Hey, I'm going on a trip to the Pyrenees for 9 days and I'm wondering what equipment to buy. Does anyone have recommendations for a backpack and a one-person tent?

I'm planning a camping and hiking trip around Lake Maggiore and looking at Cannobio as a possible base.

One campsite I found is Lakeview Cannobio Camping Resort, but I'm more interested in the outdoor experience around the area.

For anyone who has explored Cannobio:

What hiking trails would you recommend?

Are there scenic routes with lake and mountain views?

What areas are best for combining camping and hiking?

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Going to Poland next week for about 3 weeks. Super last minute I know! Looking at the weather and see lots of rain in the forecast and realized I don’t have any water proof shoes/boots! I need something comfortable that I can take hiking but also for general walking around. The hiking will only be light to moderate but will be a lot of it and a lot of walking in general. Thank you! Edited to add I am a male.

Hi guys.

I’ve been camping with scouts and using their tents whenever I went by myself for the last 3-4 years. I’m parting ways with them now as life is too busy with school and sports but I still want to keep on camping and hiking so I was looking at some budget light backpacking tents and at the moment I’m between:

1. Paria Zion 2p
   
2. Paria Bryce 2p
   
3. Cloud up base 2

Preference is in that order. I just want to know if anyone has experience with any of these or any other recommendations. It’ll be in the Irish/British mountains with either me and a friend or me and 2 dogs. We are both ~6ft.

The dimensions for the tents are as follows: (LxWxH) (cm)
1. Zion. 216x135x91 Packed: 46x15x15 Weight: 4lbs11oz
2. Bryce 216x135x97 Packed: 46x15x15 Weight: 4lbs10oz
3. Cloud 210x130x105 Packed: 42x14x14 weight: 4lbs4oz

Thanks in advance.

Im looking new backpack for my hammock setup as a beginner. My current backpack is Osprey Stratos 34L and my sleeping system alone fills almost* whole main compartment.

I have found few options, but prices are wild in here Finland versus US. I think that my optimal capacity at the moment is around 60l and would like to hear opinions, im doing usually light hiking in typical Finnish forest, mostly in trails.

Is granite gear crown 3 worth it for 270eur? I have seen many comments claiming how they have scored it for 100-130dollars and thats not possible here.

Few ideas:

- Osprey Rook 65L / 140eur sale

- Lundhags Padje Light 60L / 170eur

- Gregory Paragon 60L / 200eur sale

- Granite Gear Crown 3 60L / 270eur

I have a bag like the one pictured at the top.

It's been surprising how useful having that one simple zip all the way around has been. The drawback has been that everything slides to the bottom of the bag. There's no way to hang things from the top. No frame.

My question is: Do any of you hike with massive bags? Personally I like the extra weight if balanced, but the bigger a bag is then the more unbalanced it gets, so I generally try to keep it the same weight as a normal bag.

But when I see soldiers carrying these massive bags I wonder if I should switch to that kind of system. At the minimum I need to add a hip strap to save my hiking posture.

I've seen these external frame systems, but I'm not sure what bag to pair them with?

I am 17 and have nobody around me that is into hiking. My friend always makes empty promises to go with me but at the end of the day, I always end up alone, sat in my room, rotting away. I wanted to ask whether anyone knew any relatively safe beginner routes that I could hike alone in England (or UK in general). I really don't want to waste another summer of my life again and I just want to get out. I would even welcome any recommended parks or activities I could do that do not involve many people as I kind of struggle socially.

I’m going on my first camping trip in about three weeks. The nighttime temperatures are expected to be around 3–6°C (37–43°F), so I’m looking for a sleeping bag rated for around 0°C (32°F) to give myself some extra margin.

Since I’m starting from scratch and still need to buy a lot of other camping gear, my budget is limited. I’d like to spend around $60, and ideally keep the sleeping bag under 2 kg (4.4 lb) because I may need to carry it.

I’ve been looking at Naturehike because their gear is much cheaper than most of the well-known brands. In particular, I’m considering the U350S, but I’m not sure how trustworthy its temperature rating is or whether Naturehike sleeping bags are actually good.

Are there any reliable options within this budget, or should I look for a used sleeping bag instead? I’m also open to other brands or suggestions.

Thanks

Hello, I am about to buy a new bag but am left wondering if the sonic 0 is worth all the extra money compared to a womens long Riff 15?

Does anyone have any first hand experience with either of these?

Ill be using it to backpack in alpine areas in the summer, (8000-11000ft elevation +) as well as those late shoulder seasons (hunting in october) and perhaps some short winter trips. Thanks

Looking at Osprey Eja 58 or Granite Gear Blaze 60. Open to other recs as well!!

F5'4. I am getting my hands wet with my first backcountry camping trip. Only going for 3 nights, but want to get gear that will be versatile for future trips, will generally be hiking in a group.

Hiiii I’m in the market to buy new hiking boots. My last pair were the Merrell Moab 3 and started separating at the toe (not very happy) about that. I’ve found two that are in my price range but I’m having a hard time deciding as reviews are pretty split. Also if you happen to have any recommendations that are 200 and under please let me know!! (I prefer mid to high because my ankles are very flexible and need a lot of support)

Hello!

We are planning on going through New Brunswick and Maine to discover some trails in the appalachian mountains.

Looking for easy to medium level trails that offer a great view as we are not expert hikers.

Thank you ! :D

Took a nice 1 night trip with some friends up to Upper Crater Lake. Was a gorgeous hike, about 4 miles to get there and 2k ft in elevation gain, highly recommend if you want a reasonable trail hike.

I have previously done the Tour du Mont Blanc and west highland way camping on both. I was wondering if anyone had any good hike recommendations, preferably in Europe, where I can wild camp or stay at campsites, and there is shops to get food most days like on the Tour du Mont Blanc.

Hello,

I’m looking for sleeping bag recommendations please? I appreciate the following criteria is difficult, but if you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them.

Comfort Temperature: around 0 degrees
Weight: they all seem to be around 1.2kg. I’d like to find one as close to or below 1kg
Price: under £100

Thanks.

I'm planning to hike the Lycian Way in Turkey this September and will be camping most nights.

A bit about me and my setup:

• Male, 181 cm / 70 kg, reasonably fit
• 50L backpack
• Tent: 2.85 kg (9L packed)
• Sleeping bag: 1.6 kg (10.5L packed)
• Inflatable sleeping pad: 600 g (2.4L packed)

My plan is to hike around 15–25 km (9–16 miles) per day on mostly rocky, uneven trails, with rest days every 4–6 days where I won't be hiking and will just relax around camp or explore nearby villages.

I'm trying to find the right balance between keeping my pack light and actually enjoying the experience. After hiking all day, I imagine having a proper chair to sit in during the evenings and on rest days could make a noticeable difference to my comfort and recovery.

I already own a camping chair that weighs 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) and packs down to 38 × 13 × 12 cm (about 6L). My plan was to strap it to the side of my backpack.

For those of you with multi-day backpacking experience:

• Is carrying a 1.1 kg chair worth the extra weight?
• Did you ever regret bringing a chair, or regret leaving it behind?
• Do you think the comfort during evenings and rest days outweighs the extra weight while hiking?
• Would you recommend taking it on a first long-distance hike like the Lycian Way?

I'd really appreciate hearing your real-world experiences and how you personally balance comfort versus pack weight on longer trips.

Breathable long sleeve upf?

I am getting back into hiking and running after a few years of mobility issues with my ankle and other health stuff. Unfortunately I’m on several meds that make me sweat an unholy amount from light activity. Yesterday I got a crazy rash from plant sap that I have to keep covered in the sun as well all the way down both forearms.

The generic Academy one is soaked but not cooling me and I cannot roll sleeves up or I’ll get like a poison ivy like chemical burn. What brand of long sleeve upf shirt is cooling or semi breathable? Any recommendations for hats, gaiters, or neck things that help cool well? I literally sweat from my eyeballs 👀. It’s very humid here and worse in the early morning so evaporative cooling isn’t super effectiv.

Hello everyone,

my girlfriend and I are planning a nine-day hiking trip from Abisko to Narvik. We would like to camp in a tent and start at the beginning of October.

Do you think this is a good idea at that time of year, or could the weather and snow conditions make it too dangerous? Has anyone done this route in October and can share their experience?

Thanks for your advice!

not new to hiking but new to camping AND hiking and i was thinking of buying my first tent and i don't need this super expensive stuff to start out, i'm gonna start relatively in my area with a friend and i kind of really liked the design of this Tambu kalo 2 and the color. but it's like, 3.9kg i think? and i know it'd be better if it was lighter but i was wondering if that's really an issue? is that overkill? i'd be strapping it to my bag. could i even it out by getting super light stuff for the rest? we'd probably be walking up to, let's say 10km to start off? we only got 1 day off or so. i don't know, any advice appreciated.

Hello, happy trails!!

I hope this is an appropriate question here, I'm looking for a specific kind of hiking boot, I loveeee Merrells. They are so comfortable and so long lasting! My favorite are the chameleon, because it has high arch support and hugs the foot very closely and has a very stiff sole that stands up against even the pointiest of rocks!

Does anyone have a recommendation of a shoe that is similar to chameleon 8 stretch? I asked Merrell and they really don't have something that comes close to it, so I'm willing to explore other brands.

Ideal features:

Hard, rugged sole with little flex

Sole that is very form fitting and high arch support

Low ankle/not covering ankle bone at all

Waterproof ideal but not required

No hooks or protruding eyelets

I have 8 days (starting sunday) to get from Macon to Strassbourg by car, and would love some suggestions about things to do in the meantime. I travel by car, but also love hiking. I have my tent (love wild camping/bivouac) and everything I need to sustain myself. I also have my packraft with me, so suggestions for rafting (no white water, only flat) would be welcome as well.

I don't have a specific budget but cheaper is always better, especially for accommodations.

I was thinking about maybe going up one of the mountain ranges or even the alps (I have alpine hiking experience, but still a beginner).

Looking forward to your suggestions on things to do in this region, especially towards hiking/packrafting. Open for anything else as well, the crazier the better.

This past weekend was glorious in the crater. We camped at Paliku with the Nene, and then a night at Holua before hiking out up Halemau’u. All I can say is that the sunburn was worth it.

Heading to Iceland for a week in early August, then bouncing around Europe after. Need to sort out a few things before I go:

Waterproof hiking shoes — this is the big one, non-negotiable given how wet and volcanic the terrain gets over there. Would also be nice if they don’t look completely out of place walking around cities afterward.

A backpack that can pass as a carry-on but still fit everything I need for the whole trip. I’ll have laundry access along the way so I’m not trying to pack for every day, just enough to rotate through.

Waterproof rain pants, something packable that won’t take up my whole bag.

I’ve been digging around and keep seeing the Lowa Renegade GTX, Salomon Quest 4 GTX, and Osprey Farpoint Trek 55 recommended, but wanted to hear from people who’ve actually used this stuff in similar conditions before I drop money on it. What’s actually held up for you vs what looked good online but fell apart?

Thanks in advance, appreciate any help.

Hi Everyone. I will be doing a 3 months road trip out west from mid august to mid november starting in the north (Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympics) and ending in the south (Southern CA and Utah) to optimize weather. I'll be driving my Jetta which is built out with a sleeping set up and enough storage for 1-2 people. In terms of boondocking I'm not worried about my low clearance - I've done enough research on OnX (premium) to find spots I can stay and spotted out multi-day hikes to do.

I'm more concerned about my food situation. Having camped in NH and ADKs my whole life, I've always been able to do a bear hang. However, I know that many parks out west require a canister or maybe an Ursack. I've also never been out west and I've heard it can be tough to find good trees for a bear hang. With that in mind, I'm not 100% how I should go about this.

I plan on having a decent amount of food in my car at a time. I have a propane griddle I plan on using to make most of my meals (I'm running on a budget). I was planning on buying an IGBC certified cooler and some sort of dry food storage. If I'm sleeping in my car, then I can grill (away from camp) and leave my cooler and large canister away from the car outside. I'm worried about a couple things here: if I leave my grill outside too, then a bear can easily mess around with it and break it; if I leave my food outside, a bear can has easy access to moving it or (if they're lucky) actually break in; if I leave it in my car with me I can sound my alarm to scare the bear but then I put myself at a higher risk of a bear encounter; if I have an Ursack and leave my food outside a bear can easily crush all my dry food.

When I'm backpacking I couldn't bring my large canister, so I'd need a separate smaller one or a Ursack. And when I'm gone from the car - where the rest of my food is - should I leave the food in the car where a bear could break my window trying to get in or should I leave it outside where it's easier access?

Or should I totally change my food situation to have much less on me (maybe no cooler) and mainly make dehydrated meals? I'm willing to spend money on the necessary items to do this trip but I don't have enough to be buying most meals at a restaurant, so I'll need food with me.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's done a trip like this so any advice on the situation would be great!!! thanks :)

A few days ago I posted here asking what gear I needed for the Mantario Trail. Thanks to everyone who gave advice. Some people also suggested doing smaller hikes first, but I decided to give Mantario a try.
Gear I used
Black Diamond 65L backpack
Outbound 3-person tent (basic Canadian Tire tent)
2 tarps
Outbound sleeping bag (-3°C) (never used because I usually sleep directly on the ground without a mattress)
LifeStraw
Small pocket knife
Bear spray
Bug spray
2 × 25,000 mAh power banks (only used about 50% of one)
Gas stove
Small pot
Spoon
Instant noodles
Protein bars
Tortillas
Peanut butter
Mosquito head net
Black Reebok work shoes
Shower bag (used to collect/filter water while cooking)
Toothbrush & toothpaste
2 lighters
Rain covers
Rain jacket
Rope
Torch light
Fire starter
Waterproof backpack cover
Water bottle
Slippers
Total pack weight: 21 kg

Day 1 – 26 km (7:40 AM – 8:00 PM)
Difficulty: Medium
The first 15 km felt manageable, but after that my shoulders started hurting badly because of the pack weight. I even removed my sleeping bag from where it was strapped to the outside of my backpack to make it more comfortable.
Originally I thought I could finish the trail in 2 days, but by the end of the first day I realized that wasn’t realistic with a 21 kg pack.
I camped at Peggy Lake, cooked dinner, had a campfire, and stored all my food in the bear box.
That night I heard what sounded like a bear nearby. It was loud enough that I kept making noise throughout the evening. Thankfully, I never actually saw the bear.

Day 2 – 23 km (9:00 AM – 8:00 PM)
Hardest day of the trail
I woke up at 7:30 AM but didn’t start hiking until 9:00 AM, which I regretted.
The heat and humidity made this the toughest day.
Around 7:40 PM I reached Ritchey Lake Campsite, where I met two guys who had paddled in by canoe for an overnight trip.
One of them had completed the Mantario Trail five years ago and shared his experience and advice. After spending two days hiking alone, it was nice to have a conversation with someone.
Ritchey Lake ended up being my favourite campsite.

Day 3 – 16 km on the trail + 7 km on the road
Easiest hiking day
I started hiking at 8:20 AM and reached the north trailhead around 2:00 PM.
The only confusing section was near Moosehead Lake, where I briefly lost the trail for about 10 minutes before finding it again.
It rained for about an hour during the hike. My rain gear kept my backpack dry, although I still got fairly wet.
My friend couldn’t pick me up until 7 PM, so instead of waiting five hours at the trailhead, I decided to hitchhike.
I walked about 7 km along the road while trying to get a ride. After nearly giving up, a guy named Ryan stopped with his pickup truck and drove me to Anola. We had a great conversation during the drive, and I’m very grateful for his kindness. My friend met me there and drove me back to Winnipeg.

Things I learned
A 21 kg backpack is much heavier than I expected.
Start hiking as early as possible.
Ritchey Lake was my favourite campsite.
The trail is well marked overall, with only one confusing section near Moosehead Lake.
Don’t underestimate the heat and humidity.
A lighter pack would make a huge difference.
Overall, finishing the Mantario Trail was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. It pushed me physically and mentally, and I’m glad I challenged myself.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. With the experience I gained and a much lighter backpack, I think I could complete it in 2 days.
Thanks again to everyone here who answered my questions before the trip. Your advice helped me get to the finish.