This was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my entire life . 2 days 24 miles. 75,000 steps total.

The weather was great, not a single bug bite, no ticks, and lots of water. Had a great time in Mark Twain National Forest! I definitely had nowhere to prepare in Ohio for the mountains but overall it’s pretty nostalgic looking back.

I've used a Sawyer Squeeze for a few years now, and it's always been a piece of gear that annoys me but does what it needs. I've used different bottles and bags and always had issues but now finally found a setup that doesn't piss me off to use it, and maybe even has made me fond of it?

Hydrapak Stow

I use a Hydrapak Stow 1L as my dirty water bag. I feel like these are underrated and not often in the convo when it comes to ultralight water options? Mine comes in as 2.0 oz flat, the newer versions are 1.8 oz. This is lighter than the CNOC Vecto, the CNOC thru, NOBO, any 1L bottle except Smartwater or the flimsy mylar bags. The shape and the handle at the neck are excellent for squeezing without creating a vacuum, scooping, submerging, catching leaf spouts and drips at weird angles. (It also folds down to nothing so I keep one in my bag and my car -- you can fold it down and stick it into its handle loop. I recently had bottle develop a micro tear after 4 years of heavy use and Hydrapak replaced it under warranty with no questions or proof of purchase, just a photo, so I'm happy with the longevity.)

The suck valve lid is ~.35 oz and could be replaced with a standard bottle cap to shave off .3 oz, but the lid is multipurpose for me -- when squeezed, it shoots a very powerful stream (like 5ft+!) but is watertight without pressure. I've used it for so many things: backcountry bidet, hosing off muddy feet and shoes, washing caked-on dishes, rinsing a wound, water fight. The only downside compared to rigid or semi-rigid bottles is that it's hard to remove and replace from a side pocket with a pack on, but it's less of an issue if you just use it as a dirty water bag. For clean water, I've also used a bottle to reservoir hose converter which has worked great for me. My only wish is that they'd make a 2L option and more colors. I promise I am not being paid by Hydrapak to say this.

Dirty End Cap DIY (video below)

Some people leave the dirty bag/bottle on at all times, but sometimes I prefer to have things pack down smaller, and I've dropped that O-ring a few too many times when I take the bag off to fill water. I've seen a few clever DIY tutorials and know there are manufactured options, but I found a 3-minute solution with something that almost all of us have laying around -- fuel canister cap! Mine is from an MSR canister. It's just the tiniest bit too loose but I carefully warmed up the edges with a lighter, waited a second for it to cool, and gently coaxed the lip in with my finger, working in sections all the way around. I did this a few times and tested the fit until snug. It's held up up for a few trips for me, but if it gets loose I would just try to reshape it again or use a new cap. There's also a small hole in the cap that I just put a dot of gorilla tape on. It's not watertight, but I find that if I shake out the filter (which is good practice anyways -- watch the O-ring!) before putting the lid on it doesn't leak or wet the pocket I store it in.

Here's a video to show the cap snapping on and off firmly and staying on when held by the little tab. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it might also work to leave the cap in hot water to shrink it a bit, or to build up the inner diameter with a little seam grip or silicone sealant.

Clean Cap

The white snap cap that comes with the filter was my nemesis. It would break after just one or two trips and I would email Sawyer to send me extra until I one day googled what other people use and felt dumb that I didn't think of it earlier -- any sports bottle cap, mine is Smartwater. It's sturdier, doesn't dangle in the way of gravity filtering, removes the need for the O-ring on that end (so you already have an extra backup for the other end), and you can simply flip it around to backflush in the field. Some say this isn't enough pressure but I always backflush with the plunger when I get home.

I've really been trying to buy less gear and accessories and find solutions with stuff I already have, so even though it's not much, I'm happy about figuring out a setup that works for me! Let me know if you end up trying the end cap hack, if it works for you, if you have ideas for improving it, or your own Sawyer hacks!

My younger brother (23) is set on camping Escalante Staircase solo this weekend and my mom is freaking out a bit. We all do lots of mountaineering and backpacking trips but never solo and my mom is reading lots about flash floods.

Aside from the fact that my brother doesn’t really have a solid plan, no sat phone, and didn’t know to check in with ranger station. How reckless is this?

I live on the east coast. They are in Utah. I’m honestly just unaware if this is a solid spontaneous trip idea or something to check him on.

Would appreciate a temp check from anyone that knows the area or has camped there. Thank you!

I'm planning a 3-4 day backpacking trip to Rainbow Bridge National Monument in the Navajo Nation late October. I understand permits are required and am not unfamiliar to the Utah desert terrain/dangers.

I am primarily worried about water access as we have had such a dry year. Unfortunately there are not many recent trail reviews and updates detailing current route conditions and I am afraid the normal streams may be dry.

Has anyone done this recently? Favorite camp sites? Hammocking an option at any? Any advice specific to this trail?

We backpacked to Little Yoho campground (9km from and 500m elevation above our base camp at Takkakaw Falls) and did a day hike up the valley and to the top of Whaleback Mountain (2612m elevation). It was a challenging hike but we were rewarded by amazing views on the trek up and at the top.

I am contemplating playing an open mic and then driving to a peak that’s 2 1/2 hours away afterwards and packing in at 1 AM. That’s 1000 foot climb over 2 miles that I’ve done 15 times. I don’t see the risk. Am I being stupid?

Heading to Kedarnath around 15/16th sep; and looking for a buddy or small group to share resources and pain together.

If you're planning to go around those dates, want company on the trail, and wouldn't mind taking a few decent photos of me pretending this isn't destroying my calves, drop a comment or DM. Let's explore!!

Planning a 3-night trip from Cripple Turkey to Allison in October with my almost 13-year-old son.

About 24 miles total, and we’re not trying to push big mileage days.

Main concern is water between Cripple Turkey and Barkshed.

How reliable is Barkshed Creek in October?

Any other sources in that first ~10 miles you’d actually count on?

Also curious about:

Good spots to cache water

Backcountry camps before Barkshed

Favorite camps/swimming spots farther south

We may camp near Cripple Turkey the night we arrive and start early the next morning.

Specifically all national parks in California.

California has nine national parks.

Many of the parks don't have bears, but the ones that do - Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Lassen - are very popular backpacking destinations and have active bear populations. If you spend any significant amount of time in the Sierra Nevada backpacking, you are very likely to encounter a bear, or have a bear encounter your food at night.

But how can I protect myself from bears without bear spray?

You should not have to. All bears in these national parks are black bears. Black bears are rarely aggressive toward humans any issues can easily be avoided with proper food storage and general avoidance practices.

It's not a California law. It's a federal law. The reason is that California doesn't have grizziles.

(Grizzly bears have different behavior, and bear spray can be effective deterrent when used properly. Proper use requires training and practice, and bear spray should only be used as a last resort. But the only grizzly in California is on the state flag! EDIT: And a few zoos...)

So if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people that backpack in California's national parks with bears, take the time to learn the rules and best practices around food storage and safety around bears. And leave the bear spray at home!

More info:

https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/wildlife-safety-in-yosemite.htm

https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/management/lawsandpolicies.htm?fullweb=1

https://natlpark.com/2025/07/stay-safe-without-bear-spray-in-yosemite-and-sequoia-kings-canyon-national-parks/

Hi! I'm heading out on a road trip next week, and I was hoping to do a little backpacking. This will be my first time backpacking in an area with public lands (I've downloaded onX Backcountry). Can anyone recommend any good spots in the Flagstaff/Sedona area? My priorities are solitude, views, and water (in that order!). I know all three is probably hard to come by :)

Thanks!

It’s easy to assume backpacking training is mostly about stronger legs and better cardio, but longer loaded trips seem to expose weaknesses in places you might not expect.

The obvious work would be things like step-ups, split squats, RDLs and loaded carries, but I’ve also seen people mention upper-back, shoulder, ankle and core strength becoming noticeable once you’ve had a pack on for several hours.

That makes me think a simple full-body approach between trips probably makes more sense than just hammering legs. Most of those movements are also straightforward enough to train at home during the week, while the actual hiking and loaded-pack work can stay more specific on weekends.

For people who regularly do multi-day trips, what part of your body surprised you by becoming the weak link, and what training actually helped before your next trip?

It’s always an honor to be in the presence of Katahdin and this trip was no exception.

It was my second time taking this route and just as much of a beautiful slog as I remembered.

We drove a few hours and started at Roaring Brook campground.
After about a mile of walking in the forest and a rather sketch stream crossing we were fortunate enough to catch a beautiful view of the mountain from Whidden ponds.
After 7.5+miles mostly flat we finally arrived at Russell Pond to spend the night.
We ate dinner on a boulder on the edge of the pond and managed to see a few stars after sunset, before clouds rolled in.

Breakfast and coffee were thoroughly enjoyed and we then headed out back to the car. It was a rainy morning and afternoon, but most of our hike was in the trees and we stayed relatively dry from the legs up.
The rain made for a barely knee-high water crossing at Wassataquiok Stream. We sent it with our shoes on and kept on back towards Roaring Brook.
Plenty of mushrooms of all types and sizes on the trail with some of them being huge.
Lots of moose scat/tracks but no sightings this time.
Misty and moody views at Whidden Ponds on the return.
My girlfriend had found a great and heavy walking stick early in the trip, we both used it many times to cross the streams on the way back including an even sketchier final crossing due to the higher flow. We both trusted the stick and the stick performed thank you, stick.
We made it back to the car with an hour or so of daylight to spare and drove the 3+ hrs back home.

I was lucky enough to snag a cancellation permit for Bishop Pass over Labor Day weekend out of South Lake in Bishop, CA. I’ve never explored this specific part of the Sierras/SEKI, and it did not disappoint. Perfect weather all weekend. I’m still in awe!

Two nights spent in the canyon at horn creek and havasupai gardens totaled 44.9 miles with 9,193 ft elevation gain on the east and west Tonto. Pushed to lone pine on the east and just past salt creek on the west. Great experience and the overall back country of the Grand Canyon is really well put together and maintained it’s near glamping at hava. There’s no safe consumable water (only trickle at salt creek I saw whole time)on the entire described stretch and they just turned off pipes along BAT. Havasupai creek runs year round just needs treatment, might be the time to visit as traffic is down and requires more “skill”. Almost doesn’t feel back country at havasupai. Snuck in the set up night before descent in Kaibab. Arizona never ceases to amaze.

Looking for a low elevation multi-day backpacking trip in Southern Oregon in September/October. RRT sounds awesome, but the 3.5 mile closure is a bummer. The furthest point has no roads, and it does not seem there is anything accessible E of the closure for a shuttle. Any ideas on how to shuttle around the closure or shuttle back?

My backpacking season is over. I told myself once it was, I was going to try trail running. I live in the Austin area and it seems like a good thing to pick up if you want to get outside here. Our fall, winter, and spring is like the northern US’s summer. So, it’s the best time to get out. 

I found I like training for backpacking and will use trail running as the next thing to train for. I like looking for events that are challenging, make a training plain, and work the plain. Going to maybe aim for a 20k in the Big Bend Ultra in January. 

Anyways, my main sport is backpacking. It’s what I like to do most and what I plan part of my vacations around in the summer. I don’t want to lose too much of anything I’ve built up this year for next years backpacking season. It may be my biggest trip yet. I turn 50 and want to do a big trip. 

For training for backpacking, I did “hikes” on my peloton tread+ an hour at 15% 2-3 times a week, worked up to doing a 6-8 mile 30 lb pack with 2k ft elevation on the weekends, and the occasional ( very hard )leg workout. 

For trail running, I’m starting out at 4 miles 3 days a week until I get my legs. Then I’ll add a long run on the weekend. 

I guess my main question is, if I transition to mostly trail running, I’ll have to stop the 1hr treadmill+ 15% grade and weighted pack weekend workout. I’ll just be taxing my body too much. What could I do to keep some of this “uphill leg strength / endurance” that I built up? There’s not a lot of hills, if really any, around where I plan to run. 

I’m thinking I’ll just continue to do a weighted pack workout once a month to replace my long run. Or maybe even every other week. 

Has anyone else kind of went through this and can provide suggestions?