Let's list some of the most absurd items brought on the trail, just for fun.

[TheLonePony]

Hi all!

How about we list some of the most absurd items you have seen on the trail. For example, items such as massive stoves, full sized lawn chairs, a full set of heavy cast iron cookware, a single person with a 6 person or 8 person tent, etc..

What are some of the most impracticable items you have seen? Did you casually and discreetly tell them that the items are not necessary?

Have fun!

[bflorac]

Full size axe and bow saw
Folding table and chairs
"Solar" hot water shower
Colman Lantern
12 Pack of beer (ok - I did enjoy one of these)

[Miami Joe]

Camped one night in GSMNP with some college kids from Wisconsin who all had large pots and pans tied to their packs. Also, they all had fifths of peppermint schnapps, which made for interesting night.

[Storm]

Met a guy on the Laurel Highlands trail that was carrying a folding metal bed frame back to one of the shelters and his lady friend was carrying what looked like a ten gallon container of water. They both had huge packs and he was carrying a side arm. They didn't ask me to carry anything so it was none of my bussiness what they wanted to carry.

[Jim Adams]

...saw a gallon can of coleman fuel swinging from the back of a thru hikers pack going up Springer...he said that he had no room for it in the pack with the OTHER gallon in there!

geek

Oh, BTW...spare hiking shoes for when the first pair wear out....same guy...carried his tent in his arms!

[Carl Calson]

in GSMNP a first time hiker was wearing a pair of jeans in a torrential downpour, and the only other pants he had was another pair of jeans. he was miserable.

[Papa D]

shI've seen is 2 hikers with hand-trucks - they pushed and pulled their backpacks and what looked like a giant gas can full of water up the trail - this was on a section of the Mountain to Sea Trail near Linville Gorge - really ingenious in a way to think of such nonsense - they made it about a mile to a campsite.

[Oneofsix]

I'm stretching "the trail" here a bit . . but while training to summit Mt Rainier I was taking an intense mountaineering course and we had rigorous pack checks. I got "dinged" and then won an award for the most unusual "unapproved" item.

I was carrying a hand breastpump . I had a baby and was still nursing. It got loads of laughs.

[Sarcasm the elf]

My favorite is seeing folks hiking up from the trailhead with price tags still swinging from each item they have, therm-a-rest still in the box and home depot tarp still in its packaging. I always wonder how far they make it.

[Rasty]

I carried ten gallons of water three miles as a junior leader for a outdoors program. Later trips to the same campsite just brought purification. 80 pounds or 4 ounces is absurd. The adult leaders thought it was a good idea.... Duh!

[swjohnsey]

Little orange poopie scoops.

[Papa D]

Little orange poopie scoops.

yeah - those are funny but not as funny as the green metal folding ones - usually then. the other side of the pack has an axe.

[earlyriser26]

In the smokies all these items were left at a shelter 1) full size 2 burner Coleman stove 2) Coleman lantern 3) 4 fishing poles (?????) 4) iron cookware

[kevperro]

Condum.... by a single guy that didn't bring someone to use them with.

[mountain squid]

I get to upload this photo from time to time . . .

See you on the trail,
mt squid

some observations

[Theosus]

Sounds like the typical teenage fantasy. A comedian once talked about the same subject. "You just carry those around? What, is some naked lady going to jump out of the woods in front of the car and say 'take me now!'?"

[kayak karl]

not the AT but i hiked 25 miles with 5 liters of water down dirt road i learned later was called "Good Water Road"? there was a stream to my right i could not see which was fed by springs.

[WalksInDark]

A couple of years ago I found (sitting on the side of the AT trail, just before coming to a main highway in S.W. VA) an abandoned well used U.S. army backpack cloth duffel. Inside the duffel were a cheap/heavy walmart tent, a full size metal hatchet, surplus trenching tool/shovel (how is that for a cat hole digger?) & metal canteen, full size swiss army alcohol stove and mess kit, 20# bag of rice, probably 8# of spices, plus a few clothing odds and ends. Based upon receipts, it appeared that someone had started hiking with this kit over 200 miles further south, they gave up the trek.

Based upon the weight of the stuff that had been abandoned, the actual full pack weight had to be in the range of 75#. I was not so much surprised to find that the hiker carrying all of this heavy gear had given up ...but was amazed that he or she made it as far as they did!

[Papa D]

a couple of years ago i found (sitting on the side of the at trail, just before coming to a main highway in s.w. Va) an abandoned well used u.s. Army backpack cloth duffel. Inside the duffel were a cheap/heavy walmart tent, a full size metal hatchet, surplus trenching tool/shovel (how is that for a cat hole digger?) & metal canteen, full size swiss army alcohol stove and mess kit, 20# bag of rice, probably 8# of spices, plus a few clothing odds and ends. Based upon receipts, it appeared that someone had started hiking with this kit over 200 miles further south, they gave up the trek.

Based upon the weight of the stuff that had been abandoned, the actual full pack weight had to be in the range of 75#. i was not so much surprised to find that the hiker carrying all of this heavy gear had given up ...but was amazed that he or she made it as far as they did!

aw dude - you found my pack!

[Wags]

saw some guys carrying a chainsaw a few weeks ago