Gear + Reviews
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11 Gifts to buy this Black Friday for the thru-hiker in your life
Black Friday is HERE and it is one of the best opportunities for discounts on backpacking gear. I just finished my flip-flop thru-hike this last month (post summarizing those last few weeks are still to come) and here are some of my favorite items, and the Black Friday sales associated with them. 1. SOLE Shoe Inserts (25% off) I wrote about these time and time again. I went on a few backpacking trips before the AT and my feet were KILLING me. I got these inserts and wore them the entire time on the trail and they helped so much!! I also wore them in my ultramarathon after I completed…
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The VA Triple Crown: my sketchiest stunts, lowest moral, and a much needed family visit
Day #: 111 Total Miles Hiked: 1,501 mi. Miles Remaining: 696 mi. The Virginia Triple Crown The Virginia Triple crown is pretty famous on the AT. In fact, it holds one of the icons and most recognizable points along the entire Appalachian Trail, McAfee Knob. McAfee Knob is also the most popular hike in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Needless to say, I was excited to finally have reached it. Virginia’s Triple Crown has three main viewpoints: Tinker Cliffs, McAfee Knob and Dragon’s Tooth (from North to South), all between VA 652 and VA 620 (Trout Creek). Tinker Cliffs give hikers a stunning view for 0.2 miles as one hikes along Tinker…
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Thru Hiking on a Budget & Taking Advantage of Prime Day Deals!
Thru-hikers come from all different backgrounds. Not all of us need to hike on a budget, but if you’re interested, these are some tricks I’ve used while on the AT to save myself money. Originally posted on The Trek Saving Money on Trail Creative Ways To Use/Get More Money on Trail (please note that I am NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISOR) Take Advantage of Gear Sales, like Amazon Prime Day Coming Up! Speaking of budgeting, one great way to do so is to buy your gear when it is on sale! For many thru hikers, gear is probably the most expensive part of the entire cost of the trail, so I…
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The Best Electrolytes I’ve found for Backpacking
With Sugar Contrary to what you may think, you actually WANT SUGAR with your electrolytes. According to my doctor (who was the first person to tell me this), and a variety of websites like this one, or this one, the sugar helps your body absorb the electrolytes. So you are actually not helping yourself by taking sugar free electrolytes. You are exercising, you can afford the calories of the added sugar. That is one of the reasons why Liquid IV is such a good electrolyte powder. Another good option being DripDrop, which you can get with or without sugar. With Caffeine Nuun + caffeine. Personally I was not a huge…
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Backpacking Brands with Great Warranty’s
I’ve read plenty of articles talking about brands with great warranty’s, but I wanted to highlight brands that I have seen/used while backpacking which I have seen uphold their warranty’s. To me, I would rather buy a product from a brand I know will cover their gear, than one who will shrug me off when I contact them asking for help. Brands with Lifetime Warranty’s: Osprey “Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge“. I have personally seen Osprey uphold this warranty for their backpacks multiple times on the trail. Outdoor Research All Outdoor Research gear is backed by the OR’s Infinite Guarantee, which promises…
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15 Small Items That Make a Difference When Backpacking
When preparing for a backpacking trip, its easy to throw together the big items like your backpack, sleeping bag, tent, etc… but what about the tiny items? From my experience, these have just as much of an impact as the big ticket items. As I have hiked along, I have made a list of the “small” items I use while backpacking that I find useful, hopefully you find this list useful as well Garmin Products Tools Repair Equipment Cooking/Food Personal Items Honorable Mentions Ultralight Pillow – to me, this comfort item is worth carrying. Ultralight glasses case – go to the store and buy yourself a crystal light pitcher pack,…
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The Evolution of My Gear at the Half Way Point
If you ever want to hear a thru-hiker ramble on for an hour or two, just ask about their gear. Not to overexaggerate, because I’m not, but our gear is our life out here. We literally may live-or-die (okay that is a bit of an exaggeration) by our gear. Mainly though, what gear we choose will define how comfortable we are on the trail, and extreme discomfort can make or break our motivation to stay on and finish the trail. The main things I thought about when initially compiling my gear list were: quality, weight, cost, and quantity (not all are mutually exclusive, for example, higher quality tends to be…
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The step-tracking app all Hikers should have on their phone
This app plants a tree for every 10,000 steps you take! And we hikers take a lot of steps!
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What I Have Packed for the Appalachian Trail
This was originally posted on The Trek, here. Being that I had never thru-hiked before, I did not have a ton of ultralight gear prior to the AT. As I began purchasing equipment, I kept in mind that I wanted to strike a balance between sticking with items I already had if they would do the job an, if necessary, purchasing new things that fit the bill but didn’t break the bank. That being said… my bank still hurt when all was said and done… I break down my pack by The Big 4 (Pack + Shelter + Sleep system), Clothing + Footwear, Electronics, Kitchen, and other. You can find…
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Secret Canyon Trail: Backpacking Shakedown #3
This was originally posted on The Trek here. You know what they say… you can never have too many shakedowns!!! This time, I ventured into Cleveland National forest for a quick one day in, one day out hike specifically with the intention of testing (another) different backpack and my new HG quilt. Table Of Contents Gear Exchange Since Last Shakedown 🔄 New Gear Since Last Shakedown Post Shakedown Review of Gear Thermarest Cons Pro’s HG Premium Burrow 30° Quilt I wanted to test out my new sleeping systems ability, so I decided to try and push it. Rather than sleep in my long baselayers, I put on my shorts and…
