View Full Version : Dumbest biggest thing you've ever carried
taildragger
12-13-2010, 16:44
Just curious, whats the dumbest or biggest thing you've carried while hiking?
Anything, like rocks, stuffed beavers or penguins are accepted as reasonable answers.
The more ridiculous the better.
Go
the goat
12-13-2010, 16:48
garden gnome, roughly 2.5 lbs & big. i would still argue this was a necessity though.
hikerboy57
12-13-2010, 16:53
a coffee press, seemed like a good idea, but impossible to clean. Starbucks via is the new preferred brewing method.
Went on a 16 day hike. Took John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wraith.
ChinMusic
12-13-2010, 16:56
Previous meals.......
Once because of extremely hurried last minute packing, I carried 3 D-cell batteries and I of course had nothing that needed D-cell batteries. Also on the same trip, I carried a tire pressure gauge, with of course no tires to check. Had a great trip anyway!
taildragger
12-13-2010, 16:57
In NM, went on a 7 day hike, carried a bear knife, just in case I had to go Donner party on my hiking bud.
I also once carried a woodsy effigy, you know, to try and bring it back, back smokey ruined that.
I used to carry a Thermarest Base Camp.
Took John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wraith.
Great book. Next time bring The Pearl or Of Mice and Men, much lighter.
I used to carry a Thermarest Base Camp.
Great book. Next time bring The Pearl or Of Mice and Men, much lighter.
I read it all. I brought it because I knew it was going to be a long trip with a good amount of down time. A great experience was reading about these poor families in the Dust Bowl while I was sitting in the middle of Smokemont campground surrounded by all these people dragging out all sorts of stuff from their cars and here I was with just the things in my pack. It really made me appreciate how easy life is for so many of us.
Serial 07
12-13-2010, 17:23
when i left amicalola, i had 62 lbs, 5 of which was straight uncooked quinoa...
Pair of Vasque Hiker II boots tied to the top of my Kelty Tioga - full leather, fully gusseted tongue, weighed 3+ lbs each. Carried them from LaJunta, CO to Halstead, KS - about 354 miles. I started wearing running shoes instead.
i carried a 28oz TM inflatable across CT, dumped it in Kent when I found out it was fake
ec.hiker
12-13-2010, 18:32
I carried 15 ft of 1 1/2 anchor rope on my first hike it was a twenty mile two day hike never used the roap for anything it sits in my shop I havent
ec.hiker
12-13-2010, 18:40
What is a TM inflatable?
i carried a 28oz TM inflatable across CT, dumped it in Kent when I found out it was fake
have you ever heard of Dolly?
bulldog49
12-13-2010, 19:12
Just curious, whats the dumbest or biggest thing you've carried while hiking?
Anything, like rocks, stuffed beavers or penguins are accepted as reasonable answers.
The more ridiculous the better.
Go
Stuffed beaver :banana
Blissful
12-13-2010, 19:13
I met two hikers this year carrying their cat.
Cabin Fever
12-13-2010, 19:33
Hickory handled hatchet - I was a moron.
On my first hike I carried an extra pair of blue jeans.
Toolshed
12-13-2010, 20:23
wow - My first foray onto the Northville Placid Trail many years ago, I carried a set of clothes for each day and an 8 lb tent but the dumbest thing was a 3-D cell Maglight and an Army Trenching Tool, all festooned onto my 1975 CampTrails external frame pack...- . I was young, dumb and not too far from being just out of the army...... Thank god I had strong legs and back.
kayak karl
12-13-2010, 20:36
Ego............
generoll
12-13-2010, 20:56
carried a small cast iron skillet and a coleman one burner gas stove once to Icewater Springs shelter. My cousin and I had decided to do and in and out from Newfound and I wanted grilled cheese sandwiches. got a long, involved lecture from a "real" hiker about weight and proper gear. we then got a similar lecture from the same hiker on physiology from this pre-med hiker. My cousin and I were both recently discharged medics and just looked at each other and grinned.
and then ate our grilled cheese.
carried a small cast iron skillet and a coleman one burner gas stove once to Icewater Springs shelter. My cousin and I had decided to do and in and out from Newfound and I wanted grilled cheese sandwiches. got a long, involved lecture from a "real" hiker about weight and proper gear. we then got a similar lecture from the same hiker on physiology from this pre-med hiker. My cousin and I were both recently discharged medics and just looked at each other and grinned.
and then ate our grilled cheese.
what does one look like so i'll know if i ever meet one
SGT Rock
12-13-2010, 21:04
camp shoes.
Cold Steel Kukri
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31NSysRNWpL._AA115_.jpg
bigcranky
12-13-2010, 21:05
wow - My first foray onto the Northville Placid Trail many years ago, I carried a set of clothes for each day and an 8 lb tent but the dumbest thing was a 3-D cell Maglight and an Army Trenching Tool, all festooned onto my 1975 CampTrails external frame pack...- . I was young, dumb and not too far from being just out of the army...... Thank god I had strong legs and back.
This pretty much describes my first hike, too. E-tool, 3-D cell Mag Lite, clean pair of jeans for each day on the trail, etc. 65 pounds total, and I thought it was light. My poor wife had 45 pounds. (Yes, we had 110 pounds total weight for two people for a 4-day, <20 mile loop in Virginia. In May. Stooopid.)
earlyriser26
12-13-2010, 21:22
Pair of Vasque Hiker II boots tied to the top of my Kelty Tioga - full leather, fully gusseted tongue, weighed 3+ lbs each. Carried them from LaJunta, CO to Halstead, KS - about 354 miles. I started wearing running shoes instead.
Wow, I don't know what to say. I have been hiking in Vasque hiker II's for at least a decade. Not light weight, but they will stop a bullet.:D
chiefiepoo
12-13-2010, 21:23
Once along the Ellicott wilderness trail, two of our scouts took trail markers as a souvenir. After making them walk back mol 2 miles and replacing them, "so you need a souvenir? This 5 lb rock ought to do nicely. It's all yours' till the end of the trail"
Stuffed beaver :banana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhyCL-ELRxg
Monkeyboy
12-13-2010, 21:39
One of my scouts once carried a calculator as big as a clipboard.
Why? I don't know......but it was funny.
Nearly Normal
12-13-2010, 21:51
Rabbits foot...left hind.
Just to bring a smile to some folks who may have met this guy - Loadmaster. He thru-hiked the AT in '02. I met him this past Sept. at Tri Corner Knob in the northern Smokys. He was hiking his way home to Ashland after working the summer as a rafting guide. He planed to exit the AT at Newfound Gap, hike east on the highway a bit, then pick up the Mountains to Sea trail (I believe) to Ashland. His load was normal for him when he hiked. Said he carried similar for his thru-hike. He made no apologies. When he first walked into the shelter, near dark, the rest of us were a bit uneasy, but soon found Loadmaster to be a very friendly, and completely harmless "character" Let me describe him:
I would guess he was in his late 20's, longish hair, beard, kinda skinny - nothing too unusual so far. He had a monstrous external frame pack, with clothes hanging off of it drying. In his left hand he carried a huge staff, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter, In his right hand, he carried a medium sized Samsonite suitcase. He explained that an old timer had mentioned to him one time that a Samsonite would probably make a good bear box, telling him of the early Samsonite commercials that featured a bear trying to open their suitcase (actually it was a Gorilla, but so what). Loadmaster used it for storing his food overnight, said he never had any food stolen. During the day, he carried a heavy wool coat, jeans, and plenty of other clothes.
He had picked some blueberries earlier in the day, and asked if anyone wanted to share some cobbler, when we agreed, he pulled out a 5 Lb bag of flour, a 5 lb bag of sugar, and a cast iron skillet to cook it in. Built a fire, and in about 40 minutes we were sampling his cobbler.
Loadmaster said he only hiked about 5 miles per day, sometimes not even that. He also was of the opinion that carrying the suitcase actually saved him some energy. Rather than taking off your pack, sitting down and resting, then having to hoist your pack back onto your shoulders, he just squatted slightly, set the suitcase down, sat on the suitcase while resting the pack on it also. When he was ready to leave, he just stood up and only lifted the suitcase to his side.
Who's to argue? He had thousands of miles of this technique under his belt, seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, and was very pleasant company for the evening. His only complaint, was that his shoes had finally bitten the dust, so he was hiking in pretty flimsy sandals. He admitted this was not ideal, even for him.
generoll
12-13-2010, 22:15
met him the following day apparently at Icewater Springs. Still carrying his pack and briefcase and still making his cobbler. Maybe a couple of days later, not real sure. think he may have laid over a day to dry out.
generoll
12-13-2010, 22:18
Army Trenching Tool, I was young, dumb and not too far from being just out of the army...... Thank god I had strong legs and back.
my cousin was just back form his Junior year abroad, courtesy of his Uncle Sam and just wasn't comfortable without his e-tool. still not too sure about the 60s.
4eyedbuzzard
12-13-2010, 23:18
35 years ago my uncle and I carried the biggest and dumbest scout from his troop on an improvised litter from Rutherford Shelter to High Point State Park, about 2 miles or so. He sprained his ankle. Don't know which was swollen worse, his ankle or our ears from listening to him whine and cry.
Dumbest things personally carried - a folding Sven saw, a hatchet, and one of those clamshell toaster things that makes jelly filled toast. But I did get a really nice campfire and breakfast out of it.
alverhootzt
12-13-2010, 23:45
On the way to my first backpacking trip I had about an hour and half ride to the trailhead so I decided to "practice my knots" on the way. I took a little flashcard set with me, "Learn 50 Knots" or whatever - the kind you can buy at REI, but soon forgot I had put them in my pocket. Forgot about them until I set up camp the SECOND night as a matter of fact.
On my first ever backpacking trip, I carried a Made-in-Taiwan knock-off Rambo 'survival knife' (http://www.google.com/search?q=rambo+survival+knife&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a). You know...the type with a compass on top of it, a mini saw and fish hooks? I am sure the tough as butter steel would have helped me kill moose in New Hampsha...
The excess canned goods, being 20+ lbs overweight (and sedentary) and forgetting the map probably did not help either....
bobtomaskovic
12-14-2010, 00:46
A 12 pack to Eaglesmere Lakes, CO.
WalkSoftly33
12-14-2010, 03:02
How about a full on Horseshoe set. In the Bershire Mountains, Western Mass
In my defense I only carried half...and it was so cold we only played one game.
Fully loaded 90 liter pack including a small day pack and a full change of clothes for each of the four days, stuffed inside a 10oz canoe dry sack.
nitewalker
12-14-2010, 06:05
last yr on the florida trail my hiking buddy carried a walmart blowup mattress 8 in thick, 4ft wide and 7 feet long and weighed some 6lbs maybe more. he also had the automatic pump with 8 d cell batteries[4 spare] weighing about 2lbs and a 4 man tent because he needed the room to be comfortable. he said it would be easy carrying the extra stuff because its flat ground and its florida. boy was he in for a rude awakening. we lasted one nite before his foot turned into a blister and we had to abandon that excursion. he is the fair weather type. all in all we had a good time. he is one of those guys you can try and point in the rite direction but just never gets it to the point of less is best sometimes.....
C Seeker
12-14-2010, 06:46
hmm, I personally love slag(colorful rock like glass) Everytime I see really nice slag I have to pick it up...plus can't be called on LTN as it is simi man made.
I was also given a cd, radio player to carry on a weekend trip.
Some of the other things I've seen people carry is 3 pairs of jeans, 5 cotton shirts, 7 cotton socks, 3 bowls, and 4 sets up utensiles. All in one pack for one person
kayak karl
12-14-2010, 07:08
camp shoes.
ya, that's the truth :)
Gray Blazer
12-14-2010, 07:37
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/3/7/8/4/pict0213.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=39229&original=1&c=720)
You know this guy is about to die cuz he's wearing blue jeans!
Monkeyboy
12-14-2010, 08:11
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/3/7/8/4/pict0213.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=39229&original=1&c=720)
You know this guy is about to die cuz he's wearing blue jeans!
I hike in jeans all the time in Florida.........
Cabin Fever
12-14-2010, 08:30
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/3/7/8/4/pict0213.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=39229&original=1&c=720)
You know this guy is about to die cuz he's wearing blue jeans!
He'll be fine. He has a North Face shirt on. :banana:banana:banana
at least he has a good dog for leading theway
4eyedbuzzard
12-14-2010, 08:35
He may well die, but by God he's going to be comfortable doing it.
rpenczek
12-14-2010, 08:36
While not intentional, about two years ago while hiking the Knobstone Trail in Southern, IN, we (Scouts) roll into our first camp site for the hike and and the boys begin to set camp. One of my boys comes over and tells me his older brother is quite the joker. Seems the older brother stuffed a 64oz glass jug of grapfruit juice and a 64oz can of baked beans into the bottom of his pack.
The joke would have been OK had it been OJ (does anyone really like grapfruit juice, yuck) and a pulltab top of beans (no can opener and did not want to dull the knife for beans).
I had to remind the boy about leave no trace, he carried them out. LOL
Lesson learned, if you pack feels heavy, it is.
beakerman
12-14-2010, 09:12
The biggest and dumbest thing I ever carried was when I was a scout...we pulled the replace teh gear with rocks trick...we litterally replaced every peice of gear with rocks in my buddies pack...he was so strong he didn't notice until we got to camp...he wasn't upset becasue he was carying rocks he wanted to know where his gear was....
so the biggest dumbest thing I ever carried was my buddies gear...it was heavy.
YohonPetro
12-14-2010, 09:50
My brother and I carried a tent (well, ok, it was my tent, but I got him to carry it! :p ) - at around 6.5 lbs. It was in July for about 5 days just north of Roanoke. The tent was never unstrapped from the backpack! At that time of year all the shelters were empty during the week.
More recently I carried a 3L glass bottle of wine... next time the wine comes, the glass can stay home: I got the wine bladder for this weekends crossing-of-Maryland section hike.
HaHaHa! This has to be the best !
I met two hikers this year carrying their cat.
i mean this.:)
Met this gentleman who was on a family backpack (3 miles R/T, 1000' gain). The kids seemed happy...so that is what is probably the ultimate in importance.
http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/21238-2/aag.jpg?g2_GALLERYSID=25b5c3154122b6e1274de29426d3 0d42
fiddlehead
12-14-2010, 13:10
I carried a hiking pole once.
Does that qualify?
Sassafras Lass
12-14-2010, 13:12
My husband brought his Bear & Sons Bowie knife during our last Smokies foray - it actually was very awesome to be able to take catalog-quality shots on top of Mt. LeConte, no Photoshop here! :)
Buzz_Lightfoot
12-14-2010, 13:14
Silo cover. You know, the 5 mil thick plastic that farmers use?
Had a department store pack and tent. No fly. Probably no floor. I dont remember that far back. What I DO remember was that I was truely fanatical about backpacking back then.
I wanted to go that weekend SOOOO bad. Weekend comes. Predictions of very heavy rain and high winds. I knew my tent stood no chance in that but I was determined to go. Stopped in a farm supply store (this was before the day of Home Depot, etc.) and bought that silo cover. I went backpacking that weekend.
I set up my tent on Rattlesnake Ridge in NJ. I put up my awful tent and draped the silo cover over it. I weighted the cover down with stones. That night it POURED. The wind HOWLED. All night. I wondered how I was going to get home the next day.
Somehow my insane contraption worked. Cover didn't blow off. I didn't get wet.
The storm finally blew itself out early the next morning. I crawled out of my "shelter" and found I was ABOVE the clouds. All the valleys were all socked in. It was a surreal view. Every so often a cloud would blow up over the ridge and visability would drop to zero but then it would pass and the view opened up again. It was one of the most memorable trips I ever had. I've never seen anything like it since.
In retrospect it might not have been stupid as I got this great memory from the trip. Insane maybe, but not stupid! :-?
BL
Met this gentleman who was on a family backpack (3 miles R/T, 1000' gain). The kids seemed happy...so that is what is probably the ultimate in importance.
http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/21238-2/aag.jpg?g2_GALLERYSID=25b5c3154122b6e1274de29426d3 0d42
OMG. The kids were happy cuz Dad was carrying everything. Where was this picture taken?
I met these guys on the trail once who told me this story. The one guy decided to play a trick on the other so when he wasn't looking, he put a full 6-pack of beer in his pack. His friend labored up the mountain and when they got to camp and he found the beer in his pack, he laughed so hard that he fooled him into carrying it. His friend said to him just wait until you see what's in your pack. He looked and inside was a frozen turkey!
OMG. The kids were happy cuz Dad was carrying everything. Where was this picture taken?
Lost Lake
http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=29
Nice little hike and perfect for an easy backpacking trip and/or playing porter for your family. :)
Odd Man Out
12-14-2010, 16:45
Just out of college I went backpacking with a couple of friends in SNP. One insisted on having pancakes for breakfast. We suggested that was a bad idea, but she insisted. So we carried all the fixing for pancakes (skillet, eggs, milk, oil, butter, syrup, etc) up and down the mountain. Don't know why, but even though we had enough oil in the skillet to deep fry the suckers, they all still stuck to the skillet like glue. In the end, we didn't get one edible pancake out of the batch but did succeed in creating some sort of new industrial strength adhesive that will never come off aluminum. So if you are awakened from your cryogenic sleep 100,000 years from now and you read about an archaeologist who unearths a camping skillet with pancake batter still firmly attached, that me!:banana
dumbest? plug in hair-straightener and makeup. (got over that pretty quick!)
GoldenBear
12-14-2010, 21:11
did one of your ancestors make soup in China?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/13/2400yearold-soup-discover_n_795833.html
ac2rivers
12-14-2010, 21:33
I once carried a foldout chair(full-size), full size cast iron skillet, kids tent(yes, I am 5'11) and a cooler with 24 beers. Yes, this was all one botched camping trip. My cousin got the worst end of the deal because he spent the night wrapped up in a quilt outside the kiddy tent. I learned a lot about camping that trip and have seriously changed my ways.
Llama Legs
12-14-2010, 21:45
Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. My buddy carried the tripod.
Not really heavy, but I carried an inflatable pirate sword from Boiling Springs to Katahdin.
Gray Blazer
12-15-2010, 07:37
Not really heavy, but I carried an inflatable pirate sword from Boiling Springs to Katahdin.
Arghh, Matey! Why ye be carring that cutlass?
plockard
12-15-2010, 09:29
My trail Buddy insisted that I post this -- I carried a Costco special, 5lb block of hard Irish Cheddar Cheese. It went so well with anything in a tortilla wrap, such as tuna, spam, and peanut butter. It tasted very good, but was equally heavy. We finally finished it off on the 4th day. Not sure I'd do that again, unless I can sucker my teenage son into carrying it !!
fadeleaf
12-15-2010, 11:14
Ego............
Best response yet.
Rocket Jones
12-15-2010, 12:06
My trail Buddy insisted that I post this -- I carried a Costco special, 5lb block of hard Irish Cheddar Cheese. It went so well with anything in a tortilla wrap, such as tuna, spam, and peanut butter. It tasted very good, but was equally heavy. We finally finished it off on the 4th day. Not sure I'd do that again, unless I can sucker my teenage son into carrying it !!
You ate 5lbs of cheese in 4 days? I'm sure you saved some weight by leaving the TP at home. :)
chiefduffy
12-16-2010, 00:31
Dumbest thing? When I was a scout, 2 score or more years ago, I once carried a canteen full of stolen beer (way too young to buy it). Still remember the pee warm, rotgut taste after lugging it up a steep trail. Real hard to hide the smell, too.
Fifty feet of shorline and a flagpole key.
twosticks
12-16-2010, 15:14
Dumbest thing was my buddy's pack after his foot turned into a blister because of the 12 MRE's he brought for a 4 day trip and the winter boots he didn't break in for a hike in May.
Great trip though.
Odd Man Out
12-16-2010, 16:08
My trail Buddy insisted that I post this -- I carried a Costco special, 5lb block of hard Irish Cheddar Cheese. It went so well with anything in a tortilla wrap, such as tuna, spam, and peanut butter. It tasted very good, but was equally heavy. We finally finished it off on the 4th day. Not sure I'd do that again, unless I can sucker my teenage son into carrying it !!
That's not so bad. Irish cheese is really good, and hard cheddar has more calories per gram than dry grains (pasta, cereal, sugar, rice, etc). If you didn't eat that you would have needed more than 5 pounds of other foods to make up the difference.
My trail Buddy insisted that I post this -- I carried a Costco special, 5lb block of hard Irish Cheddar Cheese. It went so well with anything in a tortilla wrap, such as tuna, spam, and peanut butter. It tasted very good, but was equally heavy. We finally finished it off on the 4th day. Not sure I'd do that again, unless I can sucker my teenage son into carrying it !!
You ate a whole wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? I'm not even mad, that's amazing!
^obligatory Anchorman quote
SmokeEater
12-16-2010, 16:52
met him the following day apparently at Icewater Springs. Still carrying his pack and briefcase and still making his cobbler. Maybe a couple of days later, not real sure. think he may have laid over a day to dry out.
I also met him on Sept 9 at Tri-Corner Knob shelter. Me and 2 other guys came in late that night around 10pm. we saw the suit case and thought it was kinda wierd. Seemed like a real cool guy. He started a fire that morning for us with a some type of book. He would read a page and rip it out and use it to start the fire. I guess he was trying to save on weight.:D
Monkeyboy
12-16-2010, 19:58
A mule..........because someone told me it was a pack animal..........
Just Jack
12-16-2010, 21:42
Heaviest thing that I caried was some useles fear and nerves.
Tok a while to learn to leave that stuf behind.
Megapixel
12-16-2010, 21:57
dumbest? plug in hair-straightener and makeup. (got over that pretty quick!)
Hey I remember that! That was really an awesome moment.
Ramble~On
12-17-2010, 06:55
Biggest Dumbest thing I ever carried......DEBT!
Biggest Dumbest thing I ever carried......DEBT!
Ironically, for many hikers, a thru-hike leads to just that.
wvgrinder
12-17-2010, 12:40
A 12 pack to Eaglesmere Lakes, CO.
That's not dumb. :banana
Bronco Carl
12-17-2010, 13:57
3 bottles of wine. But on a hike way back in 1974 I ran across a guy with a trombone. I asked him why a trombone, his answer was so pure I have never forgot it. He said "it is the only thing I know how to play". Made perfect sense. We sat around the campfire that night while he played tune after tune. What a strange night that was.
gravityman
12-17-2010, 14:36
Tubaman carried carried some instrument. I just can't seem to remember which :)
Walkintom
12-17-2010, 21:04
The Wife...
Wise Old Owl
12-18-2010, 08:26
Some of those older GPS m315 etc. - Heavy boots, external 4 lbs packs 4lbs sleeping bags...Coleman stoves BS Mess kits. Extra clothes....That Really BIG Knife.
A mini keg up to McAfee Knob. Didn't mind carrying it up, or drinking the contents with 2 other thru's. But on the way into Waynesboro something inside the empty keg came loose and started making a klunk noise with every step. Once the buzz wore off after tinker cliffs and the headache started it was miserable.
Oh, and proof (http://picasaweb.google.com/33leon/AppalachianTrail2010#5509129039197471394)
hikerboy57
12-18-2010, 16:27
The Wife...
should have left her in a hiker box
SunnyWalker
12-18-2010, 21:49
I an't remember ever carrying anything dumb in my backpack. At the time it was all very necessary and important. One time in NM I felt I had made a mistake in carrying a gps as I was on the trail the entire time.
turtle fast
12-18-2010, 21:58
I had a stone I picked up on Springer Mountain in my pack. I ran into a hiker in 08' Charlie, a British guy who had a Cricket bat. He had picked up a large rock from the Pigeon river with Curtis from Standing Bear Farm and was going to hike with that too.
Old Hiker
12-19-2010, 10:34
should have left her in a hiker box
I thought that's where he got her in the first place!
lancelot606
01-10-2011, 20:54
I wonce carried out a truck inner tube, found it in the middle of the woods, the true question is how it got there
topshelf
01-10-2011, 21:08
First time I hiked I fell to the ole rock trick. I was going out to be with friends who hiked and I had never been out. I borrowed one of their packs and sleeping bags. Come to know it they had already packed the sleeping bag and my food. The sleeping bag turned out to mostly be a 10 pound weight and a summer bag, not the winter one I needed.
Later that night I played it off and did show my anger. Carried it the whole way and never complained.
I also once hiked with a guy who carried a full case of Mountain Dew. He was one of the ever prepared boy scouts. He was 90 pounds soakin' wet and his pack was 75.
Half Note
01-10-2011, 22:01
A tick for 6 days.
Ashevillian
01-10-2011, 22:12
Mini bar with a battery operated blender to make snow daiquiris.
Harrison Bergeron
01-11-2011, 09:07
Time will tell how dumb this really is, or even how heavy it is, but I'm sure to get lots of ribbing for this next year.
I'm making fleece pajamas for my AT hike. Here's the theory. You need warm dry clothes to wear in camp, right? What's warmer for its weight than fleece? So I'm thinking that a one-piece fleece union suit is just the ticket. I couldn't find any for sale, so I'm making it. So far it looks like it's going to weigh about 18 ounces, which is about the same as the dry clothes it replaces. But it also eliminates the need for a sleeping bag liner, so effectively it's only 10 ounces -- the same as a pair of long pants.
Theoretically, I even could make it with footies to wear inside my crocs, which would probably be lighter than a spare pair of socks, but somehow I think that's more than even my battered 56 year old ego could stand. I left off the footies.
Dumb idea?
TnSlowPoke
01-11-2011, 11:38
In Summer of 2000 my partenr and I went on the At from Damascus,Va. When we got to Campbell Shelter ther on the table was a BOWLING BALL
with a not on it that said " Iam going to Maine please help".
Now that ball stayed there i guess after we left the shelter. Has anyone seen it?:-?
Old Hiker
01-11-2011, 12:16
Theoretically, I even could make it with footies to wear inside my crocs, which would probably be lighter than a spare pair of socks, but somehow I think that's more than even my battered 56 year old ego could stand. I left off the footies.
Dumb idea?
Saw Crocs with internal removable fleece type socks INSIDE this weekend. $34.99.
Time will tell how dumb this really is, or even how heavy it is, but I'm sure to get lots of ribbing for this next year.
I'm making fleece pajamas for my AT hike. Here's the theory. You need warm dry clothes to wear in camp, right? What's warmer for its weight than fleece? So I'm thinking that a one-piece fleece union suit is just the ticket. I couldn't find any for sale, so I'm making it. So far it looks like it's going to weigh about 18 ounces, which is about the same as the dry clothes it replaces. But it also eliminates the need for a sleeping bag liner, so effectively it's only 10 ounces -- the same as a pair of long pants.
Theoretically, I even could make it with footies to wear inside my crocs, which would probably be lighter than a spare pair of socks, but somehow I think that's more than even my battered 56 year old ego could stand. I left off the footies.
Dumb idea?
Be sure to include a trap door.
strollingalong
01-11-2011, 16:05
one-piece fleece union suit is just the ticket
ticket to your trail name, son.
You are hereby formally christened as Teletubby
Sickmont
01-11-2011, 16:46
ticket to your trail name, son.
You are hereby formally christened as Teletubby
Ha! I second it. Thats awesome.:D
On the AT in PA, many years ago, a full-size watermelon, biggest the store had, as part of a hoax to "see if we could find any edible plants" in the woods near our campsite with a group of scouts. We cached it under some wild grape vines and "discovered" it. Had them all looking for more for about an hour.
Harrison Bergeron
01-12-2011, 08:10
ticket to your trail name, son.
You are hereby formally christened as Teletubby
Hadn't thought of that. Is it too late to suggest "PJ" instead?
Rocket Jones
01-12-2011, 09:56
Hadn't thought of that. Is it too late to suggest "PJ" instead?
Binky? ;)
Dobie Swift
01-12-2011, 10:21
A Duraflame log.
Old Hiker
01-13-2011, 07:16
A Duraflame log.
Please tell me you did NOT carry it back out! :eek:
Buzz_Lightfoot
01-13-2011, 12:49
Please tell me you did NOT carry it back out! :eek:
Why not. Aren't there carry out what you carry in laws? :)
i use to carry a tent, but now just stay in shelters, and i dont carry food, just live off the land or newbies that carry too much food:D
Old Hiker
01-13-2011, 12:58
Why not. Aren't there carry out what you carry in laws? :)
I just KNEW there was a reason they sent me to the quartermaster during Scout Camp for that smoke chaser!
berninbush
01-13-2011, 14:25
What's warmer for its weight than fleece? So I'm thinking that a one-piece fleece union suit is just the ticket. I couldn't find any for sale, so I'm making it.
I bought a fleece suit on www.sportsmansguide.com (http://www.sportsmansguide.com), but the only ones I see on there now are cotton. It IS nice and warm.
2 day hike: i had at least 5 days worth of dog food, 4 ramans (which i ate) 3 cans of campbells chunky soup
mcskinney
01-15-2011, 16:54
2 day hike: i had at least 5 days worth of dog food, 4 ramans (which i ate) 3 cans of campbells chunky soup
4 ramens and 3 cans of soup is 5 days worth of food?
Old Hiker
01-16-2011, 08:21
4 ramens and 3 cans of soup is 5 days worth of food?
Evidently hiking in Somalia or Ethiopia.
strollingalong
01-16-2011, 23:04
*starving people are funny
I carry the biggest glass bottle of Crown Royal i can fit in my bag. So if you see the Pommes come over and have a glass.
Distilled
01-23-2011, 19:19
Mini bar with a battery operated blender to make snow daiquiris.
I see nothing dumb about this. How'd they turn out?
TheTwanger
01-30-2011, 19:16
In the absence of proper equipment on a spontaneous hike at Savage Gulf, my girlfriend and I carried a fifty pound army duffel full with an unreasonable amount of canned food, and a cardboard box which was toted over my head full of glass beer and liquor bottles and a full tackle box amongst other random things and on top of the cardboard box balanced two fishing poles.... And we didn't find the trail head in time, so we hiked in with it in the dark on a trail we didn't know with a crappy two AA flashlight....
LordoftheWings
02-24-2011, 22:14
@ JonGalt-http://www.theunderwearguys.com/
10 inch Lodge cast iron skillet with 2 lbs of bacon to cook in it. I like bacon-so do skunks, possums, coyotes, shelter mice, and not to mention the cloud of flies and other winged bandits that tried to lay seige to me in order to get get my pork.
EastCoastFeastCoast
02-25-2011, 06:56
Back when I was in the boy scouts, we were preparing the new scouts for their first big time camping trip @ Camp Buck Toms... this kid brought a fully boxed brush kit, like 3 big ole wood handled brushes inside the original packaging... was the funniest thing I ever saw someone pull out of a pack.
nsiderbam
12-22-2011, 16:20
On my first real backpacking excursion (a 5-day 60-mile hike on the AT in Shenandoah), my then-roommate carried a large hatchet and a blowgun. I'm not really sure what he planned to do with the hatchet, but being an avid hunter, he wanted to nab a squirrel and make squirrel stew for us. Thankfully, he wasn't successful.
Before I learned that there is a wide variety of trail-foods, I was keen on taking loads of ramen...like a whole 24-pack in my backpack. Needless to say, that's where I got my trail name from.
Back when I was in the boy scouts, we were preparing the new scouts for their first big time camping trip @ Camp Buck Toms... this kid brought a fully boxed brush kit, like 3 big ole wood handled brushes inside the original packaging... was the funniest thing I ever saw someone pull out of a pack.
Had a scoutmaster that made us carry a chain to hang pots over the fire
---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.773348,-93.544832
Mountain Mike
12-22-2011, 17:26
Once I carried a pair of snake skin cowboy boots. Spent a day visiting people before I hopped on a trainin MA bound for GA. I figured I would just mail traveling clothes back to myself for return trip. Got of the train in Gainville & realized it was sunday! Carried them with me untill Suches where I mailed them back to Gainsville.
back in 2000 when I was hiking in Hawaii, I carried 35 pounds of camera gear on every hike. I got some great pictures, and some strong legs!
dumbest thing I carried was a bottle of booze that was not large enough, never make that newbie error again!
Sarcasm the elf
12-22-2011, 18:42
dumbest thing I carried was a bottle of booze that was not large enough, never make that newbie error again!HYOH, but in my opinion it is unwise to drink anywhere that doesn't have a flush toilet.
rocketsocks
12-22-2011, 18:51
Case of beer,firewood,2 tee bones stakes(no..not for holding the tent down),it was a good "trip";)
wildkitty
12-22-2011, 18:55
wow the first day out going south last year i carried only too the first shelter 8 miles away a folding lawnchair
A 5lb weight.
Left Philly with a LARGE Primo's hoagie (maybe 2+ lbs), a 5 lb weight and 20oz of Tequila.
Lets just say that day two was a great day.
Lone Wolf
12-22-2011, 19:56
Case of beer.that ain't dumb to carry
atmilkman
12-22-2011, 20:02
I once carried a Coleman 2 burner stove with a full tank of gas from Neel's to Woods Hole and back because for once in my life I wanted a luxury supper and breakfast on the AT. It was Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni, a can of green beans, bread and butter and a cucumber. Breakfast was bacon and eggs and grits and hot pepper rings. This was back in the 70's. I was young but I was on top of the world. Right then life couldn't have gotten any better.
My ego. I'm trying to cut down on pack weight in that department, though. ;)
a full size watermellon......
A case of beer. It was only a few miles in and I hiked it in solo the day before the "actual" hike with my two friends as a surprise. I had it submerged in a nice cool creek. They were both surprised, impressed and eternally grateful.:banana (They hauled out the empties)
Nightwalker
12-23-2011, 13:19
A Coleman Sportster liquid-fuel stove every hike in January and February. And any time I want to mess with people. :-)
The dumbest and biggest thing that I have ever carried has been my ego.
probably a percolator to make coffee -- boy it was good coffee though .....
babygiraffe
12-24-2011, 14:40
A 3lb dumbell (not on purpose of course)!
Kerosene
12-24-2011, 15:16
I encountered a young woman in southern New York lugging a big bright yellow toy Tonka dumptruck. She was had been carrying it in one hand for the last 50 miles after she purchased it at a flea market for her nephew. She still had another 50 miles to go before she got off the trail!
Wise Old Owl
12-24-2011, 16:32
10 oz bag of Sunflower seed.
I met a young female thru hiker in VA last year who's original trail name was "Hammer". Her grandfather insisted she carry a hammer to drive in her tent stakes. She eventually dropped both the name and the hammer. When I met her she was going by the name TippyToes. Can't remember how she got that one. She did make it to Maine.
Sarcasm the elf
12-24-2011, 23:27
10 oz bag of Sunflower seed.
Did you drop the seed hulls on the ground a you walked? If so, you may or may not have been littering. :eek:
Wise Old Owl
12-24-2011, 23:53
It's my right as a human being to deny deny deny - I might have fed a few birds along the way..... "Downtown kind thing!"
RossSFCA
12-25-2011, 02:46
While on the John Muir Trial, I had to carry 10 days of food for the last leg of my hike... I tried to be as diligent as possible in eating all the food (and not "taking it on a tour") so that I would keep up my strength. Normally, I cannot stop snacking, but during my hike, I had ZERO desire to eat and my appetite just disappeared.
Unfortunately, as I made more room in my bear canister, I would put other items into it. I am very aware that I am a packrat (which is a nice nickname for a compulsive hoarder).
I was so grateful for making it across many of the steep, snowy passes, as well as to the top of Mt. Whitney, I kept picking up tiny rocks from each "victorious" mountain pass and filling my pockets with the little stones. As the landscape changes on the JMT, so does the geology. Once I arrived in Lone Pine, I weighed my pack... it was the EXACT same weight as my last re-supply at Muir Trail Ranch. I had filled it with too many souvenir rocks!
D'oh!!
Thank goodness I have learned this lesson before my 2012 Appalachian Trail hike! I want to have a VERY light pack!!
Ross/DirtyGirl
johnnybgood
12-25-2011, 12:38
When section hiking in 2010 I met three NOBO'S known as the "croquet boys " while tenting at Punchbowl Shelter . Each had their own croquet mallet that they carried with the club end sticking out of their pack.
I never once saw the croquet ball or wickets and wondered if they played the game maybe while in town or at places where there was some level ground.
The dumbest and biggest thing that I have ever carried has been my ego.
Read post #135 - You know what they say about "Great minds"................;)
Sorry tinker. I did not read your post before.
You mentioned it before me.
My fault to be lazy not to read all the posts before. I think it is the most difficult item in my hiking that is not easy to get rid of. If you find out how to get rid of it please let me know.
rocketsocks
12-25-2011, 18:11
Yeah Tinker, I went to post #135......did see a bloody thing.;)merry Christmas tinker.
rocketsocks
12-25-2011, 19:54
Yep Tinker,just checked again not there....I guess you don't have an ego.:)
Jim Adams
12-25-2011, 23:37
I was thinking possibly 1-2-Many however I realized that I didn't carry him, I just helped him back upright....repeatedly!
geek
Old Hiker
12-31-2011, 09:35
When section hiking in 2010 I met three NOBO'S known as the "croquet boys " while tenting at Punchbowl Shelter . Each had their own croquet mallet that they carried with the club end sticking out of their pack.
I never once saw the croquet ball or wickets and wondered if they played the game maybe while in town or at places where there was some level ground.
Shelter mouse eradication system?
BlackCloud
01-02-2012, 14:51
A medium format camera w/ 2 xtra lenses. And I keep doing it......
RaveDigger
01-02-2012, 23:24
I found a large can of the area fogger bug spray in a pocket in my pack that I had neglected to check. I found this 2.5 pound weight AFTER a presidential traverse while I was unpacking my bag.
Wise Old Owl
01-03-2012, 00:02
First Aid kits - with Survival kits
specifically - stuff that shows up in both - dumped the wire saw and can opener regular matches compass and all other doubles.
Chattanooga, TNAge 28
Posts 913
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon1.png
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/miscgreen/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Gray Blazer http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/buttonsgreen/viewpost-right.png (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1079696#post1079696)
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/3/7/8/4/pict0213.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=39229&original=1&c=720)
You keep laughing at me pal - I've got fifty pounds of dog food in here, enough for the whole hike!
Wise Old Owl
01-04-2012, 21:02
wow check out that picture .... Do you have Fries with that?
Sarcasm the elf
01-04-2012, 21:05
Chattanooga, TNAge 28
Posts 913
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon1.png
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/miscgreen/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Gray Blazer http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/buttonsgreen/viewpost-right.png (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1079696#post1079696)
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/3/7/8/4/pict0213.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=39229&original=1&c=720)
You keep laughing at me pal - I've got fifty pounds of dog food in here, enough for the whole hike!
Is he carrying a spare dog in the blue duffel bag?
Big Dawg
01-05-2012, 04:13
WOW,,, blue jeans, a fold up lawn chair, more items outside than inside the pack, including a separate duffle bag. Newbie doesn't even begin to explain this one!!!
redheadedhiker674
01-05-2012, 05:48
The Grapes of Wrath was such a great book! My 11th grade English teacher made us read it and I'm glad she did. Wonderful read.
58starter
01-06-2012, 20:45
Old fashion drip coffer pot, and 4 cups. Hiked with a party of 6 and made coffee each night and morning