View Full Version : Backpacker AT "Insider Tips"
wilconow
05-14-2006, 23:14
I know some of you will say that I shouldn't be reading backpacker to begin with. Probably so. But, many do.
I'll let others reply first
============================
5 insider tips for the AT
Carry less stuff:
Only in the driest summers and in the central AT will you hike more than 4 hours without hitting a spring or stream. Likewise, towns come often enough that you rarely need to pack more than 3 to 4 days of grub and gas.
Skip the sunblock:
Most of the AT is in the woods, so leave it behind. Ditto for bug dope, except in NH and ME during June and July. And in many places you can streamline your first-aid kit, because a road and hospital are never far away.
Ditch your tent:
Unless you expect crowds, bug or cold weather, drop those 6 pounds and sleep in one of the AT many three-sided shelters. Most have room for at least six and they appear like clockwork almost every 8 miles.
Know the weather
A ranger once told us that the Smokies see more cases of hypothermia than the Whites - because many hikers don't pack warm enough for the inclement condistions that set in suddenly above 4000 feet.
Know the way:
The Thru Hiker's Handbook by Dan "Wingfoot" Bruce is a perennial bestseller for good reason. Get section maps from the ATC
Just Jeff
05-15-2006, 01:16
The only one I don't like is the "Ditch the tent." Ditch the tent and carry a backup poncho/tarp, fine. But ditching a shelter altogether is bad for all the reasons in the 643 WB threads on the subject.
And I guess it depends on how much you streamline the first-aid kit...still gotta be able to respond to some basic situations.
SGT Rock
05-15-2006, 02:29
I wonder what "insider" they asked?
fiddlehead
05-15-2006, 02:50
Yeah, Backpacker should be shamed for saying "ditch the tent".
I have problems with this company. They don't print "letters to the editor" unless they are in praise of them. (at least not mine or my friends that i know wrote them one)
They advertise for 4 wheelers, mt. bikes, motorcycles and BIG TRUCKS. All of those are ruining the backcountry.
They need to rethink their philosophy or rename their mag.
fiddlehead
05-15-2006, 02:53
And a 6 lb tent! Who's using those anymore?
And a 6 lb tent! Who's using those anymore?
Yea, my "6 lb tent" sleeps 4 easily, with room for ALL of their gear & a dog or 3.
Said it before, I'll say it again: Backpacker is so out of touch it aint funny.
Doctari.
Why buy a magazine that's so jammed with ads you can't find the articles? When you finally do find the articles, they're pushing products. No thanks.
Two Speed
05-15-2006, 16:27
Why buy a magazine that's so jammed with ads you can't find the articles? When you finally do find the articles, they're pushing products. No thanks.Which would would make the articles advertisements, too. Given that, shouldn't they be paying us to read it instead of us paying to buy it? Just my $0.02
Well, looks like Wingfoot got a free plug. That said ALDHA's "Online Companion" is just as good, and is free.
Which would would make the articles advertisements, too.
This is why you see thier clients guy elected man of the year.... in June; or weasel thier way into anothers (non client) interview. At Backpacker, it aint 'bout integrity. You pay them, they promote you, .
Well, looks like Wingfoot got a free plug. That said ALDHA's "Online Companion" is just as good, and is free.
Something tells me their "insider" got a free plug.:eek: :D
Cookerhiker
05-15-2006, 20:28
Besides their advice on tents, their recommendations on skipping bug repellant for all but NH & ME is off-base also, especially if you don't bring a tent. NJ, NY, CT, MA are mosquito heaven, especially in early summer. What are they thinking?
BTW, the only reason I'm getting Backpacker is it's coming to me free from something I did or joined or signed. I haven't subscribed to it since 1980.
The absolute worst mosquitoes I encountered were in MA just south of Great Barrington, NOT NH and ME. And I used Deet as early as PA to keep the ticks at bay. Has Backpacker ever heard of Lyme Disease?:eek:
MacGyver2005
05-15-2006, 21:01
The absolute worst mosquitoes I encountered were in MA just south of Great Barrington, NOT NH and ME. And I used Deet as early as PA to keep the ticks at bay. Has Backpacker ever heard of Lyme Disease?:eek:
ROFL, actually yes; they have an entire article on it in the same issue! :)
Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME
The absolute worst mosquitoes I encountered were in MA just south of Great Barrington, NOT NH and ME. And I used Deet as early as PA to keep the ticks at bay. Has Backpacker ever heard of Lyme Disease?:eek:
Amen brother! Ain't that the truth. They literally drove me off the trail there. I had a hissy fit after about the eighth gazillionth bug bite, stomped out to a random road, hitched into the nearest town, ate some town food, bought 100% deet (two bottles), vegged for a couple hours longingly watching the cars drive by, ate some more town food, and the hitched back out to the trail in the evening.
Massachusets state bird = Vampire Mosquito.
Mosquitochuessets. Bleech!
Gonna be worse this year with all the flooding and leftover pools of stagnant water...
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-16-2006, 12:46
Methinks Backpacker's insider has indeed been inside for a very long time and is totally out-of-touch with the realities of backpacking today. Not carrying any shelter is the sort of foolish advice that could easily cause someone's demise. I saw a Backpacker magazine in a doctor's office yesterday - it caters to 4-wheelers and those who backpack into the woods a mile or so and set-up elaborate camps. It has nothing at all to do with the sort of backpacking discussed here and the material it contains is worse than useless to real backpackers.
tlbj6142
05-16-2006, 14:54
totally out-of-touch with the realities of backpacking today.For the most part backpacker has been a good read (ads are part of the game). But what I find quite odd is the number of articles that are not about backpacking. In the past year there have been more and more biking and boating articles. I assume they have their own rags, why cover the same stuff in backpacker.
I have read that back-country usage is way, way down and that front country usage (day hikes, biking, boating) is way up. Might have something to do with the focus change.
And for those that think backpacker is "out of touch" you need to head over to your local (non-AT based) outfitter. Everyone who comes into the store wants the stuff they see in backpacker. Thur hikers, lightweight and ultralight weight hikers are the ones that are "out of touch". Well, actually, they are "highly specialized" minority. Now this is sort of a chicken and egg thing, but ask you local outfitter the last time someone came in and demanded a sub 2# pack with sub-3200ci capacity? Bet they say "what you talkin' about Willis?". Most folks think 5 miles in 4 hours with 8 hours of camp time is "what it is all about". As such, they have no interest in the same issues, and gear, "we" do.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-16-2006, 15:15
I think tlbj6142 and I define the word backpacker differently. I see backpackers as people who consistently carry all the provisions necessary to sustain themselves for several days into the deep woods - not people who go into the woods once or twice a year or people who think backpacking is "5 miles in 4 hours with 8 hours of camp time". I call those hikers that backpack a little.
People who go to an outfitter with a Backpacker magazine in hand and buy what they recommend without doing their own research are really taking a serious chance of getting duped into buying whatever is sold by the heaviest advertisers in the magazine - not what is actually the best equipment.
Bottom line, I don't consider Backpacker magazine a trustworthy source for information about backpacking equipment. Your opinion may be different, but that is my opinion.
Cookerhiker
05-16-2006, 16:46
For the most part backpacker has been a good read (ads are part of the game). But what I find quite odd is the number of articles that are not about backpacking. In the past year there have been more and more biking and boating articles. I assume they have their own rags, why cover the same stuff in backpacker.....
I recall back in the late 70s, maybe early 80s that Backpacker covered backpacking exclusively while another magazine named Wilderness Camping dealt with other outdoor recreation - kayaking/canoeing, car-camping, cycling, ATVs. Each magazine was independently owned but financial pressures brought them together in a merger with the resultant magazine called Backpacker including Wilderness Camping owned by a disinterested third party Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. So at least dating back to that time, the magazine featured more than just backpacking.
Shortly afterwards, I dropped my subscription and therefore don't know what proceeded the next 25 years except the title has reverted to Backpacker but is not confined to the original content. Now that I'm somehow receiving it, I glance at the feature articles of where to hike and ignore the ads and gear write-ups.
tlbj6142
05-16-2006, 21:07
not people who go into the woods once or twice a year or people who think backpacking is "5 miles in 4 hours with 8 hours of camp time". I call those hikers that backpack a little.I suspect 90+% of "backpackers" fall into this catagory. It is you and I that are the tiny, tiny minority.
Believe me I use to say "what are those folks thinking", "why do they carry so much", "why do they carry a jet boil, coffee press, camp chair, etc. What a bunch of idiots." I have since learned that for the vast majority of backpackers, those are "important" and there is no amount of talking or logic that will change their opinion. As it is just that, an opinion. Though I still think they are stupid, I just don't tell them anymore.:D
However, if those same folks were to start an AT thru-hike, they would "convert". But, then, that's out of necessity. It is this issue, long distance hiking vs. weekend outting, that most of us forget. That later group is what Backpacker writes for (90% is much bigger than 10%). The rest of us are on our own. Well, we have this site and other odd Internet sites where we can all tell each other that we are the enlightened folks. Which we are not, we are just different. Different tools for different jobs. Backpacker may not be a useful tool for us the tiny, tiny minority.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-16-2006, 22:00
Are you are saying that Backpacker is to backpacking what televangelists are to Christianity - a messenger that tells people what will separate the largest number from the largest number of greenbacks instead of telling them the truth? If so, we agree. If not, we disagree. Either way, we are still kindred spirits because we share a love of the wilderness.
There are so many road crossings, I'm sure you can "tough it out" for a couple of days on a Snicker's bar. :rolleyes:
Frolicking Dinosaurs said it. Most hikers are more camper than hiker.
Backpacker is more of an equipment sales tool than an enthusiast's rag.
I wrote a nastygram to the editor and had my subscription cancelled when they printed the Honda offroad motorcycle ad. I really, really, couldn't believe it at first, then, when the truth finally hit me upside the head, I got really, really, miffed! I felt like a guy who found out that his girl was seeing someone else.
Imagine an article for Omaha Steaks in Vegetarian Times. :-?
River Runner
05-16-2006, 22:49
I think tlbj6142 and I define the word backpacker differently. I see backpackers as people who consistently carry all the provisions necessary to sustain themselves for several days into the deep woods - not people who go into the woods once or twice a year or people who think backpacking is "5 miles in 4 hours with 8 hours of camp time". I call those hikers that backpack a little.
People who go to an outfitter with a Backpacker magazine in hand and buy what they recommend without doing their own research are really taking a serious chance of getting duped into buying whatever is sold by the heaviest advertisers in the magazine - not what is actually the best equipment.
Bottom line, I don't consider Backpacker magazine a trustworthy source for information about backpacking equipment. Your opinion may be different, but that is my opinion.
Backpacking means different things to different people. You don't have to be "hard core" to be a backpacker, in my opinion. Those that only get out a couple of times a year, but carry all their gear on their back deserve to be able to call themselves backpackers too.
I consider myself both a hiker an a backpacker - depending on which I have time for at the time. It's all about getting out and enjoying myself in the woods. I'll probably never have time to spend more than a week at a time on the trail, due to work and family, but I do enjoy the time I get, whether it's a day hike or a week long trip.
And by the way, five miles in four hours may be a difficult trip, depending on terrain. I like to spend at least 8 hours (sleep is important) in camp too.
With that said, I do agree with you in part - taking the advice of Backpacker magazine is not the wisest course of action when it comes to gear or skills. I've learned a lot more here and on other forums.
Just Jeff
05-16-2006, 23:14
I suspect...
Believe me...
However, if those same folks...
This is probably the best post on this issue I've seen.
A backpacker carries clothing food and shelter, or whatever items out into the woods to stay overnight or longer. Seems easy to me.:sun
I can't believe this actually got into Backpacker Magazine. I have subscribed many years to Backpacker and enjoy reading it. But there are serious problems with this article.
1) Never Ever ditch your tent or tarp. You may not reach the shelter, it may be full, or it may be just plain unpleasant.
2) Skip the sunblock? what about those sunny days on the southern Balds, the southern mountains before the leaves come out, the exposed peaks in New England?
3) No need for bug dope except for NH and ME? This author most certainly has not hiked the AT in MASS just south of Rt 7 near Great Barrington. That has to be the most buggy stretch on the whole trail for us Northbounders.
4) dont need a first aid kit because you are never far from a hospital? True the hospital may never be far off but you still need first aid kit. When you get hurt it's a lot farther!
I hope this article wasnt a recent one in Backpacker. It sure reflects poorly on the magazine!
DavidNH
Pokey2006
06-11-2008, 23:05
I especially like the part about cutting six pounds of weight by leaving out the tent. Who carries a six pound tent???
I especially like the part about cutting six pounds of weight by leaving out the tent. Who carries a six pound tent???
I did... in 1989. Up and over Kinsman. Stooopid.
I especially like the part about cutting six pounds of weight by leaving out the tent. Who carries a six pound tent???
Have you read the tent reviews?? Many are of the six pound variety. Of course, the glossy ads kind of beg for a nice review. :rolleyes:
Kind of surprising they would say leave the tent behind. I wonder how many adverstisers sent them heat mail about that?
I did... in 1989. Up and over Kinsman. Stooopid.
Kinsman was a cake walk last fall. Cannot wait for the real Whites this fall. ;)
Patchfoot
06-11-2008, 23:39
I especially like the part about cutting six pounds of weight by leaving out the tent. Who carries a six pound tent???
I did on my first actual backpacking trip. A spiffy Gregory pack a friend helped me pick out crammed absolutely full of walmart gear. I was carrying over 60 pounds for a two day trip in Arkansas... in the summer. oi!
Odd Thomas
06-11-2008, 23:39
I wonder what "insider" they asked?
The guy inside the shelter
RadioFreq
06-11-2008, 23:44
I hope this article wasnt a recent one in Backpacker. It sure reflects poorly on the magazine!
DavidNH
It wasn't....this thread was started in May of 2006.
boarstone
06-12-2008, 06:30
Wouldn't it be nice if WBer's could start up their OWN MAG?:banana
The Cheat
06-12-2008, 06:45
The guy inside the shelter
The bleeding, sunburned, bug-bitten guy inside the shelter.
Mrs Baggins
06-12-2008, 06:46
Methinks Backpacker's insider has indeed been inside for a very long time and is totally out-of-touch with the realities of backpacking today. Not carrying any shelter is the sort of foolish advice that could easily cause someone's demise. I saw a Backpacker magazine in a doctor's office yesterday - it caters to 4-wheelers and those who backpack into the woods a mile or so and set-up elaborate camps. It has nothing at all to do with the sort of backpacking discussed here and the material it contains is worse than useless to real backpackers.
Personally I get sick of how they only use the "young and beautiful" to pose with the gear and to run the tests on it. Zero credit is given to those of us over 30 that love to backpack and can handle the trail. Everyone is always so perfectly dressed, geared up, and absolutely sparkling clean. There is nothing realistic about their portrayals. No wonder so many people get out there and give up so quickly - it wasn't anything like the pictures!
I'd like everyone reading these posts to just think for a moment all the bad advice and BS arguments that are on these pages every single day. I've seen many AT hikers that carry no tent, they're willing and able to sleep in shelters every night. Did they get that advice in BP mag? In this same issue there's an article about two hikers yo-yoing the CDT neither one carrying a tent or stove for 5600 miles through all kinds of weather. Of course that is extreme but it can be done. Me, I carry a tent, don't like shelters. :) And I carry a JB stove 'cause I like food, and I didn't need BP to tell me that!
Personally I get sick of how they only use the "young and beautiful" to pose with the gear and to run the tests on it. Zero credit is given to those of us over 30 that love to backpack and can handle the trail. Everyone is always so perfectly dressed, geared up, and absolutely sparkling clean. There is nothing realistic about their portrayals. No wonder so many people get out there and give up so quickly - it wasn't anything like the pictures!
Ever see a beer commercial? Next time you're in Damascus check out Dot's and see if you recognize anyone. :)
Two Speed
06-12-2008, 08:07
Ever see a beer commercial? Next time you're in Damascus check out Dot's and see if you recognize anyone. :)Do you mean . . . is it possible . . . Nooooooooooo!
The Swedish Bikini Team's gonna be hanging all over me each and every time I open a beer, just like in all the ads, and nothing you can say will shake my belief. So there!
And Santa's gonna bring me a pony, too. :cool:
Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-12-2008, 08:22
Ever see a beer commercial? Next time you're in Damascus check out Dot's and see if you recognize anyone. :)Drink enough and it will become real :D
trailmomma4
06-12-2008, 09:05
Wouldn't it be nice if WBer's could start up their OWN MAG?:banana
Wonder what Lone Wolf would write about? How 'bout Jack Tarlin?:)
he'd actually write about nothing, until someone else suggested something, then he'd quickly point out how retarded they are in a snide and condescending way
Ever see a beer commercial? Next time you're in Damascus check out Dot's and see if you recognize anyone. :)
Hey!:mad: I resemble that remark:D
Wonder what Lone Wolf would write about? How 'bout Jack Tarlin?:)
The same BS they spew here!!! Rehashing the same old topics just like BP mag. Only difference BP has alot of pictures. :)
Lone Wolf
06-12-2008, 12:01
he'd actually write about nothing, until someone else suggested something, then he'd quickly point out how retarded they are in a snide and condescending way
oh stuff it you little jealous worm
Odd Thomas
06-12-2008, 13:15
Personally I get sick of how they only use the "young and beautiful" to pose with the gear and to run the tests on it. Zero credit is given to those of us over 30 that love to backpack and can handle the trail. Everyone is always so perfectly dressed, geared up, and absolutely sparkling clean. There is nothing realistic about their portrayals. No wonder so many people get out there and give up so quickly - it wasn't anything like the pictures!
Yea I want to see ugly people, with hiker funk scratch and sniff :p
Yea I want to see ugly people, with hiker funk scratch and sniff :p
They need photos of balding guys w/ buzzed hair, who don't shave that often, and hike in thrift store clothes. I'd volunteer, but I'd break the camera.
I
3) No need for bug dope except for NH and ME? This author most certainly has not hiked the AT in MASS:eek:
Methinks Backpacker's insider has indeed been inside for a very long timeYep, that would explain it. Luckily, most Backpacker Magazine readers tend more to reading about hiking rather than hiking (and the ones that do hike know better) so no real harm done :D
Darwin again
06-12-2008, 14:02
Backpacker Mag is a comic book. It makes me laugh.
Tipi Walter
06-12-2008, 14:10
I went out on a 9 day backpacking trip back in June 2006 and took out this same exact magazine article with me. I commented on it in my trail journal:
Carry Less Stuff: (my reply): It is true, water is plentiful on an alll day hike of the AT. On the other hand, going into town every 3 or 4 days is stupid and unreasonable as most town trips must be done as detours which usually means a burning daylight hitch, therefore I'd recommend carrying 10-12 days worth of food and fuel so as to avoid what you came into the woods to escape in the first place: cars and roads.
Skip The Sunblock: Leave bug dope out of the pack? That's the dumbest thing I've heard! Avoid deet but carry something since global warming is bringing in a multitude of bugs.
Ditch Your Tent: Unless you expect crowds or bugs or cold???? Crowds on the AT? You'll definitely need a tent for the crowds and the bugs and my, my, my, lot's go hike in December you pitiful magazine writer! My opinion of the shelters is this: Don't ever stay at the shelters.
Know The Weather: No comment, just carry a warm hat and fleece.
Know The Way: Duh, follow the paint, boys.
On another 7 day backpacking trip in November 2007 I took out another article from Backpacker Magazine called "Ultralight Or Bust" and wrote the following(the magazine starts out in quotes):
"STEP 3 Rethink Shelter: "This is the place to make a major dent: Most serious ULers carry tarps that weight less than a pound without stakes and guylines. If you need a three-season tent for bugs or heavy rain, try the super-light Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. Or split the difference with a tent that pitches with just rainfly, poles, and footprint. On the AT and Long Trail, plan to sleep in the shelters that appear almost every 8 miles, unless it's a busy weekend." (Their words)
MY REPLY: First off, snow camping in a blizzard at 10 degrees does not work with a tarp or a mesh tent like the BA Seedhouse. Get this in your head finally and once and for all. If UL types want to forego tents on the AT and depend on shelters instead they are fools and making a big mistake. Why? Because shelters are mice infested, tourist-filled, bonfire happy, exposed to wind, rain and snow human scars on the land and the whole point of a backpacking trip is to avoid man's development, blight and houses. If I wanted to stay in a house I'd store the gear and stay home.
"STEP 4 Change Your Bedding: "Old thinking: Choose a sleeping bag for the lowest temps you might encounter. New thinking: Aim for the middle, and wear more clothes if a cold snap hits. Hard-core fastpackers hit the trail pre-dawn--typically the coldest hour of the night--when they start feeling chilled in their lightweight bags. You can also lose pad weight(and bulk)without sacrificing comfort: Carry a short model and place your empty pack under your feet."
MY REPLY: Keep that cold weather bag, in fact, get a bag rated lower than what you'll expect, if not, every night will be a sleepless tossing and turning struggle with the cold. I know, I've tried all the little tricks to my sleeping system and this is what I learned: A closed cell foam Ridgerest or Z Rest WILL NOT WORK on snow and ice, cowboy bedroll camping w/o a tent in the winter will not work(wind), and when it's minus 10 degrees out and falling, you will be simply miserable the whole time w/o a heavier warmer bag. ULers are strange, they suffer all day by walking too far and they suffer all night by bugs or ants or wind-whipped rain or frigid sleepless nights in the cold. All this just to carry a few less pounds?
"STEP 5 Layer Down: "Another tired maxim: Carry extra clothing. Sure, you want to be cozy and safe, but thick down in July is overkill. Choose layers based on the forecast, and don't double up(no wind jacket and rain shell). For 3-season trips, your shell should weight under a pound, the lightest are a mere 8 ounces."
MY REPLY: Choose layers based on the forecast? That's the weirdest thing I've heard as the pinhead pundits(weathermen)are mostly wrong and anyway, is their weather station on top of the 6000 foot mountain you'll be camping at?"
"STEP 6 Improve Your Diet": "This is a hard sell for caffeine junkies, but do you really need a hot drink(or meal)in summer? Even the lightest stoves add ounces, especially when you tally fuel and cooking-gear ballast. Leave it home in favor of . . . And that extra food you always carry? Skip it. Even remote trails are usually within a day's hike of a road, and hunger would take weeks to kill you. Besides, when't the last time you ran out of chow on a trip?"
MY REPLY: Except for 2-3 day trips, always take a stove. Why? Because on a long 2-3 week trip w/o resupply, you can carry less weight of cookable foods than if you just carried snackables. Cookables need water to cook, heavy water, and this water is available along the trail and does not need to be carried, hence the dry food goes much further than the water-filled snacks. As far as gettng to a road to get food, the whole point of a long backpacking trip is TO AVOID roads, cars, traffic and people."
"STEP 10 Empty Your Bottles": "Tradition holds that you need to carry two to three liters of water at all times. But at 2 lbs.2oz. per liter, water is among the heavies things you're schlepping. Instead, drink opportunistically. Along many mountains trails, you rarely need to carry more than a liter--if any. Elsewhere, check distances between sources and tank up just enough that you're nearly empty as you reach each one. Then guzzle away as you refill."
MY REPLY: I don't know about them but we're having a drought and we must carry at least a liter unless we're familiar with the trails before hand and know the springs. The quote "if any" is the stupidest thing yet. Ignore it.
I am usually the lone-man-out when defending Backpacker, having been a subscriber since the beginning, BUT the inside tips have been inside way too long. ONe could do a much better job and while they are at it, enjoy a beautiful and quite night with the mice in each of the AT shelters. I will take my tent, thank you.
Appalachian Tater
06-12-2008, 15:06
"STEP 10 Empty Your Bottles": Along many mountains trails, you rarely need to carry more than a liter--if any.
I agree, out of all that advice, this one is pure stupidity.
Sleepy the Arab
06-12-2008, 19:45
Wonder what Lone Wolf would write about? How 'bout Jack Tarlin?:)
I don't get it. Why would Lone Wolf write about Jack Tarlin?
Lone Wolf
06-12-2008, 20:47
I don't get it. Why would Lone Wolf write about Jack Tarlin?
really? i hate the fat bastid!
Tha Wookie
06-12-2008, 20:53
lone wolf we know you cant write anyway
Lone Wolf
06-12-2008, 21:16
lone wolf we know you cant write anyway
*hittt. back in the day, hemingway and i was drinkin' a cheap daigo red and said i was a literary genius. rough but polishable. god i miss him. abbey said the same friggin thing. amazing :-?
Big Red 68
06-13-2008, 13:15
I have been "camping" all my life but within the last year i have made 4 trips to the A.T. to go camping. walking any anywere from 2 to 5 mile to set up camp. We then will hike the surrounding area the next couple of days. I will be leaving with two friends that have been with me on every trip i've made the last year and we will "hiking" from watatuga lake to damascus. i have also subscribe to backpacker and became a member on this website. The best info i have gotten would definatly be from this website but i do like reading backpacker also. As said before they advertise and write to the majority (MOST OF THE THINGS THEY ADVERTISE FOR ARE OUT OF MY PRICE RANGE) but the best advertisment is the word of mouth (that is not being paid) to give their recamendations. What you get here.
SunnyWalker
06-13-2008, 19:37
I agree. Leaving out tent or shelter is foolish, even for AT. Leaving out bug dope??? What dope wrote THAT!!!???????? And sunblock??? Go to the home of WB, look up photos for last 7 days and you will see a female hiker in grayson highlands. She is cooked red.
SunnyWalker
06-13-2008, 19:47
Ooooops forgot to say: I get a kick out of the articles (most seem to promote a certain pack or some product) and ads. I have done a lot of hiking but I don't think I see too many people with $200 shirts and etc. I do like the mag cuz it keeps the dream alive. But articles on hiking in and Andes or himilayas!??!?
Rockhound
06-13-2008, 20:11
Just a guess but could Wingfoot be the insider? If so I heard his last thru-hike was well over a decade ago. Maybe thats what they mean by "insider"
Jim Adams
06-13-2008, 22:02
Methinks Backpacker's insider has indeed been inside for a very long time and is totally out-of-touch with the realities of backpacking today. Not carrying any shelter is the sort of foolish advice that could easily cause someone's demise. I saw a Backpacker magazine in a doctor's office yesterday - it caters to 4-wheelers and those who backpack into the woods a mile or so and set-up elaborate camps. It has nothing at all to do with the sort of backpacking discussed here and the material it contains is worse than useless to real backpackers.
FD,
I would venture to say that somewhere in the 85% range that most backpacks never get more than a mile or two from the vehicle. People purchase them to carry their gear for the weekend, to throw in the canoe or boat to strap to their bicycle or to camp a 1/2 mile into the woods. That is why alot of packs have added on features that really aren't useful for backpacking but cause alot of people to purchase them anyway. Due to all of this, if most "backpackers" camp a mile from their truck or canoe or bicycle to their campsite, you will have alot of ads for these products in a "backpacking" magazine. I don't even want to think how many backpacks are purchased to "backpack" with their ATV!!!!!:eek:
geek
Lone Wolf
06-13-2008, 22:35
Just a guess but could Wingfoot be the insider? If so I heard his last thru-hike was well over a decade ago. Maybe thats what they mean by "insider"
his last thru-hike was 1991