We’ve been getting ripped apart lately for our approach to ultralight backpacking. Over the last two months we’ve been helping our friend Luca transition from day hiking and car camping to backpacking. Along the way, we’ve posted videos about reducing the weight of his shoes, clothing, and gear. Responses have ranged from “It was at this point that I knew these two have no idea what they’re talking about” to “Brothers, this is deranged content.” We disagree, so we wanted to explain how we think about backpacking with a little more nuance than a 60-second video allows.

We were not always the kind of hikers who prioritized weight. Our first long hike on the John Muir Trail had us carrying extra luxuries like a portable espresso maker, several changes of clothes, and even a magnetic scrabble game (that we didn’t play once). A few years later, while prepping for the Pacific Crest Trail, our research taught us that most thruhikers carried way less than we did. If they could hike more than 2,500 miles with so little stuff, maybe we could too.

So, we got rid of some things and upgraded others. We brought our “base weights” down to less than 20 lbs each (base weight is the weight of a pack not including food, water, and consumables). We were worried: would it be as much fun to hike without luxuries like games? After starting the trip, we realized that having less stuff actually made our trips much more enjoyable.

A typical day backpacking used to mean several miserable hours struggling under heavy packs, followed by several amazing hours enjoying ourselves at camp. With lighter packs, the whole trip became fun. Our minds stopped fixating on the next time we’d take off our packs. Instead of repeating a mantra like, “just five miles to camp, just five miles to camp…”, we could soak up the landscape and get lost in interesting rabbit holes. With heavy loads, backpacking can feel like enduring the hiking part just to enjoy camp. With lighter packs, the walking itself becomes enjoyable.

As we moved north on the Pacific Crest Trail, we continuously re-evaluated our gear, looking for items that weren’t worth the weight. We mailed home an extra power bank. We ditched an extra carrying case for our stove. Eventually our base weights were closer to 10 lbs. The trip would take us from summer in the desert to fall in the Pacific Northwest, so we had packed for every kind of weather we expected to encounter. We realized we could use the mail system as part of our gear strategy, shipping seasonal items ahead to where we were more likely to need them.

But what about being prepared? We’ve been called unprepared more times than we can count over the past couple of months. One comment read: “Follow these people's horrible advice and you’re gonna get yourself in shitty situations.” We couldn’t agree more that being prepared for the challenges of a trip is crucial. But preparedness doesn’t translate to a single packing list that applies across all seasons and locations.

Being prepared for the desert can mean 10+ liters of water-carrying capacity. Being prepared for snow means heavy, waterproof layers. And being prepared for snowy mountains means traction: potentially microspikes, crampons, and/or snowshoes, depending on the conditions. But there’s no one rule to follow for all situations. It’s extremely important to pack gear (and backups) that match potential conditions, but at the same time, for a low-elevation summer hike in the desert… don’t bring snowshoes!

Of course, ultralight backpacking can become dogmatic or obsessive like anything else. Saving half an ounce doesn’t matter if you’re miserable or underprepared. When we talk about ultralight backpacking, we aren’t suggesting foregoing gear or taking extra risks in the interest of weight savings. We are pointing out something that we experienced first-hand over thousands of miles including two walks from Mexico to Canada: it is more fun to walk with less weight on your back. How someone achieves that is up to them. But giving weight some thought makes backpacking a whole lot more enjoyable.

- Renee and Tim

We “thruhiked” San Francisco! It was an experiment: is it possible to recreate the thruhike experience, but in one day in an urban setting? This was completely different from our usual wilderness thruhikes, but in many ways it was exactly the same. Before getting into what that was like, here’s how and why we ended up doing it.

Our first ultra-long walk changed us. We spent 4.5 months on the Pacific Crest Trail, in remote and mountainous areas most of the time, making our way from the Mexico/US border to the Canada/US border. It was the wilderness trip of our dreams, but it was so much more than that. It gave us:

• A sense of accomplishment: working toward a big goal every single day.

• A strong community: strangers turn into lifelong friends out there.

• Extreme simplicity: walk, eat, drink, sleep. Nothing else.

But our lives aren’t compatible with spending 100% of our time on long-distance thruhikes. This got us thinking: maybe it’s possible to do a thruhike without being in the wilderness! A sense of accomplishment, community, and simplicity are all possible to find in urban life, and since walking is where we’ve found them the easiest, why not walk a city for a mini thruhike!? We’re starting with San Francisco and already eyeing Los Angeles next!

We live not too far from San Francisco, and a bit of Googling led us to the Crosstown Trail: An approximately 20-mile route across San Francisco. We’ve explored the city embarrassingly little, so we loaded up our day-packs and headed up! Here’s the GPS track of our trek.

Our “resupply” stops were at restaurants and coffee shops instead of at post offices. The people we met were the residents of San Francisco instead of long-distance hikers. The landmarks we observed were historical and cultural instead of famous national parks. And the “trail magic” we found were free little libraries instead of strangers at road crossings handing out beer and snacks!

Like our walks from Mexico to Canada, thruhiking San Francisco gave us a feel for a place you just can’t get from a car. The route started on a pier in the San Francisco Bay, where we met fisherman who were having an unsuccessful day (been there 😅). We enjoyed a neighborhood coffee shop and met a local baker while she was dropping off the day’s supply of goodies! We heard a local band putting on a free street concert. We were routed through SO MUCH green space. We had no idea San Francisco had so many parks! We learned about rose season… because we missed the bloom despite walking through a giant rose garden. We ate at a remarkable hole-in-the-wall restaurant we never would have set as a tourist destination! And we finished the hike on the Pacific Ocean, just as the sun was setting over the ruins of Sutro Baths.

On this trip we saw San Francisco’s beauty, its problems, its food, and its people, all up close and personal. Cities are a patchwork of human spaces that you miss when you close the car door and drive in a capsule from point A to point B. The space in between, that you can only find while walking, is where there’s magic!

For the full recap of our San Francisco thruhike, here it is in video format:

Tim here. This past weekend I flew to Washington State for a challenging snowshoe trip in the Mt. Baker wilderness with my brother, Danny. Renee was initially going to come too, but foster-kitten and work responsibilities kept her home for the weekend.

Spoiler: We didn’t succeed. Danny and I turned around shy of our destination and headed back to where we began. The whole way down the mountain I pondered what that meant. From Mt. Whitney in December, to White Mountain in October, to this trip in February, several of Renee and my recent trips have not ended as intended. On this trip, while walking back to where we had started, I realized something important about how to interpret that, but first: the trip!

Danny and I intended to do a segment of the Pacific Northwest Trail from Baker Lake to the Mt. Baker Ski Area. This meant we’d have to ford Swift Creek, which is the river that could have killed Renee and me in June 2022. Danny and I hoped that the water level would be lower in February, but we couldn’t find a recent trip report with definitive information. From there, we would go up, up, up, into the mountains. Despite lots of research we weren’t sure what snow conditions would be like, but we decided to proceed and make sure to be attentive, careful, and willing to turn around if either of these obstacles appeared dangerous.

Swift Creek came first. It was not bad! The water came up to our quads but wasn’t moving fast enough to be dangerous, at least relative to our skill level. We completed the crossing quickly and we were energized as we proceeded.

As we climbed into the mountains we transitioned from a snow-free landscape to deep snow. But at the close of day 1, we were still making steady progress. We had a nice time camping overnight and headed into day 2.

This is when things got hard. We had only about five miles to hike between us and our destination, but we were moving slow. The snow was deep and powdery, so our snowshoes were not doing a great job of keeping us on top of it. Every step was tiring.

Then the trail got steep. We still hadn’t entered terrain that posed a serious danger, but our forward progress was moving at a snail’s pace. After four hours, we had only traveled 1.75 miles, and we had 3.5 miles left to go. 3.5 miles never felt so far! We realized that completing the trip would require a third day, and we hadn’t brought enough food for that nor the right gear to camp in the increasingly cold and difficult conditions. We decided to turn around. Not because of immediate danger, but because of exhaustion and being unprepared for an extra day on the trail.

Walking down, I thought back to December 2024 when Renee and I threw in the towel just shy of the Mt. Whitney Summit. And to October 2025 when we did the same before summiting White Mountain. And now I had done it again — this is the third time in just over a year that I failed to complete a journey. I couldn’t help but ask myself what’s going on? Have I lost my ability to persevere in the face of a challenge? It’s easy to tell yourself you’re being wise... It’s harder to admit you might just be getting softer.

It took some time, but I realized: no.

This trip was hard. According to PNT personnel I spoke to before heading out, doing this stretch of trail in February is “basically unheard of”. The same is true of Mt. Whitney in December — we believe we were probably the first winter hikers to attempt it in 2024. And the day we turned around on White Mountain there was a crazy wind/snow storm. Five years ago I wouldn’t have attempted these trips at all. I realized that “failing” on some portion of trips is exactly what I should be aiming for. If every trip was a success, it would mean one of two things:

1. I’m only choosing objectives I already know I can complete.

2. I’m refusing to turn around even when it’s dangerous to keep going.

I want to keep doing challenges that are right at the edge of my abilities so that I can improve, and I want to be wise enough to identify when a trip exceeds my abilities or preparedness so that I can make it back safely. Three failed trips in the last year don’t mean I’m losing my edge. They probably mean I’m learning where my edge actually is, and pushing it a little farther out each time.

So, here’s to many more “failed” trips in the future!

PS: We’ll be putting a full video of this trip on our Youtube channel — the intended go-live date is Saturday, February 28, at 6:00 am Pacific Time.

Ever since we began long-distance hiking our unofficial motto has been, “when in doubt, leave it out”. This approach has served us well for thousands and thousands of miles on the trail. To cover long distances you have to walk all day, so anything you can do to make the walking part more pleasant is worth it. For us, this means leaving out luxuries at camp (like games) to make the walking part itself more luxurious by placing less weight on our backs. But what about when covering ground isn’t the goal?

We love the outdoors; it’s like an earth-sized puzzle. When we’re outside we spend our time trying to figure out why soil is the color it is, why certain plants grow in one spot but not another, what routes animals travel, and on and on. We even used to volunteer for the Wisconsin DNR to help count wolves in the state by finding their tracks in the snow. Decoding nature’s puzzle is why we go outside in the first place. Walking far let’s us soak up a lot quickly, but another way to absorb nature is to stay in one spot and look more closely.

So, we decided to give that a try! We slowed down and went on a base-camp trip, staying in one spot for two whole nights and using a hot tent to do it. A hot tent is like a regular tent, but designed to safely accept a wood stove inside and keep things warm and cozy. The first time we saw one was when we were walking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. We were in the midst of two straight weeks of rain and were freezing cold. We walked past a tent with a chimney and a warm glow inside, right in the middle of nowhere. We were so jealous! It looked so pleasant, and we were so cold! For this trip we grabbed a lightweight[?] hot tent + titanium wood stove combo from Three Ridges and headed to the Sierra! (We couldn’t completely turn our back on our roots, which is why we got a light model, but the standard for light is different in the hot tent realm — our full tent setup weighed 12 lbs).

We skied only 2.5 miles into the backcountry to find a place to set up. On the way out we took our time by following animal tracks, snacking after only 1 mile of skiing, and searching hard for the ideal campsite. The spot we found was above a frozen lake and below a mountain. It was beautiful! Despite being only 2.5 miles from the parking lot, we had selected a direction that had us away from everybody. We saw no people anywhere near our campsite.

We got the stove lit and watched the temperature inside the tent quickly rise. It was 60ºF on the ground and 100º+ near the ceiling. It was very cozy inside. We spent our time cooking, talking, and absorbing the sounds. And slow was pretty much the story for the entire weekend.

On the second day we spent lots of time cooking a huge biscuits and gravy breakfast, we did a 5-mile ski exploration around the area, and then we went back to camp and cooked some more. Even though we only covered 1/4 of our typical 20+ mile day, a slower pace gave us more time to soak up our surroundings. It was fun fin! Back at camp, we spotted a marten running through our campsite. These guys are kind of like squirrels but they’re the size of cats, they’re elusive, and they’re rare to spot. We slept in on the third day before packing up and skiing the 2.5 miles back out to our car.

Tim’s pack was 44lbs and Renee’s was 33lbs. These things were HEAVY compared to our usual pack weight of <10lbs excluding food and water (or <20lbs fully loaded). But, that weight was only on our backs for 2.5 miles — then we dropped the packs and enjoyed camping! So we weren’t “ultra-heavy” for long, and the weight was totally worth it for the slower-paced trip.

No, we aren’t going to become ultra-heavy hikers going forward. But on the other hand, this trip reminded us that even we can enjoy a slower-paced trip from time to time. And the hot tent was SO FUN. We can guarantee we’ll be doing more of this type of trip in the future, especially in the winter time!

If you’d like to see more of the trip, we just put up a 48-minute video of the whole thing:

Four years ago we walked from Mexico to Canada on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) . The CDT has a lot of alternate routes and shortcuts, but we to stuck to the official trail the entire time (other than when the trail was closed due to fires). The Gila Alternate is an extremely popular alternate that probably 99% of thruhikers take. We promised ourselves we’d come back someday to experience the Gila. Well, that day finally came! Below is a day-by-day break-down from our journals on the trip. If you’d prefer to sit back, relax, and watch, this morning we posted a 52-minute video of the entire trip!

Day 1 – 13.2 miles, 1,700 feet of elevation gain

We got to a hotel in Silver City, New Mexico at 1am and there was rain in the forecast for the morning, so we decided to sleep in a bit. At noon we walked out of Silver City and into the Gila National Forest. We walked on the official CDT for about a mile, and it brought back tons of amazing memories! It rained lightly on and off during the day, and we even had small hail for ~1 minute, but we saw an awesome rainbow. New Mexico is beautiful, and we’re so excited to be back! -R

Day 2 – 17.1 miles, 3,400 feet of elevation gain

Our plan was to start early. But it was cold and we were enjoying the tent, so we got on the trail at around 8:30. Whoops. The day started out on jeep roads, and we started out wearing a lot of layers. As the sun rose it got warmer and before we knew it we had stripped down to just our sun hoodies. We left the jeep roads and spent a lot of time on single track trails climbing up to a relatively high saddle at 7,800 feet. On the way up we got enough cell service to post our first short video of this trip. But, cell service was very limited so it took a while.

As we started moving again we realized that it was already afternoon and we hadn’t walked very many miles. We picked up the pace, but it was obvious that because of the early sunset (5:10pm) we wouldn’t make it nearly as far as we had planned. We spotted lots of bear poop and some interesting tracks from a small mammal we couldn’t identify. When it got dark we started looking for a campsite. We found one a couple of miles before we are set to hit the Gila River and the many water crossings begin. It’s going to be a cooold morning, and we learned our lesson today — with the days so short, we have to start early if we are going to get this hike done! For dinner we had peanut butter pasta. Yum! -T

Day 3 – 20.6 miles, 1,500 feet of elevation gain, 62 river crossings

What an awesome day! We finally made it to the Gila River this morning! We started walking at 7:30am and everything was frozen. When we got to the river about an hour later, it was still freezing, and we were nervous about having to cross it 50+ times today. We took off our trail running shoes. We put waterproof socks on over our wool hiking socks and put on some hiking sandals. The first crossing wasn’t cold at all with the waterproof socks for insulation. We walked in our hiking sandals for the rest of the day. We followed the river upstream and counted 62 times that we crossed it! The river was gorgeous, and the waterproof socks and hiking sandals kept our feet happy. It was a sunny day and the temperature eventually got into the 50s. In the afternoon we spotted 5+ white-nosed coatis. This was our first time seeing them, so that was super neat! They ran up/down some trees and up some rocks, while looking back at us and hissing/barking. At 3pm we made it to a hot spring! We soaked for 30+ minutes, which felt great! It was warm-hot but not hot-hot (99 deg F according to my watch). In the evening we made it to “town” (a general store and RV park in the middle of nowhere with zero cell service), picked up our resupply package from Doc Campbells Post, and set up our tent at the RV park. Can’t wait to head back into the wilderness tomorrow for more Gila River! -R

Day 4 – 18 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain, 34 river crossings

It’s cold cold cold out here. We got out of camp at 7am and headed to the Gila cliff dwellings. Aside from the frigid air, they were really neat! On the floor of the dwellings there was 750 year-old corn cobs. After a 1-mile detour and 1-mile loop through the dwellings we headed back towards the Gila.

The trail took us high above the river and then we descended down to it. The descent was through a canyon and sandy creek bed with the canyon walls towering above us. When we got down to the Gila it was really cold and lots of the ground was covered in frost that didn’t melt all day. It seems like the cold air settles down here and with the high cliff walls the winter sun isn’t making it to all of the valley floor. At 2pm it felt like sunset and we could feel the temperature dropping. We called it a day at 4:30, before it got too cold, and had a fire at camp. Hopefully we don’t freeze too bad overnight. For dinner we had creamy pasta around the campfire. Yum! -T

Day 5 – 9.2 miles, 1,800 feet of elevation gain, 25 river crossings

Happy Thanksgiving! Today started with 25 river crossings over 3.5 miles. The scenery was beautiful, but the air and water temps were cold! Our feet were freezing! A few stretches of trail were a bit overgrown and frozen plants were cutting our legs (we wore shorts because of all of the water crossings). I think the river has been getting colder the farther upstream we walk. Day one on the river was a blast, and our feet were completely happy and not at all cold. But by day 3 (today), our feet were frozen and miserable. Our waterproof socks are fully soaked through, and we haven’t been able to dry them out yet because of the cold temperatures, so maybe they are less effective now?

After those 3.5 miles, we headed up a trail that took us up and out of the river valley. At the top we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the river, so we decided to stop early and make Thanksgiving dinner! Before the trail we freeze dried/dehydrated tofurkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, sweet potato pie, cranberry sauce, and apple pie. We had a camp fire and cooked up our feast, which tasted great. A hard 1.5 hours this morning turned into an amazing Thanksgiving day overall. -R

Day 6 – 20.4 miles, 2,100 feet of elevation gain

We took our time this morning. The campsite was soooo pretty that we were in no rush to leave. We started hiking at around 9am and decided to loop our way toward the Gila Cliff Dwellings (where we were two days ago) and exit the wilderness there. Our initial plan had been to go farther north, but we have really enjoyed the highlands above the river and this route lets us stay in them for longer (and in the cold river for shorter). We hiked past a TON of wildlife prints this morning: elk, bear, coyote, turkey. Unfortunately we didn’t see any of the animals. We made it to the road right after 4:30 and heard three cars drive by. Unfortunately we missed hitching with them by only a couple of minutes! There were practically no other cars for the next hour, so we made our way to an established campsite near the cliff dwellings and called it a night. Tomorrow we’ll try hitching again first thing in the morning. For dinner we had macaroni and “cheese”. Yum! -T

Day 7 – 0.6 miles

We enjoyed 3 coffees in our tent this morning. We were a bit nervous about the hitch because the highway dead ends at Lava Beds NM, where we were camped, so we figured there wouldn’t be traffic heading out towards Silver City for quite awhile. As we were packing up our bags, the first car of the morning drove by. Tim went out to talk to the driver, but she was headed to a trailhead to start a backpacking trip with her dog. About 30 minutes later, as we were walking the road to find a good spot to hitchhike, the same lady we talked to earlier pulled up. She suggested we take her car—she lives on the other side of the mountain, so if we drove her car to her house, she would be able to walk to her house rather than doing the out and back she was planning. Amazing!! Thank you so so much to Becky (and Cymba) for letting complete strangers borrow your car!! We drove Becky’s car to Silver City to pick up our rental car and went out for a big lunch. Then we dropped off Becky’s car at her house and started the long drive back to California. -R

If you liked this write-up, watch the whole video on our Youtube channel:

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We put our hearts and souls into this backpacking guide and recipe book! We hope you enjoy it! Get it at Amazon or anywhere books are sold.

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Exoficcio Give and Go 2.0 Boxers (mens)

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SaltStick FastChews

The best electrolytes! We bring them along every time we’re outside. And they’re PERFECT stocking stuffers.

Smartwool Performance Hike

Because no hiker can have too many socks. And these are really nice!

Darn Tough Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks

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Gift a 12-month membership to our substack

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Anker Nano 10,000 mAh Power Bank

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Our first dehydrator — this is perfect for someone just getting into dehydrating! We used it to make over 200 meals for our first walk from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail.

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Sambob Microgrid Hoodie

This pull-over is amazing!

Mammut Massone Light

Tim’s absolute favorite pants (especially off trail).

Ombraz Armless Sunglasses

These are great! No arms = no breaks.

Enlightened Equipment Torrid

The warmth of this jacket is unmatched, and the price is outstanding!

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Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator

Our favorite dehydrator! The one we use all the time.

Enlightened Equipment Revelation Sleeping Quilt

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We don’t expect many of you to head this far down the page… but just in case you’re prepping for some major trips or just won the lottery, here are some amazing items that are a little more significant than your typical holiday gift.

Harvest Right Small Freeze Dryer

Freeze drying is SO FUN. The smallest model is plenty big for the two of us. On sale now!

Zpacks Duplex Tent

You can’t go wrong with a Duplex. It’s the best tent we’ve ever owned. $50 off through November 28th.

Even More Ideas

Here is our Amazon Store with more potential gifts!

Here is our LTK with gift ideas and videos!

By the way, have you joined the 12K’s of Christmas yet? Join the Strava club, then run/walk/ski/snowshoe 12 kilometers at least once in the month of December, and you could win some sweet prizes including our Our book, SaltStick Electrolytes, Buff Head/Neckwear, A Sambob Microgrid Hoodie, Hyper Ice, Trail Goods, Dude Wipes, and a lot more!

Disclosure: We use affiliate links in this post, which may include Amazon affiliate links and others. We receive a small commission on some of products you buy. There is no extra cost to you.

We started the 12K’s of Christmas tradition in 2020 when we lived in Germany, 4,000 miles (6,500 km) away from our families, and realized that a virtual 12K would be a great way to stay connected! That first year, five people participated — the two of us and three of our family members.

But since since 2020 we’ve met a LOT of new friends on the socials, and last year more than 3,000 people signed up to do a holiday 12K! We’re blown away! We’ve had so much fun connecting with people we know personally and virtually as we all get out on the dirt, snow, or pavement and scramble our feet for 7.5 miles or so.

This year we’re doing it again, and this time it will be bigger and better than ever before! In the month of December we’ll have a different prize every week for those who complete a 12k. The list of prizes keeps growing, but includes:

• Our book

• SaltStick Electrolytes

• Buff Head/Neckwear

• A Sambob Microgrid Hoodie

• Hyper Ice

• Trail Goods

• Dude Wipes

• An Enlightened Equipment down quilt

• and a lot more.

Our goal is to get 10,000 people signed up to run/walk this 12K. That would be 120,000 Km’s (75,000 miles), of outdoor enjoyment between us all!

So, start TRAINING UP!

Join the 12Ks of Christmas Here!!!!

Here are the rules:

1. Each week in December we’ll announce the week’s raffle prize.

2. To be entered into the raffle, you need to be a member of the 12Ks Strava club and record at least one 12k run, walk, hike, snowshoe, or XC-ski (any other form of walk-like pedestrian travel counts too — not biking or boating).

3. We’ll randomly select a winner at the end of the week and announce them in the Strava group and on our socials (@thruhikers on all the platforms).

4. No purchase necessary. Some weeks the raffle will be US-only, others will be global. We’ll let you know each week.

And let your far-away friends know to do it too! This really is a great way to stay connected!

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Just for fun, here are the last three years of 12Ks of Christmas videos:

• 2022: https://youtube.com/watch?v=gxQchtCvwwo?si=E4bwq1nS2Bq_CWhd

• 2023: https://youtube.com/watch?v=M2trXMMwAhg?si=sQdw6IkdVEbBb1Re

• 2024: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UIFOUk8C2Ns?si=kaFlWEPS71LZsN2o

Renee just spent a week out of town traveling for work. So, all by my lonesome, I had to find a way to fill the time. What better activity than developing a brand new recipe for the trail!? Pumpkin and squash are Renee’s favorite foods, and this is the season for pumpkin and squash, so I decided to make something pumpkin-inspired. Since fall is a great time for curry, and because we took “curry lessons” from our friend Sabi, who owns an amazing restaurant called Maharadscha, I ended up putting together an Indian-style freeze-dried curry. If I can be my own judge, this one is outstanding!

If you have a freeze-dryer, freeze-dry it. If you have a dehydrator, leave out the oil while cooking and dehydrate it. If you have neither, just make it at home and eat it fresh! I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

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Recipe: Freeze Dried Pumpkin Curry with Quinoa (8-9 servings)

Required Equipment:

• A Freeze Dryer. Ours (which we HIGHLY recommend) is the Harvest Right Small Home Pro.

• OR: A dehydrator (in which case, leave out the oil while cooking). Ours is the Excalibur 9-tray.

• OR: A kitchen. This curry tastes just as good at home as it does on the trail.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked quinoa

• 4 cups water for quinoa

• 2 pie pumpkins chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 3 lbs, peeled and seeded)

• 2 large onion, diced

• 4 roma tomatoes, diced

• 1/2 + 1 cup water (for curry)

• A chunk of fresh ginger, minced (about half a thumb’s length)

• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced

• 1 bulb garlic, pressed (yes, the entire bulb)

• 3 tsp cumin

• 2 tsp garam masala

• 4 tsp coriander

• 2 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 2 star anises

• ~ 4 tsp salt (added throughout cooking)

• A couple splashes of olive oil (leave out if dehydrating

• Half a bunch cilantro

• Juice of one lemon

Preparation Instructions (at home):

• Add the quinoa and quinoa-water to a rice cooker and turn it on. Then forget about it — the rice cooker will stop when its done. If you don’t have a rice cooker, cook the quinoa according to package directions.

• Add a splash of oil to a large, nonstick pan, and sauté pumpkin until it softens and is browned on some sides. Sprinkle with salt and turn over throughout. (Sauté in water if dehydrating.)

• In parallel, add a splash of oil to a medium-large pan, then sauté onions and tomatoes over medium-low for a long time (at least 20-30 minutes) until they break down into a paste. Sprinkle with salt throughout. (Sauté in water if dehydrating.)

• Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, along with 1/2 cup water, to the pan and continue to sauté for about five minutes. Sprinkle with salt throughout.

• Add cumin, garam masala, coriander, paprika, turmeric, chili powder, star anise, and some more salt to the pan and sauté for another five minutes.

• (Notice that the onion-tomato mix has been cooking for a very long time. That’s OK, just keep an eye on the heat and turn it down to avoid burning. The flavors release as the food breaks down.)

• Get out a large pot, add the cooked pumpkin, the onion-tomato mix, and 1 cup of water. Add a second cup of water if it seems too thick, but one was enough for me. Sprinkle with salt. Set to medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes, until the pumpkin pieces are melting into the rest of the ingredients yet still retaining their independent shapes.

• Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Remove the pieces of star anise if you can find them.

• Spread both the curry and quinoa evenly on freeze dryer trays. I was just able to fit all of the curry and all of the quinoa onto the 4 trays that make up a full load in our small Harvest Right freeze dryer.

• Run one full cycle. I didn’t pre-freeze, and one cycle took about 36 hours. It probably would have gone faster if I had pre-frozen the trays full of food in the freezer.

• Package into 4 Mylar bags for two-portion servings on the trail, or 8 bags for single-portion servings!

Rehydration Instructions for the Trail (per serving):

• Empty freeze-dried meal into your backpacking cookware and cover with about 2 cups of water (two cups for two servings).

• Bring to a boil.

• Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes to rehydrate.

• Let cool and enjoy!

• Note: We expect this recipe to cold-soak beautifully, but since it’s brand new we haven’t tried that yet. To cold soak, add water and let it sit for about an hour, shaking or stirring occasionally. (If you do this method, please let us know how it goes!)

Video Instructions (Youtube):

Disclosure: We use affiliate links in this post. We receive a small commission on some of products you buy. There is no extra cost to you.

In our latest recipe face-off, Renee’s Savory Grits destroyed Tim’s Strawberry Banana Rice Pudding, but that’s only because the grits were just sooo good. Rice pudding was an outstanding recipe on it’s own, especially for folks who like to keep things sweet in the morning.

Even though this recipe isn’t this year’s champion, we wanted to share it so folks can try both out on their own out there. Let us know which you think should be the winner!

Recipe: Strawberry Banana Rice Pudding (~4 servings)

Required Equipment:

• A Freeze Dryer. Ours (which we HIGHLY recommend) is the Harvest Right Small Home Pro.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked sticky rice

• 4 cups oat milk

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 2t ginger

• 2t cinnamon

• 2t vanilla

• 2 bananas

• ~10 strawberries

Preparation Instructions (at home):

• Add rice, oat milk, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla to a pot and bring to a boil for 20+ minutes, until rice is cooked and mixture has thickened, then remove from heat.

  • The goal is a pudding texture (see here) — if it gets too thick before the rice is fully cooked, add water and keep cooking.

• Slice bananas and strawberries into bite-sized pieces.

• Mix bananas and strawberries into rice mixture.

• Spread evenly on freeze dryer trays and have your freeze dryer run a full cycle. Ours took approximately one day to complete.

• Package into 4 mylar bags for single-portion servings on the trail!

Rehydration Instructions for the Trail (per serving):

• Empty freeze-dried meal into your backpacking cookware and cover with about 1 cup of water.

• Bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat to your stove’s lowest setting and boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add water if it starts to get too thick — maintain a thick (but not burning consistency).

• Let cool and enjoy!

• Note: We expect this recipe to cold-soak beautifully, but since it’s brand new we haven’t tried that yet. To cold soak, add water to rice pudding and let it sit for about an hour, shaking or stirring occasionally. (If you do this method, please let us know how it goes!)

Video Instructions (Youtube):

1. Preparation

2. Rehydrating

Thruhikers blog.

At least once a year we hold a recipe face-off. Renee vs. Tim, two recipes enter, and only one comes out a winner. This time around we set the theme to be freeze-dried breakfast, and the stakes were high: we were tied 2-2, with Renee winning our first contest, Tim winning the next two, and Renee winning the fourth. That means best-of-five bragging rights were on the line, and we both went all-in.

Tim put together a strawberry-banana rice pudding, and Renee whipped up savory grits with kale and beans. Since we judge these ourselves we played to each-other’s weaknesses: Renee is biased towards sweet breakfasts and Tim towards savory. After cooking, freeze-drying, and assembling our meals, we packaged them in mylar bags and then headed out on a hike for the show-down.

After a fun cook-off that we took even more seriously than usual, it was time to crown the winner. Both meals tasted great, but Renee’s grits were really amazing. It is clear — Renee is this year’s champion, and for the first time in two years, she holds the title as our CRO: Chief Recipe Officer. Below is Renee’s winning Recipe.

Recipe: Savory Trail Grits (~4 servings)

Required Equipment:

• A Freeze Dryer. Ours (which we HIGHLY recommend) is the Harvest Right Small Home Pro.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old-fashioned grits (not quick)

• 4 tsp vegetable boullioun (Vegeta is our favorite)

• 1 can black-eye peas

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 cup oat milk

• 3 cups water

• 2 cups chopped kale

• Splash of olive oil

Preparation Instructions (at home):

• Bring water and oat milk to a boil.

• Slowly add grits and then vegetable boullioun.

• Reduce heat to low. Slowly boil for 15-20 minutes until grits are thickened (see target texture in photo below).

• While grits are boiling, put a little bit of oil into a heavy pan and sauté the kale for about 10 minutes, until it’s just a little bit blackened. (Since this recipe will be freeze-dried instead of dehydrated a little bit of oil is OK.)

• When grits are done, remove from heat.

• Drain black-eye peas and stir them into grits along with nutritional yeast and cooked kale.

• Spread evenly on freeze dryer trays and have your freeze dryer run a full cycle. Ours took approximately one day to complete.

• Package into 4 mylar bags for single-portion servings on the trail!

Rehydration Instructions for the Trail (per serving):

• Empty freeze-dried meal into your backpacking cookware and cover with about 1 cup of water.

• Bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat to your stove’s lowest setting and boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add water if it starts to get too thick — maintain a thick (but not burning consistency).

• Let cool and enjoy!

• Note: We expect this recipe to cold-soak beautifully, but since it’s brand new we haven’t tried that yet. To cold soak, add water to grits and let it sit for about an hour, shaking or stirring occasionally. (If you do this method, please let us know how it goes!)

Video Instructions (Youtube):

1. Preparation

2. Rehydrating

Thruhikers blog.

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We had already been backpackers for years and years when we set out on our first thruhike (the PCT), so we thought we already had a lot of the gear we needed... As it turned out, we didn’t! In the interest of going lighter, we ended up replacing our backpacks, tent, shoes, clothing, and almost everything else to make it trip-specific. Since then we’ve done more thruhikes, medium and short hikes, and long-distance canoe trips. Ultimately, we’ve used a LOT of gear over the years. Our favorites are always changing, but here is a compilation of our absolute favorite stuff that’s currently on the market. These are the items we’re currently reaching to first when gearing up for any 2025 trip.

Shoes:

Hiking: Topo Athletic Vista (These are lightweight, breathable, quick-drying, and durable. We love them!)

Trail Running: HOKA Speedgoat 6

Trail Racing: HOKA Tecton X3

Tents:

Top Pick: Z-Packs Duplex (This 2-person tent is crazy light, easy to set-up, and remarkably sturdy.)

One-Person: Z-Packs Plex Solo Lite

Cold Weather: Hyperlite Ultamid (with insert).

More Affordable: Big Agnes Tiger Wall (We used this tent on the PCT)

Backpacks:

Top Pick: Zpacks 50L Arc Haul (We’ve put over 5,000 miles on our Zpacks Arc Airs and they are AMAZING. They have been replaced with the very similar Arc Haul.)

Runner up: Hyperlite Unbound 40 (This pack is water resistant and super durable.)

Sleeping Bags / Quilts:

Tim Sleeping Bag: Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 20°F (Regular)

Renee Sleeping Bag: Feathered Friends Egret Nano 20°F (Small)

Quilt: Enlightened Equipment Revelation Sleeping Quilt 20°F (950 down)

Sleeping Pad:

Top Pick: Nemo Switchback (This is the orange accordion-style pad that’s always strapped to the top of our backpacks.)

Runner up: Therm-a-Rest Sol (This pad is very similar to the Switchback, but it’s a little more expensive and has been harder to find lately.)

Hiking Poles:

Top Pick: Black Diamond Distance Z

Runner up: Distance Carbon Z Poles (These are great, just pricey. The extra price vs. weight isn’t worth it for us, but it is for some people.)

Rain Gear:

Rain Coat: Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket

Rain Pants: Outdoor Research Helium Rain Pants

Cookware:

Pot: Olicamp XTS (1-Litre)

Stove: Olicamp ION Micro Titanium

Spork: Titanium Spork (Long)

Fuel: Olicamp Rocket Fuel (8oz) (Or whatever 8oz isobutane fuel canister is available when we resupply in town.)

Navigation:

GPS Watch: Garmin fenix 8 Solar Sapphire (with built-in topographic maps and a flashlight!)

Emergency Beacon: Garmin inReach Messenger Plus

App: Wanderfreund Trails (This is only for long trails in Germany. But, we developed it so we had to include it on this list!)

Power Bank:

Top Pick: Anker 10,000 mAh (The most popular and current one on Amazon. Dual-port wall plug (USB-C & USB); carried in a quart-size Ziplock bag for water protection.)

Runner up: Anker 20,000 mAh (We use this on longer stretches like Renee’s unsupported FKT.).

Note: Don’t forget your wall plug and cables if needed to charge during resupplies!

Headlamp:

Top Pick: Nitecore NU21 (USB-C rechargeable)

Runner up: Petzel Bindi (USB rechargeable. We’ve tested this one for thousands of miles, but we switched to the Nitecore recently to minimize charging cables.)

Water Filters:

Top Pick: Platypus QuickDraw (Fastest flow, easiest to back-flush, and has a cap for both ends that keeps water from getting into your sleeping bag on cold nights.)

Runner up: Sawyer Squeeze

Canoeing Pick: Katadyn Gravity BeFree Water Filtration System – 3 Liters

Socks:

Tied: Smartwool Performance Hike Light Cushion Crew

Tied: Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Cushion

Pants:

Tim: Mammut Massone Light Pants

Renee: Athleta Trekkie North Jogger Pants

T-Shirt:

Tim: Lululemon Metal Vent Tech – Men’s

Renee: Lululemon Swiftly Tech 2.0 – Women’s

Sunshirt:

Tim: REI Sahara Shade Hoodie – Men’s

Renee: REI Sahara Shade Hoodie – Women’s

Mid-layer:

Top Pick: Sambob Microgrid Hoodie (This hoodie is AMAZING!)

Runner up: Patagonia Capilene Midweight Zip-Neck Base Layer

Underwear & Bra:

Tim: ExOfficio Everday Boxer (Underwear)

Renee: ExOfficio Give-N-Go Bikini Brief (Underwear); ExOfficio Everyday Bralette (Bra)

Baselayers:

Tim Top: Smartwool Classic All Season Top - Men’s

Tim Pants: Smartwool Classic All Season Bottom - Men’s

Renee Top: Smartwool Classic All Season Top - Women’s

Renee Pants: Smartwool Classic All Season Bottom - Women’s

Bug & Bear Protection:

Bear Bag: Ursack Major (Bear-resistant bag)

Bear Canister: BearVault BV500 (Only where required)

Bear Spray: Counter Assault Bear Spray

Head Net: Sea to Summit Head Net

Bug Spray: Ben’s Spray Pump (30 percent DEET)

Sunglasses:

Ombraz Sunglasses have an adjustable strap instead of arms and hinges, so they’re much less likely to break on the trail!

Tim: Ombraz Classic

Renee: Ombraz Teton

Dry Bags & Sacks:

Top Pick: Zpacks Roll Top Dry Bag (10″ x 18″)

Runner Up: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Nano Dry Sack (13L)

Note: We avoid stuff sacks as much as possible, but we do each carry ONE dry sack to keep our clothing dry/organized in our pack during the day and to use as a pillow at night. (In case of heavy rain, we stuff our sleeping bag in there as well during the day.)

Snow Equipment:

Microspikes: Kahtoola MICROspikes (for traction in moderate snow)

Crampons: Kahtoola K10 (unlike most crampons, these are compatible with trail running shoes)

Snowshoes: TSL Outdoor 438 Up & Down Fit Grip

Ice Axe: Corsa Nanotec

Note: We only carry these items if needed. On our thruhikes of the CDT and PCT, we carried microspikes for the snowy sections of trail only.

Food Prep:

Dehydrator: Excalibur 9-Tray

Freeze Dryer: Harvest Right Home Pro – Small

Note: We use BOTH of these tools to prep food for the outdoors. The dehydrator is easier and cheaper, but it can only do so much. The freeze-dryer can prep more interesting foods (like Guacamole!), but it’s more of a process to run it.

Sports Nutrition:

Electrolyte Tablets: SaltStick FastChews Electrolytes (These are AMAZING because they’re so easy to consume.)

High-Carb Drink: Skratch Labs Super High Carb (During endurance races we get our calories through this high-calorie drink instead of solid foods)

Guide Book:

Top Pick: Admittedly, we’re biased, but it’s definitely Thruhikers: A Guide to Life on the Trail!

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This post originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

I (Renee) grew up enjoying tater tot casserole, but freeze-dried is the only way Tim’s eaten it! We used our Harvest Right freeze dryer to make a plant-based version of tater tot casserole that can be enjoyed on the trail… and it tastes AMAZING! We have eaten this on several trips, and it’s always mind boggling that something comforting can come out of a mylar bag 🤣.

Ingredients (serves 5 people):

Calories per serving: 470

• 12 oz Impossible Beef (could be done with regular)

• 1/2 large onion, chopped

• 5 medium carrots, sliced into rounds

• 8 oz frozen green beans

• 3 cups oat milk

• 5 Tbsp flour

• 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon

• 8 oz sliced mushrooms

• ~65 tater tots

• 1 cup water per serving to rehydrate

Before the Trail:

Preparation →

• Brown impossible beef with onions, DRAIN ANY EXCESS FAT to make sure this doesn’t spoil. Ccool and spread evenly on a freeze dryer tray.

• Boil carrots and green beans to soften. Let cool and spread evenly on a freeze dryer tray.

• Make plant-based cream of mushroom soup by simmering oat milk, flour, and boullion for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add mushrooms and continue to simmer and stir until thickened. Let cool and spread evenly on a freeze dryer tray.

Dehydrating →

• Spread frozen tater tots in a single layer on a freeze dryer tray.

• Freeze dry all ingredients. Split evenly into five servings. Package in Mylar bags with silica packets and seal.

On the Trail:

Cooking → Bring water to a boil and pour into Mylar bag (can also cook in a pot). Seal/cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

This post originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

We have been dehydrating food for backpacking and other adventures for over 10 years! Here are some of the things we’ve learned along the way about dehydrators, followed by our favorite models.

Fan Location

Choose a dehydrator with the fan on the top or in the back. (A fan at the bottom will get dripped on and be hard to clean.

Temperature Control

Choose a dehydrator with temperature controls. Different foods require different temperatures.

Capacity

Choose the size and number of trays based on your needs. For our 3+ month thruhikes, we use a 9-tray dehydrator to really dehydrate in bulk. For our shorter adventures, a 4-tray dehydrator is enough.

Shape

Square trays can be easier to load/unload than circle trays with holes in them, but we have had success with both.

Accessories

We also use dehydrator sheets quite often. Solid sheets (sometimes called fruit leather sheets) work great for dehydrating sauces. Mesh sheets work great for dehydrating smaller veggies that fall through the cracks of the standard dehydrator trays.

Brands

We have tried many different brands and dehydrators. We have had great success with both Nesco and Excalibur dehydrators.

Dehydrators we recommend:

Large: 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator

When we’re prepping 100+ meals at a time for our long trips, we usually use our trusty 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator. It has a large capacity (15 square feet), the square slide-in trays are easy to fill, and the fan is in the back of the unit. The only drawback is the dehydrator’s large size — we use a smaller model when we aren’t dehydrating in bulk.

Medium: 7-tray Nesco dehydrator

Our most beautiful dehydrator is our 7-tray Nesco dehydrator. It has a stainless steel finish, square trays, and its fan is in the back. This dehydrator has a built-in timer, which can be convenient so the machine can shut itself off if you are away. The capacity is intermediate — 6.6 square feet.

Small: 4-tray Excalibur

For smaller dehydrator loads, we love our 4-tray Excalibur. It is basically a miniature version of the 9-tray model with a much smaller capacity of just 4 square feet.

Affordable: Nesco Snackmaster

Our first dehydrator was a Nesco Snackmaster. It is affordable and reliable, with its fan on top. The circular trays provide 4 square feet of drying capacity as delivered, but additional trays can be added for expansion up to 9.6 square feet. Circular trays are more challenging to fill, but the trade-off is worth it for the cost savings if you are just getting into dehydrating.

Summary of Dehydrators to Consider:

• Nesco (Nesco shop, Amazon) makes several other great dehydrators. They are a budget-friendly option that is perfect for small to medium loads. Nesco makes high-quality and reliable products that we have never had fail on us.

• Excalibur (Excalibur shop, Amazon) also makes a wide variety of dehydrators with different features, such as built-in timers and large capacities. They are a little bit more expensive than Nesco, but they are the best dehydrators we have ever used.

• Budget dehydrators available from Amazon and elsewhere can be risky. The savings aren’t that great compared to reputable brands, but the reliability can be questionable. We have had noisy dehydrators, dehydrators that break after only a few uses, and some without important features such as an adjustable timer or a rear/top-mounted fan.

• If there are any outstanding dehydrators we are missing and should give a try, please let us know!

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This post originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

Mac and cheese without the cheese!? Count us in!

This is a thick and creamy macaroni that’s packed with veggies and beans. It’ll fill you up with calories, nutrients, and of course, protein.

Ingredients (serves 1):

Calories per serving: 650

• ½ cup (2 oz) macaroni noodles (6-7 minute cook time)

• ⅓ cup dehydrated canned pinto beans

• ⅓ cup dehydrated veggies, including cherry tomatoes, onions, kale, and carrots

• 2 Tablespoons powdered oat milk

• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1 Tablespoon flour

• 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric (for color)

• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional but yummy if you like a kick)

• 1⅓ cups water to rehydrate

Before the Trail:

Dehydrating →

• Rinse canned beans and dehydrate at 135°F until they are crispy (~8+ hours).

• For the veggies: Cut fresh onions into 1/2″ pieces. Chop Kale into 1″ squares. Chop cherry tomatoes into quarters. Julienne carrots. Dehydrate veggies separately at 135°F until they are crispy (~8+ hours).

Assembly →

• Put powdered oat milk, nutritional yeast, and flour in a small, light bag (e.g. a fold-over sandwich bag) and seal or tie shut.

• Put pasta, beans, veggies, bouillon, garlic, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and the small bag of powders in a sealable bag (e.g. a Ziploc).

On the Trail:

Cooking →

• Set the small bag aside. Combine water and other dry ingredients in a pot.

• Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir occasionally.

• Lower heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for two minutes (it will still look watery and uncooked).

• Remove from heat, add contents of small bag, mix thoroughly, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

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This post originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

From big and heavy to small and light, we’ve had a chance to try them out in the wilderness. What we’ve learned is that certain features are very useful, while others are little more than gimmicks that do little to enhance a backpacking trip — they’re just designed to get backpacks off of shelves.

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Here’s a Youtube Video going into the details of our experience with particular backpacks and particular features, but read-on if you prefer a written version!

The backpacks we explore in the video are a subset of backpacks that we are confident recommending. They are the:

• Zpacks Arc Air 50L DCF Backpack with 2 Belt Pouches, discontinued and replaced by the Zpacks 50L Arc Haul

• Hyperlite Unbound 40

• Six Moon Designs Flight 30

• ULA Ohm

• Osprey Exos 58

The most important factors to consider are:

• Capacity: Choose a backpack with the right capacity for your typical trip (volume and load).

• Weight: All else being equal, lighter is always better.

• Size: Take measurements and/or try on packs to make sure you get one that’s the right size for your body.

• Simplicity: Fewer unnecessary features means fewer potential failure points, and an easier-to-use pack.

  

Features we like include:

• Water Resistance: A pack made out of a water-proof (i.e. water water-resistant) material, such as Dyneema, makes trips more pleasant in inclement weather.

• Side Pockets: Our water bottles live in our side pockets, so the larger these are, the more water-carrying capacity we have.

• Hip-belt pockets: We always put small items, like snacks and phones, in our hip-belt pockets. It is frustrating when manufacturers charge extra for these (we’re looking at you, Zpacks).

• Load Straps: These let you adjust how your load is carried on the fly. In our opinion, all backpacks should have them (we’re looking at you, Hyperlite).

• Top Strap: We keep our sleeping pads buckled to the top of our packs, so we make sure any backpack we use has a strap on top that can be used to hold it on.

Features we don’t like include:

• Extra pockets: Whether it’s a “brain” that goes on top of a pack, or small pockets up and down the sides, these pockets can only fit certain items, and they don’t carry as well as a single large compartment.

• Extra zippers: Many traditional packs have a lower zipper that provides access to a sleeping bag. This is an unnecessary failure point that adds unnecessary weight.

• Excessive padding or loft systems: When padding exceeds the amount that’s essential for comfort, it just adds weight to a pack. We’ve found that if our packs are sized properly and transferring the load to our hips, only minimal padding is necessary.

• Water-bladder pocket: This might be a little controversial, but we don’t like or recommend water bladders, because they make it hard to assess how much you’re drinking.

Final thoughts:

All else being equal, a simpler backpack is better out there. It’ll be lighter, easier to use, and have fewer failure points. Keep this in mind as you shop for a pack, and you’re likely to end up with something you love!

Whatever backpack you choose, have fun out there!

We love our simple trail breakfasts of oatmeal and granola, but sometimes it’s nice to mix it up with a big and savory meal.

This Southwestern breakfast skillet has potatoes for carbs, pinto beans for protein, plenty of veggies for nutrients, and salsa for taste! Pair it with a few instant-coffees, and you’re sure to look forward to your next sunrise in the backcountry!

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Ingredients (makes 1 serving):

Calories per serving: 450

• 1 cup instant hash browns (e.g. Idaho Spuds)

• 1/3 cup dehydrated pinto beans

• 1/3 cup dehydrated veggies (peppers, onions, and mushrooms)

• 10 grams dehydrated salsa (about 1/3 of a 12-oz jar, dehydrated)

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• On trail: 1.33 cups water

  

Before the Trail:

Dehydrating → We start with more than a single-serving of fresh ingredients because it is hard to precisely predict how much fresh will yield a specified amount after dehydrating. We save the extra in mason jars for later recipes. To make three total servings of this recipe, 2 peppers, a 15.5 oz can of beans, a 12 oz jar of salsa, and an 8 oz package of mushrooms is more than enough.

• Rinse canned beans.

• Chop onions into 1/2″ pieces.

• Chop peppers into 1/2″ pieces.

• Slice mushrooms to 1/4″ thick.

• Spread veggies on separate dehydrator trays in single, even layers.

• Pour salsa onto a dehydrator tray and spread evenly.

• Dehydrate all items at 135°F until they are crispy (~8+ hours).

Assembly → Place all ingredients into a ziplock bag and seal. If storing for several months, place salsa in its own smaller bag, and put that bag in with the rest of the ingredients.

On the Trail:

• Combine water and all ingredients in a pot.

• Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir occasionally.

• As soon as a boil is reached, lower heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for one minute.

• Remove from heat, mix to distribute (especially the salsa), then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

This recipe originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

With less than 1.5 liters between us, we had to decide whether to walk backwards toward water we knew was there, or forwards, crossing our fingers that an unmapped water source would turn up…

We decided to go backwards on dirt roads that paralleled the trail, hoping to find an earlier water source. After backtracking 11 miles, we found the muddy cow pond in the photo above. Because of the 22-mile detour and the extra day on trail that it caused, we no longer had enough food. We had to add an additional town stop to our itinerary to resupply.

Sometimes you don’t know what a trail will throw at you, so being adequately prepared for the unexpected is always a good idea. This post describes our water filtration strategy (especially the Platypus QuickDraw and Sawyer Squeeze), which so far has kept us hydrated and has prevented either of us from catching unpleasant waterborne diseases like Giardia.

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Where to get water?

Proper water purification, like filtering, makes most water safe to drink. Clear mountain springs or streams taste the best and have the least filter-clogging sediment and algae, but lakes and rivers are fine sources for water collection too. We have collected water from beautiful sources, but also from cow troughs, green ponds, and even mud puddles in tire ruts when necessary. We always filter before drinking, and while filtering from sources in the USA, Canada, and Germany, we haven’t gotten sick yet!

How much water?

As a general rule, we each aim to carry about one liter of water for every five miles of hiking. When it is very hot out, this isn’t enough, and when it is cool, this tends to be more than necessary — it is important to adjust according to conditions. Different hikers have different drinking/carrying preferences. Our preference is to study our maps and only carry as much as we need to get to the next reliable source. Water is heavy (1 liter weighs 1 kg, which is 2.2 lbs)!

When we are camping away from water sources, which we do more often than not, we factor in an additional liter for dinner and another for breakfast (for two). Although camping away from water means carrying more weight for the final miles of the day to get to camp, it can be worth it for increased solitude and scenery.

Why do we filter?

Even beautiful-looking natural water sources along the trail can be full of germs. Giardia is usually our main concern, but contaminated water can cause other diseases too. We know several thruhikers who have contracted Giardia and had to take time off trail due to diarrhea and vomiting.

Our preferred method: hollow fiber filters

Hollow fiber filters like the Platypus QuickDraw and Sawyer Squeeze are our go-to type of filter for pretty much any trip. They are lightweight and durable, and they can be maintained in the field. They do come with a few drawbacks, which are highlighted below.

What is a hollow fiber filter and how does it work?

Hollow fiber filters are made of tubes with tiny pores that water can squeeze through, but bacteria and protozoa can’t. They usually have a clean side and a dirty side. On the dirty side, unfiltered water is forced (or sucked) into the hollow fibers, and on the clean side filtered water exits.

Unsafe biological contaminants, including bacteria such as e. coli, salmonella, and protozoa (such as Giardia), are caught by the hollow fibers and never make it through to the clean side.

Most hollow fiber filters have tubes that are too large to remove viruses or chemical pollutants, so these filters are not a good choice in areas where those are a risk. On most long-distance trails in the USA, such as the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail, pollutants and viruses are not a major problem, so hollow fiber filters are great for these treks.

Filter maintenance

Hollow fiber filters require some maintenance. As the filter removes particles and contaminants from the water, these accumulate in the fibers and need to be removed.

For most hollow fiber filters, this is done by “back-flushing”, which is the process of forcing clean water backwards through the clean side of the filter. It essentially amounts to running the filter in reverse. Back-flushing is simple and quick, and usually improves the flow rate of a filter.

For filters that are very clogged, it can help to gently tap the filter on a hard surface between back-flushes to loosen stuck particles. Tapping a filter too hard can break the filter or the fibers inside (Renee learned this the hard way when she punctured her Sawyer Squeeze on the CDT)!

Some manufacturers claim that any filter can be restored to it’s original flow-rate through back-flushing, but in our experience this is not the case. We have gone through several Sawyer-brand filters that were extremely clogged and no amount of back-flushing improved the situation.

Hollow fiber filters will break if frozen. This makes them a poor choice for winter hiking. When freezing temperatures are a threat but not the norm, for example early or late in the hiking season, we avoid letting our filters freeze by sleeping with them in our sleeping bags overnight. If it is still below freezing during the daytime, we hike with the filters in a jacket pocket. (We also learned this the hard way by leaving our Sawyer Squeeze on a below-freezing night.)

Filter brands/models

We discovered Platypus QuickDraw filters in 2021. After using them for over 4,000 miles, they remain our go-to filters today! They have a higher flow-rate than any other hollow fiber filter we have used, and in contrast to most hollow fiber filters, there is a way to check if they have been broken through freezing or dropping. They are also easy to back-flush. They include caps on both ends which is convenient for keeping the clean side from getting contaminated and keeping the dirty side from leaking into a sleeping bag on cold nights.

Sawyer filters, including the Squeeze, Mini, and Micro, are very popular on long-distance trails. They are simple and light. In our experience the Squeeze is the only Sawyer with an acceptable flow-rate, but even this filter clogs relatively quickly and can be hard to restore to a good flow-rate.

Sawyers have been around for a long time and are very popular among long-distance hikers! (We have used the Sawyer Squeeze for ∼5,000 miles and the Sawyer Mini for ∼2,650 miles.)

When we were canoeing the Columbia River, we relied heavily on our Katadyn BeFree. It included a large gravity-driven collection bag that we filled up from the river and then strung to the front of the canoe so it filtered water without us having to do any work. For hiking, this one isn’t our favorite (it’s a little slower and clogs more quickly than others we’ve used), but for a gravity-fed system it is great.

Another brand of hollow fiber filters that is frequently seen on long-distance trails is the LifeStraw, but our experience with these is limited.

Other water purification systems

Here are a few other water purification methods we’ve used, but there are many others out there…

Water Purification Tablets

→ Water purification tablets are lighter and require less work than water filters. Tim opted for tablets on his recent hike setting the Ozark Trail Unsupported Fastest Known Time because of their simplicity. They use chemicals like iodine or chlorine Dioxide to kill bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. You just put a tablet in your water bottle and wait about 30 minutes (see manufacturer’s directions). The downsides are you have to wait, they do not get rid of sediment, and some may make your water taste funny.

Ceramic Filters

→ Ceramic pump-style filters are also available on the market. You do not have to worry about freezing these filters. The downsides are that these are bigger and heavier than most of the other options mentioned in this post. We do not recommend them.

Boiling

→ Boiling water also kills bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. If you are already bringing a pot, stove, and fuel for cooking, no extra gear is required. The downsides are you have to wait, use fuel, and boiling does not rid of sediment.

This post originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

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Sleeping on the ground is not the same as sleeping on a bed. The ground is low, hard, and often cold. Hikers and campers typically use a sleeping pad for comfort and insulation, but a never-ending debate amongst outdoors-people is whether to use an inflatable pad or a simple closed-foam pad like those pictured above.

We are both all-in on the side of closed-foam. We used Therm-a-Rest Z Lite sleeping pads on our Pacific Crest Trail thruhike, and we used Nemo Switchbacks on the Continental Divide Trail and Pacific Northwest Circuit. But, some hikers abhor them and opt for inflatables like the NeoAir UberLite instead.

Let’s put both types of pads against each other in terms of weight, warmth, comfort, durability, packability, and bonus features — so you can decide which comes out on top for you!

In the below comparisons, we’ll speak specifically from our experiences with Z Lites on the Pacific Crest Trail and inflatables on various shorter trips.

Convenience:

Closed foam pads are extremely easy to use: you just unfold them and they’re ready to go. After a long day of hiking, this simplicity is worth a lot.

Inflatable pads need to be inflated before they’re ready to use. Many hikers dread blowing up their sleeping pads each night and deflating them in the morning. Battery-powered pumps are becoming more and more popular to see in use, even by ultralight hikers, to avoid the displeasure of blowing up a pad. With closed-foam pads, folding/unfolding takes no more than one second.

Convenience Winner: closed foam

Weight:

Closed foam pads are light. Inflatable pads can be light. Here are specs from a few popular pads to demonstrate:

Closed-foam:

Therm-a-rest Z-lite short/long: 10 oz / 14 oz

Nemo Switchback short/long: 10.5 oz / 14.5 oz

Inflatable:

Exped Ultra 5R medium/long-wide: 20 oz / 29 oz

Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite NXT short/large: 11.5 oz / 17 oz

Closed-foam pads are always among the lightest options available, while inflatables come in a huge range of weights. Innovation in recent years has reduced the weight of inflatables to make them competitive with closed-foam pads, but in doing so, the price of these has risen several times more than that of a closed-foam pad.

We save weight by using short pads that don’t go all the way down to our feet. We have no regrets about this — we have used long pads as well, and the sacrifice is negligible.

Weight Winner: closed foam (unless you spend crazy $$)

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Warmth:

Based solely on R-value (a measure of insulation), inflatables outperform closed-foam pads. But, on cool and cold desert and mountain nights, our Z Lite and Switchback closed-foam pads have insulated us from the ground very well. We’ve even used them directly on snow several times.

Our coldest-ever camping experience was the result of an inflatable pad failing. We were winter camping in Northern Wisconsin with the overnight low dropping to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 C). One of our inflatable pads punctured, it was too cold for the glue in the patch kit to work, and the experience was unpleasant and dangerous. Ever since, we have relied on closed-foam pads for warmth since they insulate well and do not fail. (But on extremely cold winter camping trips, it’s a good idea to double-up with an inflatable and a closed-foam pad.)

That being said, closed-foam pads are not waterproof. If there is considerable water leaking into your tent, both the Z Lite and Switchback can soak up the water like a sponge and transfer it to your sleeping bag. We avoid this by being extremely careful to keep water out of our tent.

Warmth Winner: closed foam (in contrast to popular opinion)

Comfort:

Comfort is a deal-breaker for many would-be users of closed-foam pads. Inflatables provide several inches of loft, while closed-foams give less than an inch between you and the ground. That said, we both find them quite comfortable. They are akin to sleeping on a very firm mattress. They make the ground soft, but not compressible.

Admittedly, we spent years at home sleeping on a Korean-style floor mattress (2.5″ of padding placed directly on the floor), so we may be biased toward firm mattresses in general.

Still, we are both side-sleepers more often than not, so the frequently repeated claim that closed-foam pads aren’t good for side sleepers does not hold true for us. For others, a few nights of use might be all it takes to acclimate to the firmness of a Z Lite or Switchback.

A point worth noting for light sleepers (or those who camp near light sleepers) is that most inflatable sleeping pads make an incredible amount of noise while users toss and turn during the night. Closed-foam pads, in contrast, are entirely silent.

Comfort Winner: Inflatable

Durability:

Inflatable pads are balloons. Like all balloons, punctures render them useless. Camping locations with prickly objects, like thorns in the desert, are particularly prone to puncturing inflatable pads. They usually come with patch kits, and the patch kits usually work, but not always.

The best part about closed foam pads like the Z Lite is that they don’t break. They can’t break. On the PCT, we witnessed several hikers with inflatable pads dealing with punctures like any other chore: filtering water, brushing your teeth, patching your punctures. Even the best inflatable pad in the world becomes completely useless when punctured. Since it is impossible for a closed-foam pad to puncture, re-inflating, hole patching, and pad-less sleeping are not a part of our trail experience. But, over time, they will compress (see below).

Durability Winner: Closed-foam

Portability/packability:

Inflatable sleeping pads are very small when deflated, sometimes no bigger than a water bottle. Closed-foam pads fold or roll up, but they do not compress. So, there are few places to put them except for strapping them to the outside of your pack.

On our trips of any length, having our pads on the outside of our packs has rarely been an issue. The exceptions are on very windy days when we have to deal with pads flapping around, and on rainy days when they have to be wrapped in a garbage bag to keep dry (because they will soak up water).

But, having your sleeping pad easily accessible on the outside of your pack comes with perks. It makes it simple to grab without a second thought to use as a sitting pad during breaks, or to lie on during afternoon siestas.

We’ve been surprised to realize how many backpackers carry sitting pads in addition to inflatable sleeping pads to use during breaks. When you spend lots of time sitting on the ground, an additional layer of protection from moisture, dirt, rocks, and cold is great. When using closed-foam pads for sitting, we often fold them in half for extra softness.

Portability/packability Winner: tie

Here’s an ancient video of us reviewing our Z-Lite pads:

Note: This was filmed before we had much of any video-making experience 😅

Here’s a skit about why we don’t use inflatable pads (also from our early video-making days):

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This post originally appeared on the Thruhikers blog.

WOW — that was hard. I (Tim) just hiked 234 miles in 4.5 days to set the unsupported speed record (“fastest known time” or FKT) on the Ozark Trail.

After being inspired by Renee’s FKT last summer, I wanted to test myself and see if I had it in me to set a record of my own. I was hoping to average 60 miles per day and finish in under 4 days, but I didn’t quite pull that off. Moisture plagued my feet the entire way, and I quickly re-focused on just beating the existing record of 4 days, 11 hours, and 28.5 minutes.

I did beat that by just over 2 hours, averaging 53.4 miles per day, and the feeling of accomplishment was totally worth everything I went through to get there!

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Ozark Trail FKT Stats

My record is now live on the Fastest Known Time website for the fastest unsupported time to hike the Ozark Trail.

Distance: 234.24 miles (377 km)

Time: 4 days, 9 hours, 24 minutes

Average per day: 53.36 miles (85.9 km)

Old Record: 4 days, 11 hours, 28.5 minutes

Total tick count: 115

Turtle count: 14

If you’re curious about Tim’s Ozark Trail gear, you can find the complete gear list on our blog: Read it here!

Recovery Process

I had just two things on my mind for the final miles of the trip:

1. Taking my shoes off; and

2. Sleep

Renee was waiting for me at the finish line, and after way too few pictures, we went over to a grassy area and laid out my sleeping pad. I took off my shoes, ate a bit, and then fell into a deep sleep.

I slept the entire 2-hour car ride back to the hotel, and then after a quick bath and tick check, fell fast asleep.

I had to wake up on time the next day to work remotely, but I worked from bed because my feet were not functioning well. Trench foot (graphic content warning) had set in during the hike, and my feet were becoming infected and swelling like balloons. I did the following to treat them:

• “Injected” [squeezed] antibiotic ointment into the open blisters

• Kept my feet raised as often as possible

• Soaked my feet 3 times in Epsom salts + iodine

• Applied moisturizer daily to help the skin that survived the hike

By 4 days after the hike, I was clearly on the road to a full recovery.

But, about 10 days post-hike, I started feeling nauseous. Until this point, I was taking painkillers for my feet, and I really don’t know if that had been covering it up all along. Since I removed at least 115 ticks from my body over the course of the hike, some of which had attached themselves, it was possible that I had been infected with Lyme or another tick-borne illness. I went to urgent care and was prescribed antibiotics, just in case. Just hours after the first dose, I felt better, whether from the ticks or a lingering foot infection, the doctor’s visit was a good idea.

It’s now been over two weeks since I finished the hike, and as of this writing, I’m back to 90% health — I even just went for a short run, and my feet pretty much cooperated.

Advice For Future FKT Attempts

This trip was a success! But that doesn’t mean it was executed perfectly. We learn on every adventure, and here are some of my main learnings and reflections post-FKT:

1. An Ozark Trail FKT should be attempted in the fall when there’s less moisture on the trail and river levels are down.

2. Even when my socks were wet, wringing them out after a stream crossing to the point of only being only damp was extremely helpful.

3. I did not have time at camp to rehydrate food. But my rehydrated food tasted sooo good. Next time, I’ll accept that it should be rehydrated on the go and eaten while walking.

4. I can sleep without a tent in the rain. Maybe it’s just because I was so tired, but it really wasn’t too bad, and my sleeping quilt kept me warm even in moderate rain.

5. When exhausted, my favorite sleeping position is in a sitting position, leaning on my backpack against a tree. I discovered this on night 3, and from this point on, my 1-hour naps were more refreshing than the 1.5-2.5 hour sleeps I took on nights 1 & 2.

6. I did not learn how many miles-per-day my muscles would be capable of achieving if my feet had cooperated… this has me really curious if I could have achieved or exceeded my 60-mile per day goal, and might mean another FKT, on a drier trail, is in my future…

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FROM THE BLOG

Hungry for more? Our blog has daily write-ups of my experience on the trail: https://thruhikers.co

RECENT VIDEOS

Our social channels and YouTube are full of videos from the trail, and some highlights worth checking out include a video of my foot condition immediately after finishing, and soon, a full-length video of the entire trip is coming to our YouTube!

Tim’s OFF on the Ozark Trail!

Welcome back to Trail Magic, our newsletter to update all of you on what’s going on in our outdoor world. Since the most exciting event for us right now is Tim’s attempt to set the unsupported Fastest Known Time on the Ozark Trail, we’re going to focus this edition of Trail Magic entirely on that!

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This is only our second Trail Magic newsletter, so we wanted to remind you about these regular musings we’re sending out on a ~monthly basis. We’ll talk about our favorite gear, share recipes, talk about recent adventures, and much, much more.

In each Trail Magic post, we’ll always touch on (3) core themes:

• FOOD: If you know us, you know we love good trail food. That’s why we make our own. Here, we’ll share our favorite recipes (new and old favorites) to inspire your very own dehydrated and freeze-dried culinary endeavors.

• GEAR: We love to share more about our favorite gear — especially in the ultralight and cottage brand categories. Here in Substack, we’re sharing our unfiltered takes on what works… and what doesn’t.

• ADVENTURE: Want to know what trails we’re hiking, where we’re going next, and what (big) adventures we’re planning? Here’s where we’ll dive into these details.

FOOD

We developed a brand-new recipe for Tim’s Ozark Trail hike: freeze-dried quiche! The inspiration behind this recipe was to come up with something as satisfying as a meal, but as easy to eat as a bar.

After having great success using our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer to make freeze-dried pies and enjoying them dry & crunchy, we put on our thinking caps to figure out if there is a meal that would work in the same format. That’s when it hit us that quiche might be just the thing!

We eat a plant-based diet, so we figured out how to make mock-eggs out of mung bean flour, miso paste, spices, and water, and then used these to mix up four different quiche flavors: chorizo-broccoli, fajita, mushroom-spinach, and potato-chorizo. All of the details to make the chorizo-broccoli quiche are in this video, but let us know if you’d like a written version – if we get enough requests, we’ll put it on our website!

GEAR

As for many long-distance hikers, water filtration is a topic of frequent discussion for us. We’ve tested tons of water filters, and on 99% of our trips we go with hollow-fiber filters like the Platypus Quickdraw (our favorite) or Sawyer Squeeze. But for his FKT attempt, Tim is using iodine tablets!

The reason for this is to save time. When Renee set the unsupported FKT on the Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail last summer, she wasted a TON of time sitting next to streams filtering water. Over the course of a long trip, any water filter will slow down as it gets filled up with sediment, and there’s only so much you can do in the field to clear it out.

Based off of Renee’s experience, Tim decided to chemical-treat his water so that he wouldn’t have to do any manual filtering. He’ll just drop the tablets into his water bottle, then throw the bottle back in his backpack, and wait 30 minutes until the water is safe to drink. A common complaint about iodine tablets is that they introduce a chemical taste into the water, but for ~4 days, he’s confident he’ll be able to handle it!

ADVENTURE

Ozark Trail FKT Attempt

As of right now, Tim just posted his starting video for his [hopefully] record-setting hike on the Ozark Trail! His goal is to complete the 230-mile trail in 4 days, averaging just under 60-miles per day. That gives him a little bit of breathing room to set the record – it is currently 4 days, 11 hours, and 28.5 minutes (51.4 miles per day). That’s more miles per day than he has ever hiked, so time will tell if he can do it.

The trail won’t be a walk in the park: it has plenty of elevation gain, it can be overgrown, it’s full of ticks, and it crosses an enormous number of streams. But, it’s a special trail for both of us because we spent a few years living in Columbia, Missouri, not far from the Ozark Trail, and while there we hiked it every chance we got. We even volunteered on a crew to do some trail building on the Ozark Trail back in 2017.

Tim’s very excited to see if he’s capable of joining the club of people who set FKT’s, and as the trip has approached he’s gotten more and more nervous about whether or not he has it in him. I (Renee) warned him that he’d get nervous as the trip approached, and it’s been interesting watching him get more and more nervous as it comes up. Let’s hope he can do it!

We will have a long Youtube showing how Tim prepped for the Ozark Trail our Youtube channel soon!

FROM THE THRUHIKERS’ BLOG

Tim will be posting write-ups from each day on the Ozark Trail as he completes them! Stay tuned to our blog for the latest!

If you’re curious about the full list of gear Tim will be using on his hike, we just posted his complete gear list on our blog: check it out!

LATEST VIDEOS

• Starting my Ozark Trail speed record attempt

• 6,000 calorie-per-day nutrition plan for the Ozark Trail

• Coming this weekend: A long Youtube video on Tim’s Ozark Trail prep