Hiking, Mountain Biking and Adventure Thread

I would actually update that first aid kit, as well. You have absolutely no antiseptic which will lead to infection and (god forbid) toxic shock syndrome with bandages. I would also add a couple of fast heat packs. Most importantly which shocked me that you didn't have is NO MYLAR!! What the heck man. Otherwise, it's a fantastic list and I'll definitely use it for my hiking gear.

I highly recommend reading this book, I know you are not mountaineering, but the chapter on field-first aid kits is amazing and pretty much what I swear by:https://play.google.com/store/books/...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

He's amazing at actually talking about what really matters and not just spouting that "safety first and always" crap. Can't recommend this read enough. It's a fantastic combination of fact, physics, opinion, and experience.

Saw - I forgot to remove that from the list. I pack it around here (northern idaho) but would not carry it in Glacier. It is just for fires
Battery - For my phone. Phone serves as primary GPS/Maps/Camera/audio player
FAK - Not everything is listed, but I do have alcohol wipes in there too (as well as the bottle of alcohol gel).
Quilt - Its a sleeping bag without the bottom. Its all the rage these days, and has kept me comfortable to about 20.

Mylar - What would I use this for?
Heat packs - Good thinking, I would throw some in if the forecast called for chilly

FAK's always cause some chaos on backpacking forums. I am of the belief, especially on a busy, well established trail, that what I carry is sufficient to handle anything short of calling SAR or Lifeflight.

Mylar is super light and helps keep you warm. Plus, I think it's waterproof (I believe?); very handy if you ever go into shock.

Kuriin_sl said:

Mylar is super light and helps keep you warm. Plus, I think it's waterproof (I believe?); very handy if you ever go into shock.

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Gotcha, I was thinking some form of wound dressing or something to keep stuff from spilling out. Ill have to get some to test out. Great multi use item


Water - Has anyone hiked around these areas at around August? How is water? Around here I never carry more than 1L of water, but maybe I should swap out one of my 1L with a 2L for 3L total capacity?

Temps - 0 degrees in August? Or are we talking that crazy Celsius crap? I will need a warmer quilt if it hits 0f

The best wound dressing is tampon. Bring a couple, you're good to go, and they are very compact.
Yes, as a man, I bring tampons on the trail. You got a problem with that?

lurkingdirk_sl said:

The best wound dressing is tampon. Bring a couple, you're good to go, and they are very compact.
Yes, as a man, I bring tampons on the trail. You got a problem with that?

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I'm sure my wife will have that covered

Remit_sl said:

Gotcha, I was thinking some form of wound dressing or something to keep stuff from spilling out. Ill have to get some to test out. Great multi use item


Water - Has anyone hiked around these areas at around August? How is water? Around here I never carry more than 1L of water, but maybe I should swap out one of my 1L with a 2L for 3L total capacity?

Temps - 0 degrees in August? Or are we talking that crazy Celsius crap? I will need a warmer quilt if it hits 0f

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Yes, I was talking crazy Celsius crap It will drop to about freezing at night if you are up high or in certain parts of the park.

I would say water depends on the location/trail. I didn't really research your loop other than a quick glance, but in general the park has plenty of water sources. I carry 2L because I drink like a fucking moose(or whatever drinks a lot) and then just fill it up as I go and again at night. I was there in Sept. last year and there was plenty of water all over.

lurkingdirk_sl said:

The best wound dressing is tampon. Bring a couple, you're good to go, and they are very compact.
Yes, as a man, I bring tampons on the trail. You got a problem with that?

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lol, I have heard of that. Potato Starch is actually amazing at closing wounds and stopping bleeding too, and lightweight. That's what I carry.

Rangoth_sl said:

Yes, I was talking crazy Celsius crap

It will drop to about freezing at night if you are up high or in certain parts of the park.

I would say water depends on the location/trail. I didn't really research your loop other than a quick glance, but in general the park has plenty of water sources. I carry 2L because I drink like a fucking moose(or whatever drinks a lot) and then just fill it up as I go and again at night. I was there in Sept. last year and there was plenty of water all over.

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Awesome, thanks for the feedback. I might go with a 2L dirty bottle anyways, I drink a ton of water too (about a gallon a day).

Just this morning I woke up and thought to myself "Fuck it, I'm getting into hiking/camping" and then I run into this great new thread. Any advice for a beginner, or some online resources any of you may like are welcome.

Good shoes, insect repellant, and tweezers. =P Don't want lyme disease, do ya?

Feien_sl said:

Just this morning I woke up and thought to myself "Fuck it, I'm getting into hiking/camping" and then I run into this great new thread. Any advice for a beginner, or some online resources any of you may like are welcome.

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My best advice is start cheap and simple. If you have friends that go ask if you can join for the next day or weekend trip. As far as getting shape(if you need to) don't go nuts like you are training for MMA. Just walk/run on a treadmill for some good distances and you will be fine. If you think you'll do trails that go up and down use the stair-master, you'll look gay at a gym but it's the perfect workout for lots of uphill hiking. If you start getting into it more you can look into more advanced training but basically you just don't want your legs/lungs to be shit slowing down the group.

If you do not have friends my best recommendation would be to join the group for your area. So many people are looking for similar minded friends. Some quick ones:

-REI: they have classes(mostly lame BUT some are ok and they are a great way to meet people). They also do group trips and stuff that are not classes but help get people together.
-Look for the hiking forum/group in your area of the country/world. For instance new england has the Appalachian club, think the NW has a few different ones...I never joined anything in the NW because I was already well into it and I do mostly solo with my dog, but he passed so now I'm starting to look for friends again.

-Don't buy more than you need or better than you need off the bat. It's so easy to view it all like toys and drop like 5,000$ day one on awesome gear. Don't. Start with a simple day pack, no sleeping gear at all such as a bag or tent. Do some day hikes with that. If you are still enjoying it look into a sleeping bag and tent that is good enough for your area. Don't buy something bombshell for that dream hike you are constantly thinking of, buy that stuff WHEN you go...or rent it if you think you'll only go once.

Get hiking poles, there are some cool scientific type books out there but it can increase stamina and longevity by 15-20% plus they come in handy for other things like poking your buddy in the ass when you are hiking behind him.

Also get a decent pair of shoes/boots. What kind you get should depend on your comfort level and the area you'll be hiking the most. Obviously in the NW you want something pretty waterproof. Not so much if you live in Utah. Please for the love of god wear them on a bunch of 1-2 hour walks or something a few times a week before you actually go somewhere. Don't be the guy wearing brand new boots with blisters all over your feet.

The only thing I recommend spending some money on is a backpack. I suppose for a day pack holding water, first aid, maybe a lunch and sweater you can use almost any pack. But when you are doing a 7+ day hike carrying all your own shit you'll want something that feels comfortable, carries weight well in the right places, and is rugged.

I always prep for tons of switchbacks up and down by putting weights in my backpack. Don't go balls out right from the start, though. Last thing you need is joint pain. ;o

For those just starting out - it still takes me more than a full day to become acclimated to elevation - I feel like shit for the first day. Literally have the shits, similar to mild flu symptoms. After that, totally fine. I used to think it was the nuts in the trail mix to which I was responding, but I have proved that to be false. Some people simply require the adjustment time.

Kuriin_sl said:

I always prep for tons of switchbacks up and down by putting weights in my backpack. Don't go balls out right from the start, though. Last thing you need is joint pain. ;o

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Heheh I hear ya. Thankfully I'm already semi-good on that end since I carry my camera equipment all over the place. Which is why I want to formally get into this, I've always done it small scale, never more than a day's worth of hiking, then getting back to home or a campsite, but I just want to get out there and get deeper into the adventure side of things with some idea of what I'm getting into.

lurkingdirk_sl said:

For those just starting out - it still takes me more than a full day to become acclimated to elevation - I feel like shit for the first day. Literally have the shits, similar to mild flu symptoms. After that, totally fine. I used to think it was the nuts in the trail mix to which I was responding, but I have proved that to be false. Some people simply require the adjustment time.

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Correct, you do not want HACE or AMS. They can and have killed people quicker than you think without rapid decent. You'll always need to acclimate when you start to hit high altitude, unless you like in the fucking Andes or something. In general though you do not really need to worry about this until you starting hitting 3500m+(in my opinion, different people get sick at all sorts of altitudes as low as 2000m). Also keep in mind that if you do get the previously mentioned conditions badly because you ascend too quickly, you are almost guaranteed for life to get them every time you go up again.

General rule of thumb, hike high sleep low. So if you are doing a multi-day hike in altitude, camp somewhere lower, next day hike up the the summit, then back down and camp down again.

Feien_sl said:

Heheh I hear ya. Thankfully I'm already semi-good on that end since I carry my camera equipment all over the place. Which is why I want to formally get into this, I've always done it small scale, never more than a day's worth of hiking, then getting back to home or a campsite, but I just want to get out there and get deeper into the adventure side of things with some idea of what I'm getting into.

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What kind of photography do you do? For a living or just personal? Those guys that do it for a living usually heli in a ton of gear then hike it small distances. Or setup camp somewhere and hike just what they need or even hire a bunch or porters if you are in a foreign country!

I've always wanted to get into photography, but I suck at it and don't feel like lugging all that crap around. Plus because I'm so bad I end up with pictures of mountains and fields that offer no perspective or terrible color composition. I've downgraded myself to some gopro pics from the peaks, occasional scenery or a shameless selfie. I had to gopro anyway so why not. I did try setting it to take a photo every 30 seconds one time to get a timelapse ridge hike, but the battery is ass and simply not meant for multi-day use. If I were with a bunch of people I'd consider getting one of those solar panels that tie to a backpack so I could leave gopro on all day in some form. Would be cool to have some neat memories if someone was willing to shift through the hours of shit for some good moments.

Living and Personal. Been shooting a bunch of commercial or event stuff lately, but I really like doing landscape stuff on my free time, probably because I like the whole experience of the trek and the adventure feel to it. That's one of the reasons I want to get into hiking, so hopefully I can transition into that and be done with corporate stuff.

This is from a 15 day semi-unplanned trek through Iceland. Obviously there wasn't much hiking on this one, but it's probably the best trip I've ever done. Now I want more.