Expert-Level Hacks for Thru-Hikers
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Find success on your thru-hike with these expert-level tips.
These tips, tricks and hacks are derived from my thru-hikes of the Benton McKaye Trail, the Bartram Trail, the Foothills Trail, the Sheltowee Trace, and the Appalachian Trail.
In this video, I discuss physical preparation before the hike (running, walking, hills, stair machines, and balance), food and re-supply, bounce boxes, laundry, and "the mental part."
Stay tuned for more videos as I get ready to hike the Colorado Trail in July!
***WHAT I DO WHEN I'M NOT BACKPACKING***
www.evanschaeffer.com
***CAMERA EQUIPMENT AND EDITING SOFTWARE****
Filmed with a Sony A77 and edited on a computer with Cyberlink Power Director.
*** SEND ME EMAIL ***
email: Evan.Schaeffer@gmail.com
Пікірлер: 91
Evan....I'm only going to say this one time.....please hike the PCT so I can watch your videos. I've watched your AT thru hike twice. Time for some new material. 🙏🤙🤷♂️😜
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Watch it a third time!
@LizKidder
Жыл бұрын
Haha I agree with Wayne
@waynerhodes5456
Жыл бұрын
@@LizKidder "Handstand"!! 🤙
@christyjohnson4563
Жыл бұрын
You and Liz do the PCT together!!
I really appreciated your practical check list to address, if/when the desire to quit is strong.
Hot dam. Glad you are back. Always great, interesting videos. I have enjoyed each and every one--lots more than once, I must say.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thank you very much - as always!
Great to see you! Sandals were the best improvement to my happiness on trail. My feet were begging for mercy and that was making me miserable. Thank you!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Wonderful! Sounds pretty much like my story …
Great tips, Evan! Totally agree on doing your laundry in the sink. Saves so much hassle. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. Happy Hiking!
Thanks Evan! Great information as always. Good luck on the CT!
Great video! Please keep posting.
Thanks for the tips
Wow, Evan posted! I'll be attempting an AT thru-hike in April and you were definitely one of my biggest inspirations -- thanks!
Great tips. Can't wait for your Colorado Trail videos.
Another great video. I've found the tarp and video-making videos the most helpful of all.
Great information! Nothing better than hearing another hikers experiences to improve our future hikes. Have an amazing 2023
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, you too!
As always it was a pleasure to watch one of your videos. Happy Trails
Great to see you are still into thru-hiking...looking forward to your CT hike!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Can't wait!
Great tips, Evan. Looking forward to your upcoming Colorado Trail adventure!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks very much Carl!
Can’t wait to see you on the Colorado trail. I bet that one will be fun.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Scott!!
Good stuff Evan , you have a nack for giving good advice !! I followed you and Liz on your thru hike !! I think about my 2021 thru hike every day !! SkidMark
It is always a great day to see you post a new video. I hope all is well.
Excellent video. Glad to watch another video from you. Hope you are planning another thru hike.
I have seen your AT thruhike vids like 3 times. So good! Thnx for all the content. I’m thru hiking the AT for a second time coming this April. -Matador
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
That’s great! Good luck on the trail!
@thegoodwaymatador
Жыл бұрын
@@EvansBackpackingVideos Thanks Evan!! Let’s see if I can get it done in around 100-105 days 👍🏾
That's the most unique and useful information I've ever seen in a hiking video. Awesome!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the video! A bounce box can be extremely useful as an international hiker without any domestic support. I used my bear can as a bounce box on the PCT to switch gear around when needed. Congrats on giving the CT a short. Don't forget the lightning rod! ;-)
EVANNNNN!!! Just here to say I got so happy this morning to see you put out a new video. I really enjoy your content and the way you explain things.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, that's nice!
Enjoyed watching this as I get closer to mine in 2024.
@UnboundCrow
Жыл бұрын
You're going to do a thru?!?!?!?! I'm so excited for you!
@KrizAkoni
Жыл бұрын
@@UnboundCrow Shhhh, lol, indeed! It’s going to be a strange late SOBO start that turns into a traditional NOBO. Eventually I’ll do a video explaining when it gets closer. 🤓
@UnboundCrow
Жыл бұрын
@@KrizAkoni Hehe! Awesome.. I can't wait to hear about it!
I'll be on the CT in July as well! Hope to run into you and Liz out there.
It still amazes me that you completed the AT in sandals. Great videos! Look forward to any CT videos you will hopefully make for us!!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Thank you for a great video. I am also planning on a stoveless AT hike. Love the info on water weight in foods. Always pre-rinse socks... got it! Thanks for inspiring me to hike the AT... I blame YOU🤣🤣🤣.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Sorry about that! Good luck on the trail!
Good, common sense tips, as always, Evan. Enjoy your CT prep! July will be here right after June. ;)
Fantastic! With even better timing! February 10 I start!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Good luck!
Thx!
Good luck on the CT Evan! I start on the AT on April 2nd. So much gear is still coming in and I'm pretty excited and nervous. I know you left later in April, but as you say, I wanted to build in some extra time for zeros or if I need to step off trail for a few days. I'll likely have to so it just makes sense.
@toejamr1
Жыл бұрын
The earlier you leave the better. The trail gets PACKED with warmer weather and it’s just annoying and disgusting when the crowds of thru hikers show up. Imagine camp sites totally full, privy’s totally full, hostels totally full. Not fun.
CT is awesome. Enjoy.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks!
Thanks
Hi Evan! I enjoy your videos. I'm particularly thankful you mentioned you will be backpacking the Colorado Trail in July! I'm new to backpacking and am probably very close to your age. I live in Alabama and hope to backpack sections the CT in July. I don't have enough time to do the entire CT. So I'm trying to prepare for about two weeks on the trail. Would be cool to meet you there. Thanks!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
I’m starting in mid-July. Shoot me an email when we’re closer to the start!
Good video. I watched you and Handstand since Springer. I liked your explanations about tarp set ups. Reminded of what we did in the Army with our ponchos. Audrey Adventures(AT2018) did the CT last year and posted some good videos about it. Good Luck, Rick
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
I’ve been watching those videos, thanks!
Hey Evan! Appreciate your videos and the great info. Any opinion on the “Permit” needed for videoing hikes in the Nat. Parks?
I’d be interested in a detailed video on the bounce box (I doubt many others would though) because I would like to thru hike the AT in 4-5 years but I am diabetic and have daily medical needs. There’s no way I can carry a full supply of meds, insulin and needles and would rather use a bounce box to only carry what I need plus a little extra.
Great video! I am delighted you are back! Looking forward to your CT adventure this summer
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
I just started watching your videos, and have one question that may have already been answered: did you struggle to find suitable spots to pitch a large-ish tarp on the AT? I'm trying to decide between the 6x9 Borah tarp, and a large one that would provide better protection from rain.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
8 ай бұрын
Mine was 8.5 foot square and there was no problem. I prefer square tarps because there are more ways to pitch them. Another point: with a larger tarp, or any tarp, you aren’t required to use all the material in a set-up. Some can be tucked underneath if not used in a pitch, etc.
" Let's just say I'm glad the trail ended in Maine because eventually I would have died " 😎🤣🤪🤣😀😂❤️👣 Too funny . I know exactly how that feels. I also finished in 4 1/2 months. Still laughing at your comment😂🤣 Have fun on the CT it's a great trail. I did that and 100 mile wilderness+ Katahdin in 2020~ Best always Evan ~Mad Rat
Watch out for velcro or hook and loop when washing everything together because it will destroy delicate things like base layers and socks. The delicates will find the velcro in the washer and dryer.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
I can’t believe I did a video about laundry!
@markburrell2778
Жыл бұрын
@@EvansBackpackingVideos Its always good to see you. Hope I see you at Trail Days.
Nice to have something hot to drink and eat. Tradeoffs.
You immediately inspired me when you said you could balance on one foot while watching tv. I got off the couch and watched the rest of your video while balancing on each foot. That was hard! Good tips Evan!!!!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
If you can balance on your hands, doesn’t that mean your feet are already good to go? 😅
@LizKidder
Жыл бұрын
@@EvansBackpackingVideos one would think but I do things backwards
@alexcraze4231
Жыл бұрын
Very useful suggestions! Thank you!
In your food comparisons, you are converting grams to ounces, and then comparing those to the container's fluid ounces. The problem is that the former (ounces) are units of dry weight, while the latter (fluid ounces) are units of liquid volume. A fluid ounce does not weigh the same as an ounce of weight.
e wolf...kinda agree but also disagree. flatlander....did some training....but not enough. i found the trail easy. people geek out on stuff too much. i could carry a 75 pound pack the entire way without problem . injury is the greatest obstacle...but even with injury...the trail is still doable. sailor jack
Had to quit my AT hike because of snow somewhere in Maine, however I managed to walk from Mexiko to Canada as a holiday from the AT on the PCT (2600 miles) and from Canada down to the windriver range on the CDT (all in 2022, 5500 miles in total). My two cent towards this video: Don't eat Spam and Tuna, when claiming to have thought about your nutrition. If in doubt, go to GearSkeptic here on YT.
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Haha, I don’t disagree! In this video, I used the word “nutrition” only to mean food as opposed to water-as in, “a feeding tube gives her both nutrition and water.” I did another video specifically about diet, which you may or may not agree with, but I filled it from top to bottom with caveats because I don’t like to preach about food. Now, let’s talk about you, as a hiker I mean. I’m obviously not half the hiker you are-not that I’m competitive like that. I always say I’m just a backpacker who thru-hikes now and then and got lucky enough to finish the AT. You on the other hand have done tons of stuff: I’d be interested in hearing YOUR tips and tricks. If you’ve posted them on Instagram please let me know. Thanks.
Did you struggle with ticks wearing sandals each day?
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
There weren't many ticks the year I hiked the AT. As for sandals, I'd say the ticks don't care whether you're wearing sandals, shoes, or boots. In all cases, they're looking to climb up your leg.
Do you have some of your art for sale?
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
No, sorry -- but thanks for asking!
Anyone going with you? (Handstand🙂)
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Yes, Liz Kidder of KZread fame! And her husband Luke too for at least some of it.
@stevelittle6356
Жыл бұрын
@@EvansBackpackingVideos Can't wait!!
@bill8384
Жыл бұрын
Liz hinted she was going to do more handstands this year🙂
where ya been bra
What about hiking in Lunas!! I hike (AT sections) and run exclusively in Lunas...except when it's below 35 and raining or snow. Begrudgingly had to come up with a shoe solution for that. Trying the Xero Mesa's with wool socks and WP socks over that. Found this the closest thing to the Lunas....no arch support, little cushion, and still can feel the ground. 2 questions: 1. How many Lunas did you go through on the AT? Guessing fewer than the standard Altras 2. Do you have a "shoe solution" for snow or close to freezing wet conditions? ...I get all the same questions I think you got..."are you hiking in flip flops?" and "don't you stub your toes?"
a caloric gram is NOT the same as a gram of weight!
@EvansBackpackingVideos
Жыл бұрын
Sorry if my explanation was confusing, but I didn’t mention “calories” in this video. I talked about the gram weight of macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate) but not of calories. Another example of the method I explained for estimating the water contents of foods is in this article at Scientific American, with emphasis on the last section, “Observations and Results.” www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-sleuthing-find-the-missing-ingredient/ Thanks
How can you hike the whole Appalachian trail if you are very poor?