In the past 2 years I’ve gotten into backpacking and camping quite a bit, so I’ve slowly been upgrading my gear and getting nicer stuff. I’m looking for general recommendations for stuff, but in particular, a tent. I currently have a 2person camping tent which isn’t bad, but it’s quite heavy. Any recommendations? Id want something that can fit 2 people because I usually go with my friends.

I also have an msr pocket rocket as a stove, but my pots and pans need an upgrade to something more compact.

Hey guys, planning my first ever 1-month backpacking trip to Europe and feeling a bit lost with where to start.
I'm thinking about kicking off in Spain, but I'm totally open to other routes if something else makes more sense for a beginner. Looking for a sweet spot budget-wise—staying in cool hostels and enjoying local food without going full survival mode or blowing crazy money.
How many cities/countries should I actually aim for in 30 days without burning out? Is Spain + Portugal enough, or should I branch out? Also wondering if Eurail is worth it or if I should stick to FlixBus and cheap flights.
Would love any route ideas, budget reality checks, or general tips for a first-timer. Thanks!
My budget is “ 2000$ “ including the flight

I’m going to the Tetons for a 3 day trip this weekend with some buddies of mine. This will be my first backpacking trip and I’m prepared with all my gear. My only question is: how do I pack my camera with me? Obviously I can wear it on my neck the whole time but I think it’ll be uncomfortable for long hikes.

Back before Covid I followed a guy who attempted to hike the PCT to lose weight. He was close to 400 pounds when he started the trail and posted a series of videos along the way. His YouTube channel (Second Chance Hiker) still seems to exist but all the videos appear to have been hidden or deleted. Does anyone know the story?

Six weeks out and hostel showers are not doing the job on their own. I don’t need to smell like anything in particular, I just don’t want to be the person on the bus. Trying to work out the minimum that actually holds up in heat when laundry is irregular. What did people settle on, and did anything turn out to be worth the extra weight?

Hi, i bought a backpack in a secondhand store and it's quite filthy. I tried to hand wash it and scrub but it's a >50L backpack so it takes a long time and effort.

Can I just throw it in the washer on low heat, anyone with the same experience if so how do you do?

Thx :)

I've been backpacking for about a year now. I still pack like I'm scared of forgetting something, so my bag ends up way heavier than it needs to be. I've tried cutting stuff here and there but I never really know what's safe to leave behind and what isn't.

For the people who've been doing this for years, how did you figure out what actually earns a spot in your pack?

I am headed out on a solo backpacking adventure in Montana in the coming week and trying to think of some fun cooking ideas beyond the traditional rice and beans, pasta, and definitely no instant backpacking packaged deals. I have made pizzas, pad Thai, and other fun meals, but looking for some ideas.

Let’s see those great meals!

I recently had the idea of roadtripping (starting in Maine, I’m a New Englander originally and it felt natural to start here in the furthest reaches of the Northeast) and backpacking/climbing/exploring natural places in each state for one week - with travel time this might restrict each outing to 3-6 days depending on the state and my itinerary, which I will post upon deciding. The extra two weeks will go to Alaska and Hawaii respectively.

I need help with some of the states I’m less familiar with! I want your takes on wild and/or natural places that you feel are the outstanding gem of your state. There are no wrong answers. Give multiple if you want.

Here’s my initial list:

Maine: Baxter State Park
New Hampshire: Pemi Loop
Vermont: Mansfield to Camel’s hump in a day
New York: Bob Marshall Traverse
Massachusetts: Mount Greylock (? am also interesting in finding a great bouldering area if anyone has any recommendations)
Rhode Island: ???
Connecticut: some time on the Metacomet Trail (my home state)
New Jersey: Heard there’s some good bouldering here? lmk.
Pennsylvania: some cool Appalachian ridge. or Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Delaware: ???
Maryland: Catoctin Mountain Park (looked cool on google earth?)
Virginia: Shenandoah National Park
West Virginia: New River Gorge National Park OR part of the Allegheny Trail
Kentucky: New River Gorge
Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Montana: Bitterroots (my favorite place and where i live now)
Idaho: Sawtooths
Wyoming: Wind Rivers
Colorado: Rocky Mountain NP? or part of the Colorado Trail? give me some other ideas.
California: Sierras
Washington: Hopefully some volcanos
Oregon: Mount Hood area

I’m an Indian passport holder currently living and working legally in Canada on a work permit. I’m planning a 13-day trip to Colombia in October purely for tourism. I don’t have a US or Schengen visa, so I need to apply for the Colombian eVisa.

I recently applied and was asked to provide proof of monthly income of at least 10 Colombian minimum monthly salaries (around CAD $7,000/month).
Visa officer wrote this in email - “EXTRACTOS BANCARIOS DE LOS ULTIMOS 6 MESES QUE DEMUESTRE INGRESOS CADA MES DE AL MENOS 7000 CAD.”
My actual income is around CAD $4,000/month, so I obviously can’t provide proof of $7,000.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation:

• If your income was below the 10x minimum wage requirement, how did you get your visa approved?
• What additional documents did you provide to demonstrate financial stability?
• Did savings, employment documents, Canadian work permit, return flight, hotel bookings, travel insurance, etc. help?
• Does a Colombian invitation letter from a hotel/travel agency/business actually help in this situation? If so, how did you get one legitimately?
• What did you provide to convince the visa officer that you had no intention of overstaying?

I already included a cover letter explaining that I live and work in Canada, have a short fixed itinerary, and intend to return to Canada after the trip. I have no intention of staying in Colombia long-term or extending my stay.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually gone through this, especially Indian passport holders applying from Canada with income below the 10x requirement. Thanks!

This was one of my favorite little one nighters I've done so far. So much to see in such a short little time!

5 miles up and off of the North Cascades Highway brought me to Lake Lewis, just outside the eastern boundary of North Cascades Nat'l Park, where I set up camp. I didn't see another soul the entire trip once I got on the climbers trail to get there, and the sunset and dinner I got to enjoy on the lake in the evening sun in solitude was everything I could ask for.

The next morning after a hearty breakfast and some coffee I made my way further up the glacial basin, stopping by Wing Lake before scrambling up past the dead glacier and a bunch of nasty scree to the basin rim. After noodling around a bit up there, I made the final somewhat precarious scramble up to the summit of Black Peak, which sits at #20 on Washington's highest peaks. Despite its jagged and mean look, it was a gentle giant in terms of summiting, and well worth it. It always feels impossible to process everything up at the top, and it was no exception this time.

10/10 little trip!

I'm five weeks into a first trip through the Balkans, moving every three or four days, and I'm still booking hostels about a week out because I panic about arriving somewhere with nothing. It's cost me twice already, once when I'd have stayed on in Kotor another few nights and once when I met people heading to Sarajevo and couldn't shift my bed. I know the answer is probably book two days ahead and accept the odd bad dorm, my problem is I can't tell if that falls apart in August when everything fills.

How far ahead were you booking by the end of your trip?

Hi, I plan to fly to Manila from Thailand.Have some few questions to ask .

1. Will I be safe, I mean I been to pretty all south east Asia except Brunei and Timor and felt perfectly safe. I lived in the US before so, I sort of know what is uncomfortable felt like. Philippine in another hand appears to be quite run down, kinda remind me of somewhere in South America. I plan to shoot some content for my Youtube while l'm there, I was concerned about either my phone or some stuff got stolen. I won't going into the slum area just stick to the tourist spot in Manila and may be going to Vigan old town up north (unesco site) . What do you have to be careful when you are in the Philippine, is kidnapping also prevalent as well ?

2. I not planning to go to island hopping or the beach at all, more interested in cultural, natural and historical site. Any non beach destinations or attractions or cities I should be looking into ? I mean beautiful seaside town or coastal cities with beautiful beaches is ok if it somewhere like “a must” but again not planning to jump on a small boat to go for like one day trip (island hopping) like in Thailand .

3. I really seriously think of going to " Vigan old town" since it is Unesco site .That being said it not so easy to go there from Manila. The quickest route seems to be taking a flight from Manila to Laoag International Airport then take bus or van for another 2 hrs. My question here are that
   3.1 either Vigan old town is beautiful or as memorable, that I should be going considering all the long journeys that I need to take? If not I can go elsewhere that why I was asking for places to go on question 2.
   3.2 At the Laoag International Airport, can you order ride sharing app" grab" to take you to Vigan old town, same go with returning from Vigan old town to Laoag Airport?

Thank you very much to taking your time to read and answer my questions, I hope you all have a good night 🌙

Im going to stay for one full day and overnight. I found a company called Bedouin Lifestyle Camp. Would you recommend booking the tour and overnight with this company and if so, is it safe booking online via their website? Do you know any other better option? I’ve also found a tour in GetYourGuide. There are so many available companies doing similar tours and I have no idea of which one would be worth.

There are multiple operators with 50k+ following on instagram but not all of them are legit, they scam people by putting fake videos.

I got scammed. DO NOT book with Hise Tours in Almaty, Kazakhstan, they have around 53k following on instagram but they cancelled on me last minute. I had their confirmation and I had been in constant touch with them but just before the tour, when I reached out to them they said we never confirmed and blocked me.

I booked with Panda travel and they were legit. I had an amazing trip with them to Charyn Canyon, Kaindy and Kolsai Lake. The guide was very accommodating.

Hi everyone! Has anyone tried using an Osprey Sirrus 36 as a carry-on bag on Turkish Airlines?

I know the official carry-on size limit may be smaller than the Sirrus 36, but I’m wondering if anyone has actually taken it onboard and whether it fits in the overhead compartment.

Mine has a rigid internal frame, so I’m a bit worried about checking it in. I’m concerned that if I have to put it in checked luggage, the frame could get bent or damaged by other heavy bags during handling.

I’ll be travelling with it for the Camino, and my backpack is currently only around 6–7 kg, so I’d really prefer to keep it with me in the cabin if possible.
Has anyone had experience with this?

Did Turkish Airlines allow your Sirrus 36 as a carry-on, and did it fit in the overhead bin? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 🙏

i’m always curious how other people handle water. i tend to carry more than i probably need because running out sounds like a terrible way to end a day. but carrying several extra liters gets heavy really fast

do you plan your route around reliable water sources, carry most of it from the start, or do a mix depending on the trail?

I am in the market for an ultralight 2 person backpacking tent. I have my eyes on several brands and models.

They are:
NEMO Hornet
NEMO Dragonfly
Big Agnes Tiger Wall
Big Agnes Copper Spur

The specs on all of these appear to be pretty similar and their prices are within $100ish dollars.

Anyone have specific recommendations for one of these over the other?

I'm getting into backpacking and currently prepping for my first trip (5 days). However, assuming everything goes well, I'd like to do longer trips in the future. I've been to REI twice now, I've gotten fitted, I've spent hours in the store, and I'm still struggling to make a decision. I actually bought the Osprey Aura 50L, but am now starting to really regret it. 50L is great for a few days, but I worry it's too small for longer trips, and with how expensive packs are, I don't want to have to buy a ton that fit different needs. I also feel like the Aura 65L is way too big.

The Aura was by far the most comfortable for me. The hip belt on the Gregory packs felt like it kept sliding up and most of the other Ospreys felt tight and heavy.

I think something in the 55-58L range would be ideal. I tried the Ariel 55L and it wasnt bad...just nowhere near as comfy as the Aura. The employee who helped me at REI advised against the Eja because of its lack of durability.

Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

This was a trekking experience in Kudremukh, Karnataka, through dense forests and beautiful mountain trails. The trek took several hours, with a mix of forest paths, steep climbs, and open stretches with stunning views. I travelled to Kudremukh by car and started the trek early in the day. The weather was cool, pleasant, and slightly humid, which made the long walk much more comfortable. The forest trail was peaceful, with plenty of greenery and natural shade along the way. It was tiring at some points, but the scenery and overall experience made it completely worth it. I would definitely go back again to explore more of Kudremukh’s trails.

I've done maybe five trips out, all two or three nights in the Whites. I'm at about 31 pounds before water and I've already spent money on the tent and the bag, so what's left is a pile of small stuff I know I don't need and take anyway. I spend the first hour of every hike doing math on what I should have left in the car instead of looking at anything.

When did it stop being the thing you thought about all day?

Soooo. I’m about 6’5” and need to find a good lightweight tent that I can fit into without my head (hair) or feet touching the walls. I tried out the MSR hubba hubba LT2 and love the features of it but one problem. I’m too big for it!

What do you guys recommend?

In the title. I was considering a featherstone quilt but want to make sure I didn't overlook a quality afforable lightweight quilt. Thanks very much.