I’m looking for some good options for a back packing trip this summer for me and a group of 4 friends. we’ve done Dolly Sods 3 times in the past 5 years. We love it to death but really would like to find a new sight to see. Does anyone have any recommendations that are a similar feel and challenge of the Sods?

We will be leaving from Columbus Ohio. So nothing much more than a 7 or so hours away. Wouldn’t like to waste a full day for driving both ways. Looking to do 3-5 days (including the drive)

I've heard a somewhat counter-intuitive argument (from Andrew Skurka for example, amongst others) that waterproof footwear isn't actually optimal in wet conditions as if it's that wet, footwear will wet-out anyway and then take forever to dry.

As such, non-waterproof footwear has a much better ability to expel water quickly after creek crossings or from rain and is able to then dry out relatively quickly. Furthermore, they can also be combined with waterproof socks to provide the best of both worlds.

I'm spending 9 days walking in Tasmania in a couple of weeks — it will be cold, probably wet at times and maybe some snow. I'm trying to get clear on my choice of footwear.

I'm considering this trail which is 21 miles round trip with a spur to the Jordan Hotsprings adds 10 miles ish. The trail opens this week and I plan on doing the trail next week. Has anyone gone on it before?

Has anyone had any luck getting a wilderness pass for glacier? Everything says they are available now but when you go to the website it just says “registration closed”

Backflush water filter users what do you do with scummy water that has floaties in it? Insect larva, scum, etc type pools. Is the preferred method to prefilter, flush more often, or something else? I'll be backpacking where the primary sources are going to be stagnate pools in the desert. Not sure if I should be taking some additional steps before putting really dirty water through the Sawyer Squeeze I'll be using.

Just saw that my Gaia subscription is set to renew and that prices went up from 40 to 60 bucks a year. I use caltopo free for all of my planning needs and it does the job, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with the mobile/pro plans. Realistically, the only thing I really need it for is offline maps in the backcountry, as the free option takes care of everything else. Thoughts?

Hello, I hope this is the right sub to ask this question.

I am a ln industrial designer and as an assignment I have to design a device for people involved into outdoor activities like climbing and trekking, etc. I am planning on designing a device that could keep track of their bodily parameters like heart rate, oxygen etc(please tell me what else to track) and as a tracker in emergency situation. So far I plan on making a device that has map with geo location and parameters like coordinates, elevation etc and also has a module that attaches to body to track the heart rate and oxygen level and can notify when sometimes is wrong and call emergency services in case of any unfortunate event.

It would be great if some experienced can guide me about what features I should include in the device, what they use currently and what could be improved.

Thank you for your responses.

I just looove the idea of backcamping in the wilderness. One issue is, i never done it before, and that's not it, what is it, is that i live in Syria, dang. Now idk, if i did it (noting it's completely odd thing here, Syrians Don't have the "camping alone in the wilderness" vibe) idk who isis, us military, tirkish, or national army freak will show up and might want all stuff if not my life lol. Should i take the risk?! Or is it doesn't worth the risk?!

#JESUS CHRIST I was asking info for human hazard. NEVERMIND NOW #^VEEERY HELPFULL SUB^

Anyone have any recommendations for trails in New Mexico or Colorado? Hoping to avoid large amounts snow as much as possible. I have been looking into Pecos Wilderness or Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Any trails around here that avoid heavy snowfall, or should I look elsewhere for my trip?

Expert day hiker and car camper here. Credentials available upon request. Mediocre backpacker, with nothing longer than a week under my belt, and that was AT section hiking with plenty of infrastructure. This summer I’m attempting the whole Colorado Trail.

I have a Big Agnes Tiger Wall tent and it is generally fantastic. I’m talking “this thing is light, easy to set up, and can handle being inside treeline for a couple nights so far.” NOT above treeline in Colorado on a windy night.

But the stakes… am I doing something wrong or is this going to be a sketchy stake situation? I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have a “hook” like so many “non-UL” stakes. Our car camping tent and even another backpacking tent has stakes where it’s clear which direction to put them in and then that “hook” provides extra security. Love it.

The whole “string and stake” setup for this thing seems weak, potentially “stupid light.” The string comes off the stake pretty easily, overnight, which means I’m either fucking this up or BA got too cute.

Also wondering if part of the issue is that putting stakes with hooks into a UL bag like that would be too dangerous wrt ripping the sack. I would rather carry a little extra than be worried about my tent flopping around, wet, on a stormy night. I’ve had a tent fail during a thunderstorm before and it was miserable. Waking up to a bison 20 feet away was a laughing matter compared to the “sleep” I got while my tent was falling apart.

Hi everyone! First time poster on this sub. I'll be camping for work at 19,000 feet for 5 nights and looking for pants that are both lightweight and warm. I'm hoping to find something in the 100 USD range tops and ideally available on Amazon since I'm outside the US and having stuff delivered by smaller brands can be hard or extremely expensive. Any advice would be incredibly welcomed!

I’m (45) looking for crews to join to various remote locations pretty much anywhere on the globe. Hikes for around 4-10 days would work. I would be interested in trips to Greenland, South America or pretty much any other location than my home area of Lapland in Finland.

Could I find some from here?

Hi all. I'm looking for a ~3-4 night backpacking trip in California starting in about a week (I unexpectedly got some time off for work). I would prefer Sierras/foothills, but I know there is still snow.

Does anyone have recommendations for areas anywhere along the Western/Eastern Sierras that would be spectacular but not have much snow? I was trying to use the US Forest Service map but it shows most of the spots I'm familiar with having significant snow pack. I can also head up to the Trinity Alps area.

Thanks for your help/insight with opening my eyes to new spots! I appreciate it.

​

Hello, looking to do a 3 day two night backpacking trip in southern Utah in May. Any recommendations?

Hi All,

Im doing my first solo trip in August, Ive seen lots of great posts on where to go, but was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for tour guides/companies?

Id be happy to go with people I meet along the way, but don't want to get there and find I have no one to go with.

Im starting in Seattle and driving down the west coast to Arizona. I don't have any fixed plans other than flights to seattle at the start of august and back home 6 weeks later.

​

View from Bright Angel Trail

Century plant stalk

Mules coming up the South Kaibab Trail

Bright Angel Creek after a storm

View from Tonto Trail

Canyon landscape

Photos from my first big solo backpacking trip. I went to the Grand Canyon in March 2023, sticking to the corridor trails since it was my first long trip alone (it took a few tries to get permits!) and I didn't want to be too isolated.

Day 1: South Kaibab trailhead to Bright Angel Campground. ~7 miles, -4780 feet elevation change. Beautiful weather, started in the morning and got to Bright Angel in the mid-afternoon.

Day 2: Bright Angel Campground to Cottonwood Campground. After so much elevation loss on the first day, the gentle slop of 1,600 ft elevation gain over 7.4 miles felt relaxing!

Day 3: Originally I had planned to dayhike up to the North Rim and back down to Cottonwood. However, there were huge snowstorms and about 8 ft of snow on the North Rim. I did a short hike up to Manzanita Rest area (the snow didn't come down that far) and turned back around.

Day 4: Back to Bright Angel... which would have been an easy day were it not for cold rain all day! Because of the rain, I got to see the Bright Angel Creek in full force. The water was bright red and I could hear the sound of boulders rumbling, moved by the force of the water.

Day 5: A short day -- Bright Angel to Havasupai Gardens, ~5 miles and 1,300 ft elevation gain. I also took a detour along the Tonto Trail. Fortunately, the weather was sunny again.

Day 6: Hiking out to the Bright Angel Trailhead - 4.8 miles and 3,000 ft elevation gain. Short and steep, tough but exhilarating!

I also made some videos about the trip here, showing the trails.

Hey reddit,

I M(30) am currently in physical therapy for concurrent calf strains, the first of which I got about a year ago and have reinjured many times over the course of that process.

The other strain came about due to overcompensation.

When I massage the area I can feel a significant amount of scar tissue in my left calf as I run my hands over its surface.

I miss hiking and backpacking every single day of my life. As I begin to recover and reconcile that my health and mobility are never going to be the same, I find myself wondering if there are others who have had a similar experience and found their way back to the trail.

I want to be optimistic but the more I read about scar tissue and potential for reinjury the less hopeful I feel.

Currently, I use a cheap synthetic bag that is not optimal for backpacking. I live in the upper midwest and backpack year round and experience night-time temps between 0 and 60 degrees. I want to fit this range of temps without buying 3 sleeping bags as some have recommended. Ideally, I want to just have two sleeping bags or possibly a bag and quilt combo. I use a 5r inflatable sleeping pad all year.

My ideal sleeping bag has a full-length zipper and is not an ultra tight mummy bag. Recently I ordered a north face green kazoo 0 degree but it had a half length zipper which was very annoying. I would appreciate recommendations. Price for each bag or quilt could be up to $300 new or used.