View Full Version : Your best hiking tips
Joker4ink
01-09-2011, 22:37
Lets start compiling a list of your best hiking tips: Techniques, Gear, etc.
A shoe lace makes a great belt. It's super light and shoes sometimes come with an extra set
Glide Anti-Chaffe with the SPF is not just great with preventing blisters, it can be used as a sunscreen too
If you carry toothpaste on the trail, squeeze some into a straw and use it when you need it.
Use braided mason line from any harware store to guyout a tent. It has a high breaking strength and comes in fluorescent colors, making it very visable at night.
Fog Horn
01-09-2011, 22:43
Wearing pantyhose under your pants in cold weather makes you noticeable warmer and they're practically weightless
SurferNerd
01-09-2011, 22:55
Instead of overpriced bottles, use Gatorade bottles. They are easy to replace, durable, light, and they first contain a tasty drink!
Blissful
01-09-2011, 22:57
Honestly we had a thread like this a while back with tons of tips. Wonder if it is somewhere still; it was good.
Wearing pantyhose under your pants in cold weather makes you noticeable warmer and they're practically weightless
I've heard this before, but never had the sac to try it.
Yeah, sorry for the lousy pun.
Walkintom
01-09-2011, 23:03
It's true.
Joker4ink
01-09-2011, 23:06
Honestly we had a thread like this a while back with tons of tips. Wonder if it is somewhere still; it was good.
I did a search and did see some tips, particularly the thread regarding the boy scouts. The other tip thread mainly pertained to specific season - Winter hiking, or solo hiking. Figured I'd just start a general one so we can adapt these ideas when we need to.
Blissful may be thinking of a thread started by Moxie00.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12596
Bags4266
01-09-2011, 23:16
When it's cold wear warm clothes.
Joker4ink
01-09-2011, 23:41
Thanks, Emerald. I just searched "hiking tips" in the title and not necessarily the post itself. Maybe a moderation could move our tips and resurrect that thread.
harryfred
01-10-2011, 00:21
Hey everything has bee discussed here at one time or another.. It is good to refresh once in a while. My big tip is make a lot of short hikes, overnights and two or three dayers close to home and start dumping everything you did not use. except for emergency items.
pee with the wind, not against it
Use very differently shaped pee and water bottles.
HiKen2011
01-10-2011, 02:13
pee with the wind, not against it
And don't dookey in the trail:mad::)
Deadpete
01-10-2011, 03:42
-Take the twisted strands (core) out of the braided (mantle) of your parachute cord. It's still plenty strong enough and you ditch the weight of the strands.
-Drink your water if you've got it, no sense in dying with water left.
-Food is pretty much your last priority in a survival situation.
Use very differently shaped pee and water bottles.
And a very different shaped fuel bottle too.
JaxHiker
01-12-2011, 10:55
Wearing pantyhose under your pants in cold weather makes you noticeable warmer and they're practically weightless
I haven't worn pantyhose (full) but after talking with another hiker I did wear ankle high hose in place of liner socks on last weekend's hike. Much thinner and lighter but just enough to provide the same protection. No blisters or hot spots.
spruce tree 42
01-12-2011, 14:04
I haven't worn pantyhose (full) but after talking with another hiker I did wear ankle high hose in place of liner socks on last weekend's hike. Much thinner and lighter but just enough to provide the same protection. No blisters or hot spots.
Backpacked 3 weeks in Banf, Canadian Rockies and used this method. It surely works.
Football players in the 70's (think Steel curtain) would wear pantyhose for the exact same reasons -virtually invisible, warming layer-
spruce tree 42
01-12-2011, 14:05
Oh, and I should say I am 100% male
- Ditch your paracord.......... 3mm cord is all you need to hang food or dry clothes on.
- Roll up your wind screen instead of folding it. It'll last longer.
- Reduce the likelihood of blisters by soaking your feet in strong tea solution 10-15 minutes a day about a week before a long hike. The tannins toughen the skin.
- Carry a titanium spoon (spork). The plastic ones just don't do well on a hard frozen pint of Ben & Jerry's
Alpine Jack
01-12-2011, 14:33
In winter, don't fill your bottles completely up. Leave room for slosh to avoid freezing.
When it's cold wear warm clothes.
Epic! :D
Use very differently shaped pee and water bottles.
Why would I be peeing in a bottle in the first place? :confused:
Fog Horn
01-12-2011, 15:49
Oh, and I should say I am 100% male
I always find it funny the amount of men in the infantry who use feminine products to help with their manly problems. This pantyhose trick comes from them, as well as putting a tampon in your med kit to quickly pack a clean gunshot wound, and a maxi pad in your helmet to keep your sweat from getting in your eyes.
One other one that might help trail hikers is that Midol is a female med for period problems, like fatigue, and bloating, and whatnot. A lot of the symptoms that it treats are also the symptoms someone might feel after they've pushed themselves too hard on a day of hiking, and Midol works for those aches and pains on men as well as on women.
Buzz Saw
01-12-2011, 15:53
Found silk long johns on sale someplace on the net last winter tops and bottoms. $20 so ordered set for me and the misses. They were just like pantyhose my wife had a great laugh, but they work great. She uses hers all the time. They will be in my pack this spring when I leave Springer.
JaxHiker
01-12-2011, 16:19
I always find it funny the amount of men in the infantry who use feminine products to help with their manly problems. This pantyhose trick comes from them, as well as putting a tampon in your med kit to quickly pack a clean gunshot wound, and a maxi pad in your helmet to keep your sweat from getting in your eyes.
Yup. This tip came from a former Ranger. And we talked about the tampon in the med kit during my last combat trauma course. :)
1. Use stretchy shoe laces. I cut the flex laces out of my Merrill hiking shoes 'cause I don't like the cinch style. I now use those laces in my boots (and tie them like normal). Flexible laces are easier on the feet on long days.
2. Make good use of hotel giveaways. Little soaps have obvious value. Some hotels give small Kleenex packs, which make convenient TP. A shower cap is handy in the rain (over a stocking cap or under a jacket hood).
3. Heat a rock near the fire and put it in your sleeping bag on winter nights. By your feet or under your knees. Wrap it in a towel or T-shirt to keep soot off the bag.
4. In especially cold situations, heat a small rock (smaller than fist-sized). Keep it at hand while doing those things that are so hard to do with frozen fingers (boot laces, gaiter zipper, tightly rolling a sleeping pad, etc.
mweinstone
01-25-2011, 00:10
stop reaching into the stove to light the alcohol with the lighter. touch your spoon handel to the fuel and light it and touch the fuel again. blow out the spoon. safer. easyer. looks smart.
put a damp item or sox up under your undershirt on your shoulders and use your body as a human dryer.
learn what cameling up and pounding liquids can do for your world. hydrate religiously. every time you wake or eat.
learn to respect your feet. they are your vehical out there. practice stopping for every tiny discomfort and adjustment in all weather. most blisters form when rushing to avoid dark or rain.
never drink and hike. not even in towns. it just wipes out all fun as your body is in its best shape and very sensitive to booze. the fine line we walk while hiking concerning hydration dosnt allow for the effects of alcohol to be survivable to a point where fun can still be had.
Captain Blue
01-25-2011, 00:16
Drill holes in your water bottle to reduce its weight.
Why would I be peeing in a bottle in the first place? :confused:
Piss bottle allows nature to be answered without getting up all the way.
Rocket Jones
01-25-2011, 07:09
Drill holes in your water bottle to reduce its weight.
Piss bottle allows nature to be answered without getting up all the way.
Don't combine these two tips. ;)
CrumbSnatcher
01-25-2011, 10:31
***i carry my stocking cap no matter what time of year it is***
Tipi Walter
01-25-2011, 14:50
Do not reproduce as this will severely limit your bag nights and outdoor living.
Delta-Dawn
01-25-2011, 15:01
Do not reproduce as this will severely limit your bag nights and outdoor living.
Do reproduce and then raise them up to be the stewards for the trail of tomorrow. :sun
Save the weight of the pee bottle. Pee in your cookpot. Pee is sterile and gets the burnt on crud off very well. Be sure to rinse your pot in the morning.
hikerboy57
01-25-2011, 15:11
wash feet in pee-filled cookpot, helps get rid of athletes foot.
Save the weight of a cookpot and other associated gear by going cookless.
takethisbread
01-25-2011, 15:59
Dont drink water, drink Pee instead. Saves pack weight, no pump.
M1 Thumb
01-25-2011, 16:27
Politely pass on cooked food that sbhikes offers. :-?
Trailbender
01-25-2011, 16:42
Save the weight of a cookpot and other associated gear by going cookless.
Actually the cookpot is good for dipping water out of streams, and you can use it to wash in, and boil water if all else fails. I consider it a vital piece of gear.
The cookless thing does not work for me, after a long day of hiking, especially if I stop really late, like midnight, there is something cozy about a boiling pot of water over an esbit tab, and a hot meal. I tried going stoveless, hated it. I do use fires when I can to save on fuel weight and cost.
My tips(I did these on my thru):
Use paracord for shoelaces, it is much sturdier and will last longer.
Use campsuds as toothpaste
Fix your gear until you can't anymore, before you buy something else. This includes reattaching shoe soles with paracord and cutting new tread with a pocketknife.
Gatorade bottles are free, and better than nalgenes(someone mentioned this)
Make a paracord lanyard on all your water bottles, that way you can carry all your camp water in one hand, this helps in very poorly located water sources.
Make a paracord slipknot ponytail holder, it will last forever and won't snap like the elastics, and it is much cheaper.
Pretty much use paracord for everything, it is like duct tape.
My best hiking tip: Be flexible.
Summer Day-Hike Water Tip: Freeze some bottles of water overnight. They will melt as you hike and make for ice-cold refreshment.
Winter Day-Hike Water Tip: Just fill your bottles with tap water and go. Mother Nature will provide the ice cold refreshment you need.
Winter and Summer Drink Tip: If you have an insulated Camelbak-type bladder, it will keep cold drinks cold *and* warm drinks warm. That warm tea or coffee can be awfully nice when it's super-cold out!
Staying five minutes too long at a rest stop will hardly ever ruin a hike. Getting up from a rest stop five minutes too early will often ruin a hike.