This page is a collection of wisdom gathered from the hiking community, if you want to submit something for consideration please email it to webmaster@discoverytrail.org

Taking Care Of Your Feet – Jason Cook

Gear suggestions for a long distance trail – Outside Magazine

You can’t be ultra light and ultra comfortable without spending some cash. However, after years of research the real problem with weight to spending is just the amount of gear you take. Strip down to the things you couldn’t hike without then take the other things and ditch them. I hiked the AT last year with no more than 4.5-6lbs totaling out to 16lbs of food and water at a time for 3-4 day carries. That worked for me but I didn’t carry a cook set and I camped out of a tarp and bivvy. I learned that I needed an inflatable sleeping pad as it impacts my hiking and overall energy levels. After eating cold mashed potatoes for 122 days straight I learned that in the future a small stove set up would make me a lot more happy for a quarter pound or so. So get out and experiment with what you think you need versus what you want. I’d say trying to get a BPW of like 12-14lbs is a great goal. Don’t go buying new gear unless you really feel like there’s no other way to improve your system.

Jonathan Schoenrock – ADT 2016