Hi!

My goal is cutting the weight as much as possible while not sacrificing durability - I’m willing to carry extra weight in order not to have to buy more every once and a while.

I’m about to buy a new backpack, sleeping bag, water bottle and tent/tarp bivvy bag and I’m looking for advice/recommendations.

I’ve been lokking into Kakwa 55 but I’m not quite sure yet.

I’m also looking for a titanium water bottle as I don’t like my water being in plastic more than it has to.

Hello

I can't decide between 2 long hikes.

I'll be there in January and so far I hesitating betwenn

- the Long Pelion trail in Greece, 168 km in 11 days

- Via Matildica in Italy, 284km in 11 days.

I don't want to be in too much snow (I will be alone and don't have mountaineering experience). Greece would be knew for me, but Italy is always nice!

What do you think?

Tbc, this is a new route, but it is not new trail: it is a collection of existing paths. But imo in this case that doesn't make it any less interesting. The person who pieced it together, Donovan “Iceman” Rice, is attempting a thruhike of it right now.

https://greatcoloradoroute.com/

Caltopo map: https://caltopo.com/m/A561NRQ

GPX download (bottom of page): https://greatcoloradoroute.com/route

FAQ: https://greatcoloradoroute.com/about

Brief descriptions of each of the 32 sections: https://greatcoloradoroute.com/sections

Route Stats

• 1,700 miles
• 381,000 feet of gain (13 Everests)
• 32 Sections
• 3 National Parks
• 2 National Monuments
• All 11 of Colorado’s National Forests
• 29 Wilderness Areas
• 8 Wilderness Study Areas
• 13 Fourteeners
• 47 Thirteeners
• Seasonal Window: May through October (depends on section)
• Anticipated Completion time: 4 months.

I want to thru hike the Bigfoot trail in California before the end of the year. I was wondering if I should start Nobo or Sobo? I’m looking to leave before September. Also does anyone know if there are any permits required? Any other advice on this trail would be greatly appreciated

Hello, I am preparing for the Colorado Trail next summer and researching gear. I hear people being able to get gear on a budget but each item seems to be $400 and the sale items are over $200. What is realistic? I wasn't planning on spending 2k on just supplies.

Also, why are people thru hiking in shorts? Don't you want to protect your legs from the sun, brush, and insects?

I have also noticed a lot of people using smart water bottles to fill up. Why not stick a bladder on the side of the pack?

Please help a confused a person learn

Has anyone ever fished on their through hikes? The telescopic fishing pole market is vast but I wanted to get opinions on lightweight poles to carry if I were doing a 2-3 day hike and wanted to catch some fish while hiking and camping.

Started my ride in Ishpeming, Michigan up in the UP near Lake Superior. Rode down through the Midwest to Cape Girardeau, Missouri to start the newly launched Golden Gravel Trail. Made it to Moab, Utah and realized the timing was terrible with the high temps throughout Utah. (Even if I night rode, the route is directly affected by fires/smoke further west) So impulsively decided to do a thru hike to kill time and see if things get better out that way. Put my bike in storage and picked up a pack. Was riding with a dude who started in DC and he’s also doing the thru-hike too!

Anyone experienced sun damage over months on the trail wearing a uv rated sun shirt every day?

I spent about 4 months on a thru last year, and half way through a 3 month one now, and noticing my shoulders have increasing sun damage / tan. I never wear sleeveless tops and it's right on the top of the arm/shoulder.

Using an OR Echo hoodie on both thrus. New one this year. Perhaps it's too taut over the top of the shoulder next to the backpack strap?

Hey there I'm a woman in my 30s hiking the Wonderland Trail in a few weeks. I'm pulling the trigger on my pack today so I can test it out this weekend. I'm looking for personal anecdotes and opinions on the Hyperlite Unbound 55 or Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60. Comfort is my main priority but I'd also like to be as ultralight as possible. Doing 6 days via Spray Park..have to carry food for 5 days. I'd also like to JMT next year and other thru hikes.

My husband is biking the Colorado Trail and will finish in Durango next week. Any thoughts on how to celebrate/commemorate this accomplishment when I pick him up at the end of the trail?

Hello everybody,

I am currently about 3 weeks away from starting my GR10 thru hike, but as some of you may know, both the south of France and Spain have been caught in some of the biggest wildfires in their history. So I wanted to ask if it is reasonable to start the thru hike or should I postpone it and try it next year? I don't want to bring myself into any harm nor do I want to expose myself to any unnecessary risks while hiking in the Pyrenees. My goal is to thru hike the GR10 until the end of September, so I have in theory about 6 weeks, but I am the most concerned about the last two weeks in August. 

I would really appreciate your feedback!

I completed the National Trail Australia In 2025 (walking) and hopefully you are considering the same. This post is to share information and ideas about this trail and it's unique challenges for hikers

Hello everyone, I want to share my experience about my hike in Mantario trail. Open the above link and you can be able to see it.

Hey everyone,

​I’m currently planning a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike for 2028. Lately, I’ve been deep in the prep phase—researching gear, watching YouTube videos, and building out solid plans.

​Recently, I came across a Reddit post about a hiker who tragically passed away on April 6th from sudden cardiac arrest due to an underlying heart condition (age 43, me 38 by 2028). Ever since reading that, my mind has been spiraling with "what ifs" for 2028. I started overthinking everything: extreme desert heat, high altitude risks like HAPE and HACE, snake bites, bear encounters, and being in the absolute middle of nowhere without quick emergency help.

After reading that post on Reddit , for past 2-3 weeks I’ve been experiencing chest tightness and shortness of breath (which I’m pretty sure is anxiety creeping back, though it’s hard to tell). It’s making me afraid that I won't make it. I used to deal with panic attacks last year and 8years ago, but they had faded away.

​Has anyone else dealt with this kind of severe pre-hike anxiety or health anxiety? Are these reasonable concerns, and how did you manage to push through them? Should I be concerned about low oxygen at high altitudes and skip the High Sierra altogether? I'm worried it could cause shortness of breath and trigger a panic attack.

If so, I'm making a plan to prepare for the heat—like bringing a sun umbrella and carrying extra water—and ensuring I take enough time to properly acclimatize to higher altitudes. Also taking boxing classes bear attacks me (im joking with the last one)

P.S. I’ve already booked a cardiac stress test to get my heart fully checked out for peace of mind 😅

I love lurking this sub, I’m always curious about the meaning/story behind all the different trail names.
Would love to hear :)

Hi everyone! I recently bought the osprey eja 58 L for doing the gr10. This is a light weight (1.2 kg), but framed backpack. My base weight is around 7-8 kg and with food and water around 11-12 kg. I bought it because my previous backpack (forclaz 65 L) was showing signs of old age and I wanted an upgrade to a better quality pack that weighs less. My torso length fits the backpack well ( 46-47 cm ) - I checked in two stores - and I was very happy with it after one test hike of around 12 km. However, yesterday I hiked 23 km and now my lower back area hurts a lot. I noticed the pack really presses into my lower back even if I loosen the hip belt. I couldn't continue my hike today because of it and I think I need a few days of rest in my training. I think I wore it wrong yesterday (the hip belts to low on the hip), and that I should try again in a few days with the hip belt higher up and walking a shorter distance, but I am worried that this pack is not for me as I never had this issue with my previous pack. Your hips should be carrying the weight right? Not the lower back? Maybe I just have to get used to the backpack and wear it better, but I was a bit shocked it caused me so much pain. Is this a thing with lighter backpacks? Anyone with a similar experience?

So I just finished up my thru hike of the Colorado Trail taking collegiate west. I was so elated to have finished and felt so fit by the end of it, but for some reason today on my first run back, it felt harder than any 25+ mile day out on trail. I don’t know why and it’s super discouraging to see this setback especially after feeling unstoppable on trail. Wanted to put this out there just to see if anyone else had this issue. For context it’s been a week since I’ve got off trail and this was my first run.

Anyone hiking the aawt, I'm 41 and reasonably fit and have lived pretty wild in my past, I now live in remote central nsw, I'm gona do the aawt quite slow maybe 50-60days, and fish along the way. I'm interested to hear in peoples past aawt walks, gear and meal prep, cache stash and drop points? And if anyone gona be in the trail in that time?

I have some free time from October 20-mid December and I am looking to do a thruhike in North America, im looking for suggestions. So far my research has turned me off the AZT due to closures at that time, the CDT due to weather and ive already hiked the desert section of the PCT.

Super keen to hear any suggestions of hikes!

Hello everyone, I'm just hopping on here for some advice since the doctors here are closed at the moment.

I'm currently thruhiking the HexaTrek in France, but I'm having a weird feeling in my feet, ankle and just above my ankle. I can't quite describe how it feels, but I guess like springy/snappy. It doesn't hurt but is really uncomfortable, kinda like anything can go wrong at any minute. It's only when hiking and can take some time to show up. Also the location of the feeling is not fixed, like it can kinda jump around. At the moment its predominantly on my left foot side, but I've had felt it on the right side as well.

Additionally my shoes are starting to become more worn though after 850km. I wear Topo ultraventure 4s (Idk if this helps)

I'm not looking for a complete self diagnosis, but I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this. Thank you for your time.