AboutMatt Wertman Expertise You`re thinking of hiking the infamous Appalachian Trail and now you`d like to get the important information on everything and anything from someone who`s actually done it. I completed my hike October 8th, 1999 taking a total of 5 months and 8 days. I can help you by giving constructive feedback on gear, trip cost, people, and general expectations.
Question During the summer I volunteer as a scoutmaster for a Boy Scout camp. Last summer we went on a 3-day hike, led by an experienced Boy Scout guide. This was my first long hike. There were a number of things that I wasn't really prepared for and which nobody bothered telling me about. Things like the experience of using a cathole. And walking for three days in extremely sweaty clothing. And one of my scouts getting heat rash. And water coming out of our expensive new water filter looking like apple juice. That's not to say that we didn't have a great time, of course, put I'd like to be better prepared this time around. Specifically, I'd like to hear what you have to say about the following questions. Please answer in as much detail as possible.
1. Using the cathole: Nobody ever claimed it as the most comfortable experience, but for some reason I wasn't expecting it to be quite as bad as it was. It's hard to squat for that long, especially if you have occasional stomach issues like I do so it takes longer than otherwise. And by the time your halfway done you've got ten flies buzzing around you. I guess that says something about their sense of smell, but that doesn't stop it from being annoying. Is there any way to make the experience a bit less unpleasant?
2. Sweat: On this past summer's hike I brought extra clothing in an attempt to avoid having to wear sweat-drenched clothing for three straight days. Of course, that added considerable weight and bulk. I don't want to do that again, but on the other hand I still don't want to have to spend several days in a soaked undershirt. Aside from the fact that I prefer not to smell like a sewer rat, wearing sweaty clothing can cause rashes (especially in the groin area), and I suspect in some cases it can lead to hypothermia.
I can think of four possible ways of addressing this issue:
(a) Wash and/or dry clothing as it gets soiled and sweaty. Questions: What would I need to bring along in order to be able to do the wash? What's the best way of doing it?
(b) I could bring more clothing, like I did last summer, although that adds considerably to pack weight. Questions: For a three day hike, which articles of clothing could I manage to leave behind in order to make my pack as light as possible? Should I bring spares "just in case"? Any other tips on lightening the clothing load?
(c) Another option is sweat-wicking clothing. I've heard good things about it, and I've tried underwear from a few brands (Under Armor, Ex Officio, some other brand I can't remember the name of), with varying results. Questions:
- Do they really work as well as advertised?
- Do all the brands work as well as the others? What should I look for in choosing sweat-wicking clothing?
- Are there any cheaper brands that work well?
- How many days, would you say, could you wear Under Armor underwear (for example) without having it stink to high heaven and risk getting a rash?
(d) The Boy Scout guide who went with us told us that experienced backpackers just don't wear underwear. Is this true?
One of my scouts got heat rash in a very uncomfortable area. What's the best way to treat heat rash?
Finally, is it true that deodorant attracts mosquitoes?
3. Clothing:
(a) Most pants I've worn on hikes rub against my thighs so that by the end of a full day of hiking my thighs feel like they've almost been rubbed raw. And when I'm sweaty it just gets worse. Possibly wearing shorts might solve this problem, but that won't work in the winter, and I anyway prefer to wear pants even in the summer (just my personal taste). Maybe a different material would do the trick? Wider pants legs?
(b) Most rain protection that I've worn on hikes does a good job of protecting you from rain, but you get wet anyway because it makes you sweat a lot. I've only used cheap plastic ponchos and rain jackets, so maybe that's the problem, but I'm not interested in paying $300 for an expensive sweat-wicking rain jacket / pants combo. Is there a happy medium here?
(c) Some socks I've used get soggy from sweat. Others are insulated and get my feet very hot in the summer. What are the pros and cons of different socks types for summer use?
(d) Does white clothing really keep you cool? Is it really that much better than other types? What about other lighter-colored clothing (say, red or light brown)?
(e) Is it really so necessary to get expensive hiking boots for a backpacking trip?
4. Packs: Is there any way to get a good pack without emptying the bank?
5. Sleeping bags:
(a) Is it really necessary to get those expensive sleeping bags and pads?
(b) My sleeping bag always gets damp in the morning (from sweat? dew?). Is there any way to prevent this?
6. Water:
(a) Water is heavy! How much water is it really necessary to carry around?
(b) We bought a fancy $80 water filter for our hike - a Katadyn Vario. We used it a few times with good results, but then we came upon a stream that was brownish-red. From what I had read I expected this to be filtered just as well as the others (I've read that the Vario and other filters can basically filter from straight mud and will filter all dangerous things out of the water except viruses). But the water came out looking like apple juice. This spooked our guide, who insisted we hike over to the nearest Boy Scout area to fill up on water - a good hour or more of hiking, and we were out of water. What went wrong? Or was it indeed filtered correctly and there's nothing wrong with drinking apple-juice colored water?
Answer Sorry this is late getting out, I check email infrequently.
Anyhow you've got a lot of question and I'll cover a few of them briefly.
1st boyscouts aren't the best place to lean about packing. Don't take it personally, but from many expierence of seeing them they're caring atleast 2o lbs more than they need. The book's used for training okay for some thing , but not hiking/backpacking.
Water- product called aqua maria"I think" and a banddana - ditch the filter
Get a book on ultra light hiking if you want great tips.
Sleeping bag - go for modest prices. The stuff sold at sporting good stores -no good. Go to a real outfitter to see what I mean. REI, EMS and specialized ones. If they're part of a mall - be caustious. They're marekting to people who really don't go outside.
Rain gear - keep it when you're done for the day to keep you dry. And it it's cheap - it won't work.
Cat ho;es - depends. Not you gotta do something.
Socks - liner socks and a wool blend
Ditch hiking in pants
Clthing - 1 pair to hike in 1 pair to rest in (at camp). You can go a long time with nasty clothing.
Hiking underwear - use lycra short (spandex) watch were the seam goes under a pair of shorts
Pack - "mountain hardware"
Good place to look for good brands at okay prices - Sierra Trading Post
Rashes - "Bag Balm" or sports slick
Pack shouldn't weight more than 30 -40 lbs (max)
And the pack itself - with new tech - no more than 4 lbs by itself
But the big thing - so the research away from the boyscot resources if you want to enjoy yourself. They really do carry to much gear.
Look at hte Appalachian Trail website for good books that give good advice on back packing info.
Hope that help some.
Water - carry enough to get you next water source.
