Chat with a thru-hiker outside Flagstaff completely changed how I pack my bag

I was fixing a strap on my old Gregory pack at a gas station and this guy who just finished the Arizona Trail stopped to help. He told me he ditched his cook system after the first week and just ate cold food to save weight. Made me wonder how many other 'essentials' I'm carrying that I actually never use. How do you figure out what's really worth the weight on a longer route?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex8205d agoMost Upvoted

The Arizona Trail guy ate cold food for months so maybe he's onto something but also maybe he just hates cooking. I think people overthink this stuff a lot. You carry a stove because you want hot coffee in the morning, not because some thru-hiker said it's dead weight. I'd rather have a warm meal at camp and carry an extra pound than eat cold beans out of a pouch and pretend I'm hardcore. If you can't remember the last time you used something in your pack, yeah ditch it. But don't go cutting your toothbrush in half or sleeping without a ground pad just because some guy who smells like trail mix told you to. It's backpacking not a competition.

jackson.max5d ago

I get what you're saying but I actually kind of see it the other way. Sure nobody should be sleeping without a pad just to feel like some kind of badass, but carrying less weight makes the whole trip way more enjoyable for me personally. I brought a stove on my first few trips and honestly I used it maybe twice before I realized I just didn't miss hot food that much. Cold soaked beans and tortillas are fine if you season em right. And @samreed your buddy with the toothbrush story is hilarious but also kinda proves the point that you can overdo it. But the whole "backpacking is not a competition" thing gets thrown around a lot to shut down people who just want to walk further with less stuff. For me it's not about being hardcore it's about not feeling wrecked on day three. Everyone hikes their own hike obviously but saying someone is "pretending to be hardcore" for skipping a stove feels just as judgey as the ultralight people making fun of heavy packs.

samreed5d ago

My buddy once shaved his toothbrush handle down to the nub and then dropped it in a creek the first day... had to use a twig and toothpaste for a week. Kept telling us it was "ultralight training" or something. But really he just looked like a crazy person brushing his teeth with a stick. I cook hot meals every night even if it's just ramen with some tuna mixed in... toss a tortilla in there and it's practically gourmet. Cold dinner out of a bag just makes me feel like I'm on some kind of punishment hike. The whole ultralight scene can turn into a weird flex real quick when people start bragging about their worn out gear.