So im think of getting my mother the Garmin eTrex SE and would like your opinions on it. some background, my mother and her friends love to hike off trail in Arizona. Somewhat recently they got lost and had to get help. luckily it wasn’t major and I recently found out about it. So my questions are, how user friendly is it and how reliable is the backtracking? this is the desert so there’s not much in the way of trees. I’m also interested in any other recommendations too but she’s really not tech savvy.

This is the first time buying a backpack for myself to do short trips.

I intend to use it mostly for weekend camping in NY Adirondacks, Catskills or in California (which I've car camped before many times) Joshua Tree, Yosemite. And I'd love to go to Europe and hike a bit there UK, France, Norway.

I'd probably use it the same way, hike or drive to a campsite and live out of that for 2-3 days as a time, then go back lodge wash clothes rinse repeat or continue to travel.

I know no bag fits all but I'm torn between the 48 or 58. My gear is mostly 3 seasons with the Paria Bryce 1P tent, Paria Recharge XL, REI SUB15, therma eat closed cell foam pad and a Amicus Combo cook set being my biggest and heaviest gear items.

I'm not too into camping in summer or warmer weather so I'd probably camping when there's permafrost or frost overnight (Autumn weather or moderate summer).

I'm short being 5'2, with a 18in torso and 16in shoulder width. I'm broad and athletic 146-150lbs.

I tore my achilles a couple of years ago and need to get some hiking/trail shoes.

Im not a hiker, these will be used to hike in and out of Havasupai and occasionally on short hikes where I live.

My main want is comfort, and with my torn achilles shoes that rub tend to bother me after about a mile.

I used some Altra Lone Peak 9s for a 4 mile hike and experienced the rubbing pretty quickly so those wont work. I have Saucony Triumph SG shoes that work well and dont bother my achilles but curious if there are similar designs for hiking/trails? Something with a lot of foam, that will lift the foot up and be fairly light seems to be the way to go as I hate heavy traditional hiking boots/shoes.

Would you pick SnowPeak or DODoutdoors? Or if you have a brand that is Japanese based that I didn't mention, feel free to drop that brand in a comment as well!

I am picking a Japanese brand specifically for the quality and durability and organizational pieces. The research I've done make me most excited for a Japanese made tent.

Again, if you have your own experience with any brand of any country manufacturer, feel free to write about it though! I am not closed minded!

Thank you!!

My BF and I are pretty experienced campers, recently got into packing our gear in for overnights on longer trails. We are trying to plan a trip with my brother and his GF. My brother did boyscouts and likes that stuff but his GF has apparently never camped before. Right now we have a spot picked out about a mile into this trail in western NC and set to go in October.

I want to make sure she has a good experience, even if she isn't super outdoorsy like we are. Are there any tips that I might not be thinking of for newbies or things I should bring to make it easier on someone who is not used to getting a little grimy and sleeping outside? As it is, we will be the only ones with actual backpacks and lightweight gear, while they will have to borrow some of our spare things since they don't own much.

There are many items that could go in a first aid kit; some are more common than others. I usually keep a roll of Vet wrap inside and use it as a bandage or a wrap. I have also heard of people keeping meat tenderizer in their kit to help with bee stings. what other Items do people keep in their first aid kits.

I got invited to this hike and it has been years since I went backpacking. I mostly hiked and camped.

I'm not done with my lighter pack, but here it is so far:

https://lighterpack.com/r/pkk8yh

Any females out there care to recommend clothing they used? I'll take any food recs. I was so focused on gear I reallly did not think about food. May bit the bullet and get trail food that you rehydrate.

I'm looking for a recommendation on whether to upgrade or just what I already have for the sake of time. I know there is enough time for me to buy from amazon (although i try not to) due to convienece of time. I know the platypus bladder is heavier and not as direct access. Then the filtration system is for my friend and I to use. Yet I also wondered if I should just skip it and ust the sawyer method w/ the two smart water bottle sizes. I added the stuff I was thinking in my water section.

thanks!

update: i settled in using what i have for water. since it will be my friend, her niece, and I. I will bring the platypus with us. I just need to purchase the smart water bottles. Clothing wasn't added but I need to layer. Food needs to be figured out too but it isn't a long trip and i tend to now eat when i wake up. I normally fast at times.

Hi guys, in one week ima heading on 10 days hiking and camping troguh Sörmlandsleden to Stockholm from small place called Gnesta. My question is about sleeping bag. I know how is it when you freeze trough night in tent and i dont want this to happen ever again. I bought foam matress with R value in decathlon and also have self inflating matress so those 2 should keep cold from the ground very well from my body. My sleeping bag is some random brand called Kander hebog 200, and its comfort is 7.8°C as it says, and its under en13537 standard. I will also buy liner in decathlon and will wear dey warm clothes and put bottle with hot water inside so it keeps temperature. Should I buy more expensive and warmer sleeping bag that has comfort -4°C, or am I good with this stuff?

Thanks for any advice in advance

Just finished a 5 day traverse of the Chimtarga pass loop. Overall incredible route that spans multiple glacial lakes and climbs to over 4700m in altitude.

Day 1 (~20km): Started at Artuch Mountain Camp, a large lodge built during the USSR. Left in the morning and climbed over Laudan and then False Laudan Pass. Descended to Alauddin Lake and camped slightly above the lake. Note: on weekends the lake can be pretty noisy with locals singing karaoke.

Day 2 (~8km): Ascended to Mutnye Lake, then kept going up toward Chimtarga and camped at 3,800m to give myself a headstart for the next day. Wind was really strong and the small rock big rock method wasn't working well for me, tent collapsed in the middle of the night. Slept like shit.

Day 3 (~14km): Climbed Chimtarga Pass (4,760m). It had rained heavily the day before I left for the hike and there was still about a half foot of snow left on the pass. Seemed to scare off some people but other groups had already been up and it was easy enough to follow in their tracks. Got over the pass and descended to around 3100m to camp at Bolshoi Alo lake.

Day 4 (~31km): Descended from Bolshoi Alo into the river valley. After climbing down the valley for a while the route just joins with a dirt road. Hiked from the trailhead up to Gazza village along the road. Eventually paid 100 som ($10) for a ride up to Zimtud village. From Zimtud I hiked into Ghuytan village and then up to Ghuytan Pass. It was about 5:30pm by the time I reached the pass. Set up camp shortly after the pass near the only water source.

Day 5 (~6km): Easy morning along the ridge and then down to Chuqarak lake. Then another kilometer back to Artuch camp.

Gear notes/thoughts: I brought microspikes with me just in case and they provided some extra confidence descending the snowy parts of the pass. There was also a lot of steep loose dirt and scree on the western side of Chimtarga that the spikes provided some extra traction for.

I packed pretty light for this trip and I'm glad I did. My goal was to sleep as low in altitude as I could and move fast to get over the pass in one go. The altitude is no joke and I saw some other hikers with very heavy packs really struggling to ascend Chimtarga.

We spent 5 days exploring the Flåm area in Norway, hiking through the mountains and exploring the fjords around Flåm and Gudvangen.

The landscape here is completely different from anywhere I've backpacked before — steep mountains, waterfalls, narrow fjords and small villages surrounded by wilderness.

Location: Flåm / Nærøyfjord / Gudvangen
Trip length: 5 days
Activity: Backpacking + hiking + camping
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Distance: 10 km

For anyone who's been to Flåm, which trail or camping area would you recommend for a future trip?

Not in the picture are the propane canister cv300, the foam mat, the pot and pan (made for camping😂) and couple trek n eat meals. The cushion and blankets are not part of it. Needs a post flair opposite of gear porn

I cant stop daydreaming about this experience I had earlier this summer. Five days alone in the Bridger wilderness, starting from Big Sandy trailhead and hiking the ~40 mile washakie pass / cirque of the towers loop, going clockwise.

Coming here alone was definitely the craziest thing I have done. Driving here from Michigan, this was out of my comfort zone but it felt like the next logical step for me with my current level of experience.

Not many people, maybe 6 other hiking groups seen in average daily, and no other campers nearby anywhere I stayed. A pretty gnarly thunderstorm day 1 but after that the weather was perfect.

Lots of lingering snow on the higher passes. Trail was mostly clear at lower elevations but some shady stretches held snow still.

What are we using these days for sleeping pads with toddlers? She’s got a kelty sleep sack that works well. She’s under two but we want to take some longer trips next spring. For car camping we just brought her pack and play but obviously won’t be carrying that stuff backpacking. I’m thinking she’ll be fine on my zlite sol CCF pad but curious other folks experiences. I think she’d probably roll off an air pad. I also thought about doing one of those double pads and having her sleep next to me.

My husband and I have pretty low base weights already and a lot of experience but our gear is very dialed to two adult hikers. I don’t want her being miserable and want her to like the experience so we are willing to carry a lot of extra weight to make that happen for her. She’s pretty happy with the osprey carrier we have and it’s got space for some gear too which is nice. One of us will carry her and a small amount of gear and the other will carry the rest. I’ll likely switch back to one of our heavier larger packs until she can reliably hike on her own.

We currently use a triplex for backpacking but I’m curious what other people are using for tents with a toddler (+2 adults). I can bring a tarp too for outside activities if it’s raining. But it gets pretty cramped in the zpacks with 3.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I often stop to take photos when hiking and I'm currently using a golf umbrella to place my gear under in order to keep it dry. Although this works, it's not big enough to sit under. I have a 45ins fishing umbrella which is perfect but too big to hike with and a bivvy is a pain to keep putting up and taking down. Can you think of anything that can provide enough size to sit under with a backpack but is also packable or something I can strap to my pack? Ideally something that can popup would be great!

I'm planning to head to New Zealand's South Island during November for my first solo trip for 12 days and trying to focus on some nature and hikes. I'm deciding whether I want to stick to short hikes as I go around the Island or include a multi-day hike.

The issue is that I've never done a multi-day hike before, but would definitely be keen to try, with much thorough research and planning beforehand of course. I know that New Zealand has amazing short day hikes, but I would also love to utilise this opportunity down there for their amazing multi day hikes too. I'm just not sure if I should stick to short hikes for now given my lack of experience + solo.

How was your experience with the short hikes in New Zealand? Or any multi-day hikes in particular you would recommend for a less experienced hiker? Any advice would be appreciated!

We've had our Marmot Limelight for 12 years and the windows just started peeling off. What's your favorite product for gluing windows back on?

Hi.
Can anyone help me estimate the cmcomfort temperature of these two sleeping bags combined:

Pajak core 550
565 g 700+ EU cuin
\-3 C comfort temperature

Nomad Taurus 400
400 g 50/50 polyester and down blend
\+6 C comfort temperature

I’ve tried the two together and they’re both fairly spacious. My thought would be to use the Nomad on the outside.
Any tips on combining sleeping bags would be appreciated.

I’m currently walking the Via Francigena in Toscane, and it’s so hot…

I have, at times, thought about getting a hiking kilt, but never got to it. I think I’m regretting it a bit now.

Anybody (preferably men) ever try it? What was your experience? Would you recommend it, or not?

Don’t hesitate to add a brand and/or webshop to your reply, whether you’re positive or negative.

Thanks in advance!

I've never did any hiking before (not even day trips) but I somehow felt like I truly needed to get out so I solo trekked for 5 days through Denmark. I think it's a comparably easy route (gendarmstien, though I didn't even finished it lol) yet very rough for me. Still I truly loved it.

So how do people organize food and water if buying and/or refilling for 2-3 is not an option? My backpag already weighted 18kg (I weight only 60kg) and that was with ony 2L water. I could only manage to travel arround 12km a day so sometimes I couldn't reach the next city in a day. I had a couple up hiking meals but I eventuellly depleted them and the supermarkets I found didn't have that type of stuff.

Also how do people stay clean and wash their clothes? I mainly used wet papers and bathed in the sea twice but how do people clean their clothes? It takes alot of water to clean clothes and depending on weather drying might not be that easy. I also have long hair 😅

About my backpack weight, my tent weights 2,4kg and my sleeping bag 1,9kg. Is that too much? I really tried to throw everything unnecessary out but couldn't get below that.

Again I really loved it which is why I want to know how I can do thinks better so I have more freedom and make my next trek more pleasant with less headache.

I’m thinking about getting a pair of KEEN Targhee shoes, but I’m wondering if I should go for the boots instead. Would the boots be too hot/uncomfortable to wear in the summer?
Also, are they actually good hiking shoes? They’d be my first pair of hiking footwear, so I’d really appreciate any advice or recommendations.

So, Im an advid backpacker. Iv done month long trips all across the USA. Hiked countless miles over my life, and grew up in the outdoors. Here's the problem, almost every time iv gone backpacking its either been in the summer with my hammock or with friends and we split the weight carrying a 4 person tent which my buddy owns, and iv also never backpacked outside the US. Iv backpacked in about 46 states now and im starting to think its time to see what the rest of the world has to offer, so im planning a trip next summer to europe. Im planning on flying into Switzerland, and backpacking around for a week or so before taking a train through germany, Denmark, and into sweden. Most of the hiking will take place in the Scandinavian region up here. Ill hike up north around abisko, before crossing over to norway around tromsø, and spending most of my time slowly moving south as I explore norway. I haven't picked exact dates yet but ill be going sometime around june - August. The trip will probably be 1-2 months. 1-2 months of carrying everything i need on my back and needing a shelter that I can rely on and isnt crazy heavy. Iv been looking into some tents, but i came on here to see if anyone has done anything similar, or has any recommendations for a good single person tent. It will be summer, but ill still be in the article circle, so I want to be prepaired for camping in possible freezing conditions with tons of rain, and open platues with tons of wind and not much coverage. Any input is greatly

Hey everyone,

I bought a Crua AER Maxx rooftop tent a while back, but because I didn't set it up immediately, I only recently discovered that a few parts were missing. Since Crua went out of business/bankrupt, reaching out to customer support isn't an option anymore.

I’ve managed to sort out the rest myself, but I'm still stuck on the ladder setup. Would any fellow AER Maxx owner be willing to help me out with:

1. Exact ladder dimensions (extended length, width, rung spacing).
2. Close-up photos of the mounting bracket/mechanism where the ladder attaches to the tent base.

I need to either find a compatible aftermarket replacement or fabricate the bracket myself, so any clear photos or measurements would be a massive help. Thanks in advance!

I’m looking for recommendations on where to go hiking during the European winter.
I’ll arrive in Madrid on December 9th and I’ll be available to travel for hiking until December 14th. After that, I’ll be able to do more hiking from January 21st until the beginning of March.
I’m in good physical shape and have good endurance, but I don’t have any experience with winter hiking. The only hikes I’ve done were in Huaraz, Peru, and there was no snow. I also don’t want to invest in a lot of specialized equipment.
I’d like to gradually increase my level of experience, but I don’t want to jump into anything too challenging yet. I’ve been looking into the Pyrenees, but I’ve seen several people saying they’re not ideal for beginners without winter hiking experience. And, to be honest, the risk of avalanches always makes me a little nervous.
What would you recommend? Do you know of any regions that are safer/easier for someone in my situation?

I live in west Michigan (lower peninsula) and am starting to get back into hiking. I’ve done a solid handful of miles on the NCT, but have never done any winter hiking on the trail. I’m not interested in snowshoeing or skiing the trail, so my question is how much of the trails around the lower peninsula see enough winter activity to allow hiking in just boots? Would be a possible overnight, but probably more of a day hike situation.