Advanced Tips and Tricks

[pyroman53]

I tried and ditched the guy line shock absorbers after a tent stake was pulled loose and went flying into the darkness, never to be seen again that night. Thank goodness it didn't hit someone in the eye.

[rafe]

"Watch" the plain clothes, eh Rafe?

That's what I thought, too. Can't trust ancient song lyrics plucked off of any old web site, I guess.

[Auto Draft]

Clif Bar wrappers are widely available and make excellent fire starters. They burn slow over a long time.

[OCDave]

My hiking poles came with beginner or "training" tips which I quickly upgraded to intermediate tips. However, these intermediate tips haven't really facilitated many tricks. I am on my way out now in search of a pair of "advanced" tips. I am very excited for how they might improve my hiking tricks.

Wish me luck!

[10-K]

100% esbit here too.

Doesn't spill, doesn't require separate or special container, when it's gone - it's gone - so no trash, you always know exactly how much you have left and it's a good firestarter if you want to build a fire the easy way.

I've done a fair amount of hiking and have managed not to ever run out.

[Kerosene]

I've done a fair amount of hiking and have managed not to ever run out.

A "fair bit"? How many backpacking miles are you up to now, 10-K?

[saltysack]

100% esbit here too.

Doesn't spill, doesn't require separate or special container, when it's gone - it's gone - so no trash, you always know exactly how much you have left and it's a good firestarter if you want to build a fire the easy way.

I've done a fair amount of hiking and have managed not to ever run out.

What esbit set up did you find most efficient...seem like I recall you messing with a few last year...

[saltysack]

A "fair bit"? How many backpacking miles are you up to now, 10-K?

Didn't you just do a sobo run off CDT?

[nsherry61]

Advanced tips, eh? Nah, can't help. I've been doing it all wrong for years now. . .

That's the best kind of tips. Insight from years of experience. Who wants to spend their life doing everything right all the time. That would get boring.

[Bronk]

Recently on trips in the winter time I've been bringing a bag of frozen meatballs for dinner. The smaller bag is a pound and has 32 meatballs in it...enough for a dog and two people, but you could easily bring a Ziploc with however many you want. They are pre-cooked so you just have to heat them over a fire, don't make any mess and they are full of fat and protein. Bring some bread and cheese and you could make a sandwich.

One thing I do that I don't see a lot of people doing is to rake up a big pile of leaves with your feet and then set your tent up on top of that. Makes the ground softer and provides some insulating value.

If you have something heavy that you don't want to carry, leave early in the morning and drop it on the trail a little ways away from the shelter. One of your friends will pick it up thinking you lost it and carry it back to you. Just make sure you don't take a lot of long breaks that day because if they catch up to you then you will be stuck carrying it the rest of the day. You have to do this sparingly...if you do it every day people will catch on to what you are doing.

You can also get up early and put your trash in the bottom of someone else's pack. By the time they realize its there you will be long gone.

If you run out of toilet paper, somebody will usually have a shirt or a jacket hanging up somewhere in the shelter.

You can save money by pretending a bear stole your food bag. People will feel sorry for you and give you enough free food to make it to the next town.

[QiWiz]

(Newbie here) - just out of curiosity, why not forget about the other fuel and just go with the esbit?

Esbits are not widely available.

Esbit is all I use. Quiet and light weight. As Slo'goen said above, you can't find it everywhere, but they are easily available from Amazon. I have seen them at some of the outfitters along the trail though.

100% esbit here too. Doesn't spill, doesn't require separate or special container, when it's gone - it's gone - so no trash, you always know exactly how much you have left and it's a good firestarter if you want to build a fire the easy way. I've done a fair amount of hiking and have managed not to ever run out.

+1 on Esbit as a fuel option. In addition to what has already been mentioned,
[1] You can mail it to yourself in resupply boxes if you are mailing resupply boxes;
[2] It has more BTU/oz than alcohol.

[Uncle Joe]

Recently on trips in the winter time I've been bringing a bag of frozen meatballs for dinner. The smaller bag is a pound and has 32 meatballs in it...enough for a dog and two people, but you could easily bring a Ziploc with however many you want. They are pre-cooked so you just have to heat them over a fire, don't make any mess and they are full of fat and protein. Bring some bread and cheese and you could make a sandwich.

One thing I do that I don't see a lot of people doing is to rake up a big pile of leaves with your feet and then set your tent up on top of that. Makes the ground softer and provides some insulating value.

If you have something heavy that you don't want to carry, leave early in the morning and drop it on the trail a little ways away from the shelter. One of your friends will pick it up thinking you lost it and carry it back to you. Just make sure you don't take a lot of long breaks that day because if they catch up to you then you will be stuck carrying it the rest of the day. You have to do this sparingly...if you do it every day people will catch on to what you are doing.

You can also get up early and put your trash in the bottom of someone else's pack. By the time they realize its there you will be long gone.

If you run out of toilet paper, somebody will usually have a shirt or a jacket hanging up somewhere in the shelter.

You can save money by pretending a bear stole your food bag. People will feel sorry for you and give you enough free food to make it to the next town.

So...wrong!

[Roamin]

Clif Bar wrappers are widely available and make excellent fire starters. They burn slow over a long time.

Not very "Leave No Trace"ish, but I guess helps clean up other people's trash!

[Oslohiker]

Esbit isn't available in many trail towns. Alcohol is.
Well, maybe on the AT (if you use a bounce box it should not be a problem?), but in general it is great. This is the fuel of my choice.

Esbit is more work. It leaves a brown residue on my pot that will then stain anything my pot comes in contact with, and therefore must be scrubbed off before I pack up in the morning.
The residue is really easy to remove. Use a small part of a dish washing sponge and a drop of soap.

Esbit stinks. Seriously, I can lose my appetite cooking with it. I think I'm more sensitive to the stench than most people.
Not a problem for me.

Esbit is slow. Even my alcohol stove gives a more intense heat.
Fire up several at the time. This is not a problem.

Esbit is kind of pricey. Denatured alcohol is pretty cheap fuel.

YOLO

[Stevep311]

Esbit is so attractive because of the weight. I recently used them and did not like having to clean the residue afterwards because it's kinda sticky black stuff that is now all over your towel. Alternative that works well is one wet wipe. The smell is pretty bad though--like cat food. This smell is only really bad with an unused tab, and not while it's burning.

[Tipi Walter]

My most advanced tips are:

** Never reproduce as offspring could very well keep you from a life outdoors and backpacking. This is a tip for advanced backpackers only, as "normal" backpackers probably already have a family with wife and kids and therefore are lucky to get out on short "snippet" weekend trips now and again. Progeny generally greatly reduces your chances for living outdoors.

** Avoid "mere" dayhiking if at all possible as why start your hiking day in a car and end your day in a car???? Why torture yourself with Done In A Day excursions when you could stretch that dayhike into an overnighter?? Ergo Advanced Tip: Always turn a mere dayhike into an overnighter. Make this a rule.

** Avoid any classification of backpacking into categories such as "I'm an ultralighter" or "I do big daily mileages" or "I'm a thruhiker". See---

http://andrewskurka.com/2012/is-ligh...ng-label-dead/

https://bedrockandparadox.com/2012/10/18/ulisdead/

https://korpijaakko.com/2012/10/19/t...e-assumptions/

** Try to get bag nights whenever you can and wherever you are. Sleep out in the backyard every night. Develop a personal relationship with Miss Nature. Formulate your own personal religion around Nature, wilderness, America the Beautiful (or what's left of it) and your place in it.

[Leo L.]

My most advanced tips are:

...
** Try to get bag nights whenever you can and wherever you are. Sleep out in the backyard every night. Develop a personal relationship with Miss Nature. Formulate your own personal religion around Nature, wilderness, America the Beautiful (or what's left of it) and your place in it.

Sign this one!
(not the one with the offsprings, all my six kids didn't hinder me being outdoors, it just changed the style a bit)

[twistwrist]

I was the weirdo who would "clean house" on my thru-hike every few zero days. Besides sweeping out my tent, I would use a wet cloth or occasionally even an anti-bacterial wipe to "mop" the floor and walls inside my tent. Did the same thing to my sleeping pad. It sure cut down on the thru-hiker stench.

Another tip, use antibacterial wipes to do things like wipe the log book pens, the privy door handles, the privy seats (and use it to lift the seat to check for spiders ...basically anywhere people touch is worthy of wiping. But PLEASE don't throw the wipes in the privies. They don't biodegrade and sweet trail volunteers who do not get paid are often the ones who have to fish the wipes out of everyone's poop. Pack those suckers out and leave the world more sanitized behind you.

[jefals]

I tried and ditched the guy line shock absorbers after a tent stake was pulled loose and went flying into the darkness, never to be seen again that night. Thank goodness it didn't hit someone in the eye.

Thanks for thar - I thought this sounded like a great idea till I read that! But I think it still sounds good to attach these on the tent side, right?

[nsherry61]

Thanks for thar - I thought this sounded like a great idea till I read that! But I think it still sounds good to attach these on the tent side, right?

I would suggest that if someone had a stake pulled while on a shock absorber, it would have have pulled a lot sooner without one. I (and many other people) use shock absorbers on guy lines frequently, and it allows for much better pitching in much harsher conditions without damaging gear. It also allows me to pitch a tarp or tent without having to wake up in the night and tighten all the guys because it rained a little and the nylon expanded. I've never lost a stake in the manner described above, but loosing that stake would be a small price to pay for having my tent stay up in heavy weather without damage. I burned myself once while using a canister stove, but I still frequently use a canster stove because, it works well and the risk is small. I cut myself once with a knife also, but I still use knives.