c/backpacking-routes

Saw a guy on the Appalachian Trail last week with a 55 liter pack and a 42 liter pack strapped together

He told me he brings the smaller one for day hikes off the main route so he doesn't have to unpack everything. That sounds like a smart idea for exploring side trails, but carrying two packs seems like extra weight and hassle. What do you think, is it worth the setup or just overcomplicating things?

2 comments

the_jordan•4d ago

Old timer on the PCT told me I was carrying too much water

Met a guy near Kennedy Meadows. He said 4 liters is plenty if you camp near sources. I was hauling 7. Felt dumb. First thing I did was ditch the extra bottles. Next morning my pack felt way lighter. Anyone else get called out for overpacking water?

2 comments

benreed•4d ago

Unpopular opinion: designated backcountry campsites beat stealth camping

I always thought sticking to designated sites was just for people who like rules, but after a trip in the Sierra last fall where I pulled into a marked spot with a fire ring and bear box, it saved me an hour of setup and hassle. The next night I tried stealth camping off trail and woke up with pine needles in my tent and no clear morning route. Anyone else go from hating designated sites to actually preferring them?

2 comments

james_ramirez•6d ago

Just realized that expensive GPS device might be more trouble than it's worth

I dropped $450 on a high end GPS unit for a 5 day solo hike on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia last fall. It kept losing signal in dense forest and the battery died after 2 days, leaving me totally screwed with paper maps I barely knew how to read. But my buddy swears by his cheap $50 phone app that uses offline maps and he's never had an issue. What do you all think, is fancy gear actually safer or just a money pit?

2 comments

hugo_nelson•7d ago

Old hiker on the PCT told me I was carrying too much water.

I was near Kennedy Meadows, about 4 years ago, and this guy in his 60s just came up and pointed at my 6 liter carry. He said I was hauling an extra 12 pounds for no reason and that most people overestimate how much they need between springs. We talked for 20 minutes while I repacked, and he showed me his 2 liter setup with a Sawyer squeeze. I still bring 3 liters now instead of 6, and it saves my legs big time on long climbs. Has anyone else had a total stranger give them route advice that actually worked out?

2 comments

amyh21•8d ago

That moment on the JMT when my water filter broke near Muir Trail Ranch

I was about 8 miles past Muir Trail Ranch on the John Muir Trail last September when my Sawyer filter cracked. Didn't notice until I went to squeeze a bag and got a face full of unfiltered stream water instead. Had to hike back to the ranch and bum a filter off a southbound hiker for the rest of that section. Anyone else carry a backup filter or just risk it on long routes?

2 comments

abby_robinson58•8d ago

I hit 100 trail miles in a single week on the Pacific Crest

I was doing a section from Kennedy Meadows to Mammoth and crunched the numbers after 6 days. Averaged 16.7 miles a day and hit exactly 100.1 at the end. Has anyone else tracked a surprise milestone like that on a long stretch?

2 comments

beth878•11d ago

Used to always take the Pacific Crest Trail southbound, but I switched after mile 700.

I thought nobo was overhyped until I hit the Sierra in June and got snowed on for 3 days straight above 10,000 feet. Now I tell folks to check the snowpack reports before picking a direction. Has anyone else flipped routes mid-trip?

2 comments

rileyl98•12d ago

Why does nobody talk about how sketchy the water crossings get on the PCT in late June?

I was super skeptical last year when a guy at REI told me to pack extra dry bags and trekking poles specifically for the Sierra section around mile 800. I thought he was just trying to upsell me on gear I didn't need. But man, when I hit Evolution Creek around June 25th, the water was up to my thighs and moving fast. My buddy lost his balance without poles and got soaked up to his chest. That convinced me real quick that the melt-off is no joke and you can't just wing it with a map and good shoes. I saw so many people trying to cross barefoot or with just sticks and it looked dangerous. Has anyone else run into a crossing that was way worse than the guidebooks made it seem?

2 comments

james_torres•12d ago

Vent: Everyone says the JMT is overcrowded but nobody talks about why

I was at REI last week and overheard some guy telling his friend to skip the JMT because it's too busy now. He said it's all permits and crowds and not worth it anymore. But here's what I don't get - people act like the trail is ruined because other people exist on it. I did 80 miles of the Sierra section in August and yeah I saw maybe 30 people a day. But that's still way less than my morning commute or the grocery store line. The trail is fine. The real issue is people wanting wilderness to themselves without putting in the work to go deeper. Has anyone else noticed this attitude shift or am I just missing something?

2 comments

uma_nguyen24•15d ago

That moment I realized my pack weight was killing my knees on the PCT

Last summer I was about 200 miles into the PCT near Belden Town and my knees were just screaming. I had this 45 pound pack and thought I was being tough carrying all that extra gear. Then I met this older guy at a campsite who had a 28 pound base weight and he was cruising past me like it was nothing. He mentioned he ditched his camp chair and extra clothes after the first week. That got me thinking, am I carrying stuff just because I was scared to leave it behind? Now I'm torn between ultralight purists who say under 20 pounds is the only way and the comfort campers who bring full cook kits. What's your cutoff for pack weight before you start cutting stuff?

2 comments

nathan_hill60•16d ago

Vent: Got told my rain gear strategy was trash

Some guy on the JMT Facebook group called me out. Said my Frogg Toggs were a death wish above 10,000 feet. He was right. Got caught in a hail storm near Guitar Lake last summer. Now I carry a proper hardshell and leave the cheap poncho at home. Anyone else have their gear choices roasted online?

3 comments

the_olivia•17d ago

The AT through the Smokies is way overrated after what I saw at Clingmans Dome last October

I hiked a section of the AT through Great Smoky Mountains National Park last fall because everyone always says it's the best part. Got to Clingmans Dome on a Saturday and there were like 200 people at the summit. Tour buses, kids with iPads, a guy blasting music from a speaker. Felt more like a mall than a trail. I learned that popular sections mean crowds and that ruins the whole point for me. So now I stick to less known loops in national forests. Has anyone else abandoned a famous route after seeing how packed it gets?

2 comments

andrew778•19d ago

Tried the Mountain Loop Trail in Washington last weekend and got wrecked by the elevation

I've done plenty of backpacking in the Sierras, but this 18 mile loop near Granite Falls kicked my butt. The gain was listed as 3,200 feet, but my GPS said closer to 4,000. I ran out of water by mile 12 and had to filter from a creek. Has anyone else hit a trail that was way harder than the guidebooks said?

2 comments

emery_taylor•22d ago

Just realized I've been using my hiking poles wrong for like 3 years

Was watching some old guy shred past me on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and noticed he was planting his poles way further back than me. Has anyone else had a random stranger's technique totally change how they hike?

3 comments

victor_carr25•23d ago

Appreciation post: I was dead wrong about water filter pumps being outdated

I spent years swearing by my old gravity filter setup on the Pacific Crest Trail. Took 20 minutes to fill a bag, but I figured it was reliable. Last month on a loop in the Gila National Forest, my buddy let me try his Katadyn BeFree on a creek crossing. I filled my bottle in 10 seconds flat. No gravity, no waiting. I picked one up for $35 online after that trip. Anyone else held onto old gear way too long before trying something simpler?

2 comments

wade_perez•26d ago

The guy at REI swore the lighter tent would fall apart on the PCT

Back in 2021 I was getting ready for a 500 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail and this older employee at the REI in Portland kept telling me my 2 pound tent was too fragile for the rougher parts. He insisted I needed a 4 pound traditional tent. I went with my gut and took the light one anyway. Turns out that flimsy tent held up through wind, rain, and even a few nights near goats in the Sierra. Not a single tear or broken pole. I saved like 2 pounds on my back every day of the hike. Has anyone else had a gear store employee give you advice that was just plain outdated?

2 comments

hernandez.morgan•1mo ago

I finally stopped ignoring the map on the Tahoe Rim Trail

I always thought I could just follow the cairns and skip checking the map. Ended up taking a wrong turn near Marlette Lake that added 4 extra miles to my day. Took me almost 3 hours to figure out where I was and bushwhack back. Has anyone else spent way too long trusting trail markers over a simple map?

2 comments

jennifer_mitchell53•1mo ago

TIL those ultralight foam sleeping pads are actually worth the hype

I spent 4 nights on the Long Trail in Vermont last month with a cheap inflatable pad that sprung a leak on day 1, so I grabbed a $30 foam pad at a gear shop in Rutland and honestly slept better on that thin thing than I did on my mattress at home - anyone else been converted by the humble CCF pad?

2 comments

andrew778•1mo ago

Bought a $40 inflatable pillow for the PCT, regretted it by night two

I figured a cheap inflatable pillow would save space and weight on my pack. But it deflated around 2 AM both nights, woke up with my head on the ground. Ended up spending another $15 at a gas station for a foam one that actually works. Anyone else ditch the fancy ultralight gear for something more reliable?

3 comments

aaron708•1mo ago

Found a way to lighten my pack by 3 pounds without buying anything new

I was hauling a 45 pound pack on the Long Trail last spring and my shoulders were killing me... so I started looking at everything I carried. Turned out my cook kit had a backup fuel canister I never used and my first aid kit was full of expired stuff. I also dumped the plastic bags for my food and just repackaged everything into ziplocs. Simple changes but it shaved off 3 pounds easy. Anyone else find random weight in their gear they just never noticed?

2 comments

the_karen•1mo ago

Hot take: Most people marking water sources on trails are wrong

I hiked the Ozark Highlands Trail last spring and found 3 creeks labeled as “reliable” that were bone dry in May. I carry an extra 2 liters now because I stopped trusting the crowd-sourced maps after that trip. Has anyone else run into sketchy water markers out there?

2 comments

claire_butler1•1mo ago

Spent 4 hours on a 2 mile detour near Harper's Ferry

Thought I could save time by taking the C&O Canal towpath instead of the Appalachian Trail connector, but that detour cost me 4 hours of backtracking because a bridge was out at mile 62. I ended up hiking an extra 6 miles in the rain just to get back on the AT. Has anyone else found a reliable way to check trail conditions before heading out?

2 comments

tarajenkins•1mo ago

Overheard a guy at the REI in Boulder say something about switchbacks that totally changed how I plan routes

I was waiting for my buddy to grab some fuel canisters and this older hiker was telling someone that switchbacks aren't just for making climbs easier on your legs, they're designed to prevent erosion and keep trails from turning into giant mud slides. Never really thought about it that way before, I always just saw them as annoying zigzags. Now I'm actually paying attention to how trails are laid out, especially on the Colorado Trail near Breckenridge. Anyone else ever notice how some switchbacks are way steeper than others and wonder if the trail builders just gave up?

3 comments

luna_kim40•1mo ago

Why I picked the Continental Divide Trail over the PCT for my first long hike

Everyone in backpacking forums told me I was crazy to start with the CDT in New Mexico last year instead of the more popular PCT. But I wanted quieter trails and cheaper permits even if it meant tougher navigation. Has anyone else gone with an unpopular route and wound up happier for it?

3 comments