“A cold front bringing thunderstorms was preceded by a spectacular cloud show on Stegall Mountain. A sub-freezing night brought beautiful, delicate frost flowers. Water from a full day of rain and a nighttime thunderstorm brought life to the small waterfall in Wolf Pen Hollow. “I hiked the trail in 9.5 days, so my average miles per day was 23-plus.
The overall product weight of this cooler is 37lbs empty which is inline with the Pelican, but 7lbs heavier than the Ozark Trail cooler. The Tundra Haul features rubber clasps, which I really like, and hard plastic ozark trail chairs wheels. Ultimately, the good design for this product was that it was sized right for what I needed, both in dimensions and weight. Not too small, but not too large (and thus wasteful) – a Goldilocks design.
Not the best choice for long trips or hikers who need to carry a large amount of gear. While this is made of a lightweight water resistant material, it does not have a built in rain flap. However, some sources may run dry during extended periods of drought. Plan accordingly and carry or cache water in case you are not able to find a source close by.
In essence, I had committed to the permanent rainfly option by default and there was a certain contentedness that came with that. The first good design feature is the placement of the door on the side, and more specifically on the long side of the tent. I’ve tried tents with the door on one end and it is cumbersome. For the end-door variants, one has to toss their sleeping bag down the tent when getting ready for bed.
I used a Katadyn BeFree 1-liter filter and only needed to clean it once in my 16 days. Berchek continued, “Water is easy to find on the OT, even in the drier seasons. The problem is there are a lot more water sources than indicated on the map, so…you end up carrying more water than needed.
You may find it helpful to make a list of meals for each day you are out on the trail to ensure that you are not over- or under-packing for your trip. The entire trail is open to hikers and offers easy and moderate hiking conditions. Much of it is also accessible for mountain biking and horseback riding. In a sheer stroke of luck for this test, we are having a very aggressive heatwave in Southeast Michigan with temperatures around the 90’s during the day and staying in the 70’s overnight. I’m using my North facing deck as the staging area which receives direct sunlight at almost all hours of the day.
Here are their (and my own) stories and advice for conquering this rugged, beautiful, rewarding excursion. Backpacking Light helps hikers and other backcountry enthusiasts overcome their barriers to living a life outside in Wild Places. We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that’s designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections. Choose this pack if you prefer a smaller yet spacious design, as it has useful features and the durability of larger options. If you need a large pack, or are heading on a days-long adventure, this pack won’t work for you.
I have used the hydration compartment for items like my iPad. I saw this pack at Wally World and figured, $19 for a 28-liter pack, I’d give it a shot. If it doesn’t suit my needs, one of my daughters would be able to use it. Order your 2024 Official Missouri Travel Guide and start planning your Missouri adventure today.
In fact, my particular tent spot wasn’t completely flat so I quickly rotated my sleeping bag so that my feet weren’t above my head all night. ozark trail canopy It was pretty easy to make adjustments from the side door access. This pack fits me fine and is very comfortable for lightweight loads.
Beussink suggests going with a buddy for all or part of the trip. “For me, having company is more enjoyable than hiking alone. Those times I had a fire and company added much the enjoyment of an evening in the woods,” he said. His base equipment consisted of a Zpacks Arc Haul backpack, a Zpacks Duplex tent, and a Zpacks 20F quilt with a Therm-a-rest Neoair Xlite sleeping pad.