Tricks of the trail

[Gambit McCrae]

List things that you have come up with that others might not know that could make life on the trail easier.

1-The "using a leaf in a slow trickling water source to funnel water into your bottle or bladder" trick

2-bring mini screw in hanger hooks to use in replacement of tent stakes when needing to use a tent platform + non freestanding tent

[BirdBrain]

Set your tent up under young growth trees. Avoid old growth trees. They are more likely to have old large branches that can fall in high winds. The huge network of roots increase the likelihood of lightning danger. Young trees bend better and survive high winds better.

[illabelle]

Instead of inflating your sleeping pad by mouth, use a garbage bag or something similar. Somebody posted a video a while back, but I don't have the link... "Fill" the bag with air by catching the wind in it. Gather the top closed, but insert your thumb in the middle to make a place for the pad nozzle. Insert the nozzle, gently squeeze the bag to push air into the pad. Refill and repeat. Finish off with a puff or two by mouth. For me, it takes 3-4 bags of air instead of 30-40 breaths.

[swisscross]

Instead of inflating your sleeping pad by mouth, use a garbage bag or something similar. Somebody posted a video a while back, but I don't have the link... "Fill" the bag with air by catching the wind in it. Gather the top closed, but insert your thumb in the middle to make a place for the pad nozzle. Insert the nozzle, gently squeeze the bag to push air into the pad. Refill and repeat. Finish off with a puff or two by mouth. For me, it takes 3-4 bags of air instead of 30-40 breaths.

The umbrella bags provided at the front door of most grocery stores work great for this.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Please don't put screws, nails, cup hooks, or anything else in the tent platforms. It puts holes in the wood and defaces the structure. It really isn't that difficult to tie few feet of para-cord to the boards or supporting beams of the platform and then use that in place of tent stakes.

[BrianLe]

Apologies if this is considered inappropriate, but I wrote something recently about a tip I find useful: when not camping at one of the AT's wonderful shelters, consider "digging your hole" the night before:

http://appalachiantrials.com/pooping-in-the-woods-a-different-point-of-view/

[Bronk]

If you leave early in the morning, stash your trash in the bottom of somebody else's pack before you leave. If there is anybody tenting in the area, poop in front of the entrance to their tent...it will be a nice surprise for them when they wake up. And don't forget to go shopping at the bear cables and get your resupply done before everybody wakes up.

[Slackanater]

I am putting together a series of video called tips from the trail. Were I cover a lot of different tips and tricks. here is a link to one on dealing with rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GIsrCJ7VmE For more videos visit my YouTube channel Slackanater. Let me know what you think.

[Lnj]

This is GOLD!!! Thank you for opening this thread!

[Mouser999]

Thanks for the link

[Traveler]

Agreed, great thread idea!

I carry a short piece of 1/2" PVC pipe to get water with, it can direct water where you need it from water falls and drops, springs, and a chamfered end allows it to route runoff water from rock faces.

[Cobble]

Open thy pack after hanging it in the shelters... Lest the mice chew thru thy pack and thou cursest.

Duck tape thy blisters. Also tape thy gushing wounds.

Hang thine laundry on outside of thine pack to dry.

When it has thus stopped raining tarry upon flat hard surfaces such as blacktop or large boulders to dry thy gear.

Always suppliment thy food with a few spare emergency rations in case thou art delayed...or thou gets hungry.(ramen works for me)

Thou can journal in the log..then snappest a picture with thy phone for your personal journal.

Don't leavest thy crap...if thou thinkest it crap, others shall also agree.

When thou chargest thy phone in town place it's bag upon thy pack as a reminder to not forget it.

Thou shalt label all thy electronics with thy name...thy trail name and thine direction of travel on the charger with whiteout.

Thou should not drink the sketchy water...go the two miles more thirsty before skimming, straining, treating, and suffering.

Always shall thou makest time to take in a vista or marvelous sight. If thou must hurriest, consciously take a deep breath, hold it, then slowly exhale while viewing the sight before hurrying onward.

Always taste the spring water even if thy bladders are full. (Thou mayest want to "freshen" up thy lukewarm water with cold.)

Thou shall not be a jerk...or elsest thou shall be surrounded by jerks.

Finally, don't use Olde English on the trail.

[Lnj]

LOL!! Love it! Thanks

[perdidochas]

List things that you have come up with that others might not know that could make life on the trail easier.

1-The "using a leaf in a slow trickling water source to funnel water into your bottle or bladder" trick

2-bring mini screw in hanger hooks to use in replacement of tent stakes when needing to use a tent platform + non freestanding tent

I don't want to be on that tent platform after a dozen people have used your trick #2.

[perdidochas]

If you leave early in the morning, stash your trash in the bottom of somebody else's pack before you leave. If there is anybody tenting in the area, poop in front of the entrance to their tent...it will be a nice surprise for them when they wake up. And don't forget to go shopping at the bear cables and get your resupply done before everybody wakes up.

ROTFLMAO I especially like the shopping part.

[perdidochas]

Apologies if this is considered inappropriate, but I wrote something recently about a tip I find useful: when not camping at one of the AT's wonderful shelters, consider "digging your hole" the night before:

http://appalachiantrials.com/pooping-in-the-woods-a-different-point-of-view/

That's a good idea.

[Lnj]

That's a good idea.

I will also be using biodegradable paper that is used in campers, which I know from camper experience, will simply dissintegrate (sp?)once it gets wet.

[BirdBrain]

This is a preference tip. I prefer to get an early start and finish early. Up here, afternoon thunder storms are common. Getting out early allows for many miles before that is an issue. An early start provides a buffer in case the unexpected arises. Getting into camp allows for cleaning duties while there is light. It allows time to find a good spot to hang your food. I prefer to be lazy in the afternoon. It makes for relaxing days.

[fiddlehead]

Learn early in your hiking career to "camp dry".
In other words, camp away from streams, springs, etc.
It doesn't mean carry a gallon of water.
It just means you should learn to only need one or 2 litres of water to camp.
The rewards will be great: Camp at beautiful views, away from people, where there is less dew and moisture.
and you'll feel "on top of the world"

[fiddlehead]

For example, here is a pic from a hike we did in the Pyrenees where almost EVERYONE else, went down to the gites and hut system they like to use there. We had this "all to ourselves" and similar ones almost every night!
31748

[Mr. Bumpy]

A piss bottle in your tent is a wonderful thing when it is cold, windy, and raining...if you are a dude.

[Sarcasm the elf]

A piss bottle in your tent is a wonderful thing when it is cold, windy, and raining...if you are a dude.

To each their own. I will never intentionally piss inside my tent. Getting up and going outside just doesn't seem like that much extra work to me even when I have to get up several times a night, even in subzero weather. [Edit: That's not to say that it's a bad idea, it is just very much not for me. On my winter trip to Mt. Madison last year I happily left the tent to pee, even when it was -10. One of my hiking partners happily used a pee bottle, we both made the right decision for ourselves]

On a side note, if you use a pee bottle, I suggest not carrying yellow gatorade :D

[BirdBrain]

Carry earplugs. Wear them at night. If you are in a shelter, they will help mask the snoring of others. If you are in a tent, it will allow you to sleep as the monsters (squirrels) roam around your tent at night.

[Namtrag]

Cut a plastic water bottle so you only have the bottom half. You can use it to scoop water for your dirty bag if the water levels are too low to scoop directly into the bag. It crumples up pretty nicely as well for packing if you use a cheap bottle like Deer Park.

[MuddyWaters]

hang a bear line FIRST when you make camp. Before it gets too dark to do so.

[Goatgas]

If you leave early in the morning, stash your trash in the bottom of somebody else's pack before you leave. If there is anybody tenting in the area, poop in front of the entrance to their tent...it will be a nice surprise for them when they wake up. And don't forget to go shopping at the bear cables and get your resupply done before everybody wakes up.

Sounds like the Boyscout Troop I was in as a kid in the 60s. We were the terrors of the Everglades lol.

[SteelCut]

Cut a plastic water bottle so you only have the bottom half. You can use it to scoop water for your dirty bag if the water levels are too low to scoop directly into the bag. It crumples up pretty nicely as well for packing if you use a cheap bottle like Deer Park.

I started with this idea but I've since found a zip lock bag easier to use, takes up less space, and generally more available.

[daddytwosticks]

A piss bottle in your tent is a wonderful thing when it is cold, windy, and raining...if you are a dude.

I appreciate the "in your tent" part. Don't do what the guy on the upper loft level of Gooch Mtn Shelter did one night. There were definitely some pissed off (on) people that night. :)

[saltysack]

To each their own. I will never intentionally piss inside my tent. Getting up and going outside just doesn't seem like that much extra work to me even when I have to get up several times a night, even in subzero weather. [Edit: That's not to say that it's a bad idea, it is just very much not for me. On my winter trip to Mt. Madison last year I happily left the tent to pee, even when it was -10. One of my hiking partners happily used a pee bottle, we both made the right decision for ourselves]

On a side note, if you use a pee bottle, I suggest not carrying yellow gatorade :D

Not for me either! Trying to get that last drop out would get piss everywhere inside the tent...I smell bad enough with out that!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GoldenBear]

Learn how to use your equipment in pitch dark, and then arrange it in your pack so that you could find it by feel alone. You never know when you'll be so delayed arriving at your stop for the night that you'll need to do everything without much light.

On a similar note, when you get ready to hit the sack, place things such that you can find them in pitch dark if & when you wake up. I like to start my day before dawn, so as to maximize the number of hours of walking I can get in; and it can really slow things up when, due to darkness, I can't find one simple thing I need for packing.

[AO2134]

This may be common sense to everyone else, but I just learned about it. If you use a sawyer and a platy like I do, I used to have to take out the contents of my pack to get to the platy and take it out to fill the platy and then put everything in. IT was a pain. To the point I would never fill the platy unless I was in camp.

However, on a recent trip a friend showed me a way to fill the platy while still in your back without having to remove anything.

You fill the dirty bag like you usually do and attach the sawyer. From there you remove the drinking cap from the sawyer filter and remove the bite valve from the platy system by pulling on it. You feed the drinking tube into the sawyer and fill the platy that way.

It really is ingenious.

This isn't quite it, but it is very close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmf1ezUS5SM

In the video, it looks like he cut the bite valve, but you can simply remove it to fill the platy and then put the bite valve back in when you are done.

[12trysomething]

I will offer these to the mix -


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkp7PuDBgnAEZaZLSuuKrRhliB5U5BUvr

[BirdBrain]

Eat your snickers bars as your morning snack. It does not matter if they liquefy in storage in your food bag during the afternoon. They harden back up during the cool of the night. The trick is to eat that day's allotment before they liquefy. The mylar wrapping peals right off the deformed treat. Get the fun size peanut butter type. It is the most calorie dense version and the bar is one mouthful. Pop the deformed treat in your mouth. One chew and it is the same as if it was off the shelf. I eat 4 each morning as I walk.

[rafe]

Have a stuff sack dedicated to always-clean-and-dry clothing for camp. At the very least, a base layer and a pair of socks, warm hat and gloves. When the weather turns awful and you're soaked to the bone, this is what you fall back to. Even in fair weather in summer, it can get chilly at night.

[BirdBrain]

If you have a zipper pocket in your pants/shorts, use it for your snack wrappers. I lost a wrapper or 2 before I started doing this. It stinks when you are trying not to litter and you find that you have littered somewhere in the last 15 miles.

[Deadeye]

Smile all the time.

[nsherry61]

. . . You fill the dirty bag like you usually do and attach the sawyer. From there you remove the drinking cap from the sawyer filter and remove the bite valve from the platy system by pulling on it. You feed the drinking tube into the sawyer and fill the platy that way.

Sawyer and Platapus both sell little quick-connect adapters that make this hose switching very quick and simple.

Tip: Don't get trapped in the idea of having to make dinner and/or breakfast at camp. It is freeing to stop and fix dinner near a nice water source prior to stopping for the evening, and then getting up in the morning and hiking for a bit before stopping for breakfast. The advantage is not having to carry water for dinner and breakfast, so dry camping is much easier. You don't have to worry about food smells from cooking in the area where you are sleeping. It allows for hiking later into the evening and starting earlier in the morning to get in more hiking hours. And, it allows for less rushed meals because you aren't anxious to get going in the morning while eating or anxious about getting your meal done and cleaned up while setting up camp before dark.

[rafe]

For that matter, don't get trapped into the notion of two meals or three meals a day. Unless that works for you. On the trail the only regular meal for me is dinner. Everything else is subject to prevailing conditions, whim, opportunity, good views, etc.

[rickb]

My tip is to pack everything in pretty much the exact same spot in your pack every time every trip.

My poles will always be in the front left corner, spyderco knife will be at the bottom of my left hip belt pocket, for example.

Even as I type this, I can be rather sure that if I were to take the lid off my pot in the closet I would see two 100g gas canisters, 1 towel square, with 1 stove in a plastic case with period igniter and an old pack of matches tucked inside. I KNOW that is what Iwill see on my next hiking trip -- minus one of the canisters, perhaps.

While this could help you find something more quickly, the big reason is that it makes it harder to forget or misplace something.

I also recommend being a bit OCD about zippers.

[Red Cinema]

Here is a variant on knowing where everything goes in your pack: get into the habit of putting things down and picking them up in their proper place (pocket, hip belt pouch, etc) or when spreading things out onto your stuff, like a footprint or piece of tyvek or bits of cooking kit. Resist the urge to tuck something into the crook of a tree or just on that bit of ground next to where you're cooking. For me, various stuff sacks are the main "where'd it go" culprit, but it also helps with one's spoon during cooking and other little items that come out for use during a meal stop. . . .

[chiefduffy]

Use your pack cover to scoop up a few liters of water for camp use. Also, hang it off a tree limb for use as a wash basin.

[billsandysprings]

If you leave early in the morning, stash your trash in the bottom of somebody else's pack before you leave. If there is anybody tenting in the area, poop in front of the entrance to their tent...it will be a nice surprise for them when they wake up. And don't forget to go shopping at the bear cables and get your resupply done before everybody wakes up.

At least you're honest :-)

[Old Hiker]

After you have packed up and are starting to move on down the Trail, turn around, and THOROUGHLY inspect the ground where you were camping, including tree nooks, etc. I also do this after breaks, watering up, meals, etc.


To make sure outside gear doesn't fall off:

I have small pull cords attached to my zipper pulls. After zipping shut, I have a small 'biner that goes through both loops to keep them closed.
I have a small 'biner attached to the roll strap on my sleeping pad. After putting the pad through the compression straps on the pack to keep it in place, I use the 'biner to clip onto one of the straps.
I have a small 'biner attached to the collar hole of my BDU liner. If I get too warm, I take it off, tuck it between my shoulder strap and body of my pack and clip the 'biner to the strap.

For easy visibility:

I painted the top 4 inches of my tent stakes bright red.
I have a small length of Nite-eyez cord attached to my bear bag.
I have a small length of Nite-eyez cord attached to my tent awning.
http://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-RR-04-50-Reflective-Green/dp/B004MMEHTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440259658&sr=8-1&keywords=reflective+cord

[Another Kevin]

For that matter, don't get trapped into the notion of two meals or three meals a day. Unless that works for you. On the trail the only regular meal for me is dinner. Everything else is subject to prevailing conditions, whim, opportunity, good views, etc.

And dinner could come at any time of day, depending on where I find an attractive spot to sit and cook. Dinner at noontime worked for me on two days this past week, partly because I was passing shelters and wasn't planning to camp anywhere near a shelter. When you're having a 'proper' meal it's nice to have a place to sit while you cook and eat it.

[OCDave]

"I think that we ought to eat all our Provisions now, so that we shan't have so much to carry.'" - Christopher Robin

If not all the provisions, eat from heaviest to lightest items in the food bag.

[Heliotrope]

Bring only foods you love!!! And save a special treat for the last day of hike.


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[RangerZ]

This is someone else’s idea that I’ve adopted:


Cut the bottom inch off of a plastic gallon milk container to use as a wash basin. I’ve found that it encourages me to wash up better at night and in the morning. It’s light and a food or clothes bag will nestle into it so it doesn’t take up space.

[Malto]

While written for the PCT, most still apply broadly.

Here are a few random tips and tricks that I learned during my hike. Hopefully you will find at least of them useful.
Fitness/Training
-Target being able to do at least 150% of your expected daily average miles by the end of your training.
-Target one long hike a week and cross train during the week.
-Include as many conditions as possible in your training, darkness, rain, snow etc. for mental toughness.
-Vary your long hikes. Some of them can be faster, some longer and some trail runs without a pack. This variety will achieve better overall fitness.
-Include elevation gain in your training hikes, the more the better.
-Don’t overload your pack with weight during training, it’s a good way to get hurt.
-Avoid ibuprofen if possible during your training hikes. It could mask a growing problem.


Planning
-Look ahead two section or resupplies to make sure you have ample time to adjust schedule if you are due to arrive in town on a bad day such as a weekend if you have a resupply at a PO.
-Put some easy to find symbol on all sides of your resupply packages. I used a label with two purple smilie faces. It came in handy several times.
-Use alternatives to PO whenever possible for resupplies, they have more flexible hours.
-Halfmile’s (or Postholer’s) maps have almost all the information needed to hike. If there is something missing, write it on the maps.


Hiking
-Keep a slower consistent pace.
-Don’t do a high mile day if your mileage will suffer the next day.
-Start early. You can never regain time and you can always stop early. It’s cooler and calmer hiking early in the morning.
-You will have down days or hours. But they can pass as quickly as they come.
-Don’t just poke a blister to drain, cut a small slit. This will allow it to continue to drain.
-If you feel a blister developing, stop immediately to see if there is a correction that can be made. See what’s causing the hot spot.
-Keep your feet clean to reduce blisters. Stop, wash feet and change socks every couple of hours especially in SoCal..
-Keep your toenails trimmed or you may lose them.


Gear
-Paint the top of your tent stakes red to help keep them from getting lost.
-Carry two food bags; a day bag in the top of your pack for food eaten during the day and overflow and second in the bottom of your pack containing food for future days.
-If using a visor attach your headlamp to the back strap.
-Wear one less layer to bed than you think you will need. Then as it gets colder you add a layer. This avoids sweat chilling you during the night.
-Lithium batteries, while more expensive they are longer lasting, better in cold and lighter weight.
-Buy bright colored lighters, less likely to lose them.
-Sock strategy. Two new pairs of lightweight socks with every pair of shoes. Keep the best two socks from previous section giving me three pairs overall.


Food/Nutrition
-Eat a steady stream of calories to keep from hitting the wall. I targeted 300 calories/hour.
-Avoid taking foods that you marginally like even if they have the best calorie density.
-If you have an ascent coming up, eat 10-15 minutes prior to starting.
-How much water to carry? Calculate the hours to the next water and subtracted 2 to get the liters. Example: an 18 mile stretch would take me six hours and I would take 4 liters. Why subtract 2? You camel up leaving the source and arrive at the next source dry. (This could vary slight up or down depending on conditions.
-Pay attention to the latest water report!
-Don’t pack peanut butter or parmesan cheese in zipper bags. The bags dissolve.
-There is some evidence that caffeine helps to metabolize fat. I took a caffeine pill every four hours during the hiking day.


Snow/Navigation
-If using a GPS, keep track of where you are on your map.
-Mark GPS waypoints on maps, prior to trip.
-If using Halfmile waypoints, look multiple points ahead and pick the best route, not just the next point.
-In the high Sierra there is little need to make sure you are on the trail in snow. Often the easiest route is not the trail.
-If carrying a GPS, practice navigating using map and compass to improve your skills. A GPS can make you navigationally stupid!
-Snow will be more common at higher elevation, on north facing slopes and in forested areas. Many times in intermittent snow it will be in areas where two out three factors are present.
-Snow level generally drops as you move north.
-Don’t step next to a log or rock in snow, there is often a void.
-If the terrain doesn’t appear to match the map, stop and figure it out, don’t rationalize what you see.
-On tough stream crossings take your time and search up and down to find an easier crossing.

[kayak karl]

Make your own decisions, don't become part of the herd mentality !

[Cosmo]

Get a small lightweight pulley for your bear line. Tie the first line (or use a small biner) to the pulley, then toss over the tree branch (saves the whole finding a rock thing), then thread a second line through the pulley and hoist the pulley into the tree, with the second line dangling down. Tie off the pulley line. When the time comes, clip your bag onto one end of the second line and hoist. This is particularly useful when you bag is full and heavy, and avoids girdling the branch (and eventually killing it). You can also angle the tie off so the bag is further from the tree trunk, if necessary. There's is a bit more weight involved with the extra line and hardware, but it's a definite labor (and tree saver). You can also find biners with pulleys built into them--but they are more costly--and there's always the chance you'll snag the line in the tree and loose it forever.

Cosmo

[wormer]

Lay things in front of you in the direction you plan to travel so you don't forget them, like I have done.

[Another Kevin]

Lay things in front of you in the direction you plan to travel so you don't forget them, like I have done.

If I'm stealth camped, I leave my compass set with the heading bug pointed back to the trail. I got in that habit the first time I woke up in a beautiful stealth camp without a clue which side of the trail I'd pitched on. And amazingly, that was the time that the weather was dry enough and the forest open enough that I had a hard time back tracking as well. :o I wrap the lanyard around the compass in the direction that I need to turn when I get back on the trail.

I leave the toes of my boots pointing in the direction of my bear bag.

[tiptoe]

If I stealth camp far off the trail, I leave my hiking poles on the ground in an arrow configuration pointing toward the trail. If I camp near the trail, I point them in the direction I'll be heading the next morning. Like you, Kevin, I often have my big meal at a shelter, whether or not I camp there. It's a lot more convenient.

[BirdBrain]

I eat all of my sandwiches in 16 bites. 4 rows of 4 bites. First 2 rows, left to right. Last 2 rows, right to left. I am certain there a few others that set their shoes in the exact manner every night. I mean really! Who doesn't? :D

Edit: Oops. I thought I was in the quitters writing books thread. You confused me AK. ;)

[rafe]

Take lots of pictures and keep a diary. When you get home, think about what went right and what went wrong. Adjust your gear and/or your routine accordingly for the next hike.

[rocketsocks]

I eat all of my sandwiches in 16 bites. 4 rows of 4 bites. First 2 rows, left to right. Last 2 rows, right to left. I am certain there a few others that set their shoes in the exact manner every night. I mean really! Who doesn't? :D

Edit: Oops. I thought I was in the quitters writing books thread. You confused me AK. ;)I do mine in 8 and give the handle to the dog, unless it's grill cheese...I'll take one for the team an eat the handle.

[rocketsocks]

Rice and beans, and no blue jeans, everything else will come to you in a dream. Just start walkin'

[Redrowen]

Store your water bottle upside down at night if there is a chance of temperatures dropping down to freezing.

[nsherry61]

A few more tips I've found useful:
1) Hang a bear bag without damaging the tree and with less effort, especially with heavy food bags. See this thread (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/112951-New-safer-amp-easier-bear-bag-hanging-method?highlight=)
2) Don't just keep toenails trimmed, but file them down so they won't have any front edge to catch on shoes and/or socks. In other words, after trimming and shaping your toenails to your personal preference, take a good file and file down the top front of the nail, so the leading edge is very thin and doesn't stick up at all and won't catch on anything.
3) Someone already mentioned inflating your air mattress with your pack liner trash bag or whatever very large plastic bag you carry. See youtube video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzBb5oBBd3E).
4) Remember that knowledge is the lightest weight, most versatile, and most important piece of gear you can buy, acquire, or steal. Playing with, practicing, and experimenting with gear is a great way to gain that knowledge. . . along with reading these forums, of course.
5) Quit planning. Quit screwing around on your computer. Just go outside, now, don't wait, just go. Being outside is where it's at, not sitting and reading this or replying to it.
6) Hypocrisy has it's place.

[TwoSpirits]

If you use a Gatorade bottle (or similar) for water, keep an extra bottle cap stowed away in your repair kit or someplace...that way when you are refilling your bottle and the wind or current takes your carelessly placed bottle cap away, you have one available.

Sent from...wait, where am I?

[Del Q]

Ramen noodles in a zip loc bag for an hour or 1/2 a day, delicious. Add extra spices, great stuff
SPAM single serving - whoever came up with this is brilliant
Cuben Fiber - waterproof, light AND packs pretty dry, and light
Duct tape and antibiotic ointment = 1st aid kit
Pile up LOTS of leaves, pine needles, etc under tent..........rid sticks, replace to LNT in the morning, nice stretch at the end of each day

[Fredt4]

If you have a zipper pocket in your pants/shorts, use it for your snack wrappers. I lost a wrapper or 2 before I started doing this. It stinks when you are trying not to litter and you find that you have littered somewhere in the last 15 miles.

I found that it's hard not to litter, try as I might it just happens. So I follow the rule that I pick up 3X the litter that gets away from me.

[Ercoupe]

Pack sleeping bag, clothes in compactor bag. Carry camera/phone in one cargo pocket, wallet on other side, check every time you stop while you police the area before departing. Wear your Headlight around your neck at night. If it is going to freeze, cover your water containers with leaves, needles, rather than having a leaker in the tent.

[Okie Dokie]

Master the art of performing a pre-mortem...what the heck is that?

A pre-mortem is simply an old management trick--you imagine that whatever you're undertaking will result in failure and then identify all the contributing factors that led to it being so...

An example: You want to stay dry and warm on your backpacking trip. You have purchased what was advertised as a waterproof breathable rain suit. Imagine that conditions arise on your trip where you're both wet and cold while wearing this suit while hiking. How did this happen? What could be done to prevent it? Is it preventable? Should you have hiked without the suit, since you were perspiring profusely and generating enough body heat while walking to prevent hypothermia...maybe you should have walked without the suit and then pack-toweled off and slipped into the suit when you reached camp, for warmth while you set up camp?

Example: You tried tuna/mac at home and loved it, so planned to buy a significant quantity for your extended backpacking trip. Protein and carbs, and very filling. After your third meal of tuna/mac in three days...well, you get the idea....

For advanced study: What parts of your gear are most likely to break...tear...fail...malfunction? Can you imagine suitable workarounds...effective field repairs...? Do you need to carry spare parts? How long will an essential piece of gear take to replace, on the fly?

[Another Kevin]

Store your water bottle upside down at night if there is a chance of temperatures dropping down to freezing.

And keep your cookpot full of water so that even if you wake up and find it frozen, you have something already in the pot ready to thaw.

[Dogwood]

Don't replace batteries while holding your headlamp over the privy.

Don't cowboy camp at the end of a short trail behind a lean to that ends behind a large boulder, large tree, or clump of trees.

For traveling, hosteling, and sleeping at lean tos bring ear phones and ear plugs. Possibly include a small clothes pin as well.

Lighten up.

HYOH, which also means being responsible for your hike, hiking a hike of your own design, and for your actions on that hike.

For the love of GOD PLEASE consider hiking something other than the AT!

[saltysack]

If using sawyer mini a smart water flip top works good to back flush with water bottle. Flip top tends to snap after few days do also carry regular top...


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[daddytwosticks]

Rubber bands...bring plenty of heavy duty rubber bands. They are just as vital as zip lock type plastic bags, IMHO. :)

[squeezebox]

Some twist ties, a few safety pins.

[FlyPaper]

On day 2, put your left sock from yesterday on your right foot, and right sock on your left foot. By alternating, the socks wear more evenly.

[BirdBrain]

When drying clothes while walking, only attach clothing to the back of your pack that you are willing to lose.

[illabelle]

When drying clothes while walking, only attach clothing to the back of your pack that you are willing to lose.

Safety pins help.

[Dogwood]

Learn to identify venomous snakes, poison ivy/oak, stinging nettle, weather patterns(clouds, fronts, precipitation, snow, etc), and hapless weekenders who always bring too much food you can yogi from. If needing a hitch don't wait until you get to the TH to seek a ride. Those same hapless weekenders also have vehicles. Get your "getting a ride" social mojo on long before you have to stick out the thumb. Break the ice. Offer money. It often works.

[QiWiz]

Here's a few ideas:

Keep toenails clipped short to avoid painful loss due to nails hitting against shoe
Tighten laces when going on long downs, loosen on long ups
Use a pack cover (if you use one) as a basket to keep your stuff out of everyone else's stuff when in a crowded shelter
Loosen the laces of the shoes you hiked in - instant camp shoes! Leave the crocs or whatever at home and save the weight
Use a light nylon bucket or really large ziplock to carry water in to get cleaned up away from the water source

[BirdBrain]

Safety pins help.

Please be very careful with this tip. Safety pins are far better than many methods I have seen. When it comes to your clothes, you need foolproof. I hesitated to reply to this. I don't want to offend. However, a tip that works 99% of the time is not good enough if you travel 100's of miles with clothes attached to your pack. Safety pins might be foolproof. I trust only the netting in my pants/shorts and, to a lesser degree, the netting sleeve on the back of my pack. The trail is littered with socks. I suspect most of them are because the hiker thought they were secured to the back of their pack.

Please, do not attach clothes to the back of your pack unless you have a foolproof system or are willing to lose them.

[swisscross]

For the love of GOD PLEASE consider hiking something other than the AT!

Until I finish, NO WAY.

Kidding of course. Have hiked all over the US and have seen some truly majestic places but something in my brain keeps telling me to see the entirety of the AT.
If I only hiked on the AT I would go insane.
I just love hiking in big mountains.

[3_dogs]

Tie pieces of flagging tape to clothes pins. Keep them handy for when you leave the trail and head into the woods. Clip them to branches on your way in to flag the way back out. Pick them up on the way out.

[BirdBrain]

Have a repeatable routine for camp setup and takedown. If you are a person that walks to the kitchen to get a drink, looks out the window and realizes the birds feeders are empty, goes to the list to make note of that, smiles at the picture of the grandchild on the refrigerator, asks your spouse if they saw what their daughter posted on Facebook, and walks back into the living room without a drink, you need this advice. Multitaskers do many things poorly. Focused people do one thing at a time well. The multitasker will say that everyone does that to certain degrees. No, a focused person gets the drink and then looks out the window. On the trail, multitasking makes you leave your tent poles in the privy. That last sentence is not a hypothetical. At Antler's Campsite, I saw a set of tent poles in the privy. I would have carried them to the owner, but I had no clue which way they were traveling. When I walked out of the 100-mile wilderness, I saw a sign asking for help in finding said tent poles. The hapless victim did not even know where they lost them. I can picture a similar routine as the one I started this thread with. The multitaskers will miss my point. Sadly, there is a whole segment of society that thinks they can multitask. They take great pride in an ability that does not exist. Studies have proven that multitasking only succeeds in doing many tasks poorly. There is such a thing as muscle memory that allows for walking and talking. But do yourself a favor. If you can relate to the person getting a drink above, heed my warning. You need a repeatable routine for setting up camp and taking camp down. Truth is, we all need such a routine. The multitaskers just need convincing.

[illabelle]

Please, do not attach clothes to the back of your pack unless you have a foolproof system or are willing to lose them.

My foolproof system ;) is to walk in front of my husband. If anything falls off, it's his matrimonious duty to pick it up. :)

[BirdBrain]

My foolproof system ;) is to walk in front of my husband. If anything falls off, it's his matrimonious duty to pick it up. :)

In my marriage, I am the fool. Therefore, it would be best for my wife to walk behind me. :p

[squeezebox]

Put your name, or initials,, and direction of travel on lose able things like poles etc.
Put clothes that are drying on your pack in a mesh sack, secure it to your pack

[BirdBrain]

Use a Walmart Absorber towel the dry your clothes. Roll the wet item in the towel and ring it out. Try this at home. You will be surprised how dry you can get your clothes this way. I also use that towel to remove condensation from my tent fly in the morning before I pack it.

[mrcoffeect]

you can use your digital camera or the camera on your phone to check the back of yourself for ticks when you hike alone
I have also found information in shelter journals and posted at hostels about up coming springs and water sources. Its handy to take a picture of those things for future reference

[Yankee15]

The "Tiger Trap": works best with freestanding tents: move your buddy's tent, dig a small hole, replace tent. Enjoy.