Best tumi backpacks with top shoe holders right now: If you have a favorite pair of non-cotton athletic tights or yoga pants, they can work as either your base layer or your hiking pants. Worn as pants they won’t offer you handy stash pockets and they’ll be more susceptible to brush snags and rock abrasion than regular hiking pants. Because your feet are crucial to a successful trip, footwear is your most important item. Some backpackers insist on supportive over-the-ankle boots, while others prefer lightweight trail running shoes. To learn more, read Hiking Boots vs. Trail Runners: The Great Debate. Your boots or shoes should be well broken-in before you go. Wear wool or synthetic socks, and consider bringing an ultralight pair of shoes or water sandals for wearing around camp (and for fording creeks). See even more info at https://ilouxnei.com/shoe_holster.
The weight range doesn’t go up nearly as high (7-33 pounds), and it requires an infant insert that you have to purchase separately (if your baby is under 12 pounds), and it doesn’t have the “bucket” adjustments to accommodate both infants and toddlers thighs. So you end up with the four positions and need to purchase the infant insert to make that 5. We also thought it needed a small storage pouch to carry a paci, keys, phone, etc, and that the Velcro around the waist was great but also quite loud to use. So those are the reasons we chose the LILLEBaby as #1, though honestly, it was a close call. The Ergobaby is just so comfortable for parents and babies, and it is less bulky and can adjust down to suit relatively petite parents, so it was a difficult decision. A truly excellent baby carrier with just some small shortcomings. Usually about $150 and available in a ton of colors and patterns. Note also that the new and pricier Ergobaby Omni 360 is now available and is more similar to the LILLEBaby in versatility, supporting babies and toddlers from 7 to 45 pounds, and offering 6 different carry positions.
Lowering backpack weight tip : 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. Discover extra information at https://ilouxnei.com/.
I updated my first aid kit with some other items and the helpful laminated first aid field guide that you get in class. I have a pre-packaged first-aid kit that I’ve supplemented with some Tenacious Tape if I need to seal a major gash. It helps to take a NOLS First Aid class; it will teach you how to actually use a first-aid kit and potentially save a life. Another benefit of the class is that they show you how you can customize a first-aid kit. Most of the time that I’ve pulled out my first-aid kit, it’s been to help another hiker. It’s been handier than I’ve imagined. One of the things you learn at the Tracker survival school is how to start a fire without matches. After the classroom demonstration, you get to do it on your own with help from the instructor. You learn how to make fire, shelter, find food, and in general, feel very comfortable living in the outdoors. You can use fire for light, warmth, a rescue signal, to cook food, and more. I try to have a lot of ways to create fire because each tool is small and light.