20 Thru Hiking Tips in 6 Minutes for Your FIRST Thru Hike

Author Avatar

Oscar Hikes

Joined: May 2024
Spread the love

20 Thru Hiking Tips in 6 Minutes for Your FIRST Thru Hike


In this video, I share 20 thru-hiking tips for new hikers planning to do their first thru-hike. I not only share some tips on how to make your gear lighter but also how to stay safe and enjoy your thru-hike. Use these thru-hiking hacks and become a smarter hiker!

Part 2 (another 25 tips): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUvTWbl0PH4

▼…

source

Reviews

0 %

User Score

0 ratings
Rate This

Sharing

Leave your comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

31 Comments

  1. Enjoyed this, and even laughed in 2 spots.
    1. "Paper and pen helps you stay off your phone". HA!!! Such a generational issue. Younger folks often ask "How do you live without a phone?" Quite normally thanks. Did well before answering machines and microwaves too. ;P Digital cameras are sweet though. If you're going into nature where I live, you're not getting any reception without a sat. phone anyway.
    2. If you're going to nature in most US states, then you aren't going to find quinoa or couscous in local, redneck stores. That was fun.

  2. One more comment, now on the subject of "water bottles": I've always done it the same way as you: with PET bottles "for free". Here in Germany they aren't free because we have a deposit system. So you have to invest 25 cents per bottle… 😀 (if the barcode gets damaged during the hike, you can't return it) There are different thicknesses of material: the cheap drinks at the discount store usually come in extremely thin bottles, which is too "flaky" for me when hiking and they crackle constantly. The big brands have thick material, sometimes almost like glass – slightly heavier, but quiet and safe from damage. The shapes also vary greatly! Some bottles have recessed grips, which a strap holds well so that they don't slip out of the backpack. I'm always looking for a shape that fits perfectly with my packing options. I always buy different sizes (available: 0.25 / 0.33 / 0.5 / 0.75 / 1.0 / 1.25 / 1.5 liters) so I can measure water for cooking and for my coffee. So I keep 2-3 large bottles safely stored as a supply and a small bottle handy for drinking on the go.

  3. Hi Oscar!
    On the subject of "pasta" (I love it, so I guess I'm an "expert" 😂): there are countless varieties, the biggest difference is the packaging volume and the most important thing: COOKING TIME! (= fuel consumption). I find the same pasta shapes on the supermarket shelves with cooking times from 5 minutes to 16 minutes! Extremely thin spaghetti with 2-3 minutes is unbeatable. Spiral shapes are the most practical because they can hold a lot of sauce, but they are moderately voluminous. Nevertheless, this is my favorite variety, I usually find a version with a cooking time of 5 minutes. Then there are "soup noodles", which are very thin, 1-2 cm short noodles that cook so quickly that you can just put them in a soup and they are ready while the soup is heating up. You could also use them to stretch dehydrated "astronaut food" – add salt/seasoning, otherwise everything would be bland.

  4. I much prefer saturated fats, so grass fed butter and hard cheese. Nuts are super hard to digest and are generally loaded with oxalates. The science on saturated fats being bad for you is an outdated paradigm, you only have to look at how many doctors on YouTube are covering the benefits of a keto or carnivore diet.

  5. I'd just like to point out, that it's actually really quite bad reusing PET bottles more then a few times. When they get reused, carried around a while, beaten up, they release microplastics into the water. Having a decent, BPA-free water bottle is always a preferred option, and if you must reuse PET bottles, make sure to only do it a few times, not carry it around for a month…

  6. Ive been lacing my shoes like this for years, but take it 1 step further. I just dont use the bottom one or two holes at all. I start lacing further up so there is no lace tension at all, even on the very first hole.

  7. Oscar, this was amazing. I've been binge watching hiking channels on Youtube for almost two years. Dixie, Dan Becker, Kyle hates hiking to name a few. And This is the first time in over 6 months that I've actually heard NEW info that I had never heard before. That is quite a feat. Thank you for providing me with a useful way to restore the flow to my Sawyer! And for teaching me how to dry my socks overnight! I LITERALLY was thinking about that today as I walked my dog in the pouring rain this morning. I was like, "if we were backpacking I would have wet socks tomorrow morning. I need to figure out a way to dry them overnight." God was listening. LOLOLOL!

  8. When I did the At I would buy boxes of Nilla wafers and dehydrated milk and I would put the wafers and milk in a bowl until they made a kinda paste like oatmeal. Best thing ever

  9. Once I discovered the Neoair I could never go back to closed cell. I'm a side and stomach sleeper, the inflatable pad is non-negotiable at this point haha

  10. I take TRADER JOE'S "21 Seasoning Salute". It is a pre-mixed seasoning that we always use at home.
    Foam pads, Aaaarrrggghh! I hate them except for adding insulation UNDER an inflatable mattress in winter.
    I like CAMP COMFORt as well as trail comfort so I will carry a few (as in 6) extra ounces to get that sleep comfort.

  11. Spend the cash for excellent quality socks. Spend the cash for a very comfortable sleeping pad.
    You need good sleep and healthy feet or you will be miserable.
    The rest is negotiable.

  12. disagree on foam mat. you don't wanna sleep on this thin thing. it breaks your hips and shoulders. most uncomfortable sleeping mat out there