Rethinking My Pack - "Camp Shoes"

Been 'round and 'round on the idea of camp shoes. For my northbound AT section from Springer to Franklin, I carried a pair of VivoBarefoot Ultras. At 8 ozs, they were quite a bit lighter than the ubiquitous crocs. You can read my thoughts on them here. They're bulky, but I could strap them on the side of my pack such that they didn't flop around.

When I went home, I got more serious about reducing weight, and I left them at home for my sobo section from Katahdin. With all those river fords in Maine, they would have been useful. But I went without, taking my socks off and pulling the insoles out at each ford. The shoes dried out eventually. In camp I tied them loosely for comfort, and so that I could slip them on easily for a midnight call of nature.

What I wasn't prepared for was comunal showers in some of the less than pristine hostels ... My feet survived it, but I wished I had some flip-flops... More after the break

GSMNP Backcountry Permit System Is Online

https://smokiespermits.nps.gov/

Photos From The Trail

I'm in the process of uploading photographs I made while hiking the Appalachian Trail last year. You can check them out at http://billyfatjohn.tumblr.com/tagged/l.dog

Rethinking My Pack - The Big Four

Lightening my load seems to be a continual process. Leading up to my hike last year, I was evaluating options, deciding what to leave in, what to leave out ... When I limped home from my nobo attempt, I tore thru my pack, took some stuff out, and replaced other stuff with lighter stuff. After all that, I still sent stuff home from the trail.

Spring is coming, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the trail. I've been going through my systems, and have cut an additional half pound of stuff out of my first aid kit and my charging system.

Of course it didn't cost me anything to take stuff out of my pack, but what could I achieve by looking at the heaviest, big ticket items?

What I looked at, what the weight savings are, and what'd cost me after the break!