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Chubbs4U
03-28-2011, 17:19
So what do you guys do with trash when hiking? I know at some point youll come across somewhere to dump it but what do you do in the meantime. I see some people selling dry sacks. What do people use?

Pony
03-28-2011, 17:25
I usually just throw it in the privy. :D

Pony
03-28-2011, 17:28
O.K., before I get shredded for that last post, it's really simple. First, make sure you're not taking any extra trash out of town with you. Take everything out of it's box etc. Put trash in a zip lock and when you come to a trash can, toss it in. Also unless it's paper, and you're going to burn it right there, don't throw trash in a fire pit. I saw a chipmunk in Pa. running into the woods with a power bar wrapper.

Lone Wolf
03-28-2011, 17:28
So what do you guys do with trash when hiking? I know at some point youll come across somewhere to dump it but what do you do in the meantime. I see some people selling dry sacks. What do people use?

ziplock freezer bag

garlic08
03-28-2011, 17:31
I buy groceries with a mind to minimizing my trash. I buy boxes of oats, nuts, raisins, crackers, fig newtons, pop tarts, dried potatoes, ramen, etc, and repackage them into reusable ziplocks before I leave town. Bread and tortillas come in their own reusable bags. I seldom have any trash at all while I'm hiking. Maybe the cheese wrapper or peanut butter jar. I once fit all the trash from a 160-mile hike into the empty peanut butter jar. I don't eat meat on the trail, partly to avoid carrying the wrapper.

WingedMonkey
03-28-2011, 17:33
If you are packing food right you won't have much trash, and certainly no leftovers.
Mostly just wrappings and plastic bags. No need for a dry sack, just put them in a left over ziplock that you are not reusing for food.
And of course that was supposed to be a joke about the privies....NEVER.

WingedMonkey
03-28-2011, 17:36
That was good, five of the same answers in five seconds.
:sun

Pony
03-28-2011, 17:36
And of course that was supposed to be a joke about the privies....NEVER.

Of course.

DripDry
03-28-2011, 18:03
Pony- "Also unless it's paper, and you're going to burn it right there, don't throw trash in a fire pit"- Amen. That and people building fire rings in the woods 2 miles from a water source are things that make me go insane. The melting temperature of aluminum foil is over 1200 degrees F- how hot were you planning to make that fire there skippy?

hikerhobs
03-28-2011, 18:08
Empty peanut butter jar.

Tinker
03-28-2011, 18:12
Another used zip lock bag user. My bagels go 2 to a qt. bag, so after I eat 2 bagels I start to use that bag for nonburnable trash. Like the others I burn my paper trash (makes a good firestarter, but that's another thread ;)).

Toolumpy
03-28-2011, 19:38
Are there places you can buy only a couple of ziplock bags along the way? You surely don't want to carry too many extra ones.

sheepdog
03-28-2011, 19:53
ziplock freezer bag
+1


...................

Skidsteer
03-28-2011, 19:59
Are there places you can buy only a couple of ziplock bags along the way? You surely don't want to carry too many extra ones.

Bounce box, look for them in hiker boxes at hostels, or go in together on a small box of ziplocs with other hikers in town.

garlic08
03-28-2011, 20:19
Some tortillas are sold in a ziplock bag. Eat the tortillas and keep the bag.

Codger
03-28-2011, 20:35
I use a empty 16 oz wide mouth gatoraide or similar bottle. Use a stick to push items in and to compact, will hold 4-5 days or garbage. Will not leak or tear.

Blissful
03-28-2011, 21:30
My empty Walmart shopping bag. :) :)

blitz1
03-28-2011, 21:34
Unless they're totally disgusting and irretrievable, I like to reuse my ziplock trashbags (create less waste for the landfills) once I get to a trash can, so one bag will last for many weeks.

The Cleaner
03-28-2011, 21:44
Empty peanut butter jar.
Great idea:sun.......What's not so great about it is some hikers then throw it under the bunk at shelters:eek:.......I've packed out several.....

Panzer1
03-29-2011, 00:13
quart size zip lock bag.

Panzer

peakbagger
03-29-2011, 07:51
I do burn trash when I have an appropriate fire with a bed of coals including some packaging that has aluminum foil. I also clean any foil out of the fire in the morning that I generated and usually end up with some extra. Once the paper or plastic has been burned off the foil it rolls up into a ball rather nicely and takes up minimal room. If I have any metal cans I usually toast them and them crush them. I usually plan my meals so that there is no organic waste so the trash never gets to smelling. Note that the plastic packaging and ziplock bags are HDPE as long as they are burned in a hot fire, they dont give off anything nastier than what comes out of the woodfire. PVC type plastics are a different story but unless someone is burning their rubber ducky or pair of crocs look alikes, most folks dont have much PVC in theri pack to burn.

Lone Wolf
03-29-2011, 07:59
nothing but wood should be burned in fire pits/rings

sbhikes
03-29-2011, 09:40
Since I package each of my meals in a quart ziplock, there's at least one I can use for trash. I choose the worst one. I only put bad trash in it, such as tuna foil pouches. I save all the other ziplocks. I just throw other trash that won't get my food covered in anything gross in my food bag. In town, I throw out all the trash and reuse all the ziplocks for the next round. If I have a few too many ziplocks, I keep them for next time. I have a few new ones in my bounce box.

LoneRidgeRunner
03-29-2011, 09:47
I repack all my food in ziplocks to reduce trash (except for my MH freeze dried, Granola bars, etc..) Then I use a ziplock freezer bag for any trash I do have and carry it out... Since I don't build fires I don't burn anything..Glad Pony was joking about the privy thing...

LoneRidgeRunner
03-29-2011, 09:50
nothing but wood should be burned in fire pits/rings

Agree 100%.... It could be easy to miss some of that foil...And plastic only melts and balls up and stays there..It doesn't burn..

hikerboy57
03-29-2011, 09:58
When you're only carrying 4-5 days of food, theres just no excuse for not packing everything out. I use a Zip lock freezer bag for trash.

mweinstone
03-29-2011, 23:47
panzers trashbag.

Pony
03-30-2011, 12:21
When you're only carrying 4-5 days of food, theres just no excuse for not packing everything out. I use a Zip lock freezer bag for trash.

There's never an excuse for not packing out your trash.

hikerboy57
03-30-2011, 14:52
There's never an excuse for not packing out your trash.
No argument, just making the point that the waste from a 5 day supply of food( assuming you've already repacked and thrown away the nonsense at the last supply point)is pretty miniscule,but you're right. theres never a good reason to leave anything "but footprints"

Buffalo Skipper
03-30-2011, 15:06
...The melting temperature of aluminum foil is over 1200 degrees F...

That's just the melting point. Even if you made a 1200°F fire, after it cooled you would still have a lump of Al in the ashes. In order to vaporize it, you have to boil it. That occurs at 2740°F. Now that's some hot coals...

DripDry
03-30-2011, 15:50
Thanks for the correction Buffalo Skipper- you are right- that is the melting temperature, and you make an even better point. Campfires at their hottest seldom reach 900 degrees F (at least from the sources I have seen). Irregardless, your trash belongs in your backpack, not in the firepit.

lori_nurse
06-08-2011, 11:52
Agree 100%.... It could be easy to miss some of that foil...And plastic only melts and balls up and stays there..It doesn't burn..

I usually agree with this, and follow the rule. However, I was backpacking, and some campers burned their mountain house food bags after eating out of them. One of the campers was appalled, and most just pointed out that it burned well and completely disappeared, and that it was just fine. I stayed out of the conversation, and kept my trash, but keep thinking about it. Does anyone know for sure if you can/cant burn dehydrated meal packages?

Also, I am planning a thru hike in 2012. How far between are there places to drop trash on the AT?? Am I going to be carrying a lot of garbage all the time?