I must say I have been viewing your vids for over a year and you are by far the most informative and thorough source for the AT and hiking in general. I refer your channel to many. Thank you.
Another great installment. Know where you are hiking, know how you want to hike, and know your abilities/limitations and choose gear accordingly. Thanks for all the good examples provided here.
I ll probably never walk the AT, but most of your advice is universal to hiking and you helped me a lot, preparing for my next pilgrimage in spain. Thank you
I have come to use your water temperature/appearance table in my daily life. It saves time. I also like to use as much of my camping gear at home, including food preparation. It gives me a lot more accurate estimation of how much and what kind to carry. Mistakes are a lot easier to deal with at home, where cleanup and replacement are much easier than on the trail. Thanks for another great video.
I also use a lot of my camping gear at home. Living alone and often pressed for time, I cook in and eat from my ti pot a great deal. Clean the pot with the scraper, rinse it out, done. I've also spent many nights sleeping under my homemade backpacking quilt. (I think you've just given me a new video idea here!) Glad you like the video and find the water temp chart useful. And thanks again for being a great viewer - you are much appreciated!
Thanks for the information you provide! Your comments are insightful, easy to understand and interesting! Hope you'll do one on lightning in a tent and hammock on the trail. Thanks again for a great job!
+G Man Do you mean lightning from a thunderstorm, as in how to keep lightning from hitting a tent or hammock? I can do that. Glad you like the channel and thanks a million for watching!
Invaluable advice for everyone from 'day' hikers to 'thru' hikers whether on the AT, PCT, the Trans Canada Trail, or the myriad of other less well-known paths.
You offer a lot of good advice and common sense to use when hiking any trail. I hike sections of the Florida trail and have cut my stuff down to a nice light load excluding the consumables. I like to use the do I want it or do I need it. The Need's go with me and the Want's stay home. If I do it right then most of the items will do a double duty on the hike. The hammock doubles as a chair , the pot doubles as a cup and so on. If I eat out of the cup then I boil water in it for my hot beverage and as I drink the tea / coffee any left over food particles are enjoyed with the beverage. I end up with a clean cup.
I see lots of hikers using a light Fancy Feast alcohol stove either the bought one or their own DIY. It lights instantly even in cold weather and doesn't need a separate pot stand. Usually a 1/2 ounce of fuel gets 2 cups of water hot enough for beverages and 3/4 ounce a rolling boil.
The first time I'm hiking an area that's popular a lightweight gas stove goes with me till I'm sure of the water sources. When an area has lots of usage there's always a few that don't care where their waste goes (and if they won't break this rule for themselves, they'll break it for their kids) so a rolling boil for your drinking water becomes more necessity than caution. Taking five minutes to have a look and a smell up and down the river you intend to drink from is never a bad idea too. Good advice in this vid for all hikers!!
Good info, FBO, as usual. I appreciate your content and style. I have been a semi-serious AT section hiker since 2007. Have done a dozen or more 5-8 day hikes over this time and have pretty well (?) settled on my gear list. I carry less weight than the typical hiker, but have seen others who carry even less. Two items that I have learned to "splurge" on -- my sleeping pad and my headlight. Have gone lighter on those two items on several hikes and then come back to heavier but more useful (to me, anyway) versions. Those are "quality of life" things to me, and worth the weight. BOTTOM LINE - hike your own hike. But talk with other hikers when you get the chance and experiment with your gear list. There are lots of items that I used to think were essential that I wouldn't dream of carrying now.
For safety, I NEVER hike without a tarp in my pack - even when I plan (or am required by regulations) to sleep in a AT shelter every night of my hike. My tarp is my backup in those situations. If I get stuck between shelters for some reason, I can get out of any rain or snow, slide into my sleeping bag, and stay warm and dry for the night.
I always appreciate your videos. Your incite, perspective and experience is always appreciated especially for someone planning to hit the AT early next year. Thank you
I ordered one of those pocket gas stoves online for $4. it's great! The fuel cell I got at Walmart for $4.59. it lasts for 4 boils of 2 quarts water four times. Not bad.
+Floyd Dwayne Viernum Mine are almost that old. I cleaned the grips once, but otherwise they still work fine with no maintenance. And thanks for watching!
When the soil has been loose, I've also used a trowel to flatten out a tent site a bit - More of a scraping process than actual digging. Glad you like the videos and thanks a million for watching!
You can dig with a stick........if there are any left near a campsite that haven't been burned, but trowels are soooo much easier. And dig the hole the night before so it's ready in the morning, saves some uncomfortably hurried digging.
+Adrian Redgwell If I carried a frying pan I'd tie it to the outside of the pack. So it could clang around like I was a prospector on the Gold Rush. Good idea, eh? :) And thanks again for watching!
+flatbrokeoutside wouldn't it be cool,if a whole gang of us dressed up like the original hikers and did a 5 day section hike of the AT. Man that might be pretty cool eh?
Have you ever done a video on the A.T. hiker in 1970 what type of gear did they use, water,food,shelter. sleeping bag, and mileage per day, etc. Compare to the hiker on the A.T. of today.
+Roger Lamb This video - ruclips.net/video/FNDlE7NoSF8/видео.html - is about two women who did a thru hike on the Continental Divide Trail in 1978. It shows that their packs were pretty huge. I backpacked during that era - by comparison today you can find much lighter options for virtually every piece of gear. The tents were the worst, IMO - small canvas ones were 6 pounds. I know at least one type of backpacking tarp was sold then and it was pretty cool for anybody lucky enough to find one. There are actually two videos about that CDT hike on that channel. There would have been a lot more solitude on the AT back then, at least regarding thru hikers. Thousands are making the attempt this year - in the '70s it would have been only hundreds, if that. These books - www.amazon.com/Hiking-Appalachian-Trail-2-set/dp/0875960677/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=419QjC0ufmL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1YNNB4481HBSXG59FS08 - were printed in 1975 and describe a number of thru hikes. And thanksagain for watching!
Good topic! I always wondered if a Kindle was the way to go. Reading sounds like a good idea, but I'm sure I'd be too tired on a thru hike, especially in the beginning.
+richked I've seen some thru hikers who looked pretty tired after hundreds of miles and others still looked peppy - one never knows. Probably more people use audio books - I would be afraid the ear buds might keep me from hearing rattlesnakes. Ditto jammin' on tunes. Thanks for watching!
Yeah, i do it right too. nothing worse than hearing all day long how fast a stove can boil water. Then getting food started seeing same man cry because his very expensive stove lost a part. meanwhile my trangia has cooked all i wanted and quick as a tick put up.
I tried bringing my hammer and forge and anvil, but I found it possible to use random wood stumps so I left my 100 lbs anvil at home. I also found I could use pieces of coal or charred wood I found along the way so I was able to use that for making steel out of iron ore I found beside the trail. That was nice being able to chuck the bags of charcoal. The hammer was great though. I used it to build shelters along the way with the nails I forged after I chopped down trees and split them into planks. I went overboard once and now there is a small village there. This is still a learning experience for me.
for some irrational reason I have been avoiding edbit stoves but as I continue down the ultralight and SUL rabbit hole esbit or similar sems to make more sense than alcohol although I have not considered a comparison to canister stoves yet. The challenge I face is not being able to fly with the fuel prior to getting on the trail.
Thru-hiker.com once did a weight comparison of stove types over 14 days and esbit emerged as the lightest option - thru-hiker.com/articles/stoveweight_vs_time_14days.php - Everyone says canisters are widely available in stores along the AT and I would suspect esbit tabs are fairly common. And thanks again for watching!
With freeze dried mealsNo need to heatAt least in the summer Throw water in the bag, put it in the sun somewhere (strap it to your backpack)Should be done in a half hour
When we do that I'd recommend doing what we can to keep the soaking jar clean. Dirty eating utensils of any kind have the potential for making us ill. (Dirty hands, too. See my "Don't get sick' video.) And thanks for watching.
I hve a nice plastic trowel. It even has a hole to put cord through. Got it on sale at a big box store's garden center. Well, it was on sale, so I bought two of them for the price of one.
+Christopher Burrell Anybody backpacking in the American West might have to face restrictions like those shown here when wildfire risk is high - www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fsbdev3_053600 - It pays to check to find out when such restrictions are in effect. And we have to check local restrictions because they are different for different areas. In Baxter State Park, it's prohibited to take a dead twig from a standing tree - www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/rules/ - I assume a stick burning stove is allowed along the rest of the AT because I cannot find any other restrictions with specific wording that might limit them.
Ziplock bags can serve a few purposes. Anything that can serve multiple-purposes is worth a consideration. Great video as always. When are you doing a thru-hike?
As I have said in a couple of videos, I've never been in a position where I could seriously consider a thru hike. Yet. One of my future videos will be about section hiking. And thanks again for watching!
You mentioned that in some areas saws and hatchets are prohibited. Does that mean just having them in your possession? the reason I ask is because I thought of possibly going on and off the AT' to private cramp campgrounds where I might be able to use a saw and or Hatchet. Thanks Ray
In the Shenandoah National Park, for example, I picked up a brochure that said saws and hatchets were prohibited - this happened at the kiosk where I signed up and got a tag to put on my pack. At such time that we encounter such rules, I suggest we keep the hatchet and saw tucked away in the pack if we have them. I have dragged hatchets all over creation in other areas but on 99% of the AT I would consider one dead weight. See my video on campfires for more. And thanks again for watching!
I just purchased a new alcohol stove and tried it out a few times in my kitchen. It leaves a thick film of black soot on the outside of my pot which can get very messy. Is this common or am I doing something wrong? Thanks.
+Pilgrim777 Check the label of the alcohol you used. I am betting it says isopropyl, which will leave soot. Alcohol that will not leave soot are denatured, ethanol or methanol. Alcohol fuel sold in hardware stores is denatured. If it left a thick film, I also would guess you burned maybe two or more fluid ounces of alcohol. Watch my "Alcohol stove secrets" video for tips on using less alcohol. - ruclips.net/video/nYw-IW4Q1aU/видео.html - Using the cooking method described in that video, I never use more than one half a fluid ounce. A wood-burning campfire or box stove will leave far more soot than isopropyl. So will Esbit solid fuel. A canister stove will leave none. On the trail I wipe loose soot off, usually on the ground, and carry the pot in a stuff sack. And thanks for watching!
+Erich Diehl I've owned three different external frame packs and two internals. Generally speaking the main difference between the two is the weight. I've never seen an external I thought was light (eg., under three pounds both pack and frame) and some internals are. But internals can weight a lot, also. When I was young the advantage of externals was we could tie our sleeping bags on the frame outside the pack. Modern sleeping bags are much less bulky, by comparison, and there's little or no compelling advantage to carry the sleeping bag outside the pack. It's possible to tie some pieces of gear on an external (like an axe or shovel) but some internals have outside straps that allow that. If it's very important that our back not get sweaty in hot weather, many externals might have that advantage, but some internals are constructed to minimize that also. If we drop our pack, for example, and it falls six feet off a boulder and lands on another boulder, there is a chance an external frame might be damaged enough to ruin it. That's less likely with an internal. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
+Erich Diehl Gradually over a number of years I have slowly replaced most heavy pieces of gear with lighter items that I have learned to use successfully. This has significantly reduced my overall pack weight. For these reasons, now I can use a frameless pack and that's my first choice in an environment like the AT. The chief advantage of the frameless I use is that it weighs 20 ounces empty. I still own the internals, though.
I wonder how useful condoms will be to somebody on the AT unless they carry deodorant - but what the hell do I know. I'm a section hiker, I avoid towns, I prefer to stealth camp and most of the time as soon as I got the tent pitched I passed out cold. (See my video "Hitting the wall.") And thanks for watching.
Let's put it this way - Many women have been weirded out, at the least, by unwanted male attention on the trail. If I had a son and he was going to hike on the AT, I would tell him women on the trail are inherently no different than anywhere else and it would be a mistake to make any quick assumptions about any of them, no matter what anybody smells like.
+Stephen Wright Yes. I earlier did a video on keeping stuff clean and another on insects ('Don't go commando'). I can talk about some of the risky diseases hikers can get. Right now there are reports of AT hikers with stomach problems resembling novovirus. One story says the specific ailment has not been confirmed. One hiker who left the trail commented on my Facebook page, saying the report might have originated from a single couple - no one he met had any trouble, nor had those folks met anyone who did. And thanks again for watching!
I saw video 6. I am most concerned about insect borne, water borne and myself borne diseases. I have a book by Eric Weiss on wilderness medicine, but it's not a practical discussion on day to day hygiene. What do you think the minimum medicines and gear are necessary for maximizing safety? I would like to be prepared, without being ridiculous.
I said in my first hiking video and a number afterward I am a section hiker. 650 miles so far. You might want to watch some of those vids. - 'How long would you last... ' - 'The white blaze issue ... ' - 'The failure thing .... ' Etc.
This is an awesome video :D Like + Share and subbed you, i will try to visit your channel regularly from now on ^^D if you can do visit my channel! That would be awesome!! :D Until next time and keep up the good videos! Peace
I must say I have been viewing your vids for over a year and you are by far the most informative and thorough source for the AT and hiking in general. I refer your channel to many. Thank you.
+Jim Thorpe Thanks for your support and vote of confidence!
Another great installment. Know where you are hiking, know how you want to hike, and know your abilities/limitations and choose gear accordingly. Thanks for all the good examples provided here.
+Random Button Pusher And thanks again for watching, my friend!
I ll probably never walk the AT, but most of your advice is universal to hiking and you helped me a lot, preparing for my next pilgrimage in spain. Thank you
+Marvin Hiking in Spain sounds awesome - have a great time and thanks or watching!
I have come to use your water temperature/appearance table in my daily life. It saves time.
I also like to use as much of my camping gear at home, including food preparation. It gives me a lot more accurate estimation of how much and what kind to carry. Mistakes are a lot easier to deal with at home, where cleanup and replacement are much easier than on the trail. Thanks for another great video.
I also use a lot of my camping gear at home. Living alone and often pressed for time, I cook in and eat from my ti pot a great deal. Clean the pot with the scraper, rinse it out, done. I've also spent many nights sleeping under my homemade backpacking quilt. (I think you've just given me a new video idea here!) Glad you like the video and find the water temp chart useful. And thanks again for being a great viewer - you are much appreciated!
Yet another great video buddy! Concise and to the point! Like always, looking forward to the next.
+cyclinguy Thanks again for watching, my friend!
Thanks for the information you provide! Your comments are insightful, easy to understand and interesting! Hope you'll do one on lightning in a tent and hammock on the trail. Thanks again for a great job!
+G Man Do you mean lightning from a thunderstorm, as in how to keep lightning from hitting a tent or hammock? I can do that. Glad you like the channel and thanks a million for watching!
Invaluable advice for everyone from 'day' hikers to 'thru' hikers whether on the AT, PCT, the Trans Canada Trail, or the myriad of other less well-known paths.
+2506INF Glad you liked the video and thanks again for watching!
You offer a lot of good advice and common sense to use when hiking any trail.
I hike sections of the Florida trail and have cut my stuff down to a nice light load excluding the consumables. I like to use the do I want it or do I need it. The Need's go with me and the Want's stay home. If I do it right then most of the items will do a double duty on the hike. The hammock doubles as a chair , the pot doubles as a cup and so on. If I eat out of the cup then I boil water in it for my hot beverage and as I drink the tea / coffee any left over food particles are enjoyed with the beverage. I end up with a clean cup.
+Chuck Littleton Good tips and thanks again for watching!
We sent the microwave home after the first 3 days of hiking...
I see lots of hikers using a light Fancy Feast alcohol stove either the bought one or their own DIY. It lights instantly even in cold weather and doesn't need a separate pot stand. Usually a 1/2 ounce of fuel gets 2 cups of water hot enough for beverages and 3/4 ounce a rolling boil.
+Bobby Harper Good tip and thanks again for watching!
14 minutes of worthwhile info. Thanks.
+David Nutty Glad you liked it and thanks again for watching!
Thanks for sharing your plethora of useful information.
And thanks again to you for being a viewer!
Very informative! Thank you for all your helpful videos.
+Todd Engle Glad you like it and thanks a million for watching the videos!
Great information for all hikers. Thank you very much for sharing!!
+Roclans Farm Glad you liked it and thanks again for watching!
The first time I'm hiking an area that's popular a lightweight gas stove goes with me till I'm sure of the water sources. When an area has lots of usage there's always a few that don't care where their waste goes (and if they won't break this rule for themselves, they'll break it for their kids) so a rolling boil for your drinking water becomes more necessity than caution. Taking five minutes to have a look and a smell up and down the river you intend to drink from is never a bad idea too. Good advice in this vid for all hikers!!
In some areas boiling is the way to go. If you ever make it to the AT you'll find plenty of reliable springs. And thanks for watching!
Great video! The info you provide here is always interesting and helpful. Thanks for posting!
+Loner2012AT Thanks again for watching! I just noticed I never told you how much I like your videos. You did a great job! Keep hikin' !
Good info, FBO, as usual. I appreciate your content and style. I have been a semi-serious AT section hiker since 2007. Have done a dozen or more 5-8 day hikes over this time and have pretty well (?) settled on my gear list. I carry less weight than the typical hiker, but have seen others who carry even less. Two items that I have learned to "splurge" on -- my sleeping pad and my headlight. Have gone lighter on those two items on several hikes and then come back to heavier but more useful (to me, anyway) versions. Those are "quality of life" things to me, and worth the weight. BOTTOM LINE - hike your own hike. But talk with other hikers when you get the chance and experiment with your gear list. There are lots of items that I used to think were essential that I wouldn't dream of carrying now.
+Chris Daunhauer Nothing like section hikes to help us sort out our gear! Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
For safety, I NEVER hike without a tarp in my pack - even when I plan (or am required by regulations) to sleep in a AT shelter every night of my hike. My tarp is my backup in those situations. If I get stuck between shelters for some reason, I can get out of any rain or snow, slide into my sleeping bag, and stay warm and dry for the night.
Thanks for another large dose of good sense.
+tom jackson You're welcome, sir, and thanks again for watching!
One of the greatest videos I've ever seen!!!!
+Sargent Rev Glad you like it and thanks for watching!
I always appreciate your videos. Your incite, perspective and experience is always appreciated especially for someone planning to hit the AT early next year. Thank you
+Jeremiah Erb I hope you have a great hike next year and thanks for watching!
you didnt jerry!
I ordered one of those pocket gas stoves online for $4. it's great! The fuel cell I got at Walmart for $4.59. it lasts for 4 boils of 2 quarts water four times. Not bad.
Love those Leki poles; essential with big pack and useful for speed hiking. I have 2 that look just like those, circa 1999.
+Floyd Dwayne Viernum Mine are almost that old. I cleaned the grips once, but otherwise they still work fine with no maintenance. And thanks for watching!
Love your videos. Clear Concise Informational!
Glad you like the videos and thanks a million for watching!
Love the way you get on with the information
Glad you like it and thanks a lot for watching!
Great information, well presented, as always . . .
+Evan's Backpacking Videos Thanks, sir. Keep up the great job on your channel!
Thanks again, for another informative video.
+afk hiker And thank you once again for watching!
People think It's strange, but I carry a plastic trowel too. Well worth the small weight and space. Great videos by the way...
When the soil has been loose, I've also used a trowel to flatten out a tent site a bit - More of a scraping process than actual digging. Glad you like the videos and thanks a million for watching!
You can dig with a stick........if there are any left near a campsite that haven't been burned, but trowels are soooo much easier. And dig the hole the night before so it's ready in the morning, saves some uncomfortably hurried digging.
Lorne Smith j
Kevin McCall I think I encounter the results of those who use a stick. I'd rather they use something more effective
numbereightyseven as in, something that doesn't encourage them to think that it'll be all right, when it isn't all right; it's offensive.
What a great video, thanks for making it!
Glad you liked it and thanks for being a viewer!
again, another GREAT video!
+Florida Girl Adventures Glad you like it! Thanks again for watching!
Very valuable information as always. Thank you Sir.
+Donut Ho Glad you like it and thanks for watching!
Another great info video. I wonder if I should take a frying pan on the AT for a joke lol.... Can you imagine the comments?
+Adrian Redgwell If I carried a frying pan I'd tie it to the outside of the pack. So it could clang around like I was a prospector on the Gold Rush. Good idea, eh? :) And thanks again for watching!
+flatbrokeoutside wouldn't it be cool,if a whole gang of us dressed up like the original hikers and did a 5 day section hike of the AT. Man that might be pretty cool eh?
+Adrian Redgwell It would be a sight to see, that's for sure!
Flat Broke, another great video. Thanks for the information.
Glad you liked it and thanks for being a viewer!
Have you ever done a video on the A.T. hiker in 1970 what type of gear did they use, water,food,shelter. sleeping bag, and mileage per day, etc. Compare to the hiker on the A.T. of today.
+Roger Lamb This video - ruclips.net/video/FNDlE7NoSF8/видео.html - is about two women who did a thru hike on the Continental Divide Trail in 1978. It shows that their packs were pretty huge. I backpacked during that era - by comparison today you can find much lighter options for virtually every piece of gear. The tents were the worst, IMO - small canvas ones were 6 pounds. I know at least one type of backpacking tarp was sold then and it was pretty cool for anybody lucky enough to find one. There are actually two videos about that CDT hike on that channel. There would have been a lot more solitude on the AT back then, at least regarding thru hikers. Thousands are making the attempt this year - in the '70s it would have been only hundreds, if that. These books - www.amazon.com/Hiking-Appalachian-Trail-2-set/dp/0875960677/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=419QjC0ufmL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1YNNB4481HBSXG59FS08 - were printed in 1975 and describe a number of thru hikes. And thanksagain for watching!
Thank you so much for this information
flatbrokeoutside n
Good topic! I always wondered if a Kindle was the way to go. Reading sounds like a good idea, but I'm sure I'd be too tired on a thru hike, especially in the beginning.
+richked I've seen some thru hikers who looked pretty tired after hundreds of miles and others still looked peppy - one never knows. Probably more people use audio books - I would be afraid the ear buds might keep me from hearing rattlesnakes. Ditto jammin' on tunes. Thanks for watching!
+flatbrokeoutside maybe "secrets of peppy thru hikers" deserves a vid of its own 😉
flatbrokeoutside
Another gem.
+Roaming Gnome Looking forward to your next video - and thanks again for watching!
Yeah, i do it right too. nothing worse than hearing all day long how fast a stove can boil water. Then getting food started seeing same man cry because his very expensive stove lost a part. meanwhile my trangia has cooked all i wanted and quick as a tick put up.
Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for being a viewer!
I tried bringing my hammer and forge and anvil, but I found it possible to use random wood stumps so I left my 100 lbs anvil at home. I also found I could use pieces of coal or charred wood I found along the way so I was able to use that for making steel out of iron ore I found beside the trail. That was nice being able to chuck the bags of charcoal. The hammer was great though. I used it to build shelters along the way with the nails I forged after I chopped down trees and split them into planks. I went overboard once and now there is a small village there. This is still a learning experience for me.
you have a very relaxing voice. good informative video as always
Thanks again for watching!
for some irrational reason I have been avoiding edbit stoves but as I continue down the ultralight and SUL rabbit hole esbit or similar sems to make more sense than alcohol although I have not considered a comparison to canister stoves yet. The challenge I face is not being able to fly with the fuel prior to getting on the trail.
Thru-hiker.com once did a weight comparison of stove types over 14 days and esbit emerged as the lightest option - thru-hiker.com/articles/stoveweight_vs_time_14days.php - Everyone says canisters are widely available in stores along the AT and I would suspect esbit tabs are fairly common. And thanks again for watching!
With freeze dried mealsNo need to heatAt least in the summer Throw water in the bag, put it in the sun somewhere (strap it to your backpack)Should be done in a half hour
When we do that I'd recommend doing what we can to keep the soaking jar clean. Dirty eating utensils of any kind have the potential for making us ill. (Dirty hands, too. See my "Don't get sick' video.) And thanks for watching.
I hve a nice plastic trowel. It even has a hole to put cord through. Got it on sale at a big box store's garden center. Well, it was on sale, so I bought two of them for the price of one.
That smart shopping. And thanks again for watching!
What are your thoughts on the stick burning bushcraft-like stoves to use as a supplemental cooking method?
+Christopher Burrell Anybody backpacking in the American West might have to face restrictions like those shown here when wildfire risk is high - www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fsbdev3_053600 - It pays to check to find out when such restrictions are in effect. And we have to check local restrictions because they are different for different areas. In Baxter State Park, it's prohibited to take a dead twig from a standing tree - www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/rules/ - I assume a stick burning stove is allowed along the rest of the AT because I cannot find any other restrictions with specific wording that might limit them.
Dude you rock!
+Larry Riddle Thanks, man!
I been sharing your stuff on both my Crazy Larry's Hostel page and group on Facebook
+Larry Riddle Much appreciated!
GREAT ..............Info!!
Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
Ziplock bags can serve a few purposes. Anything that can serve multiple-purposes is worth a consideration. Great video as always. When are you doing a thru-hike?
As I have said in a couple of videos, I've never been in a position where I could seriously consider a thru hike. Yet. One of my future videos will be about section hiking. And thanks again for watching!
Yes to the compass
You mentioned that in some areas saws and hatchets are prohibited. Does that mean just having them in your possession? the reason I ask is because I thought of possibly going on and off the AT' to private cramp campgrounds where I might be able to use a saw and or Hatchet. Thanks Ray
In the Shenandoah National Park, for example, I picked up a brochure that said saws and hatchets were prohibited - this happened at the kiosk where I signed up and got a tag to put on my pack. At such time that we encounter such rules, I suggest we keep the hatchet and saw tucked away in the pack if we have them. I have dragged hatchets all over creation in other areas but on 99% of the AT I would consider one dead weight. See my video on campfires for more. And thanks again for watching!
Leather...It may never dry.
I just purchased a new alcohol stove and tried it out a few times in my kitchen. It leaves a thick film of black soot on the outside of my pot which can get very messy. Is this common or am I doing something wrong? Thanks.
+Pilgrim777 Check the label of the alcohol you used. I am betting it says isopropyl, which will leave soot. Alcohol that will not leave soot are denatured, ethanol or methanol. Alcohol fuel sold in hardware stores is denatured. If it left a thick film, I also would guess you burned maybe two or more fluid ounces of alcohol. Watch my "Alcohol stove secrets" video for tips on using less alcohol. - ruclips.net/video/nYw-IW4Q1aU/видео.html - Using the cooking method described in that video, I never use more than one half a fluid ounce. A wood-burning campfire or box stove will leave far more soot than isopropyl. So will Esbit solid fuel. A canister stove will leave none. On the trail I wipe loose soot off, usually on the ground, and carry the pot in a stuff sack. And thanks for watching!
What's your preference : an external frame pack or internal?
+Erich Diehl I've owned three different external frame packs and two internals. Generally speaking the main difference between the two is the weight. I've never seen an external I thought was light (eg., under three pounds both pack and frame) and some internals are. But internals can weight a lot, also. When I was young the advantage of externals was we could tie our sleeping bags on the frame outside the pack. Modern sleeping bags are much less bulky, by comparison, and there's little or no compelling advantage to carry the sleeping bag outside the pack. It's possible to tie some pieces of gear on an external (like an axe or shovel) but some internals have outside straps that allow that. If it's very important that our back not get sweaty in hot weather, many externals might have that advantage, but some internals are constructed to minimize that also. If we drop our pack, for example, and it falls six feet off a boulder and lands on another boulder, there is a chance an external frame might be damaged enough to ruin it. That's less likely with an internal. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
+flatbrokeoutside Thanks. I'm assuming by your response that your preference is an internal pack frame.
+Erich Diehl Gradually over a number of years I have slowly replaced most heavy pieces of gear with lighter items that I have learned to use successfully. This has significantly reduced my overall pack weight. For these reasons, now I can use a frameless pack and that's my first choice in an environment like the AT. The chief advantage of the frameless I use is that it weighs 20 ounces empty. I still own the internals, though.
I enjoyed you video , thanks for the info. new sub.
Thanks for watching and subbing!
What's the hurry? To each their own I reckon.
i have always made a fire, mainly for bug smoke.
Check out mosquito coils. They sell them at Walmart and you don't have to gather wood.
i use cider oil now, awesome post. ty
How many condoms do you recommend before stopping at the first store?
I wonder how useful condoms will be to somebody on the AT unless they carry deodorant - but what the hell do I know. I'm a section hiker, I avoid towns, I prefer to stealth camp and most of the time as soon as I got the tent pitched I passed out cold. (See my video "Hitting the wall.") And thanks for watching.
I just figured with all the hippy drinking and weed, there would be some free love no matter what the odors.
Let's put it this way - Many women have been weirded out, at the least, by unwanted male attention on the trail. If I had a son and he was going to hike on the AT, I would tell him women on the trail are inherently no different than anywhere else and it would be a mistake to make any quick assumptions about any of them, no matter what anybody smells like.
My comment was made in jest.
Scott's Wood ii
Need to convert temperature to metric.
Annotated. And thanks for watching!
.357 revolver.
Visa card.
Bug gear.
Beef jerky.....
I look forward to all your videos. Sometime could you do a more detailed hygiene video?
+Stephen Wright Yes. I earlier did a video on keeping stuff clean and another on insects ('Don't go commando'). I can talk about some of the risky diseases hikers can get. Right now there are reports of AT hikers with stomach problems resembling novovirus. One story says the specific ailment has not been confirmed. One hiker who left the trail commented on my Facebook page, saying the report might have originated from a single couple - no one he met had any trouble, nor had those folks met anyone who did. And thanks again for watching!
I saw video 6. I am most concerned about insect borne, water borne and myself borne diseases. I have a book by Eric Weiss on wilderness medicine, but it's not a practical discussion on day to day hygiene. What do you think the minimum medicines and gear are necessary for maximizing safety? I would like to be prepared, without being ridiculous.
I do not think you have ever done a thru-hike, have you?
I said in my first hiking video and a number afterward I am a section hiker. 650 miles so far. You might want to watch some of those vids. - 'How long would you last... ' - 'The white blaze issue ... ' - 'The failure thing .... ' Etc.
Pizza hut delivers...dominoes 30 minutes or less
This is an awesome video :D Like + Share and subbed you, i will try to visit your channel regularly from now on ^^D if you can do visit my channel! That would be awesome!! :D Until next time and keep up the good videos! Peace
+Arduous Ant Thanks for subscribing - subbed ya back!
cheers bro, keep me posted on new vids :)