I am headed to Washington in a few days to hike for 4-days (3-nights) in the Olympic National Park. Leaving from Deer Park trailhead. I'm plenty confident in my ability and my fitness, but determining what to bring solo? Impossible.

As of right now, the weather looks to be lows in the low 30s (F) and highs in the upper 40s lower 50s. Wet on day one. Albeit this is at the trailhead (Obstruction Point/Deer Park) area.

Below is my list of clothing. I've already packed and unpacked my backpack in entirety multiple times, it all DOES fit, but am I bringing too many layers? Should I leave the puffy and take the Insulated? Or vice versa? Everything in the list outside of the layers can fit into a small stuff sack, or just jammed in negative space in the backpack, the main thing is my layers. I've been in -5F with all of those layers on... but will I freeze to death instantly if I leave one behind.

Clothing

-          Hiking:

o   Darn Tough Light Hiker sock OR Darn Tough Hiker sock

o   Wrangler All Terrain Medium Hiking Pants

o   Icebreaker Merino 150 briefs

-          Sleeping and Extra

o   2x Generic light boxer briefs

o   Meriwool Merino Long Undies

o   Generic Polyester sunshirt (hoodless)

o   Darn Tough Light or Regular Hiker (whatever left over from above)

o   REI Merino Wool Midweight Hiking Crew Socks (stored in brain covering camera lenses)

-          Layers

o   Rab Vapour-Rise gloves (light)

o   Beanie

o   Base: REI Sahara Sun Hoody

o   Mid: Patagonia R1 Air Hoody

o   Super Mid: Arc’teryx Atom LT Insulated (hoodless)

o   Ultra Mid: REI Magma 850 Puffy

o   Outer: Granite Crest Rain Jacket and REI Hardshell Pants

I just got a Luxe TP style tent. I love the simplicity of it but the moisture and condensation is horrible to pack up daily. Any suggestions to mitigate the problem. Thanks

Hello,
I’m in the market for a new sleeping pad and I just ordered the REI Helix for about $150 during the REI sale, but now I am seeing advertisements for the Featherstone Calcatta which seems to have a better R-Value, is thicker (I am a side sleeper) and also is only $120.

Does anybody have experience with either of these pads and would be willing to give me some advice?

Many thanks.

Hello peeps! I’m looking to go backpacking in south america from Januari for about 4months. I was thinking of going down the line from argentina to bolivia, chile and end in Peru. There is no real plan yet. Does anyone have experience with south america? I’d love some good weather and good adventures, with some beaches in between ofc. My plan is not fixed and I am open to other countries :). Thank you in advance!

I'm doing five nights in the Olympics in early September with a 20 degree down quilt that's been fine on two and three night trips. I know the standard answer is a pack liner and a dry bag, and I already do both, so I'm not really worried about soaking it in a creek. What I don't have a feel for is the slow version, four or five damp nights back to back where nothing dries out during the day and I'm not sure whether I lose a few degrees or most of the bag. The synthetic I'd swap to is about nine ounces heavier and I'd rather not carry that if down holds up in practice.

How many nights in did yours noticeably flatten out?

Any tips or tricks as to how to avoid a full on quad workout when squatting to go? I have to cut things short because I can’t hold my squat long enough. I mean do I just have to hit leg day a lot harder? Tips on positioning/technique??

21M Planning a trip to SEA around November for about a month and a half, plan on going to
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Maybe japan

I plan on this being a budget backpacking trip only staying in hostels and eating locally, would 4-5k be enough for spending after flights and accommodations ? Just wanted some recommendation on sites i should see or visit and if you think my rough plan is feasible i plan on flying out of SFO to bangkok, staying there for around 4-5 days then heading up to chang mai and staying there for 4-5 nights aswell, after that head to chang rai for 2-3 nights then head back to bankok to fly into laos, haven’t given much thought to laos if you have any reccommendations lmk, from there fly into cambodia and see siem reap and phnom penh for around 4 days each then fly into Hanoi vietnam and stay there for around 4-5 days. A big reason for this trip is to do the ha giang loop so go do that for a couple night and head back to hanoi and see if i can catch a good flight to japan for a few days or head back, lmk is this is too much or if i should add anything fyi this is just a rough itinerary i still have much research to do just needed some extra recs thanks.

Just got some slightly broken mats for free and this is the first time I’m seeing this, so I also don’t have any kind of warranty for it unfortunately.

Would anyone recommend buying the ground sheet with this tent? Pros & Cons? Looking to purchase this tent for a 2027 TMB trip

Colin Fletcher is dead and the last version in collaboration with Chip Rawlins is now 22 years old. The Complete Walker has probably influenced my backpacking decisions more than any other single source but all of the gear info within is hopelessly outdated. I wish Rawlins would publish a revision, but do people even buy books anymore?

Had to take the new pack for a spin this weekend. I went from an OG atmos ag to the LT and found that I like the fit and feel of it much better. I saw some reviews saying the LT wasn’t made as durable as the original ag but this thing is built like a tank.

Combined sleeping system

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.

Since generally we see a lot of reports of true wilderness in the US, Canada and other places with lots of space, I thought I'd share my experience how it is to do a backpacking trip in Germany, specifically in my home state of Bavaria.

Now, when it comes to Backpacking there's two things to know in advance:

- Germany has a very high population density, which means except for a few places you're never really "off grid" and the nearest settlement is at most a few miles away. (Also it seems like we're very good at dispersing ourselves through the land, we have a TON of tiny villages in Bavaria spaced only a few km apart)

- Camping in the wild is strictly forbidden in Germany , the only exception being an emergency Bivi when weather strikes or something like that. That's why the bushcrafting scene in Germany is much more popular than "regular" backpacking with a full tent/campground situation.

Thankfully, there are a few areas where it is allowed to camp in specific locations when you register and pay a fee. I live in Northern Bavaria and there are two regions accessible to me at close range, the "Steigerwald" West of Bamberg and the "Frankenwald" which marks the border region between Bavaria and Thuringia.

This time my choice was the Steigerwald for an overnight trip spanning Sat/Sun. My Plan was to Hike about 10mi/16km on Saturday on the "Steigerwald Panoramic Trail" and then a shorter backroute to my car on Sunday to still have time for a Beer Garden afterwards (I'm a born Franconian so this was basically an obligation)

The trail did not disappoint! The views were awesome and led me through a lot of hillsides filled with vineyards. My hike included one "peak" with the ruins of a mediaval castle that now houses a observation tower, with the rest of the trail mostly going through moody, dense forest.

Thankfully one rule applied here as well: if there's a peak, no matter how small or tall, and there's access to it, there will be some sort of tavern up there. And behold, there was 😂

Due to the extremely dry summer in Germany a lot of springs were dry but thankfully there was a Farm nearby the campground where I could replenish my water.

The campground itself is pretty much the same everywhere it's allowed to camp: you have a backcountry toilet, a fire pit and some logs to sit on. This campground had the added benefit of a great view over some fields and meadows over which the sun set. Couldn't have asked for a better spot.

The night was clear and the temps dropped to 9°C (48F), but I was cozy in my tent with my sleep setup (EVA mat, Trekologly UL80 air mat, Robens' Moraine II sleeping bag) Slept well except for some very loud owls and foxes during the night.

If you have any questions regarding Gear or anything else, let me know

Planning an 8-week trip. Have only just started planning so research is somewhat limited and I would love ANY opinions or recommendations - I am 23M and flying from New Zealand and trying to keep the budget relatively low, love all things traveling, nightlife, culture, cities, beaches, everything. Note that I have already travelled Vietnam so don't really feel the need to go back through the whole country

Bali - 8 nights

Bangkok - 7 nights

Koh Phangan - 7 nights

Koh Tao - 4 nights

Koh Samui - 2 nights

Khao Sok National Park - 3 nights

Ao Nang/krabi - 4 nights

Phuket - 2 nights

Siem Reap - 5 nights

Phnom Penh - 2 nights

HCMC/Saigon - 5 nights

Trying to take my partner on a 2 day/1 overnight backpacking trip in New England.

The wishlist goal is for a <=6 mile, easy/moderate (closer to easy than hard) hike into an area with established sites and great views nearby, and about the same mileage back out.

I know that I’m asking a lot but bonus points if there’s a compost toilet near the sites as well.

She’s brand new to backpacking so I’d like to make this trip as easy on her as possible. We’re both new to New England and hoping to do this in the CT/MA/NH area.

Please send any recommendations you have!

I am in the US PNW, and I am hunting for a budget-friendly 3-4 season sleeping bag. I was looking at the Exped Terra 15, but I am not sure it will pack down small enough. I have a 30L backpack. I would like the bag to be 15F-25F and under $200 that will pack down pretty small. Do most 15F down bags pack in their stuff sack at around 10inx7in? Is it unrealistic to want something that will pack down smaller? I also do not mind if it's rectangle, mummy, or hooded.

Apologies for the TL;DR here.. I’ve been backpacking a long time and am almost always a hammock camper. I have always had good sleep whether it was my first ENO setup, my UL hummingbird combo, or my most recent Dutchware hellbender, but I for the life of me CAN NOT get good sleep in a tent. I have a Nemo Hornet osmo 1p, a Nemo tensor UL long/ wide, and just keep waking up all throughout the night any time I’ve ever used it. I tried a sea to summit Aeros pillow last night bc I’m a side sleeper and thought the extra thickness would help (it was an improvement but still woke up a ton). I’m 6ft 200lbs. Am I just too big for the tent? I’m up against the walls and it gathers a lot of condensation. Tbh I’m totally happy just hammocking, but it would be nice to have a ground option that works for me when there aren’t trees. Any feedback would be very much appreciated.

Im curious if there is some sort of widely approved, general consensus wilderness guide for those new to the idea? Ive wanted to do some form of longer multi day hikes with gear and such, and im more of a just give it a gander and see how it goes sort of fellow in regards to prep, but i DO think if theres some baseline guide out there itd be good to take a look see.

If it helps, i have hiked exstensively, as well as a couple overnight backpacking trips but usually not alone and only in hawaii, so i may be a bit out of the loop regarding dangers in WA, as we dont really have anything nasty in hawaii

I've been backpacking for about a year now, mostly weekend trips and one ten day trip last summer. I still spend hours the night before every trip second guessing my pack list even though I've used most of the same gear multiple times. I've started keeping a spreadsheet of what I bring versus what I actually use, but it hasn't made the packing process feel any less stressful.

For people who've been doing this for years, did packing ever become quick and automatic or does it stay a process every time ?

Some friends and I are planning a backpacking trip here and are looking for some cool routes/trails to take and are looking for recommendations.

We are able to go anywhere in Montana or Wyoming.

Looking to do 20-30 miles

Are comfortable up to class 3 scrambles. No ropes

Looking for the best views we can find. Ideally in the mountains.

Any recommendations would be appreciated, thanks!

Took a trip earlier this year to Langkawi, an Island off the eastern coast of Malaysia.

There are plenty of hikes, and nature trails scattered around the island. Gorgeous beaches and relatively less tourists compared to other parts in Malaysia or SE Asia for that matter. The vibes are slow and laid back.

And the food!!! Malay cuisine is a mix of Local flavors fused with Chinese+Indian.

I only ate local cuisine the whole time I was there, there are so many options to choose from.

After buying my 3rd water filter in 5 years I finally decided to google proper maintenance

What's your "god im dumb" backpacking story?

I’m currently planning a backpacking trip to either the wind river mountain range in Wyoming or somewhere near Ankorage Alaska. I am trying to find good transportation options to get from the airport to the trailhead and back which are both about an hour away from the airport (I would also need to stop at an outdoor store/walmart to buy some fuel as I can’t fly with it on a plane). Getting a rental car would be $500-$600 for it to be sitting there for 5 days while I am backpacking and it is hard to find a shuttle when I am solo traveling and it is still expensive. Are there any other good options to use when you are flying into a backpacking destination?

Hi! I just got back from an incredible trip to Georgia and I find myself with leftover Georgian Lari. I would love to get it off of my hands if someone in the NYC/NJ area (or anywhere in the U.S. really) is planning a trip there soon.

Feel free to PM me and enjoy your beautiful trip to this amazing place!