walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 7,148
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Jul 15, 2024 15:22:58 GMT -8
Glad to find there are "old fashioned" methods of community like forums still around! ![](https://y.yarn.co/6a7022ef-517c-486d-9263-75d1a304ccc1_text.gif)
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Post by LB on Jul 23, 2024 6:16:49 GMT -8
Now a days Facebook is viewed as passe and that is where most groups that I know of congregate. I prefer this method of the meeting of minds over Facebook anyway!
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Post by LB on Jul 23, 2024 6:27:41 GMT -8
I am wondering what others' thoughts are on building camp fires while on trail. We didn't attempt it as it made me nervous - we have "camp fires" all the time in our back yard at home but I have easy access to water. On the NCT there were signs that people have done it at their sites and on the MRT there were fire rings at some sites and evidence of camper made fire rings everywhere. Is this common practice?
I would love to hear more about those who use quilts vs bags. I found a Michigan source on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HangTightShop?ref=l2-about-shopname&from_page=listing) but I honestly haven't compared products.
I am also wondering about food storage. We kept our bags in our food in a water tight roll top bag with us in our tent - the first night we did this because of the thunderstorms, but we didn't really run into any issues with this the second night either. What are the ways you store food when you sleep/camp?
I noticed many of you talked about using tech while on trail. How do you budget battery? Paul and I didn't want to purchase a battery bank just for this trip so we budgeted our battery time across the three days. It worked, but we didn't listen to audio books (which I love doing) or music or anything like that.
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 23, 2024 6:27:52 GMT -8
I prefer this method of the meeting of minds over Facebook anyway! Over the years I've only had one friend that really tried to twist my arm into getting facebook but I never did. There have been times where groups and/or organizations that I'm interested in only have facebook that tempted me but I've resisted so far and now that supposedly its not "in" anymore I've bypassed a whole "thing".
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 23, 2024 6:30:38 GMT -8
Unfortunately there are instances where I have no choice to go to Facebook. The last post I put on my Facebook page was over 12 years ago when my twins were born. My profile pic was from like 20 years when I made the account so I look young.
I am definitely not a Meta fan.
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Post by cweston on Jul 23, 2024 6:34:00 GMT -8
One thing I have really enjoyed about Facebook is getting to see the "adult" lives of the former students that I am Facebook friends with. I don't necessarily comment on their posts or otherwise engage directly, but I really enjoy being able to follow along with their lives a bit, in a way that I otherwise would not be able to.
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ErnieW
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I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 23, 2024 6:43:13 GMT -8
I am wondering what others' thoughts are on building camp fires while on trail. I used to carry a some kind of bow saw and axe/hatchet for splitting a long time ago. Sometimes a 30" bow and 3/4 axe. Then a fire was just part of camping. But since then I have become somewhat anti-fire. Fires are a lot of work with a chance of getting hurt doing it. All your stuff stinks of smoke after being around a campfire. There is a chance of setting the woods on fire. A fire creates a dead zone under it in the dirt. Not bad if you're using an existing fire pits but a lot of people create new ones for their camp. I also read that fires send biomass from the environment up and out in the form of smoke. Fallen wood provides food and shelter for a lot of things. I like to be as low impact as I can so no more fires for me.
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Post by cweston on Jul 23, 2024 6:56:46 GMT -8
I am wondering what others' thoughts are on building camp fires while on trail. I only rarely make a fire. I tend to be up early in the morning while BPing, so by 9:00 or so, I'm ready to be in the tent. Also, many of my camps are near or above treeline, where wood is scarce and it tends to be windy (too high likelihood of accidents). I will occasionally make a fire if all the variables fall into place: wood available, established fire pit, etc. I would love to hear more about those who use quilts vs bags. I find a quilt much more comfortable (not so cramped), and I can adjust more on warmer nights. On cold nights, I can cinch everything down and sleep comfortably, but I think most would agree that a bag is probably a touch warmer on those nights near the bottom of the comfort range. Also, if you're BPing with your spouse/partner, it's a lot easier to snuggle up with quilts. I am also wondering about food storage. We kept our bags in our food in a water tight roll top bag with us in our tent This is fairly universally regarded as a no-no, especially in bear country. I hang my food and other scented items; many others use hard bear canisters or an Ursack (a lighter, kevlar-fabric bag). Even if bears aren't an issue, you don;t want to be attracting the local rodents into your tent and/or food supply. If you keep things in zip-bags, inside whatever bag or container you store them in, then rain isn't really an issue.
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swiftdream
Trail Wise!
the Great Southwest Unbound
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Post by swiftdream on Jul 23, 2024 7:28:35 GMT -8
One should be able to stay warm and dry without a fire. With the miraculous ultralight stoves that are able to boil 10 liters of water from a small fuel canister a fire isn’t necessary for culinary use either. I grew up having to cook over wood fires, heated our house for almost 40 years with wood and haven’t used a wood fire for a couple decades now in the wilderness and don’t miss them. I don’t look down on those who intelligently use a campfire but for myself I believe in a more modern tradecraft when in my wilderness. Less inherent danger and no messy soot on the cookware, rocks and into the lungs. I prefer the stealth that a wood fire doesn’t afford and leaving no trace of my passage.
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ErnieW
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I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 23, 2024 7:39:54 GMT -8
I noticed many of you talked about using tech while on trail. How do you budget battery? Paul and I didn't want to purchase a battery bank just for this trip so we budgeted our battery time across the three days. It worked, but we didn't listen to audio books (which I love doing) or music or anything like that. I carry one, sometimes two, Anker 10,000 mAh USB packs. On the trail you can turn off WiFi and unless you need it Bluetooth. Airplane mode if there is no cell signal. Turn screen brightness down as much as possible. When I read Kindle books at night I have the brightness all the way down. One more tip is don't leave the phone connected to the charger overnight just charge enough then unplug. When the phone is plugged into the pack it thinks it is connected to a wall charger and runs at full power.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 23, 2024 12:42:07 GMT -8
Good responses here. Campfires are something I only do in special conditions where it is safe and low-impact ( and when there isn’t a fire ban, which out West there usually is).
Food: a proper hang or a bear can/ursack is essential in most places. Check regulations for you area and remember that even if there aren’t bears you don’t want rodents making holes in your tent to get at the food.
Tech: I keep it pretty low-use and carry either no battery pack or a very small one that will give me enough to revive a dead phone for messages out at the end of the trail. My Kindle is good for a week without a recharge and I carry an actual camera so can choose to turn my phone off and put it in my pack.
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Post by va3pinner on Jul 24, 2024 8:35:57 GMT -8
Greetings and welcome aboard! You're going to get so many good recommendations here it'll be hard to keep track. I've learned a lot and shared a lot with this group over the years.
One suggestion I don't think anyone is mentioned is keep a journal. I have a little waterproof notepad I carry with me. Yes I could use my phone but one of the reasons why I backpack is to turn the stupid thing off and ignore it.
My current journal goes back several years. I have notes about gear, places I've camped, the weather whatever struck me. Not only has it helped me hone my equipment in my skills, but it's fun to read, it's my history!
Another big help is I made up spreadsheet that has all my gear on it, the weights, where I bought it. It helps me calculate the weight of my pack. Be careful with this! It can get to be an obsession!! Trying everywhere from Sunday to cut weight off of x so you can carry y, or still carry x because you really don't need y.....
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,895
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 24, 2024 8:44:17 GMT -8
va3pinner, I hadn’t thought of a journal in quite that way, for honing skills. I consider a journal a necessity, but as a writer. Yes, I have in fact done just what you say—made notes about gear and food that worked or didn’t, not to mention flora, fauna, etc. Zero desire to do all that writing on a tiny virtual keyboard even if it wouldn’t eat up too much battery.
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Post by cweston on Jul 24, 2024 8:46:43 GMT -8
One suggestion I don't think anyone is mentioned is keep a journal. I have a little waterproof notepad I carry with me. Yes I could use my phone but one of the reasons why I backpack is to turn the stupid thing off and ignore it. Yes. I have done this for years. Anyone who's read my trip reports knows that I note quite a bit of information in these journals, and can also tend to wax poetic. And yes, the archive that they have become is very valuable to me. It's also good for emergencies to have paper and pen(cil). It's come in handy once or twice.
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Post by va3pinner on Jul 24, 2024 9:06:30 GMT -8
One suggestion I don't think anyone is mentioned is keep a journal. I have a little waterproof notepad I carry with me. Yes I could use my phone but one of the reasons why I backpack is to turn the stupid thing off and ignore it. Yes. I have done this for years. Anyone who's read my trip reports knows that I note quite a bit of information in these journals, and can also tend to wax poetic. And yes, the archive that they have become is very valuable to me. It's also good for emergencies to have paper and pen(cil). It's come in handy once or twice. Another advantage of having a pencil & paper is when you're trapped in the tent by rain, no cell signal, you're sick of the playlist you brought, you can always play tic-tac-toe. Problem is, when I do this, I keep losing...
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