Branded backpacks with high quality shoe holders: Get mentally ready: Familiarize yourself with your gear ahead of time. Pitch your tent, fire up your stove and filter some water before you go. Learning basic first aid and map and compass navigation is also a wise move, and both skills will serve you well even if you don’t go on future backpacking trips. Figure out your logistics: In addition to figuring out your ride to and from the trailhead, you need to be sure you have all of the necessary permits. Popular destinations are especially likely to require them. Check with the local land management agency to learn what’s required—land managers are also a great resource for updated trail conditions, fire restrictions and other valuable intel. Leave a trip plan with a friend or family member: Include details about where you’re going and when you expect to be back. That gives them a jump on alerting help if you ever need it. See additional info on cleat holder for backpack.
The BOBA carrier has been in the top 5 of our best baby carrier list for 3 years now, and for some great reasons. It is comfortable, stylish, durable, and very well-made and reliable. The thick waistband tends to support a lot of the baby’s weight so your shoulders don’t get too sore, with a nice even distribution around the body. We also liked that the waistband has two adjustment points, which helps quite a bit to even out the cinching around the waist. It also has the adjustments for the shoulder straps right under the armpits, helping you customize the fit even when wearing your baby. Some advantages of the BOBA over the Ergo is that it includes an infant insert, supports from 7 pounds all the way up to 45 pounds (like the LILLEBaby), and it has a small zippered pocket along the waist. Though working with an infant insert is a bit awkward relative to having it built in to the system. It also includes little foot straps (stirrups) to support tired hanging legs. Also, we found the range of strap adjustment is very wide, fitting a wider range of body shapes and sizes. So this carrier does, in fact, have a couple advantages over the Ergo.
Reducing backpack weight advice : Ultralight tent footprint/ groundcloth. Footprints and ground cloths act as a protective barrier in between the ground and the floor of your tent. They also prevent any water from seeping in from the ground through your tent floor. Use a painters tarp instead of buying the manufacturer’s footprint. You can find painter’s tarp at any hardware store. 2-3 mm thick is perfect. Cut it out to match the outline of your tent floor… and then cut off an inch border to make it slightly smaller than your tent floor. Trekking poles, not tent poles. Two trekking poles (plus your guylines) is all you need to keep your tarp supported. Many tarp systems only require one pole. See ultralight trekking poles. Find additional information at https://ilouxnei.com/.
A University of Connecticut study found that even mild dehydration can lead to an increased perception of task difficulty and lower concentration levels. Stay hydrated to hike safely. Water is more important than food. You can make it about 4 days without water, less in extreme heat conditions. Take water seriously. I try to take at least 50% more water than I think I need. My hydration daypack has a big water reservoir, and there’s room to pack cheap 1.5 liter bottles from the supermarket. When my reservoir is empty, I dump these into it. I also carry a small water purifier so that I can pump water from streams, ponds, or puddles. My clear contractor bags allow me to create a solar still if I need to. It’s simple enough to pick up some 1.5L bottles at a gas station, put them in your pack, and then refill your 3L bladder with them.