Podcast: Download (Duration: 27:34 — 26.1MB)
Show Notes: Episode 145
Today on the First 40 Miles, Are you a fair weather backpacker? This was a question Heather asked herself on our last trip. Then, we’ll share the Top 5 features we wish our gear had…nothing too crazy this time. Then you’ll learn the simple steps to make your own whole grain flatbread for your next backpacking trip.
Opening
- Are you a fair weather backpacker? Do you get frustrated when things don’t go perfectly?
- Story of one trip this summer
- The good, the bad and the ugly
- “If I hadn’t gone, none of this would have happened.”
Top 5 Features We Wish ALL Our Gear Had
Tabs
- How can you not love tabs!
- Great for hanging gear, connecting gear to other things, using your gear in new and innovative ways.
- Everything from hammocks to jackets to packs to water storage should have tabs
Reflective accents
- Some gear like guy lines, hiking shoes, or jackets are embedded with reflective material
- Makes it easy to find things in the dark
- Why can’t it be a part of all gear?
- Packs, clothing, water bottles, hammocks, shelters, stoves
Windows or translucence
- If you’ve ever brought an opaque water bottle on a backpacking trip, you know that it’s hard to gauge your water consumption when you can’t see your water.
- Well, it can be just as tricky with your other gear, too.
- Pack is opaque, stuff sacks are opaque—and wouldn’t it be great if you could see through them a little
- Great stuff sacks from Hyperlite Mountain Gear that are translucent
- I can see thru them enough to tell, “Oh, this is my toiletries” “This one is my stove and fuel.”
- It would help you find things faster
Reinforcement accents
- The whole pack doesn’t need to be made of bulletproof fabric—but how about just the bottom?
- Dyneema Composite Fabric
Pockets
- Specifically in clothing, but it’s handy to have pockets in tent, sleeping bag, and hammocks
- Pockets add weight, so it’s another tradeoff between functionality and weight.
- Stuff sack with pockets/dividers like the one we talked about in an episode.
Story from Listener
- 30 seconds to explain why he loves backpacking
Backpack Hack of the Week™: Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oil
3/4 cup water
Mix all ingredients. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 16 pieces. Roll each piece out to 6-8 inches in diameter. Cook on medium heat, both sides until speckled and cooked. Cover cooked tortillas with a kitchen towel to keep them warm and pliable (so they won’t dry out).
Trail Wisdom
On an unknown path every foot is slow. –Old Proverb