. My father told me later.
I’m sure you’ve figured out that Cane shot out the Winnebago guy’s TV to chase the trespassing white man off his reservation. Those were the days when nobody called the cops and if they did, the cops would just laugh and tell him to kick rocks.
Now I’m 60 years old and my dad’s long gone, but I still camp the same way. I’d never even consider bringing a generator or a TV even though that’s allowed now, and I wish these people understood how irritating that is and how that’s not camping.
The widowmaker thing is scary. Lots of dead trees along the Appalachian mtn range.
Yup, I get so paranoid about it. There's been a few times where I setup my tent, and then ended up moving it to a different spot because I saw a dead tree within striking distance.
Just keep dialing down, takes time!! I went from bringing enough for a buffet to having an extra days worth.......getting better😊🎉
Sugar in electrolytes is GOOD if you're exercising, it gives you energy.
Sup kyle!? Dude their are sooo man more "missing hiker" stories that i would to see you cover! I need them like a drug lol
There's more coming
No matter where you hike, be certain to check the WATER REPORT for your locality. Even if you’ve hiked there before; conditions change. I have definitely been caught short on H2O because of two of three known water sources were dry. I was lucky enough to be able to get a little water from a stranger on trail. Thankfully, this was a well-traveled trail in Yosemite, otherwise it could have been disastrous.💦🌿
Good info! I'll keep this in mind as I get more into hiking! Thanks, man!
Hopefully it helps! thanks for watching
Skimp on food if you like - running out is unpleasant but not fatal. But always carry some spare water. There's so much that can go wrong - injury, illness, dry water sources... In a desert lack of water can kill you within a couple of days, and even a few hours can be damn unpleasant (don't ask me how I know...).
Very accurate and good list of hiking tips !! Thanks for posting !!
Mountain House Chili Mac provides a comfort that can really lift your spirits when out in the woods on a cold, damp, Autumn night after walking 15 miles but then again so can warm gravy.
You are knocking the good content out
I’m designing a camp chair with a built in SOS button. I’ll send you one.
Dude, if you're customizing, I'd like the one with the built-in massage thingie, sun roof, arm rest coffee warmer (hate it when my camp coffee goes all cold and icky)... oh, and the RPG launcher for the grizzlies and other small nuisances...
LOL!
Beer cooler? A chilled, tasty beverage which can conceal your cache from a snooping ranger or bogarting backpacking stranger (ie: “Would you care for some bourbon from my flask” and they bogart half of your flask. Thank You is optional). Anyhow, follow me for more ideas. Just kidding! I have ideas… Occasionally they’re almost lucid. Please don’t follow me… I’m lost.
Good advice,the new iPhone 14 series has SOS satellite built in and I’d imagine every generation will from now on…. I’d forgot about this feature, but checked after you reminded me and it’s there. Nice I spend lots of time in the bush.
Backpacker meals cost so much i could almost eat at a restaurant for that price. Happy i got myself a good dehydrator so i can make my own backpacker meals. I almost never go on anything longer than an overnighter, and then i dont mind carrying some fresh meat, but having access to precut dehydrated vegetables is very convenient for making dinner that taste like proper home made meals. Gonna try with meat soon, and start preparing bigger batches of different types of backpacker meals.
I almost never go on anything longer than an overnighter though, so for me its totally reasonable to bring fresh meat. For 1 or 2 days longer, id be ok eating vegetarian foods, and just bring some whey proteins mixed with carbs to make sure i get enough proteins for fast recovery.
I almost always have protein shake with half a serving of carbs (helps with protein uptake) for breakfast when im at home, and take a few key quality supplements. Mainly zink, vitamin B, and magnesium. Zink and L-Tyrosine (amino acid - which i get from the protein shake) is used for making dopamine (anti depressant basically), which is in turn used to produce my favorite neurotransmitter; noradrenaline (mental focus) 🤘
I have eaten so many different MREs from different countries, and whilst some of them have been absolutely horrendeous, the Mountain House chicken-something, and mac'n'cheese were so God damn awfull that they still give me the chills - NEVER again I'm going to put that allmost-like-food resembling mass in my mouth.
i was on a trail the other day and heard some hikers say...Don't be a Kyle
wise advice
How good does a cheeseburger taste after hiking for several days! Omg. Also, if you’re looking for a good bladder for mainly a cooking water source. Drink you a box wine and use that bladder. It lasts for several days and seems to be very strong. I’m not a avid hiker but was trained for 6 months. I learned a lot. Especially window makers lmao😅
I'm finally gonna try the LMNT Kyle sample pack
yes thank you!
What about running out of Toilet paper? Who counts the sheets?
I set camp on the AT one night in Pennsylvania, and a fellow thru hiker set his hammock up on a dead tree. It came crashing down when he got in and was *this close* to crushing him AND the surrounding tents. Luckily, everyone was okay, but he passed away 2 days later due to an unrelated incident. Yall be careful in them woods! Widowmakers are everywhere!
Hope yall dig the edit! Peace :)
Damn, that guy must've angered the gods
@@l.u.c.a.s.There's only one.
@@Kristenm28 😒
Water is rarely an issue hiking in Scotland 🌧
Have you really considered just taking a bag of trail mix? A mixed variety of nuts, seeds, even dark chocolate and raisins for sweetness. They're a great way to get calories and have healthy fats, and it tastes great, not just almonds. You can mix your own to whatever you like. I like the textures and flavors :P
Thanks Kyle. Good luck hitting your next TH-cam viewership goal.
I used to like canned kippered herring when I camped. The smoked flavor and a cup of Earl Grey would get me hike-motivated in the AM.
In retrospect: Not such a great idea in Bear Country. But my companions were impressed that it contained about 3/4 of my daily protein requirement :D
I normally bring pre-cooked pork, rice, and some vegetables that I prepared. It would normally lasts me a day when I set camp. I also bring noodles and eggs.
Snacks would be peanuts, dates and dark chocolates. I like cooking outdoors. This August I am planning to cook spaghetti on my way to Lake Holon with my buddy.
I don’t hike anymore,but gps devices were not available.
We didn’t go on any long hikes, only two or three nights at a time. We hiked the Enchantment basin out of Leavenworth before permits were required, and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area and quite often were the only people around.
All in the PNW of course
when it comes to meals, i don't know why so many campers don't make their own. no judgement but i don't get it.
salted peanuts. electrolytes! energy per gram is high! fibre!
basmati rice. carbs! protein! fibre! the best and easiest carb/protein/fibre combo in the most compact carry. 20 minutes and yum.
olive oil. very high energy to weight ratio. add it to your rice. salt, pepper, maybe some dehydrated veg...
dehydrated cooked sausage. electrolytes! flavour! pork fat energy! no need to cook it on trail but it's perfect in that basmati rice and 20ml of olive oil.
dehydrated apples. fibre! cut up apples, shake in a bag with a little sugar and cinnamon... son of a...
all these items are so easy to prepare before departure. probably 1/3 the cost. definitely a much better choice for your health. taste is in your control.
in 20 years of backpacking/canoeing i've never bought or brought a packaged meal.
one time i was kayaking to an island and i brought too much food, but not enough WATER! It was a hot summer and i was kayaking 5 miles! I ran out of water when i got to the island and realized i was gonna need more for the trip back. Luckily i had a survivor water filter and was able to just take some pond water and refill all of my water bottles with it otherwise i would have dehydrated quickly. You can live longer without food than without water. Especially in hot environments. Bring extra water on hot days and something to filter or clean water safe enough to drink.
All the weight the gram-weenies save is probably enough to offset water and extra food. Especially if you or your hiking partner gets sick or injured or there's some other reason you need to stay in one place longer than you expected.
I personally would opt for the Spot X. Doesn’t require cell for messages and has a keyboard. Yes it’s heavy but it’s much cheaper and is just about as well with coverage
Spot uses Globalstar. Global coverage is not nearly as good or reliable as Iridium. No coverage in the Pacific ocean.
@@gregsantos9392 I have read you are correct about limited coverage, but I will never be setting foot in the Pacific Ocean, nor foreign countries or the extreme north of Canada, only because of my socioeconomic and location being lower 48. That being said I am more turned on by the garmin inreach mini or mini 2 than when I made this comment, but I’m months away from purchase. I also have the iPhone 14….
Some years ago I discovered I had developed inflammatory disease. For decades, I didn't know what it was. It had been developing my whole life, so I thought it was just normal. Turns out it isn't normal, it's the result of carbohydrates which are the staple of a normal agricultural diet. Inflammatory disease can present in various ways, depending on our personal physiology it attacks various different symptoms. It may present as IBS, heart disease, respiratory disease, allergies, diabetes, dementia, lupus, Parkinson etc. I had a lot of respiratory symptoms, IBS, upper digestive bloating pain sciatica etc. It got so bad I could hardly eat anything, could not maintain weight, lost over 20 kg in 6 months & though I was going to die in my 50s. In desperation, I went on an elimination diet, which consistently identified any king of carbohydrate as the cause. However there are only 2 sources of energy for humans, carbohydrate or fats. So, even though we have all been taught the evils of a high fat diet all out lives, carbohydrate was clearly killing me. So despite what I thought I knew my only option to survive a little longer was for switch to animal fats for energy. Well my inflammatory disease gradually disappeared entirely. Now at 67, I am trim fit, active and have zero inflammatory pain. Hiking again, I take meat based foods. No carbs & hardly any vegetation based foods at all. I'm practically a carnivore now. Of particular note is pemmican which I prepare at home. By weight, it's basically a 50% dried meat ground up to a powder & 50% tallow or dripping with a little salt & spices to taste. Pemmican has a heap of energy & does not require refrigeration. If it is made without the salt or spices, it can last for years without refrigeration, as long as it remains dry. This is basically what hunting peoples such as native Americans have used as their staple long term preserved food stores for thousands of years. It is how they were able to fuel their bodies for endurance hunting (running down game till it collapsed form heat exhaustion). Turns out we have been lied too about diet for many decades, there is no clinical basis in favor of the modern carbohydrate rich diet, it is the primary cause of inflammatory as we age, including heart disease. ALL Carbs are converted to sugars for absorption through the gut wall. This causes blood sugar to spike which triggers an insulation reaction that cause the excess sugars to be converted into fats and laid down as body fat, arterial plaque etc. The only other source of dietary energy is fats which are converted to ketones for absorption through the gut wall into the blood stream. Excess ketones are simply excreted through urine & are not known to be retained in any form in the body. There appears to be no known detriment to human health from ketones unless the individual has clinical keto-acidosis which is a rare disease well beyond that which can result from diet alone.
Basically I am saying this because the normal dehydrated carbohydrate rich diet of hikers is so devastating for human health. I found out the hard way, so I give your warning in hopes that you don't have to go through that. It's so against the normal advice we have all been given for decades that I expect it will mostly fall on deaf ears, but I say it anyway in hopes that some, even one person might avoid what I went through or worse.
Wow Kyle has the best advice!! I have a big crush
Been carrying a PLB since circa 2012. It’s relatively heavy but cheaper than a Garmin and no subscription.
Great video! I just went to Yosemite with my son and forgot my Garmin. I totally regretted it. We didn't need it, but it's nice to have the peace of mind.
It is not just dead trees that you must look for. Also, look for dead or diseased limbs in the trees. Many of those limbs are large enough to easily kill a person, especially in old growth forests within parks.
Good list - and it shows the changes in improving what is around. I will state though that I still wear a woolen jumper instead of a fleece. A good Aran pattern - thick , wickable, flexible and breathable. Not purchased but one that I have made myself.
Thank you for sharing
Some great tips here. Have you seen the gear skeptic's nutrition videos? His videos were a huge help for packing food. Takes more prep, but keeps the weight down.
I’m thinking some of your “mistakes” are geared more for long thru hikes vs hitting the trail for 3-4 days. I can agree with just about everything you stated - except being totally onboard with the freeze dried meals. Over long distances, I found the freeze dried meals to be a good augmentation to my pack for weight reasons. However, on those long weekend getaways - I’d rather punt a hamster in front of a pet store for extra points, instead of putting one of those meals in my head. TMI? Nah… I’d never punt a hamster. Guinea Pig? Stand back, I’m going full send… On those short trip adventures with friends, getting creative with food preparation has been a fun alternative to being absolutely hungry and having a “Snickers Moment” at mealtime. Or… It might been thanking one’s creator while sitting in a compost pit toilet, rationing toilet paper, pondering foliage and singing the praises of the Eagle Scout who meticulously planned out this structure and whose plaque now adorns the door to your post Mountain House culinary delight moment. I would like to say that I own such a t-shirt, inscribed with “No $hit, there I was…”, but I’m afraid it might get lost in the translation like a gerbil at a karaoke Cher celebration gala - post encore. Suffice it to say, I am not a foodie, but I prefer to eat better and enjoy myself more. I’ll happily trade the weight in order to do so on shorter treks. Kyle, thanks for all you do on your channel - not mention the opportunity for my little rant. Safe hiking… 🎉 C
Can’t remember which trail, but they discovered a camp of some one that had a medical thing 3 years after they went missing. They did find a note .. um but another person was found shortly found after their passing, they pitched right of trail like 5 miles from a official stop .. their passing is still odd and they had a large sum of cash
I have not gotten my GPS device yet but I got the IPhone 14 which has SOS and I have not yet gone on any LONG hikes. I will likely add the device before hiking season this fall