The Gear Episode

What gear do we use for a long ways hike? Well, You asked for it ... and we have kind of delivered?!  Because, to be honest, we are still working this out and learning with every hike! 

In this episode we explore what we have learned about the gear you need to hike these trails. From REI and Black Diamond, to Arc'teryx and Salomon, we look at what has worked for us and why. And if you think these are paid product placements you couldn't be more wrong! We just love to hike, and here is the gear we use!

For more from our hiking trio, follow us on Facebook , Instagram and coming soon - videos on our YouTube channel.

Have a comment or an idea for an upcoming episode - contact us through our website or email us at hikewithus@thelongwayspodcast.com.

Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome to the Longways podcast I'm Devin Windelspecht, and I'm Michael Windelspecht. And we are a father son hiking duo out to hike the great long trails of the world. So this is our much anticipated gear episode. We're gonna be talking about all the hiking gear we're going to be using on our next hike We're gonna be talking about what has worked for us in the past what hasn't worked. and kind of just go step by step into all the gear we have So we're excited about this one We've been wanting to do a gear episode for quite a long time.
to the disclaimer at the beginning we are actually none of this is paid for us to say anything about this This is just stuff we like. It's something we really tried and tested over several hikes, and that we personally enjoy using So that first off I think the first thing is for people don't know what is our next hike and this will probably be published after the hike is actually done. But what what hike are we about to go on We are about to leave in a few days for Turkey and the lysine way We're a part of lysine way actually because come to find out that's like a two hundred fifty mile trail which is Yes. Unfortunately, I can do it I mean because I have all the time in the world but you guys have jobs and they probably prefer you not hiking for a month at a time Exactly. But
this is a big one for us it's gonna be a lot of fun It's a little shorter. then we've taken the past but Fifty miles. It's it's getting really rich in history which we're looking forward to and has a interesting connection back to the hadrian's wall hike tonight this spring And we'll talk about that some other time Okay But definitely it's gonna be it's gonna be a fun hike It's on my seventh, your sixth and Eric's fifth. And this is coming off of you know we're not gonna go too much into our hike because we're gonna have a episode afterwards for sure But this is coming off of slovenia which was a really tough very rigorous very technical hike. Absolutely gorgeous but very very trying very exhausting.
And this one I hope and we'll see is gonna be a little bit more like our hikes in Portugal and Ireland where we are more hiking on the coast Kind of leaving between different small towns, which is kind of the hikes that we like to do in the long ways a lot Not to say that we won't do Some of those more Slovenia hikes in the future, but for now we're gonna take it a step down We're gonna be hiking along the coast of Turkey by the city of Antalia. And we're really excited for it So…
before we get into all this I think the thing to talk about first is that…we have been like I said that's done seven of these I've done six. We have learned…that packing and getting the gear for your trip less is more. Yes And I think every time we go on a trip dad brings a smaller and smaller bag and still says he's over packs. Every trip That's exactly right. There's this tendency in the in the very last day to start throwing stuff in Like you know I need three more of these And the reality is you don't It just like just pack simple pack with good gear.
There's a great quote out there There's there's no bad weather only bad gear And I think that's probably we've experienced the bad weather and we've gotten better about our choices of gear because of it Exactly exactly. Like I'm I I travel a little light just in general but I'm coming in with a duffel bag and like a thirty liter backpack. And everything I'm bringing is just gonna be in in those two things. The duffel bag itself
it is a it's an Eagle Creek duffel bag. it is only about I think about twenty liters, maybe thirty. And it's something that you pack down really quick and put into a backpack so that you can kind of get around a little bit easier because I like to travel after these hikes you know travel around Europe I'm gonna be speaking up to Istanbul after this So it's nice to be able to put that onto a small backpack so that you're not lugging around giant suitcases on trains and planes and everything. But let's get into I think that's really important though Hold on with that Because I think there's really important thing there Devin because one of the things you know we don't usually talk about is the the gear to get you there And, you know most people nowadays will get one of these big wheeling hard covered you know Mhmm. And if you're gonna be doing a lot of train work okay or buses, okay those things are actually a pain And some companies some transfer companies won't even move those anymore They want the duffel bags or the two wheeled you know carry totes and things like that And,
those get them as small as you possibly can because You don't you know it's just easier that way to to do that Yeah To get you to the sites? Yeah For example so I have this I'm holding it right now This Eagle Creek no matter what Duffle bag which I've had for years. it's a small size It's about eighteen by twelve by eleven inches. That's not technically small enough to fit under your sheet but I've made it work sometimes, because it packs down pretty small about thirty liters. this thing I like a lot because it does it can fit into another backpack.
And then I can kind of take it out as I need to to if I need more space or if I need wanna bring worst of home Right Afterwards. but yeah no we've kind of realized like those big heavy suitcases. We don't need them. I think dad you do sometimes like a wheel duffel bag kind of thing sometimes. Yep so everything we're talking about today is something that could fit in about I'd say about…
forty to probably about fifty liters worth of a space. Total Yep So if if you have a fifty liter backpack that's that will fit everything we're talking about today a small duffle suitcase or in like my case the the duffle bag plus the the about thirty five liter backpack. Right So we're gonna break this into thirds This podcast we're gonna talk about clothes and boots at the beginning. we're gonna move on to kinda like pulls and backpacks and that kind of stuff following that And then the kind of we're gonna end with some miscellaneous items that we always bring…
So I think clothes are the most important And…
we pack differently depending on where we go And sometimes we do something like slovenia where we pack for cold weather and then it's a absolute it's the highest month they've had on record is slovenia and we don't need any of the long sleeves close Exactly So we've also realized that kind of create bringing a combination of clothes is important. So dad let's start with you What are you bringing on this trip? Well I'm packing, once again I'm packing fairly light You know I've really moved more towards for the shirts and everything synthetics you know for a couple of reasons is is is mostly because I can wash them in the you know on the trail You know the big cotton ones you know if you try to wash them sometimes shirts and things they don't usually…they don't usually dries fast as you need them to but you know we have these clothes lines now and we can wash them So you know my shirts I I I really am kind of fond of the archaeopteryx. Okay Artarics. I'm a biologist…
Yeah Well see that's why we don't have any product placement in our in our in our Exactly we mispronounce the people we're using but I'm giving him a shout out but it's really a nice shirt Very white I usually bring at least one long sleeve. Okay And then some a couple short sleeves shirts. the long sleeve can act as a since it's white as as a sun break too sometimes which is nice So it's gonna be really hot You can you can do that. and then over that usually some sort of fleece, okay for for shirts just in case we do get those cooler nights. So one of the nice things about having these different types of clothes on any of the trips is you can just start to layer them as you need to So if you do get a little cooler area.
Obviously if it is cold we have heavier gear we bring but this one's gonna be a fairly warm trip but you still get sometimes some chilly nights or a little bit of weather So nice light clothes that can be compressed very easily into a into basically you know the the ziplock bags and press down
are have been amazing for me for shirts. For me I've been one of my favorites is they are the rei I think they're called the sahara shirts. They're very light very moisture wicking. I probably have like three or four colors of those that I wear. I usually bring about…three or four good shirts and of those ones a long sleeve and then like two or three are like a nice like Arieye sahara shirt.
I will also say that even though dad's wearing an arcterix archaeopteryx
today…
You don't need like the really high quality stuff for what we do Right Now if you're backpacking you know the appalachian trail or you're you know mountaineering or something that's completely different. But…I'm gonna be honest here that like I've hiked some of these trails with like, a moisture wicking shirt I've got from Target. Right Of course Yes And you can you can do that
it's a little bit different with the pants and we'll get to that But for like a a sure if you're looking to reduce your budget, so long as it's moisture wicking so a good athletic shirt Yep that's fine to bring I like the REI sahara shirts just because they're a little bit more comfortable. it's something like the the…synthetic side wear just for running they're not just as comfortable for for hiking long distance. but yeah you know moisture wicking mixture like don't go just get like a cotton shirt because it will stick to you You'll get you know, chaffing You'll get rashes. so make sure it's something that gets moisture wicking. the other things I really like as I like these little also again from rei they like these little half sips.
and you can like put them over your shirt really easily They can put compress down really easily. and I found those really good both to act as like if it's a little colder in the morning, put that on but also to act as a windbreak for a lot of places. So if we're in a place where we're up in the mountains or by the coast and there's just a lot of wind and that windchill is hitting you I found that that acts as a really good windbreak. And it's just enough so that you're not getting chilled by that wind,
but you're not like overheating from having like like a you know, a really heavy jacket on or anything like that. Yeah I think that to be honest with you I'm gonna give a big shout out to REI in general It's a good point Devin When I mentioned some of the things I buy it's mostly because of fit you know you know or you know personal preference but often when I go the rei even the r the rei co op work, all their all their equipment is absolutely fantastic You'll hear me mention it time and time again So, yeah for our types of hiking which is the you know the long distance, know the nontechnical stuff Okay You know and supposedly we're not supposed to be in weather extremes although we seem to find the extremes. But the you know this their gear is absolutely fantastic for for for most types of hiking So I mentioned something as just because I for some reason I wipe the feel of it or it fits me better than Mhmm. A standard off the rack type thing. So like yeah going back to it I usually bring about three or four shirts
which is a little bit more than you need to but I like having the ability to kind of change out Also it's nice to like with photos and I have the same shirt over and over. also with photos, it's actually worth saying that like a nice bright shirt like a nice yellow or red really pops out in photos, so that's something to consider too. if you're really into like the, getting like pictures of yourself on the trail. When it comes to pants, I like the I use these stretch zion pants from REI. They're probably one of my favorites I usually bring about two pairs of those.
And they also have a shorts version of them I usually bring a pair of shorts too. I really like them because they're again they're lightweight, but I've they're kind of thick enough that I've used them with like rain and torrential downpours and stuff and haven't done soak through with them. So I actually have to go back to rei and buy another pair because they can wear out after a lot of trips
and like you just get like holes in them and that kind of stuff But you know the one I'm replacing right now that one has been about three or four hikes with me and I'm only just now having to replace zip So they're also pretty durable. so the stretch zion pants that's my favorite pants Do you have a favorite? Yeah I do I usually often use the reis too And then one of the reasons why I use the reis is first of all they fit nicely They really do Mhmm Second of all they're a lot cheaper So when we slid down mountains and turned ourselves into giant clay You know that's never gonna come out of it You feel a little bit more…relaxed about losing a sixty five dollar a pair of Yeah Exactly I'm not gonna complain how our pair of pants Yep But I've done the same thing I think I've learned from you with this I've actually started to buy some of the prana. prana is very good too Yep They're really good They're expensive. They wear really really well And I like traveling in them and then it doubles as a heavier weight…
A hiking pant too Like you said I have the lightweight ones which is what I usually wear Mhmm And usually have a pair of shorts as well although many of the REIs you can easily convert them back and forth They have the zippers. I actually, I do need to fact check myself I just looked it up the stretch of scions are actually prana You're right They're not sorry Yeah I thought so. Yeah Prana Yes One hundred percent prana I love the stretch of ions They have a lot of other versions too But those are my favorite pants They're so they're they're only about sixty sixty five bucks like you said Yeah. They're really comfortable. Mhmm they come in with like I like the ones that have like the pockets on the side but I usually also bring…
a version that's just straight leg that doesn't have any of the pockets and stuff too because what I like about those is…they look like regular pants. So if I'm going into the like, you know I'm swinging by Switzerland or I'm swinging by Paris afterwards. I don't wanna look like I'm just you know a hiker wandering around I can throw those on throw on a nice shirt on top Yep Keep my boots because they just look like black shoes. And you you just it's it doesn't look like you're just like a mountaineer walking around the city Exactly. I was gonna say the same thing The those those pants can double definitely for a dinner out at night Exactly It's just they're just that versatile.
Know the other ones are hiking pants and they're they're great They get wet They dry They're you know you can get dirty But these are these are nice I'm really I'm really very fond of them. real quick just regarding underwear, get hiking underwear. Yes Exofficio pretty good I like the briefs mostly for shaving purposes…
everyone has style It's fine Get hiking underwear Don't go with cloth underwear if that is a absolute must. Absolutely. You have to not only that You're gonna wanna you're gonna wanna be able to wash those You know and and they not travel with a lot of them and they drive really quick Mhmm You know this in fact you can hang them almost at any environment and they're gonna be dry in the morning It's just amazing how fast that they can even washed Yeah And like to talk about like the kind of the more taboo subject here a lot of people will want to bring like five or six pairs one for each day It's up to you If that's how you prefer them that is fine. You don't need to with hiking underwear. it's meant to be able to war be worn a couple days in a row some people are gonna find that icky So if you do you can spend the money to to buy one for each day but they're also meant to be like washing washing everything with the shower and stuff like that So that's also a way that you can
and it comes down to weight You know we have a very limited amount of of room for weight There's always one year that you have to bring And you know if you can cut a little bit out here and there you can bring something else So Exactly. Yeah. I think the last thing here when we talk about clothes I mean, rain jackets I have a Columbia rain jacket Yep I like it a lot I also use it I've used it a lot as a wind break So I almost always bring it on a trail even Like the one we have upcoming isn't expecting a lot of rain but one you want in case you do. And two again just as a windbreak. I've used it a lot like up in the mountains to just like, I was doing it in Slovenia where we were on top of the peaks and it was hot because of the sun but I needed somebody to keep that wind off me And the rain jacket really helped.
I use Patagonia. so that's my favorite at the moment
I found that with Patagonia that the inside lining stays intact a little bit longer than some cheaper brands, and doesn't flake off as easy. I really like it for the exactly the same reasons. We also I don't even know the style of this and I looked it up before we came here today But when we were on the Dingle way you know on this talk about roller coaster of weathers Right One day we were almost lost me to hyperthermia and almost two days later most lost Eric to hypothermia and we had to go back into dingle to get ring insulated green gear. I whatever those are they have no label on them but they are one of the most best insulated a set of insulated If it's gonna be chilly and you get in your type of person with your legs get cold you get Mhmm. You get weird Okay You know or have problems with body temperature.
Insulated, rain gear is not bad However, make sure you need it because it's heavy Okay You know get your stuff lugging it all over the place So we actually have both versions I will travel with Patagonia this time mostly once again as a white windbreak in case we need it Yeah
either before or also before and after the trip. So which brings us down to socks and boots. socks, go for darn tufts. Absolutely. Some people like smartwools I like how the darn tufts have the padding underneath them.
there's like a diff couple different versions You'll see one that says like hike track. That's the one you want It comes in I like the boot height but it does come in smaller heights. just get darn toughs. Like, I can't I will say this pitch for smart wolves. And tell people one of the big things about socks is is you really have to I mean you'll hear people talk about getting into your boots and everything I found it's mostly getting into your socks Okay You can see how your socks feel inside your boot Okay And what type of hike you're on?
Smartwools are great socks Okay If you need extra cushion Right? Okay Darn tufts have the more heavier the lighter the mediums. And they're also basically indestructible i know what your name says And you can wear them and wear them and wear them And they're also I mean I have a pair I still use Get you after a day or two You know they're they're they're fine Yeah I have a pair I still use
back from when I first like was hiking in Colorado when I was eighteen So they're ten years old and they're still going well I actually only time I had to buy new darn tuffs is because I lose one of the two of a pair That's the only time Yeah Exactly Yep They're amazing So but socks are very important that you match them up really well with your boots because you know boot sizes are really tough you have to find the boots you like It's like a pack And when you find them you know you're gonna find the socks that fit that your foot in that boot the best Yep. I know some people are going on a long distance hike coming up, in November and they you know they they're not wearing their boots They haven't bought their socks yet I'm like you need to be out on the trail now and with the socks and the boots to feel hot spots Right Oh you know my my toes are jammed you know I wear a thirteen I wear this size but now my toes are jammed Well you need to come back on your sock and there's a lot going into that and there's a lot of really good articles out there about choosing socks And we're not but we always go with darn tough I think it's one of our standards that we use. Agreed.
which brings us to boots So I have right here These are the ones I brought to Sylvia. They're the Solomon cross tracks. Uh-huh. I really like them I've gone through a couple pairs of boots, throughout all of our trails the first like trailer two I did I was wearing like these big heavy like backpacking boots. And…we're not bringing these sixty seventy liter backpacks on our backs You don't really need those for these kind of trips.
I've gone through a couple since then. I really like the cross high twos from Solomon Solomon in general is just really good…
I don't have anything bad to say about these I think they're really nice They're they're kind of ankle They're supportive on the ankles. They are very breathable. I think they're still gortex though so they're waterproof…
The only thing I found about them was when I was hiking slovenia, when I was because the way I walk when I was carrying like a heavier load on my back it was kind of pinching me in the back of the foot. it was kind of causing a little bit of, causing a little bit of kind of rubbing there which kind of over time really irritated me. so I wouldn't use these for another trip like Slovenia just because even though it has good support on the ankles it's not like a big hiking boot So if you have like, a decent pack on your back like you're carrying thirty forty pounds. It's just the pressure kind of like hits the back of your foot. but otherwise I really like these I would recommend the the cross hikes That what ones are used in coming up?
I'm now I'm now almost completely soloman I I've really fallen in love with that Once again, I've used other brands and I'm not gonna knock them I think they were really good. But, you know, I couple things happen with a double knee replacement the way I walk is completely different you know so therefore I had to shift from that And also going towards a lighter weight boot that still provides you with
protection and comfort, I have both a you know a mid you know the the mid boot size Okay And plus I have a set of low solomons, and they are absolutely amazing They wear great Mhmm They're comfortable. I always buy a size bigger, okay than than my actual shoe size which means that I'm now wearing like a size fourteen which means that you just mail me the box I can put a shoe tied around the outside of it You go here you go But the reason why is you're you're putting those socks in there and plus your feet do swell. Okay And and the last thing you want is you know hot spots on your feet Okay Because we've all played that We'll probably have a first aid We probably should have a first aid episode at some point We talk about you know what you you know some of the tricks we've learned. But, Now I'm completely solemn a solomons If we need a water shoes, I have a king that I use which is like a water a butter shoe But mostly I use that if I'm in by belize or something where I'm gonna I know I'm gonna be in a lot of water, absolutely fantastic with it Once again, get your feet in them with the sock And like Devin was saying try to hike all different types of terrains you know just going out and hiking the greenway and say yeah I can do fifteen miles in the greenway Well, chances are it's not gonna be that Yep When I was in hadrian's, I had long stretches which were very flat It's it's England Okay
and then portions of the hadrian's wall path it did get…a little bit more rocky. Yeah And what was nice about having the two sets of of of boots was the days which I knew I was flat walking Right I just put on the on the lower solomons and it was wonderfully comfortable and they weren't the you know and the days I knew I was gonna need some support a little bit more for my ankles or you know, I just had the other pairs So I always travel with two pairs It is a weight thing It is okay But I'm happy with it and…it works. I I don't travel with two pairs. but what I do do because when you're…when you're at like your bed and breakfast or you're at town or whatever, it'll be a little annoying to like lace up your boots every time, or ground these big heavy boots like when you're just trying to like you know, walk down to kitchen or something So I usually tell people to bring like a very light pair of like, Chockos are good, Tibas I have
they're called Avayanaish they're a Brazilian brand, of just like flip flops Something really light that you can just throw in your backpack or you can just like even put them outside your bag or something Just bring that You're gonna thank yourself later for having kind of shoes that you can just walk around town with instead of these big heavy boots that you're putting on and off just all the time. And your feet your feet won't scream at you when you go to go to dinner and you try to put your boots back on Exactly exactly…
They're screaming not to go back into the boot after a fifteen mile day Yeah So I agree Yep So I think we're gonna do a quick break right here and we'll be back…
Okay And welcome back. So we're gonna get into the second part of our gear which is backpack pulls that kind of like more like hard not close but like the the stuff you're you're bringing with you in your backpack that's not closed pretty much Perfect
so let's start with the backpack itself What do you bring on this trip dad You know once again I have fallen in love with the REIs. Okay. I've used Osprey's okay I like them There's nothing wrong with them I have I have a a collection of backpacks now which I've worn I never thought I'd actually say this you know and I'm not talking about like school backpack You know but I have things which are from the the bigger sizes which we need in Pennsylvania because we were hiking or most of us were hiking Yep Okay but then also the the smaller ones like almost like day packs Yep I have fallen in love with the the REI ones that have they're the thirty two liter Okay And they have the hip supports on the side now It used to be that these some of the REIs didn't have that And it was just all the weight was done on your back Yeah but for these other ones you it'd have the hip of supports on either side. And I think Devin and I actually have the exact same pack now in the same color So this this should make this should be fun But once again, a a really durable pack
easy to get things in and out of which is what I like about it Okay they are not water They're water resistant usually but they usually come with mine does Mine has a rain cover on it Yeah If not you can get a cheap rain cover. Don't make the mistake of packing the rain cover in the bottom of the pack like I've done in the past Okay It should be packed at the top of the pack because when it rains, Scott went to me about how fast you have to be able to change in and out of rain gear Yep. Sometimes several times an hour depending on what you were doing Right but yes I would say for me the REIP packs have been amazing. and I can't say enough good things about them I'm traveling with them again this time Yeah I mean so I think Diana and I'm taking the same one as a us breed not osprey rei traverse thirty two That's it Yep. So depending on what you're doing again So last time I was like a slovenia I had a forty to forty five I believe It was a
it was an osprey. Yep. Don't remember the exact brand but it was it was an Osprey forty liter. I liked it I really like Osprey. I use Osprey a lot for more backpacking kind of things.
Mhmm But what we're doing…
I don't think you need to spend the money on the Osprey I would if you were backpacking and you just needed something that's gonna really, like you're doing Colorado Trail you're doing the Appalachian Trail You're doing maybe in the camino. and you this can be on your back, that you're kinda like living out of…
But for what we do I think the REIs are good
thirty two is a little bit on the large side of what you need I've done these with anything from like a twenty liter up. I find something around…twenty five to thirty is probably the best. And then just because you can fit in then you can fit in water You can fit in food You can fit in all the kind of miscellaneous things you want and you're not kinda like wanting for space. If you're someone who is good at packing or you like be minimalist you can go with like a twenty liter one with one of these especially because the way we do is that we have our bigger pads shipped from place to place. You did It's a small one in in Mont Blanc the first time would've worked work worked out really well Yeah Yeah I think that was like a flash twenty liter or something in Mont Blanc.
I know you carried mine. Yeah. We switched. We made about a half mile into the trail and I realized that I wasn't gonna carry this You were Yep But the flash was wonderful for me Thank you Yeah I know.
I think the other thing about this is that if you aren't doing what we do where we ship our bigger bags between places, you're going to need something bigger I would say probably at least a forty liter Yes Absolutely just for clothes really And there are people who do that that hike the trail and they just keep everything on their back This is what I did when I was in Slovenia. I again I had a forty or forty two and it worked really well But but what we do we do the thirty two liters usually about twenty eight to thirty two liters Yep That works really well for us. Make sure you have the the internal place but internal reservoir too especially when you're making the long way hikes. Water is I'm sure we'll get to some water things here in a second but water is so important and the way those packs are built when you've got when you have a three liter of water inside of you that's a bunch of weight And having it sit right up against your back like that is it it almost takes it out of the equation Yeah Whereas if you have water bottles dangling around all over the place you you can feel the drag on that after some after some miles Yeah Let's talk about water real quick I mean so I usually bring, for me I bring about a two to two and a half liter
water reservoir that has the hose that can come out. I think that's for these I think that's like kind of a necessity. For some reason Eric doesn't use those and I think he's an idiot for it but because there's something about Eric doesn't eat or drink We don't he starts he starts hiking and you know fifteen miles later he stops hiking Yep there's something about like this when you're feeling tired and stuff to be able to just really quickly have a drink of water without having to put your pack down and everything that just helps so much in these trails, get a reservoir. Yep. They're not too expensive.
They come in and everything from one liter which is a little small for me because they're just refilling it a lot to up to three and a half. I like about two to two and a half personally. Because then depending on the day I usually bring two water bottles. Usually only one of them will be filled. the other one is there in case we know we're going on a long stretch whether our guide book or whatever will say there's not a lot of water on the stretch Yep And we have one one coming up on this trip or that'll be one of the days but we will be water heavy Yep.
I have a quick a quick reminder is that every was every liter of water is two pounds Right So at the beginning of the day you can really feel that water on your back Yep So it's also a weight thing where if you're carrying you know three liters of water that's six pounds on your back you can really feel that. if you're carrying four there's eight you know that's a dumbbell on your back really Yep So just keep that in mind that…
if you are worried about it go for more water You would rather have more weight than out of water Yes I usually find hitting the trail with at least three liters on your back is for me a good amount. I think I think so too I usually care a little bit more I go through a lot I'm a little bit of a bigger guy I go through a lot more water. luckily I've lost a bunch of weight because the all this hiking So I think we're you know that'll that'll help a lot But Yeah Having having a decent amount of water is probably one of the most important things for these long hikes, mostly because…follow your guide book like you said they will tell you what the distance is going to be Okay And then adjust adjust as needed you know depending on whether you know if it's gonna be hot or windy you're gonna lose things quick which brings me though to electrolytes. Yeah We were not an electrolyte people in the beginning. And in Scotland, we finally had to buy electrolytes We ended up buying basically
like almost like a pedial light from yep from a dispensary there or pharmacy They're vehicle dispensaries there. And now we use noons. and they are probably…if you sometimes you think you're thirsty You're not as thirsty as you are You're craving the electrolytes yep. I love noons They come in all different flavors I don't go for all the immunity support you know or caffeine And they're having a dissolvable tablet you put in your water Exactly And what I usually do is I'll drop one into the reservoir Right And then I'll and my my side ones will just be re to replenish my reservoir Right And I just have one noon for the day And you feel the energy difference in drinking getting a and they're not…obnoxious with their taste They're very light If you dissolve it in two or three liters you it just takes away that that plasticky taste that sometimes you get from you know pouring water when it gets warm. And we bring him everywhere now I do I bring him hiking now My my my…my REI water bottle I always drop one in Okay Because I send I carried around for the day You know
it's really it's really beneficial very light I love him. Quick aside for a little trick I found about water bottles too get a few carabiners. I usually hike with I have like this old Swiss water bottle that I've had in every hike that's kinda like a memento now I don't wanna lose it, because now it's been on every hike. So bring some carabiners and use that to clip into like the side the straps of your backpack with your water bottles. That helps a lot just not lose those I've lost water bottles on the trail a lot.
otherwise they mostly use just now jeans Like you don't need to be super fancy about these things…
Which brings us to polls. Dad and I both hike with polls? Yes Again Eric does not I don't understand it. but what kind of polls do you use dad? I am almost exclusively now using black diamonds.
Yep And I have used the REI brands and I really do like them Okay However, like I said I'm I'm pretty big I I can put a lot of pressure on to some poles. And so I have found that the Black Diamond poles ultra light Okay So you almost they're almost so light You think there's no way these things are gonna support. I used I used the my poles for a lot I put them through a lot because it's not just helping me It's also setting my pace Yeah And when you get tired when you're hiking as long distances as those of you who are listening no you can actually switch to your upper body and have your upper body kind of push you and give your legs a little bit of a of a break And and black diamond they're just amazing if they're just straight black diamonds they're not any special version of them, I like them. I mean I'm the other way around I have these I think they're etons or etons or something that I've had since I was eighteen in Colorado.
they serve me through anything. they're just they're about as basic as the pole can get They're you know they just you put them on the ground and they support you. and they'd never fail me I think the thing some people like springs in theirs, that and I typically don't because we'd like to be able to put pressure on it. Especially if you're trying to pivot your way You're going downhill and you're trying to like use as support…
I usually use polls for two things I use it as a way to set pace and this which is why I like them even on like slider hikes we do. if you're doing with mountains you kind of just need them because you need them to be able to support yourself and push yourself up or especially on the downhills to be able to support yourself as you're coming downhill. that on our last hike Eric who doesn't typically use them actually needed the poles because of our downhills…
you really need them to be able to support yourself So I really recommend polls The one thing about polls is that they are not allowed on planes, which I'm running into right now So you need to be able to check the supplier. Right. Yeah. The you can check them but you can't put them in as a carry on Right So if you're going ultra light and you just wanna put something on a plane I am doing the thing where I'm putting a checked bag of stuff that if it doesn't need to arrive on time it doesn't and that's my poles and then I'm bringing my normal backpack as a carry on to with everything I do need to start the trail at the beginning. And that's important too that you kind of have something like that because…you know luckages can get lost and being able to hit the trail have all your essentials to hit the trail right away is important.
and if you don't have like your poles or something like that for a day or two and you're like okay I can just do like a day or two hiking without them that's fine…
Also if you're gonna have the one of the things I always recommend to people is that you do get a small one of the small multi tools because with any type of pole you sometimes you have to go ahead and tighten them. special word of note though Okay? the multi tools also not allowed onto. Exactly I don't know how many TSA checkpoints in Europe now have a multi tool of mine because you go through and know like you can't have this I'm like I forgot it because they're so small now I mean they're just they're really And you just throw them in your backpack and you forget about them If they're they're forgotten but obviously X rays don't you know they they don't forget them And so I I keep losing them Nothing fancy but have it because you'll be surprised Even with great brands, jarring and stuff like that gets a little loose Right Again they're just tightening it up just a little bit It gives you that sense of security. So definitely a small multi tool for the for the whole trip I mean
the for the team Yeah No I agree with that and it's helpful for me because sometimes mine can like the joints of them get a little loose and you just gotta tighten them up so it doesn't collapse on you. We're gonna take a really quick break here again. And then come back to end our podcast…
This is turning out great…
Okay And welcome back. So I think we're gonna get to like what I wanna talk about is like the miscellaneous stuff we bring So we've talked about clothes We've talked about backpacks Talk about boots and poles, all the big things people think about when when hiking. but I feel like there's a lot of small stuff that you don't typically think about that you should bring…
Something I bring this is more for me I bring a small water filter. you don't really need it for the town to town hiking but it makes me feel a little bit better Yep so that if we're ever in position where I just need to sit down and just like it's it's a quick squeeze one It's not you know nothing heavy duty nothing I'd bring like backpacking if I really just needed it you know needed to be pumping water every day, but it helps me to be like okay we can go to a stream and pumps like you know, analogy full of water if we really need it Yep I've never personally used it on a trail but I like in it's light and I'll take like the couple ounces. I do the same as a life straw though It's a thermos small life straw thermos Same type of thing You can they say you can dip it almost in anything and you you know it's safe to drink and never used it It's been in every single pack Yep. Okay Yep. I don't typically bring gloves The only time we really kind of needed gloves within Ireland where we got really chilled.
I typically don't bring them but you can if you feel like you're gonna be like hop in the mountains more especially in the morning…
one thing I bring a lot is I bring a small a very very very small travel sized sewing kit. Mhmm And the reason for this is for boosters. kind of the…the a method I learned I learned way back in Colorado is when you have blisters at the middle of the night you take a you take a needle, sanitizer usually with like a wet wipe or like hand sanitizer. Put through the top of the blister not not the bottom Just the very top Run a thread through it. Leave the thread in overnight and the blister kind of It was amazing.
It comes down into a callous instead of a blister. It has been the number one way I have dealt with blisters throughout all my hikes…
Bring a small sewing kit It's the number one thing I tell people and every time I tell people about this they're always like oh this has saved my life on the hike…
first aid kit necessary, because of what we do when we're relatively close to towns we don't bring like a massive first aid kit, just something that has like I have like an ultralight watertight medical kit from you know REI. Something that you can band aid up or whatever. Just if in case like mosquito minifin and it has some anti diarrhea medicine in it though just the the little things that you know which you can always get in the next town but not when you're six miles in Right Exactly And again if I was backpacking I would have something a lot more heavy duty. But because we're so close to towns when we're hiking I think I brought something a little bit more heavy duty also in Slovenia. You don't need something that big just something that you can like put some first aid on…
And yeah so always bring a first aid kit I mean even day hiking bring a first aid kit it's just you're gonna want it Yep. what else I put it in my first aid kit I usually get a pack of moleskins for blisters. Yep. That's a really good idea I need to buy some more rei actually coming up those just help a lot for the rubbing especially with the shoes…what else What are the miscellaneous things? Well one of the things that I do inside the pack…
It's it's gonna sound crazy but I use the the dry sacks and you know there's two different types of dry sacks one which just keeps everything completely dry that folds over you know and there's some which are just like more cinch sex okay or stuff sacks. I do it for a couple reasons One, it does even though you have you know we've been in some pretty bad rain and even a rain cover wasn't going to stop us from getting soaked. And it's nice to be able to like put your you know your your wallet your keys Soon as you don't wanna on you in there, mine are actually different colors So I know if I need to grab something I just need to go in there and grab the yellow one because the yellow one has you know food and a couple snacks in it Right Okay Or the blue one has in it the medical stuff Okay You know and I just stuff them all the way in the bottom you know and it just makes it so so easy to to have them and their light and then use them as organizers. I always carry a
a small section of rope. Okay usually the the parachute cord you know the survival cord. It doesn't have to be anything ridiculous because once again we're not trying well except forylvania. Okay We shouldn't be trying to you know to repel down mountains like that but it is useful You know if somebody gets hurt or something you can make a splint with it you know, or if you know something fails like a strap or something which has never happened but you never know You can you know we can go ahead and put it put something together you know all these things are little things and a lot of them are just peace of mind Know just hoping that it's that it's there I do have a nice knife that I carry. Okay I don't go out for the whole crazy multi tool thing because as I said I have a multi tool which I pass the driver on it But I have a very nice knife.
And because with you it's usually been used for food prep. You know like I wish we had a knife to you know cut up this apple and I'm like well we have a knife you know and we've actually needed a knife Okay But we always always and it's just that once again, something you cannot you know obviously you cannot have on you if you unless you're packing a bag, airlines don't like knives Yep or holes, multi tools We can tell you why as we as we've littered the continent with these things it seems…
So those are my big ones I also usually have we didn't really talk about it but I usually keep in there at least one or two different types of hats. One of one of them has a brimmed hat because I like keeping the heat off my neck my neck Okay Uh-huh. I usually carry at least a bandana or two Okay I've used washcloths for the longest time which work But this year I'm going more to bandanas because it also allows me to put a little sun screen on or use it as a sweat rag if I want to Yep All these things are really easy compactable. Can be pushed down there. and then of course you know you're wearing gears in there And and maybe just maybe depending on how wet you think it's gonna be a change of socks you know if you need it But most days if it's gonna be dry, I don't bother with that either you know, Yeah The only other thing I bring is I bring a portable charger.
yes, your phone
yeah we go between towns a lot so it's not a huge deal but this peace of mind, We've tried using the the solar ones And there is something to be said for them but I really think that the bricks now this this small small chargers have gotten so compact and light gone are the days where they're almost a pound a piece and had one charge on them. You know and what you're really looking for is charge your phone overnight obviously Okay And then put it into airplane mode because Yep. You know and all trails and everything else now and all of Max adventures things are all GPS driven We don't have to have a signal. And stops it from losing the battery but you know the end that you know you could reconnect and get at least two full charges left in a case of an emergency…at night Even if you didn't use it plug it back in again Mhmm I think just to make sure it's fully charged I carry one of those Same thing It just sits in there and…rarely need it but once in a while I mean I think that's that's pretty much it I mean I bring you know a hat too.
suns normal stuff bringing sunscreen definitely wear sunscreen on the trail bug spray…
Unless of course we're traveling with Eric. He hits you If you are going a long ways with us you don't need to bring any bug spray because all the bugs will go to Eric. Yeah Exactly We've actually seen this happen where he comes over because these guys these things are eating me alive And I'm like what are you talking Exactly He was covered and this was in Ireland. no this was in Scotland Sorry When he was covered and he's like black bugs Mhmm But that's really weird And then we realized that that midges, you just send him ahead of you and they just flock to him So he's great So yeah if you can find an Eric to travel with you can keep a little bit extra bug spray off. I mean in front of me anything else that we need I bring a knee brace…but…
I think that's about it I mean That's about it Yeah. We every trail is different, when you're hiking something like, you know Skyland Ireland more rain gear You're gonna need maybe even rain pants. Yep Slovakia I needed you know well I thought I would need a little bit more cold weather gear It didn't turn out that way But normally when you're hiking alps even the summer you need something that's you know like like a…
face layer at least. You know and and mom blunt Devin we really, you know you are you are facing these big climbs every day And when you were down in the hut or the or the you know the b and the air b and b the bed and breakfast it was warm but when you got up to the top of those saddles and there was the breeze coming off those those those issues there it got chilly. Fast okay So having layers, no matter what day it is having having ability to to layer up or down Okay and so you don't have to pack your pack full, okay at all Okay But you need to have enough stuff to get the the fifteen or so miles to sixteen twenty miles you're going to go that day Yeah. I mean I think that's it We'll update you guys if there's any changes or anything we thought we should have brought in our next episode but we'll talk about hiking the lysine way. But until then I'm Devin with respect I'm Michael Wendellbeck And this is a long way podcast Thank you for listening.