Dangerous gear philosophies?

[Tinker]

i saw a dead horse. I'll tell you guys where it is if you want to go beat it.

Exactly.

[Wolf - 23000]

Don't forget if you are out there reading UL gear lists that not all gear lists are for hiking the AT or for hiking in the Pacific Northwest. My gear list for Santa Barbara county trails includes loppers, leather gloves and a saw but it probably won't include rain gear. For decades I didn't even own rain gear and for a very long time the only tent I had was a mosquito net tent (for flies). I'm much better prepared with trail cutting tools than rain gear. Believe me!

sbhikes,

Well put! As many people know, I've never been a fan of gearlist. The gear I use is going to be different depending on where I'm hiking and when. A gearlist doesn't tell you any of that.

Wolf

[SassyWindsor]

I saw a dead horse. I'll tell you guys where it is if you want to go beat it.

With the warmer weather that dead horse is now equine jerky

[sbhikes]

A stuffed squirrel squeaky toy and an inflatable sword? See, that's what I'm talking about. The gear choices of AT hikers is pretty strange. If I ever do the AT I'm just bringing a credit card and a day pack with some snacks.

[Snowleopard]

... I carried an inflatable pirate sword for 1,100+ miles. ...

Now this is an example of the dangers of leaving vital items behind. If you had brought a patch kit for the inflatable pirate sword, it wouldn't have deflated and you would have had pirate protection through the 100 mile wilderness.

[Beachcomber]

Now this is an example of the dangers of leaving vital items behind. If you had brought a patch kit for the inflatable pirate sword, it wouldn't have deflated and you would have had pirate protection through the 100 mile wilderness.

"They laughed at my mighty sword."
~ Randy Newman

[ShelterLeopard]

Wow, a year later and it finally makes sense. Reading the registers last year I always wondered why Mr. Squirrel never signed them. Ha ha. I carried an inflatable pirate sword for 1,100+ miles.

Ha- nice!

Seriously carry as little or as much as you want, you'll eventually figure it out.

Best. Advice. Ever.

A stuffed squirrel squeaky toy and an inflatable sword? See, that's what I'm talking about. The gear choices of AT hikers is pretty strange. If I ever do the AT I'm just bringing a credit card and a day pack with some snacks.

Of course, it's all about what's important to you. (I've seen people carry really weird stuff- weirder than what I carry). I definitely see the allure of having about 15lbs on your back though...

[Chance09]

It seems to me, with my fairly decent outdoor experience, that every once in a blue moon (and not even that often on this site) you find a gear list(especially the really light ones) that tends to forgo some very vital things in favor of saving an ounce here and there: people carrying 13lbs of gear and a half-ton of "god I hope that doesn't happen".

Has anybody ever run into hikers like that? And I'm not talking about your typical "ultralight" list: those are a bit spartan, but intelligently so. Some people seem to be leaving out things like anti-septic or toothpaste: wouldn't an infection or other easily-prevented issue do a lot more to end a hike than the 4 ounces it takes to haul a bit of Iodine around?
Any response would be nice: I'm trying to re-tune my normal camping/hiking gear for a long trek and sometimes it's difficult to separate the spartan from the stupid.

I like this debate because there really is no right answer to it. On the AT 13 pounds of gear for me would involve plenty of luxuries. My comfortable base weight is around 8 or 9 depending on my camera choice. Could go lighter and survive just fine but maybe not be comfortable.

Depending on the person they may chose to go without purifying their water as taboo as that may be. I seldom do and I've hiked with people who never do. I know a guy move a dead deer out of a puddle and drink the water because he'd been out for 10 miles. Never got sick. I grew up swimming in the nasty Potomac and Rapphannock Rivers growing up and have swallowed tons of the nasty water. I like to think I have built up some what of an immunity.

As to not carrying iodine or some sort of antiseptic? how about if you know your plants foraging for something to use? All depends on the mindset and the capabilities of the hiker.

[Dogwood]

I saw a dead horse. I'll tell you guys where it is if you want to go beat it.

Ever see a REAL dead horse on a trail? I've seen three. One was in the water supply that I hiked 1 1/2 miles to drink from. I passed on that water and I needed water! Something about maggots in my water that I just don't appreciate. The shmeeeeeell! Uggh!

The one vital piece of equipment that every hiker needs? A majorette's twirling baton. One of those long ones with the sparkly tassles on the ends that you use to beat away all the rattlesnakes and copperheads in PA. No shart! I saw a thru-hiker, of course on the AT, who carried a baton like that on most of her hike. When I asked why she was carrying it she told me she wanted the extra upper body work-out while hiking. I thought she was screwing with me, but NO! The next day, as I saw her hiking down the trail, she was twirling that baton, often oblivious that other's were hiking around her! I passed her making sure she didn't hit me with the thing. That would have been a hard story to pass off. Yeah, my hike was going fine until I had to get off the trail due to a concussion because I was whacked with a baton! She eventually did give up the baton because she wasn't paying attention to the trail while twirling the thing and fell! Yeah, I guess so. Not such a great idea.

[Penguin]

I saw two dead cows on the Arizona Trail, the trail went right between them. Rotten and stinky, not a smell that's easily forgotten. The next day it went by a freshly shot Huskie or Malamute. Freakiest thing ever.

[Beachcomber]

The one vital piece of equipment that every hiker needs? A majorette's twirling baton. One of those long ones with the sparkly tassles on the ends that you use to beat away all the rattlesnakes and copperheads in PA. No shart! I saw a thru-hiker, of course on the AT, who carried a baton like that on most of her hike. When I asked why she was carrying it she told me she wanted the extra upper body work-out while hiking. I thought she was screwing with me, but NO! The next day, as I saw her hiking down the trail, she was twirling that baton, often oblivious that other's were hiking around her! I passed her making sure she didn't hit me with the thing. That would have been a hard story to pass off. Yeah, my hike was going fine until I had to get off the trail due to a concussion because I was whacked with a baton! She eventually did give up the baton because she wasn't paying attention to the trail while twirling the thing and fell! Yeah, I guess so. Not such a great idea.

This makes a powerful case for carrying a camera or at least a cell phone, just to document a crazy situation like this. In my editor days, the standard question for a reporter pitching a bizarre story was, "Get art?"

[sbhikes]

I passed a dead whale once on a bike ride of the Pacific COAST Trail. It was the most god awful smell ever. You could smell it a half mile away and it clung to your nostrils and skin. An oily sweetish nasty rotten stomach turning stench of death smell. Beware any hikes on the beach.

[sixguns01]

You mention camping/hiking...

And that's the rub.

On a long *hiking* trip, you are camping to hike more. Your gear list should reflect more comfort while hiking.

I think many AT thru-hikers start off with a camping mentality for backpacking. Once they get into a hiking mentality (if?) the gear load goes down.

Just my .02 worth...

Excellent Point!!!

[Pony]

Now this is an example of the dangers of leaving vital items behind. If you had brought a patch kit for the inflatable pirate sword, it wouldn't have deflated and you would have had pirate protection through the 100 mile wilderness.

I found it in the Cumberland Valley and picked it up meaning to throw it away in town. I somehow lost it the very same day. The next afternoon I was walking by the Doyle hotel, with no intention of stopping, when Vicky walked out of the front door of the Doyle and stabbed me with it. Well I just had to stop in and have a beer which led to several and a stay at the Doyle. I figured since it came back to me I had to carry it. Never really expected that it would make it the entire way. And it stayed inflated the whole way.

When people asked me about it, I told them it was for protection against bears. Most people realized I was joking, but some just said "oh".

[10-K]

I saw two dead cows on the Arizona Trail, the trail went right between them. Rotten and stinky, not a smell that's easily forgotten. The next day it went by a freshly shot Huskie or Malamute. Freakiest thing ever.

Ah man... I saw a dead cow once and when I got up close 3 possums ran out of it's butt.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Ah man... I saw a dead cow once and when I got up close 3 possums ran out of it's butt.

That is just so wrong!!

[Bare Bear]

Whatever happenned to free choice? I am sure I carry stuff the ULW crowd feels is unnecessary. I carry it so it suits me. I have hiked with folks that carried way more than I thought was necessary but they carried it, not me so who am I to say it is too heavy?

[Penguin]

Well Bare Bear, people choosing their hiking styles is their own choice. When it comes to partners, and hiking with groups, that's where style matters. A person with a heavy pack weight couldn't really expect to hike well with an ultra lighter. The UL'r would be able to make many more miles every day, and need less breaks on the trail and in town then the old schooler. After a little while the incompatible packweights would cause both parties to want to break up their hiking relationship. Same thing with a UL'r who tried hiking with a group of heavy weights. The heavy weights would be fine with their low miles, and the UL'r would want to keep going.

I tried hiking with someone with a huge pack and it sucked for both of us.

[garlic08]

Ponder this: The less you carry, the farther you'll go.

As noted wisely above, if you're on a hiking trip, pack for a hiking trip. If you're on a camping trip, pack for a camping trip. But the contention comes from the fact that there are (obviously) many possible hybrids in between. You need to choose your style. No one can or should do that for you. And it is hard not to judge those who are doing it differently from ourselves, especially when it looks like they're having more fun!

Good luck making your goal. By the way, why carry 4 oz of iodine? Get a small tube of Neosporin, a fraction of an ounce. Baking soda is pretty good for brushing teeth, too, at another fraction of an ounce.

[tolkien]

Ah man... I saw a dead cow once and when I got up close 3 possums ran out of it's butt.

Please explain to me how my thread moved in this direction. I'd like to know.