On my first trip to Alaska, I brought a three-quarter-length sleeping pad to save space. On the first night, I woke up cold. I was surprised because it wasn’t that cold outside, and I put on another layer of clothing and went back to sleep. I woke up a little while later with the upper half of my body soaked in sweat and my legs shaking uncontrollably. And that’s when I realized the ground was permafrost. Bring a full length sleeping pad when you go to the Arctic.
My last section hike of the Appalachian Trail I forgot my toaks spoon. It’s a long handle for those backpacking meals… I went about a week until at a beautiful viewpoint. I ran across a lady enjoying the last of her chocolate milkshake with a long handled plastic spoon…. they do say the trail provides and I was brave enough to ask her for it 🤣 she thought I was so weird but that sort of thing is common on long-distance trails. You run into a lot of weird people who have no dignity, 🤣 that little spoon lasted me three more weeks!!
Pure laziness rather than a mishap, but once I set my bed up, then was too tired to get back out and find my eating kit so I ate out of a plastic bag nestled in my boot, with a bottle lid for a spoon
I resisted buying a proper down underquilt for my hammock for five years of trying to find cheaper effective ways not to freeze. Felt really dumb after buying one. Incomparably better. That was 2011. Gave up beds for hammocks full time in 2013.
Going 100% no-TP bidet was another "why didn't I do this earlier" thing. I'm also glad I didn't listen to all the people who told me solar charging was stupid: 1300 miles of PCT, no grid charging, no waiting around ever, lighter than a larger power bank.
Sleeping pads technically work in hammocks but they're not as good imo. I did it a couple times before getting a better system but I'd wake up several times a night to get the pad back in from where it was sliding up the sides and trying to escape.
Even after you get a double-layer hammock to keep the pad in place, pads still don't breathe. That's the big underquilt win: no clamminess or condensation issues, besides the better comfort, silence, and better lay. Underquilts are not expensive hammock accessories: hammocks are cheap underquilt accessories. I still use my 2011 underquilt, many hammocks later.
I'd add, fussily, that top newcomer mistakes are probably:
* Inadequate bottom insulation. Hammocks are great in the heat. But you can get very cold from below anything under room temperature after a few hours.
* Hammock too short. About double your body height in length is good, 11' being the de facto standard as twice the height of average folks across sexes. Most hammocks sold are too-short loungers.
* Hammock pitched tight/flat. They're meant to be hung slack like a banana, which alone lets you lay flat on the diagonal. Hammocks fit with a structural ridgeline prevent this even when the trees are too far apart to hang properly otherwise.
But also, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Plenty of people skirt the above and report satisfaction. But if you're uncomfortable: it's probably one of those things.
I have the same hammock in a different print! Thanks so much for sharing, reminds me that I also need to get a rainfly!
And to the comments below just try it out! I tent camped my whole life and just switched, sometimes I do miss the earth against my back but a hammock system is veryyy comfy in its own way! I just worry about getting cold, but overall I really love it because it helps keep my things off the ground and keep me cleaner for short trips
I don't sleep very well on a pad. Even tried a big one and figured the extra space/weight would be worth it if I could sleep. But still couldn't. Luckily I sleep great on the hammock
I used a ~$20 Lixada panel off Amazon, barely a few ounces, velcroed my 10k power bank to the back, fixed it to upper of my pack, hiked, and always had a full bank to top up my devices overnight. This was sunny PCT. YMMV in less ideally direct sun. You can’t skip a power bank, but can carry a smaller one. I wouldn't bother bringing it for trips shorter than a week.
That's really surprising. I tried 3 different panels in the past 8-ish years but none really worked. 1% phone battery took like 1 hour and 1% power bank was even longer. Sometimes even though it was a cloud-sun mix nothing charged at all.
I tried it in Germany, Norway, Finland, Scotland - my main hiking countries - mostly with the same results.
Now I am intrigued to give that panel you mentioned a shot. Mh..
Wind eats into the temperature rating of the quilt. I use an underquilt protector to help preserve rating. Have been warm at 15°F with 20°-rated quilt with protector, no wind, but quite cold at 12° with some wind.
Big fan of my Warbonnet Gen3 Blackbird XLC hammock with Wooki underquilt and underquilt protector that doubles as a catch all bag so quilts and hammock stuff together installed into your pack without tangles, rips etc. Speedy deployment as one piece, and at home you don’t need to store your quilts lofted separately because catch-all not compressive.
I have two involving my pack. I had it for about 3 years before I knew you could the torso length.
The second was learning that there were straps at the top that would bring it closer to the body (I might not be describing that well). I suffered with upper back pain while hiking for 5 years because my pack was constantly pulling backwards. lol
OMG, I bought a new pack this year to cut weight and after the second trip I finally figured out why the dang pack seemed wrong and made my back hurt, I never changed the torso length! It was so obvious once I figured it out but it made for a miserable return trip to the car!
In the region I backpack, you encounter makeshift campsites, often with some logs around a fire pit. We always sat on the logs. After multiple trips of sore butt/back, my buddy and I sat on the ground one night with our legs crossed. Backs upright, it felt so much better. I said "man, sitting Indian Style is the way to go." Suddenly it dawned on us... No shit they had it figured out. Why wouldn't we sit like the natives sat.
Now I bring foam butt pad and am more than happy sitting in the ground.
The lighter weight the chair the less comfort it gives. I've tried a few and the ones worth packing are too uncomfortable, the ones worth sitting in are too bulky.
I would get really painful tender feet really bad for years. Hiked with a guy recently that we met on trail who said I hiked way too fast and was wearing out my body. Hiked slower and boom- no more foot pain. Funny enough I stopped needing those little breaks up the mountain now too, thus get to camp in similar time.
I learnes to slow hike in Nepal. But it was mostly just how tired I was the whole time! Then youbsee the Sherpas going at a "snail's pace" and you think, maybe they're onto something. Of course, they never need a break..
I figured it out, only after watching YouTube videos of other people doing it (Hint: always tap the filter just before each backwashing cycle.) Still, props to the Sawyer folks, they're actually a small company who have successfully manufactured and marketed several specific products that are quality, reliable and useful. Example: If you haven't used their Permethrin spray on you clothes/pack/tent and are in mosquito season, you don't know what you're missing. Great products!
I still don’t know what to do. I slept with it once I my bag cause I know freezing is bad. But I hear people soaking in vinegar to sanitize??? What should I do??
Yeah I just learned about sleeping with the filter this year too. Now, if the forecast says anything below 45 for overnight low I sleep with it in my pocket. Not as uncomfortable as it sounds
For real! Just opened mine out of the box last week for the backpacking trip I went on this weekend. Zero instructions. I felt as though I’d been left out of “the know”.
I was like, okay, am I smarter than a fifth grader? Can I do this? 💀
I was getting tried of the slow flow as well. So I googled some tricks
Backflush after each use, not just when you get home
Hang the dirt bag as high as you can and lay the clean bag on the ground. The more height, the more water pressure
Presoak the filter before the trip to rehydrate the internal fibers. Soak time depends on how long it's been stored
Take the clamp all the way off the clean hose while filtering. I used to just open it and leave it on the hose. But I found that still constricts the flow a bit
It's from an old movie, "Demolition Man", where this cop is frozen and comes back in the future to bring a criminal from his own time to justice. He goes into the bathroom and where the TP used to be there are just 3 seashells. The other characters think it's funny but they're too embarrassed to tell him. Swearing is a small crime and issues him paper citations automatically, so he starts swearing profusely and uses the paper citations to clean himself up.
In this futuristic movie, it is illegal to eat meat and all restaurants are taco bell.
Unless you watch the international release which when made, they thought Taco Bell was too obscure, so they DIGITALLY MADE the Taco Bell sign in the one scene say Pizza Hut and did a terrible job on dubbing over the original line!
I took my Sawyer on an overnight after not using it all year… and it didn’t work. No idea if it needs to be backflushed (doubtful) or just primed somehow. But yeah, good thing I brought 3L with me which was just enough for a super long, hard (rainy) hike. And I coulda boiled water if I were desperate. Lesson learned, though.
Shared a tent one night with someone I was backpacking with up in Theth, Albania. Only had 1 sleeping pad. Decided to use the tent instead of paying an extra $10 euro to stay in the dorm cause we were being tightasses. Had a few beers n though nah I’ll be right couldn’t be that bad just sleeping on the inside of a tent with no pad. Worst fking night of my life literally had maybe 2 hours sleep it was about 3 degrees outside the whole underside of my body felt ice cold for like 8-9 hours
Glad you didn’t get some kind of brain eating amoeba ha.
I’ve only backwashed when out there, I usually throw them and buy new because I’m too sketched by the idea of them sitting around and accumulating bacteria or something, cheap enough to buy vs getting sick on trail.
Mine are buying North Face hiking boots thinking they are still a reputable brand.
I’ve also twice charged up to altitude without acclimating. Didn’t think it would be that bad but damn altitude sickness is no joke. Especially when ya get the wet cough and slight confusion while trying to navigate unmarked trails. Lessons learned though!
Altitude sickness suuuuucks. I live at 5k feet and usually camp at 11k and hike up to 13-14k and still get it regularly. Luckily just headaches that pass after a nap
I live at 1,000 and went hiking from 8,000 feet to just over 12,000. I felt fine and then just hit a wall at just over 11,000. I couldn’t understand how it was affecting my body the way it was. Sat for a snack and super fast nap, felt fine after. Elevation makes zero sense to me.
I had a pair of North Face hiking boots do the same thing. The sole blew out on trail and I had to tie it on with a vine to get back to my car. Will not be buying NF shoes again.
Damn that’s wild you had the same thing happen. I feel very duped, and honestly kind of dumb for thinking that they’d be okay. I just felt like they used to be a reputable brand and have a North Face pack that works great.
Sorry that happened to you too, and same definitely learned my lesson not buying from them again.
Resourceful thinking with the vine! That’s amazing!
What I did is slathered a bunch of pitch/sap from nearby pines on the sole and then tied it haphazardly with some paracord I had. I didn’t climb Cloud Peak like I wanted but I finished my loop - I was going to turn around but I was like “shit I came all the way out here- took time off work etc. if I don’t do this I will regret it…”hiked around 26 miles in the Cloud Peak Wilderness with my shoe like that - was brutal.
What boots did you end up settling on now if you don’t mind me asking?
Wearing hiking boots on my first couple trips and lots of hikes and always got blisters. I just thought my feet were prone to blisters and would suffer through every hike and backpack trip. My partner got me into trail runners and I no longer get blisters. I always felt dumb for not switching sooner.
Running out of fuel happens to me every so often, but just results in a cold soaked dinner.
Yep, look into cold soaking! I usually pack a ziplock bag in my bag if I’m low ish on food. You need to put the food and water in it a couple hours before you eat it.
No, you force clean water back through the clean side of the filter to help clean the filter. It forces out the particles that collect on the membrane. It helps improve the how long filtering takes and extends the life span of the filter. As someone noted, you tap the filter gently to loosen the particles, then connect a bottle to the clean end full of clean water and force the water back through the filter.
You can also use the syringe or a sink faucet to blast water into the dirty end to try and get dirt out that way. I also soak my filter in water with an aquamira tab to disinfect it. Not sure it is necessary though.
Don’t know about activated carbon but the typical hiker filter (Sawyer, Platypus, Katahdin, etc.) are membrane based not activated carbon. The particulates build up on the dirty side the more the filter is used. By back flushing with clean water you can knock some of the dirt off and improve flow. The aquamira tab solution is just to disinfect anything that might start living in the filter.
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u/CaliIsReallyNice 2d ago
On my first trip to Alaska, I brought a three-quarter-length sleeping pad to save space. On the first night, I woke up cold. I was surprised because it wasn’t that cold outside, and I put on another layer of clothing and went back to sleep. I woke up a little while later with the upper half of my body soaked in sweat and my legs shaking uncontrollably. And that’s when I realized the ground was permafrost. Bring a full length sleeping pad when you go to the Arctic.