backpacking

Scandinavia often has these three-walled cabins available on a first-come, first-served basis. In Swedish, they're called vindskydd, or wind shelter. This particular one is northeast of Umeå, Sweden. No guarantees on what they're called elsewhere, but I have seen them in Finland as well. And I have heard of but not seen of them in Norway. In general, the freedom to roam is quite strong in these three countries as long as you are respectful and stay out of obviously private spaces like personal gardens or farm fields. Happy travels!

near Mixta Cave

Earnslaw Burn, under Mt Earnslaw (Glenorchy, New Zealand)

Hello! I have bought a Gregory Rhune 22 backpack a few weeks ago and I want to make a review to contribute to the community!

So, first off: this is some of the most thoughtful organization I have seen in a backpack. You can tell that this bag was made by people who would want to use it. It has everything you need for day-to-day organization, even down to a dedicated AirPods/earbuds pocket right on your left strap that I use every single day (so so convenient).

So pros:

• it is a Gregory pack, so it comes with the Gregory quality and warranty support you would expect from them.

• Made with lightweight recycled rip-stop polyester (in some places, too much so)

• Organization is abundant. You will not run out of places to put things in this bag, and I have lost my habit of letting things fall to the bottom of the bag immediately after getting this due to its thoughtful organization.

• Almost clamshell main compartment is great for travel, and the fact that it opens right up with no lip on top of the (wonderfully false-bottomed) laptop pocket means you will not miss a dedicated laptop compartment at all. Even if it is fully packed, you will have no troubles just getting your laptop out of the bag in a single zip.

Cons:

• the lightweight, thin rip-stop is great for hiking bags and bags of that sort, but I feel like Gregory definitely should have added some more durable fabric or at least a protective PVC or TPU coating to the bottom of the pack, similar to how The North Face does things on their commuter bags. The single thin sheet of fabric on the bottom of the bag has no padding at all, leading to sagging if you put something even slightly heavy in the main compartment, and offers no drop protection for anything in the main compartment. Though, this can be easily fixed with just a piece of cardboard cut and put into the bottom, but that’s an extra hassle that should have been fixed in the beginning imo.

• the entire bag is made from the same recycled plastic material, which is great for the environment, but that plastic is rough, especially on the straps and back of the pack. It sorta scratches you every time you put the pack on. This is a non-issue once you get used to it, but if you are expecting some soft material, this is not it. I also wonder how the rough material rubbing on your back all day would affect shirts with graphic designs on the back.

• lack of a bungee system kinda sucks, as I wish I could just throw a wet jacket outside of the pack itself, but it’s not like you expected it to come with one if you looked at the listing.

• the water bottle holder is verrrry loose for bottles less than 30oz or less than 3” in diameter. My 24oz hydroflask has slipped out multiple times while putting it down. I wish it had some securing straps over the holder like TNF borealis or recon does.

Overall, this is a great pack, but misses the mark on a few things that you would not think of when you use it, but seem like a bit of an oversight when you use it regularly and notice those things. For the price I would expect just a bit more durability on the bottom of the pack especially, but if I’m honest, I believe this will be a non-issue unless if you are very rough with your pack. Rip stop is a great material, but if there is only a single thin 300d layer, things can happen. Regardless, I love this pack, as I would not find such thoughtful organization and zipper placement in any other pack I have researched. Just a few improvements would make this the perfect go-to commuter backpack.

Hope this was insightful to anyone looking for a new bag!

Archived at https://archive.ph/54nwr

A 71-year-old Los Angeles man died in California’s Death Valley National Park on Tuesday, likely due to heat, as the afternoon high recorded in the park was 121 degrees, officials said. The Inyo County Coroner identified the deceased as Steven Curry.

Curry fell to the ground outside the restroom at the Golden Canyon trailhead, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and the national park wrote in a news release.

Before collapsing, Curry had been interviewed in the early morning by a Los Angeles Times reporter at Zabriskie Point; he had hiked about 2 miles from Golden Canyon to the point.

I went here with my 6 year old daughter and my parents this past weekend. I grew up coming here with my dad and it feels really special to share it with my daughter. I can't wait to go back.

Looking for a new backpack. I don't like having 40 pockets to stash stuff in. I would prefer a frame but not having one isn't a deal breaker. Have lower back issues so it needs to sit appropriately.

MOLLE, ALICE, ILBE, or FILBE? Something else?

One of my favorite campsites. I did the North Lake to South Lake loop (about about fifty miles) back in 2020.

Sadly, most thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail or the John Muir Trail will hustle past here, as they’re always trying to get from Muir Pass to Muir Trail Ranch (or vice versa, if they’re southbound) in a day. But, it’s a beautiful place, worth stopping to see at different times of day.

Deer grazed in the meadow, as well as in my campsite as I made my morning coffee. If you’re an angler, Evolution Creek is full of golden trout, and make for a fantastic diet addition along the trail.

It is one of the most peaceful places in the Sierra Nevada, if you visit at the right time of year. This was back in late 2020, and I was able to be all alone here, due to the pandemic keeping the backpackers’ numbers down.

A link to a website if you want to buy good quality hiking items on aliexpress.

The ratio price/weigth is usually good, not ultralight, but correct

This was taken last January during my wife and I's thru hike of Te Araroa. Photo credit~ my wife.

Recently did a 2 day trip that looped up to this summit. There were some intense inclines and a few scrambles, but the views were incredible.

I'm new to the community and thought a little activity on the community couldn't hurt!

I am a pretty large guy (6'2", 240lbs) who's also pushing 50. As much as I'd like to do ultralight, I struggle to keep my base weight around 20lbs because I need large gear and sleeping on the ground is not that sexy for me. Plus... I have a chair because sitting on the ground is about as unsexy as sleeping on the ground is. I started off with a 50+lb pack and have gotten better gear as I've gotten more into backpacking.

I've done the CA section of PCT and now I do section hikes on the AT as I live on the east coast now. My trail name is JoePaca, and if you've seen me at a camp, I'm pretty easy to remember.

I'm happy to give honest opinions on any of the gear in my list, but I'm pretty happy with all of it.

Summer's here! Where are you backpacking while the days are long and the weather is warm?

I enjoy hiking and backpacking. I go to Yellowstone once a year.

What's the best pack to buy? I have one but bought it at Sports Academy and I feel there should be better ones out there.

I am looking at creating my backpacking kit. I just wanted to know what people consider their top items in their backpacking kit that might not be considered "essential" (tent, clothes, cookware, etc) or what they'd recommend looking into to improve the (already great) backpacking/camping experience.

Note : alcohol is supposed to be 'non-essential' !

I've had an absolute overkill vault for years and intend to switch to a sack (obvs unless the area has aggressive bears and/or the park specifies vaults are required).

What would you add as a luxury item to take up the newly available weight and volume? Currently leaning towards a lightweight backpacking chair. Getting up off the ground and having a backrest after a long days backpacking sounds great.

I have a 36L bag, so the vault takes up A LOT of the volume. And I shoot for midweight, say <20lbs dry weight.

Option 2, but vetoed by my frequent adventure buddy, was harmonicas for some nighttime jams. I can't play harmonica, so backwoods camp seemed like a good place to practice.

I'm mostly a day-hiker. I'd rather hike farther than carry more.

I'm slowly Passage-hiking the Arizona Trail, and there are stretches where overnights will be unavoidable.

I'm not going to cut down my toothbrush, but I do want to carry as little as possible.

I hear positive things about backpacking bidets, but the concept seems (to put it delicately) "optimistic" to me.

I may attempt the "try it afterwards in your shower at home" advice I've seen elsewhere, but that seems...gross.

Am I missing something, or is my risk tolerance misaligned with the reality of roughing it?

What are some of your favorite foods to bring/make for backpacking?

Some of mine: As an easy-to-cook grain, I recently discovered fonio, which looks and tastes a bit like tiny couscous. I combine a serving of fonio with a packet of ghee (Kroger sells those under the Simple Truth brand) and whatever dehydrated vegetables I'm in the mood for, and I have a great just-add-hot-water recipe for the back country.

Also, I learned from backpackingchef.com that you can make palatable dehydrated ground beef by cooking it with some bread crumbs, or in my case rice panko, before dehydrating. That little change alone has substantially improved the texture of my back country chilis, as dehydrating ground beef on its own turns it into something between a pebble and a piece of old gum.

i don't want to make advertising, but i found an affordable product for backpacker : a 12 inch tablet with a weight of 520g.
When a 10 inch tablet is 400g, and a 13.3 inch laptop is nearly 1kg, a 12 inch/520g is a good screen size weight/ratio. What do you think ? (Note : no direct advertising for a product, only features and why it could be a good product for backpacker)

You don't know where to backpack in peru?
Vinicunca, also called Montaña de Siete Colores (literally: Mountain of seven colors), is a mountain in the Andes of Peru with an altitude of 5,200 metres (17,100 ft) above sea level

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First significant post since coming over from Rexxit. Photos from a recent two-night trip through the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area in Western Colorado. We nailed the timing; biting bugs weren't too bad and while it was starting to get warm, the heat wasn't overwhelming yet.

a good community should always have a mascot : our mascot will be this little girl with her backpack, just because a backpacker is not always a big man with beard !

So here is the challenge : post a picture of your backpacking trip with the mascot