I went backpacking recently and share some thoughts on equipment.
Recently I was fortunate enough to be able to go backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time. It was a wonderful trip that even included a section of off-trail bushwhacking.
As I am not able to go on these types of trips as frequently as I could a decade ago, I spend a fair bit of time in advance and retrospect thinking about the gear that I did bring, and what I could change next time. Here are some thoughts on various gear items.
Water filtration
I use the Grayl water press. It is a standard carbon filter, but in form similar to a coffee french press. You collect water in the outside container, and then push the inner chamber into it. Clean filtered water is then instantly drinkable. It’s very quick.
I use this as my primary water bottle while hiking. One downside is that at times it does feel small. The inner chamber holds only a half liter when full, so it can run out quick. This isn’t a problem when hiking along a stream or river, but when traveling away from water sources, a backup is needed. I carry some empty lightweight platypus bottles, and fill them up with a few presses of the grayl.
Tents
I use a tent from Alps mountaineering. I have nothing but good things to say about any item I’ve ever used from that brand. The Lynx 1 person tent is fairly light, and pretty affordable. It has a single vestibule and plenty of mesh.
At times, I have considered the options of investing in an ultralight style tent, that relies on trekking poles for support. However I just don’t get out enough that this would be worth it.
Kitchenware
My newest addition to my kitchen kit is a kuksa, a wooden coffee cup for camping. This was made by my dad, specially for this trip.
Otherwise, I prefer the silicone squishy bowls for eating. Its easily packable and lightweight. I’ll bring a titanium spoon and chopsticks as well, I’ve found the Keith titanium brand to make affordable but quality items.
Apps
One app that seems indispensable for hiking nowadays is a quality GPS. I have been using the GaiaGPS lately. It has good maps, caches them offline in airplane mode, records tracks without using a much battery at all, and it’s free!
Another app that works very well offline is national geographic Seek, for plant identification.