Fairly new to multi-day hiking, was wondering what everyone used & recommended for navigating trails. Was looking into the Garmin Inreach Mini 2 for navigation & SOS feature, dove into the rabbit hole and seen where a lot of people were recommending & using offline maps on IPhone models 14 & up for navigation instead. Also, seen a lot of users recommending the Garmin watches like the Fenix 7 series for navigation along with their IPhones. What do you use & what are some recommendations other than the traditional map method?

Thanks for your responses in advance!

Hi y'all,

I am planning to hike the section from Cuba Nm to Grants Nm in December. This will be my first thru hike.

What gear would you recommend?

What's y'alls perspective on food for that 7 to 10 day period?

Edit:

I have sleeping pad, -10 degree sleeping bag, snow gear, ultralight tent, first aid kit, compass, paper maps, poop trowel, headlamp

I've been using my Kumo for over 4 years. It finished both the AT and the PCT plus all of the other overnights and shorter thruhikes that I've done over the years. I've never washed it and needless to say that it smells a bit. I was wondering if I could put it in the washing machine with cold water on delicate with some Nikwax tech wash. I feel like since it's a frameless pack, it shouldn't make that much of a difference if it's in the washing machine or not. Any thoughts?

How much days did it take? How can I prepare? What are some struggles you had? What do I have to know?

I’m planning to head out on my first (big 3) thru hike this upcoming spring. A few months ago my partner’s (of 1.5 years) parent (the one they’re closest to) was diagnosed with an aggressive & terminal cancer. We’re young and this was a total shock as my partner’s parent is very healthy, fit, and still early in their life. It’s likely they could pass away at any point on my hike. I don’t know what to do. Postpone the hike another year? This felt like the opportune time pre-diagnosis and I had been planning on this timeline for a while. But what if I’m out of signal and several days hike away from the closest town. What if he passes only a couple of weeks into the hike. How do I return to trail after that. It feels terrible to consider anything other than postponing my hike to stay and support my partner. At the same time this has been my biggest dream for a long time and what if I don’t get another chance like this? Has anyone been in this position before?

*edit to say I have a garmin already

Hey all, I’m currently planning a thru-hike of the Sheltowee Trace trail in Kentucky for 2025. I’m a fairly experienced backpacker, if a little out of practice. Mostly done weekend trips, but did a 10-day several years ago. I’m not sure if I will be doing this solo or not; I’ve done plenty of solo hiking, but never solo backpacking.

Looking for any and all advice from others’ experiences, especially including: •time of year recommendations •food/logistics suggestions, i.e. good (or bad) places to resupply, etc. •campsites, permits, etc. •gear recommendations (always looking to improve my gear)

Anything else y’all feel like sharing, whether it’s advice, your favorite (or least) parts, or anything else I (we?) need to know. TIA!

It’s been a little over three months since I’ve finished the AT. My back has been killing me sleeping on my mattress, so I thought about sleeping on my sleeping pad. Not sure if my back felt better while hiking because of the pad, or because I wasn’t hunched over at a desk.

Anyhow, I pulled out my sleeping pad and oh. my. god. I didn’t think we smelled that bad thru hiking, did we? Were we just nose blind to it?

Does anyone have suggestions for how I can remove the smell from the pad? If it helps, it is the Sea to Summit Ultralight Air.

I thru-hiked the Appalachian trail from April 18 to September 6 this year and had just under $1,100 in on-trail costs. When I researched the cost beforehand, I couldn't find a hike that fit my budget, so I thought I'd post to help others out. I spent about $910 on food, $57 on hostels, $25 on useless sandals I threw out, and the rest on cheap sets of Bluetooth earbuds. The only unusual thing I did was not buy shoes; I just used hiker box shoes. I hope this helps someone know that it is possible!

For those of you who use a bidet on your thruhikes... do you purify the water first?

I'm not terribly concerned about getting giardia through my butthole, but... maybe?

• https://www.rei.com/product/208257/garmin-inreach-mini-2

Some other thruhike-relevant stuff: https://thetrek.co/the-20-best-hiking-gear-deals-from-the-rei-winter-sale/

Hey there!

Im strongly considering taking a week of solo hiking in a section of the GR13 Via Algarviana in febuary. Havent decided which section yet, but considering Silves to Sagres. I've hiked a lot but never backpacked on a trail. Im used to the primitive tent life style, but I do have some questions/concerns regarding this trip:

• I've never solo hiked in more than one day and/or slept on the trail.

• I know that acommodation is available in some towns you pass, but prefer setting up my tent instead

• Can you expect to restock on food and water in a village/town every day?

• How good are the markings for navigating on the Via Algarviana? Is it easy enough to follow the right path? Biggest concern is to get lost in the mountains

• What sections of the route would you recommend?

• Any suggestions regarding food?

• Any tips and tricks would be much appreciated!

Thank you very much!

• Mads

I have done some section hikes of the AT and the FT. After 2 days of hiking, I am totally pooped. I find myself counting miles in my head "only 5 left, only 5 left" and it feels like it takes forever to get through the mileage. I try taking the absolute minimum, and do, even to the point where I lose a bit of comfort (super tiny tent, only one shirt)..and yet I still find the pack sooo heavy and makes me so sore. Am I just really bad at thruhiking? What's the secret?

I'm thinking of doing a circuit of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Western Wildlands Route, but thought I'd check with like-minded people what they thought of the realities of riding vs hiking...?

(Link showing the GDMBR and WWR)

It doesn't even necessarily need to be a remote mountain hike.

I will be in Vietnam for a full month and starting at the bottom working towards the top using buses, trains, sleepers, and the occasional moped. I am looking for an overnight hike somewhere in Vietnam. Ideally, one that has guesthouses/hotels/hostels, meaning that I would not have to bring a tent/sleeping gear.

This flavor of hike would be like the ones I've done in Albania and Germany: Take a train/bus/public transportation to a place, walk to a trailhead, start hiking, hike for like... 7ish hours, reach a house, get some dinner, stay the night, and then the next day continue hiking to another transportation stop where I could continue through my Vietnam journey.

Any suggestions or recommendations for this?

So I just got the news that I will probably be able to take 6 months off of work next year (April-September).

I definetely want to use the time for my first (and second/third..) thruhike. I've been on several 3-4 day trails and would generally say I'm in a good shape to go on a longer trip. Longer meaning anywhere from 2-5 weeks or maybe even multiple thruhikes within those 6 months (wont be able to go for all the 6 months since I still have some stuff to do at home).

So I started researching and the amount of options are overwhelming. I live in Austria, so there are already many routes nearby, but I'd also be interested to go to another country.

I don't mind sleeping in a tent or going from hut to hut. Since I will have a lot less income during those months it, should be budget-friendly though.

Do any of you have a recommendation for me? I would really appreciate it.

I'm also not opposed of going in a group, so if anyone knows where I could find interested people please let me know.

Thanks in advance

Hey guys,

So this year, I completed the Camino de Santiago, which turned out to be a life-changing experience. Walking those ancient paths taught me so much about resilience, simplicity, and the beauty of human connection. After that, I went on to hike the Camino del Norte and the Tour du Mont Blanc, bringing my total distance to over 2,000 kilometers this year. Each trail challenged me in different ways and left me even more inspired. Now, I’m completely addicted to long-distance hiking.

I want to keep this passion alive, exploring more incredible hikes around the world. My next goals are the Te Araroa in New Zealand and the Pacific Crest Trail in the U.S. There’s so much to see and so many trails calling my name—I can’t wait to see where the next adventure leads me!

Anyone else feeling the same way? 🙂👣🥰

Hi everyone! Wanting to do a trip next year that’s about a week to a week and a half long. I am wanting to essentially “backpack” through whatever country in Europe & do hiking trails within that. I’ve seen the famous ones but those are a little too long. I’m looking for maybe a 4 day loop hike near a city that we could stay in when done?

I’ll be thru hiking the PCT in 2025. Anyone have tips or tricks that they would be willing to share, to offer the safest, cleanest, and most efficient way to enjoy the trail. I’ve seen most people say you can only prepare for about 10% of what you experience on trail the other 90% comes from the first couple weeks. Can’t wait to embark on this journey!

• App Store "Preview," iPhone and iPad versions: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/goat-maps/id6499279582?platform=iphone

• Landing page: https://www.goatmaps.com/

The landing page has a place to sign up for an email newsletter.

I don't recall having seen any mention of an Android version yet. While not all app developers create versions for both mobile platforms, it's not unusual to release on one platform first and then follow up on the other sometime after the first version proves product/market fit.