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15 Essentials for a Forest Hike


mrkstvns

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6 hours ago, JasonG172 said:

My opinion only.  3 liters minimum (I have an Osprey Bladder in my pack, and I always have an extra nalgene bottle full as well.

Hmmm....

That seems like more water than I'd want to carry.  I use a rule of thumb of 1 liter per 5 miles (which equates to 1 liter per 2 hours).  For a 10-mile hike, 2 liters would be what I'd carry, unless I knew there were potable sources en route, in which case I might go lower.  A hike should be more like a walk than a backpacking trek: the more you carry, the less casual and fun it is.  (3 liters is 6.6 pounds of weight that you're adding)

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32 minutes ago, JasonG172 said:

Understood.  But you just never know what's going to happen, You also don't know if someone might run out (or spill theirs).  

Sigh. It never ceases to amaze me how many excuses a scouter can make for turning "Be Prepared" into "Pack So Freakin' Heavy You Need a Semi to Carry Everything".

OMIGOSH!  Somebody might spill their water. OMIGOSH!  What if I need to use the water to wash a car out there on the trail?  OMIGOSH! What if Global Warming suddenly hits us right in the middle of our hike?  OMIGOSH!  OMIGOSH!

IMHO, overpacking is not "Be Prepared". It's more like "Poor Planning".

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1 hour ago, mrkstvns said:

IMHO, overpacking is not "Be Prepared". It's more like "Poor Planning".

Like everything it's a balance.  A few years ago I hiked a moderate trail down in the Great Smokie Mountains.  Before I got finished I'd shared some water at the top of the hike with people who didn't bring any, gave up some moleskin to a blister sufferer, and gave up my TP to well, you can guess.  None of those people would have died had I not been there, but, their experience was made better because I was prepared.  In the immortal words of the great philosopher Mike Tyson, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

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