{"id":987,"date":"2022-11-01T09:51:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-01T09:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/giampiero.com\/?p=987"},"modified":"2023-10-20T19:06:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T19:06:18","slug":"hiking-gear-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/giampiero.com\/tips\/hiking-gear-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking Gear & Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SELF CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the barriers to enjoying outdoor life are minimal and mostly mental. People think that you need to have tons of special knowledge or gear, or be a super athlete, or need to worry unduly about bears. Not true. You don\u2019t need lots of special equipment or highly specialized skills to hike and camp – even in remote nature if you are minimally competent and game. It ultimately comes down to self confidence and a little knowledge. The Sierra where I mostly hike is mild, temperate, and very friendly in summer. You have almost constant blue skies and perfectly clear billion-star nights. In the summer, you might get some weather between 1- 6 pm, if ever. It can rain or hail briefly, but you\u2019ll dry out in no time. Personally I think if more people understood just how easy it is to get out there, they\u2019d do it more often. There are no big hurdles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRUCIAL! LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD! YOU DON\u2019T NEED STUFF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighten your load and you will be able to move faster, farther, with more ease, and a lot more happily. Most of what you think you need, you don\u2019t. And it\u2019s very liberating to just throw a few well chosen things into a pack and take off. I highly recommend that you internalize the philosophy of light hiking. Every ounce counts, but more importantly you will realize that you just don’t need that many things, and you don’t need to worry about everything. And, you\u2019d be amazed at how much more pleasant it is to walk when you\u2019re not weighted down like a mule. The reality you just don\u2019t need much of anything to have a traipse outdoors for a few days. In summer and shoulder season I don\u2019t usually bring a tent and just use a sheet of ordinary house Tyvek as a ground sheet. I carry probably about 22 pounds of stuff all in, including food and water for a 4 night trip (as in the top photo for a 3 night November outing in Dusy Basin at 12,000 feet). That\u2019s not even extreme. It\u2019s perfectly easy to carry and makes life a lot easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few resources for help lightening up:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backpacking Light<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This website is extremely helpful and there are tons of really knowledgeable and cool people on this site. I got so much good advice here, it\u2019s crazy. http:\/\/www.backpackinglight.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Skurka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Skurka\u2019s Blog is useful. Read his 7 steps to lighten up<\/a>. I think his distinction between light and stupid light<\/a> is useful. He\u2019s also good at making a distinction between people who are primarily interested in camping, and those primarily interested in hiking. They\u2019ll have different needs. Personally I don\u2019t really care about camping, I just camp because I want to be remote and you have to sleep. You might quibble with some of his approach, but it\u2019s undeniable that his own trips are pretty amazing. And his advice is based on experience of many thousands of miles in all different types of terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Sierra Topix<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good community for general Sierra info. Lots of long-timers here who know their stuff and have good feedback on routes, conditions, and inspiration. http:\/\/www.highsierratopix.com\/community\/index.php<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIPS
<\/strong>This list is far from authoritative or absolute. It\u2019s just my personal opinion and info that I gleaned. You may have a very different opinion or experience. Please note that while some of the tips are general, I\u2019m mostly thinking about a summer outings in the Sierras here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you first get started, you should carefully plan everything that you will carry. Make a spreadsheet. Weigh everything. Be aware of the weight and MERCILESSLY cut out anything that unnecessarily<\/strong> adds weight. You don\u2019t actually need that much. It\u2019s very powerful once you\u2019ve got things figured out to just toss a few well chosen things in your backpack and head for the hills, confident that you\u2019ll be fine and have a great time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SHORTEST SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the simplest terms here it is in a nutshell. More details are covered below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking: Wear shoes, not boots. Ordinary jogging shoes are fine, but trail shoes are great too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleeping: you\u2019ll have a sleeping bag. For summer and shoulder a 30 degree bag is fine for me. You\u2019ll also have a mat – some kind of inflatable air mattress that you can blow up with about 25 breaths will be fine. You can bring a light tent or you may think it\u2019s not totally necessary in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating: you\u2019ll bring a tiny \u2018stove\u2019 that is just a little fixture that you screw onto an isobutane fuel can. With this you boil water to make dehydrated meals. The rest can be salami, cheese, nuts, bars. Etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drinking: Filter your water with one of the new simple mini filters. They’re about the size of a roll of quarters. I mostly don\u2019t filter water from fresh running sources above 10,000 ft. And often pristine lakes up there too if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carry it all in a light, smallish backpack (see top photo). You don\u2019t need a giant 75 litre mountaineering pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want more details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHOES, SOCKS, AND FEET<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n