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View Full Version : What is the dumbest item you've ever packed?



WIAPilot
05-25-2012, 17:40
That later when it was sent back home (or not), you thought that you must have been nuts for packing it in the first place.

rocketsocks
05-25-2012, 18:21
Two T-bones,6 logs,and a case of beer divided x two.You see my buddy carried the case of beer,so as we hiked his pack got lighter....expodentialy.;)and the logs weight stayed the same.:eek:

Double Wide
05-25-2012, 18:35
A seven pound Coleman sleeping bag. :eek:

atmilkman
05-25-2012, 18:44
A rain jacket with temperatures expected to be in the 80's and above. Only took 4 days and sent it home.

Sarcasm the elf
05-25-2012, 19:00
That later when it was sent back home (or not), you thought that you must have been nuts for packing it in the first place.

Ego.

(A fellow WB member gets credit for this answer, but I can't remember who it was that said it first.)

Moose2001
05-25-2012, 19:06
Condoms! Hey....one can always hope! :)

EastCoastFeastCoast
05-25-2012, 19:08
My sister.

Theosus
05-25-2012, 20:16
A poncho. A real heavy duty one too. It must weigh a pound. I'd rather get wet than carry it again.

TJ aka Teej
05-25-2012, 23:19
My Dad insisted I take his .45 revolver and a box of ammo on my first LD hike from Glencliff to Katahdin.

Mountain Mike
05-25-2012, 23:46
A pair of python skin cowboy boots. I took a train down to GA & planned to mail my traveling cloths back to myself for the section hike I was doing. Didn't make the PO before they closed so I packed that pair of boots till Suches & walked to the PO there to mail them back to Gainsville.

Connie
05-26-2012, 01:30
Full rubber pac boots, almost to my knees.

Velvet Gooch
05-26-2012, 09:29
In general? A 10mm x 600ft static rope (unspooled, huge bundle). Way way more rope than we needed

elray
05-26-2012, 09:38
Ten days supplies for a five night hike. I was a fairly new backpacker but learned very quickly that thru-hikers never turn down a free meal!

quilteresq
05-26-2012, 10:12
Ten days supplies for a five night hike. I was a fairly new backpacker but learned very quickly that thru-hikers never turn down a free meal!

I'm finding on shorter hikes - one to two days - I LOSE my appetite therefore I pack a lot of food out. Not worried about that for the AT hike. On last week's hike, I went to bed with only a small snack for dinner, had a very small breakfast, and had to force myself to eat snacks on the trail.

Spokes
05-26-2012, 11:29
A pair of Titanium Chop Sticks.

Spokes
05-26-2012, 11:32
Condoms! Hey....one can always hope! :)

SteriPen probe cover for neurotics?

rocketsocks
05-26-2012, 12:10
Dare I say,"The Bear Bell"

Spokes
05-26-2012, 12:13
Ding-dong!

rocketsocks
05-26-2012, 12:16
Ding-dong!Who's there

Feral Bill
05-26-2012, 12:32
Who's there Dinner ....................

Miami Joe
05-26-2012, 12:35
Once ran into some kids from University of Wisconsin who had full-size pots and pans hanging from their packs.

chip2012
05-26-2012, 13:42
A sharpening stone.. would say my girlfriend although I didn't really pack her but she did go home. :)

rocketsocks
05-26-2012, 17:33
Dinner ....................Dinner Who?

ChinMusic
05-26-2012, 17:55
A hammock.

motlekj06
05-26-2012, 20:08
A heavy duty cork screw and a bottle of Muscadine Wine after every town stop...never mind, those would be the smarted items i packed.

Lone Wolf
05-26-2012, 20:47
That later when it was sent back home (or not), you thought that you must have been nuts for packing it in the first place.

i never packed anything that was "dumb". i pack what i want. i was never dumb enuf to pack a water filter, titanium, bear bag rope, cell phone, hikin' poles, etc., etc., etc.

Spokes
05-26-2012, 22:06
Funny how times have changed. Lewis and Clark never packed anything "dumb" either. Of course they did find a whole lot of mercury in their poop (evidence from excavations) used to treat a variety of medical ailments during the period.

Anybody carrying mercury?


http://lewisandclarktrailwatch.blogspot.com/2006/04/urethral-syringes-and-other-fun.html

rocketsocks
05-26-2012, 22:13
Funny how times have changed. Lewis and Clark never packed anything "dumb" either. Of course they did find a whole lot of mercury in their poop (evidence from excavations) used to treat a variety of medical ailments during the period.

Anybody carrying mercury?


http://lewisandclarktrailwatch.blogspot.com/2006/04/urethral-syringes-and-other-fun.htmlYep,and they got rid of that iron super structure of a boat too.

Sonno
05-27-2012, 18:25
My sister.

You win. :D

RED-DOG
05-29-2012, 18:23
Extra batteries:cool:

Train Wreck
05-29-2012, 20:10
I had a friend who, on her first overnight backpack, showed up at the trailhead with a wind-up Big Ben clock (think cartoon-type with 2 bells on top!) and a propane-cartridge curling iron. This after we had already done a Show and Tell a couple of nights before demonstrating the abc's of what to carry.

HikerMom58
05-29-2012, 20:28
I had a friend who, on her first overnight backpack, showed up at the trailhead with a wind-up Big Ben clock (think cartoon-type with 2 bells on top!) and a propane-cartridge curling iron. This after we had already done a Show and Tell a couple of nights before demonstrating the abc's of what to carry.

:banana This is GREAT!!

Suckerfish
05-29-2012, 21:37
A compass, I have never needed one on the AT. North is that way, south is that way. blue blazes are this and that way.

rocketsocks
05-29-2012, 21:48
A compass, I have never needed one on the AT. North is that way, south is that way. blue blazes are this and that way.ooh,He's good!

Velvet Gooch
05-29-2012, 21:59
Anybody carrying mercury?

Does merbromin count? I'm sure many hikers have carried Mercurochrome over the years

rocketsocks
05-29-2012, 22:04
Does merbromin count? I'm sure many hikers have carried Mercurochrome over the yearsAh,thee ole Monkey Blood,that was gooooood stuff,hurt like hell,and that's how ya new it was workin,no longer available I believe.

RedBeerd
05-30-2012, 06:45
I used to carry a giant Rambo style buck knife, a 2.5 lb sleeping pad, and collapsible bowls and cups. Replaced all that for a tennis ball, which i use much more!

Miami Joe
05-30-2012, 07:17
I had a friend who, on her first overnight backpack, showed up at the trailhead with a wind-up Big Ben clock (think cartoon-type with 2 bells on top!) and a propane-cartridge curling iron. This after we had already done a Show and Tell a couple of nights before demonstrating the abc's of what to carry.

Did she ever use the curling iron and alarm clock?

Tom Murphy
05-30-2012, 09:08
A hatchet.

RED-DOG
05-30-2012, 09:21
Hey Lunchbox Let's go hiking together sometime. Ha Ha HA , Let's see TREKING POLES :cool:

Prada
05-30-2012, 09:37
I had come to the realization that my heavy 15oz silky bag liner was a stupid item to pack. I left it home last time.

Dang I missed that stupid thing!!!!

Velvet Gooch
05-30-2012, 10:00
In cooler weather, I carry two 375ml bottles of geuze. The thick, corked bottles weigh more than the ale

Connie
05-30-2012, 13:40
Spokes, Lewis and Clark never packed anything "dumb" either.

You do know they carried a ration of Laudanum with them for the men?

One journal entry at the west coast agonized over the chance of running out.

It is the reason, most native americans would not allow them to camp in or near their camp. Across the river, okay? Okay. Over there in the woods where no one lives, okay. Okay.

Few native american groups considered drugs to be a part of life, then ceremoniously, not for addiction purposes.

The Lewis and Clark party was on drugs (tincture of opium). Must have been all that hard work dragging the boats, or, tattered shoes and bare feet much of the time until they got moccasins.

I would say, the dumbest item they ever packed was the Laudanum.

Lemni Skate
05-30-2012, 13:42
5 days worth of food in SNP.

Blissful
05-30-2012, 14:29
I can't say I carried anything planned that I consider dumb now. But I have accidentally had dumb stuff left in my pack from previous hikes that I didn't notice until I was on my hike. Like one time I carried two first aid kits. Just last week I had two pairs of rain pants in 90 degrees - didn't want either of them - they were at the bottom of the pack under my trash bag liner.

Del Q
05-30-2012, 21:44
#1 DUMB move by "Q"....................so I workout with a pack and 30-40lbs of weights, water bottles, etc. about 2 weeks before each hike. Try to stay in shape always.

Was jammed right up to my Fall hike 2 years ago........knew my pack was too heavy but left anyway, 1st night.............emptied my whole pack, 5 lb weight in a small duffel bag at the bottom.

Tequila helped advance the humor of it all...............

Leave No Trace............carried it out!

coach lou
05-30-2012, 21:54
#1 DUMB move by "Q"....................so I workout with a pack and 30-40lbs of weights, water bottles, etc. about 2 weeks before each hike. Try to stay in shape always.

Was jammed right up to my Fall hike 2 years ago........knew my pack was too heavy but left anyway, 1st night.............emptied my whole pack, 5 lb weight in a small duffel bag at the bottom.

Tequila helped advance the humor of it all...............

Leave No Trace............carried it out!

Q, after 46 posts I give yours The#1........or would that be 46th. I don't know, but that was pretty funny. I guess 'cause I can see myself doing the same thing!

WIAPilot
05-30-2012, 21:57
#1 DUMB move by "Q"....................so I workout with a pack and 30-40lbs of weights, water bottles, etc. about 2 weeks before each hike. Try to stay in shape always.

Was jammed right up to my Fall hike 2 years ago........knew my pack was too heavy but left anyway, 1st night.............emptied my whole pack, 5 lb weight in a small duffel bag at the bottom.

Tequila helped advance the humor of it all...............

Leave No Trace............carried it out!

LOL That is hilarious that you had a 5 lb wt in the bottom! And sad that you had to carry it out! But totally the right thing to do! I'm going to award the prize to you! :sun

rocketsocks
05-30-2012, 22:21
#1 DUMB move by "Q"....................so I workout with a pack and 30-40lbs of weights, water bottles, etc. about 2 weeks before each hike. Try to stay in shape always.

Was jammed right up to my Fall hike 2 years ago........knew my pack was too heavy but left anyway, 1st night.............emptied my whole pack, 5 lb weight in a small duffel bag at the bottom.

Tequila helped advance the humor of it all...............

Leave No Trace............carried it out!You mean you dug up the dirt where you took a pee,and hauled it out.....man that's dedication.You do win!:D

Sonno
05-30-2012, 22:58
5 lb weight in a small duffel bag at the bottom.

Wow

lol :D

rickb
05-30-2012, 23:21
White hat with a big white pom pom on it.

My mother made if for me, along with a Frostline bag and tent and wool shirt. I have probably not thanked her enought for the Frostline gear and that shirt..

I am certain that I have thanked her way too many times for mailing me that hat. Just in time for deer season.

I have to stop that. It was warm, and I did look good in it.

rocketsocks
05-30-2012, 23:26
White hat with a big white pom pom on it.

My mother made if for me, along with a Frostline bag and tent and wool shirt. I have probably not thanked her enought for the Frostline gear and that shirt..

I am certain that I have thanked her way too many times for mailing me that hat. Just in time for deer season.

I have to stop that. It was warm, and I did look good in it.Yeah but Rick,you did take the pom pom off when they turned the corner?....didn't ya?

Ya know....whether you did,or didn't really doesn't matter,your a good son,and pom pom never really go out.I had one once that was fredged with tassels,it was cool back when.:rolleyes:And thanks for the confessesional.:)

rickb
05-30-2012, 23:41
[QUOTE=rocketsocks;1294092]Yeah but Rick,you did take the pom pom off when they turned the corner?....didn't ya?[/QU

No! It was very stylish (you can see for yourself if you click my avatar).

Just not the best for hiking around deer hunters.

And definitely not something I should tease my sainted mother (and one-time AT support person extraordinaire) about over the course of 3 decades.

rocketsocks
05-30-2012, 23:46
[QUOTE=rocketsocks;1294092]Yeah but Rick,you did take the pom pom off when they turned the corner?....didn't ya?[/QU

No! It was very stylish (you can see for yourself if you click my avatar).

Just not the best for hiking around deer hunters.

And definitely not something I should tease my sainted mother (and one-time AT support person extraordinaire) about over the course of 3 decades.Moms are awesome! mine too is a saint....for putting up with all my crap over the years.And yes gotta take care of those that take care of us.....unconditionally.:sunOh heck ya,that's a fine looking hat,and yep you were a fine looking young man.....back then/when

Minnitonka
06-02-2012, 14:33
I know someone like that. He packs CANS of sardines and vienna sausages among other things. Talkabout a heavy food bag!!!!!:confused:

Minnitonka
06-02-2012, 14:35
dominoes and word puzzle games

OzJacko
06-04-2012, 10:07
Not me but a fellow hiker....
16188

As well as the teddy she had a mobile of knitted suns with pictures of family members on reverse. Hiked 600 mile with it all.
On top of all that carried real food like broccoli and other vegetables which she prepared every evening. I think her pack was around 25kg going into town for resupply.

T.I. Toe
06-04-2012, 10:36
Self-doubt. I carried it with me all the way to Maine.

coach lou
06-04-2012, 10:38
I guess my Bear Bell!

coach lou
06-04-2012, 10:43
But, I'm still carrying it and my steel pot, and my Poles, and my leather boots, and 50 feet of 4mm, and mosquito net, and pure water filter, and sometimes I still use my external frame Kelty Tioga!

coach lou
06-04-2012, 10:48
Which brings my base weight not quite up to what Tipi carries, but..... I take what I need.

Bleeding Gums Murphy
06-06-2012, 15:51
I'm currently carrying an alto saxophone. 5 lb 6 oz. I won't be sending it home any time soon. Carry what you want, just be sure you want to carry it.

fins1838
06-10-2012, 11:50
UGGs boots. 7 for all mankind jeans. John Vartos shirt.

Sarcasm the elf
06-10-2012, 12:22
In scouts we used to hike 5 gallon jugs of water into our base camp, even if the site was next to a stream. We'd also hike in propane lanterns and two burner grills, plus the 20lb tanks to fuel them This might be called dumb now, but it sure made sense at the time.