Carry on backpacks and the best shoe holders right now: Your backpacking clothing should be grouped into layers: Next-to-skin base layers (aka long underwear): Important because even warm days can end with cold nights. Hiking layers: Nylon pants (may be rollup or zip-off), T-shirts, sun shirt, sun hat. Insulation: Puffy vest or jacket, lightweight fleece pullover, warm hat and gloves. Rainwear: Definitely bring a waterproof/breathable jacket; whether you also bring rain pants depends on the weather forecast (rainwear is also good at preventing mosquito bites). The beauty of layering is that it lets you quickly adapt to changing conditions. It also lets you put together a robust clothing defense against storms that move in suddenly, bringing cold and rainy weather. Find even more info at shoe holder for backpack.
The Tula Explore is a completely new design by Baby Tula, with superior versatility and comfort. We first got our hands on the Explore for testing last year and we were super impressed with it; in fact, after a long-term reliability test it might start to creep up this list! Out of the box, it is stylish, has super soft and durable fabric, and feels very well-constructed yet lightweight and flexible enough to stuff into a big diaper bag. We tried it out in all of its 5 positions: rear-facing front-carry for infant, baby, and toddler, forward-facing front-carry for toddler, and back-carry for baby and toddler. Adjusting between the three rear-facing front-carry options was easy, simply reconfiguring the upper and lower parts of the “Explore panel”. The lower panel is in the seating area and adjusts using snaps – infants begin with the narrowest panel setting, and you make it wider as your baby gets bigger. The upper panel adjusts between short and tall positions depending on your baby’s height and head/neck control. The Explore instruction manual is here, and of course also included with the carrier and we strongly encourage you to read when you receive it. All of this adjustment is necessary to make it possible to support babies as small as 7 pounds and up to 45 pounds (the same range as the LilleBaby and Ergobaby 360).
Reducing backpack weight tip : Trash compactor bag for backpack liner. Pack covers are bulky, heavy and, sometimes, ineffective. Instead of covering the outside of your pack, line the inside of it with a trash compactor bag and keep all gear inside. Trash compactor bags are super waterproof, replaceable, affordable and weigh a fraction as much as a pack cover. Rocks vs stakes. Tie your shelter down to some nearby rocks. If necessary, make a pile to keep it more stable. Rocks can also be used on hard surfaces where stakes are unable to penetrate the ground. Find even more info on https://ilouxnei.com/.
Don’t hike in winter conditions unless you have experience doing so. Every year I see dozens of preventable hiker deaths in the winter. Hikers attempt a trail that’s straightforward in the summer, but in the winter becomes a mountaineering exercise. Don’t push yourself past your limits. Build your strength and distance in a gradual way. Stay hydrated and fed, even if you aren’t hungry or thirsty. Heed signs and warnings. Sometimes they seem very basic and aimed at beginners, but they’re there for a reason. Stay on the trail, avoid shortcuts, and always know where you are and where you’re going. Check out my “hiking for beginners” post to make sure you haven’t missed anything important. Leave your hiking plans with a friend or family member, along with a time that you will be back by. If you’re not back by that time, let them know that they should call 911 and alert the authorities of your situation. Usually this is as simple as forwarding a link to a hike web page in an email. Worth the 2 minutes it takes. Practice camping overnight with your emergency gear in your backyard (or a nearby park). Learn some primitive skills to help you survive in the outdoors. You can watch videos on Youtube, or even attend classes all over the country. I’ve gone to the Tom Brown Tracker school and it was pretty awesome. And even though I know primitive survival skills, I still bring all of the emergency gear that I mentioned earlier. It’s better to have as many options as possible.