[pct-l] Top Ten Discovered Gear/Practices

[Eric Martinot]

The following is my personal "top ten" list of gear and practices that  
were learned/discovered over time during long-distance trekking.  Most  
will be obvious to readers, and are not intended as recommendations,  
HYOH as everyone says, and also learn your own lessons (LYOL), but I  
thought anyway to simply share my personal discoveries.  Everyone has  
favorite brands of gear, clothes, etc. and debates their merits and  
weight, but I thought to write "beyond brands."  (And besides the  
often-seen tent vs. tarp, sleep-system, and clothing-type  
discussions.)  Anyone want to give their own?

1. Trekking poles.  Started section hiking for a few years without  
them, then started using them and they made such a huge difference.   
Reduces wear on the knees going downhill, use to push yourself along  
when really tired at day's end, frees up the feet to merely push ahead  
and not be involved in balance and lateral stability, but mostly  
promotes mind/body/spirit balance with the rhythm and arm involvement.  
Poles become a part of my body; when I broke a pole once slipping on  
wet rocks it was like breaking my arm.

2. Headlamp with mid-beam for night hiking.   Started using a Petzl  
basic lamp for in-camp use and emergencies, but the on-off switch was  
junk, unreliable and intermittent (probably fixed by now, that was 15  
years ago).  So upgraded to a Princeton Tec EOS and that was one of  
the best things I ever did.   The EOS has a normal beam good for  
75-100 hours, but also a mid-beam good for 10 hours and a high-beam  
good for 1 hour.  Never use the 1-hour high beam, but the 10-hour mid- 
beam is perfect for night hiking, much better than a normal 100-hour  
LED beam, and I started night hiking and found I really enjoyed it,  
sometimes hiking all night long, but mostly for 2-3 hours before  
sunrise to avoid the daytime sun/heat.  Not promoting the EOS  
specifically, just the quality of that type of beam.

3. Good pair of polarized sun glasses.  Started by using a cheap pair,  
thought naively all sunglasses were the same.  A good pair of  
polarized sun glasses was the best $80 I ever spent.  Made a huge  
difference in being out in the sun all day on sections with no shade  
-- no more headaches or mental feeling of "sun saturation."

4. Double-wrapping boot laces for downhills.  When wearing high-top  
boots (yes, I know, no thru's do that anymore), the best lesson I ever  
got from a fellow hiker was how to double-wrap laces on the top  
eyelets to make the top of the boot more secure against the ankle for  
long multi-hour downhills, to reduce pressure on the front of the  
foot.  Too snug for normal walking, but for long downhills, my feet  
never hurt after that.

5. Only one set of clothes.  Started hiking with multiple changes of  
clothes, even street clothes (jeans) for the end, that was back when  
pack weight was 50 lbs!   Over time, learned ultra-light, which is now  
a given for everyone reading this of course, but was a good lesson for  
me how only one set of clothes, layered such that everything could be  
worn simultaneously, is sufficient.   I do carry two pairs of socks  
and undershorts, wash one set every day and dry on the back of the  
pack.  Nothing new here, but still on my list.

6. "Zen scan" before departing rest stops or campsites.  After leaving  
a few things behind at rest stops or campsites from hurried  
departures, including socks drying on rocks, learned the "zen scan" of  
an area before hiking off -- a meditative deliberate pause to stand  
still and scan the whole area, absorbing what it looks like without me  
or my things.  Of course, most thus's have a routine that becomes  
mechanical in precision such that anything not packed is immediately  
known, but still, the scan gives me peace of mind, if nothing else, so  
I don't have to dwell on whether I left something.

7. One titanium 900 ml pot, one lexan spoon.  That's my kitchen and I  
love the simplicity, no extras, just eat what can be cooked and eaten  
with one small pot and one spoon.  Helps that I'm gluten intolerant so  
can't eat pasta anyway.

8. Pump water filter.  Lots of water treatment methods discussed,  
don't like the chemicals of tablets in my body, tastes awful, takes  
too long.  Don't want to risk illness, so filter everything, no  
exceptions, never got sick.

9. Powered miso soup.  Really hits the spot after long day for someone  
who doesn't drink tea or coffee or hot chocolate, takes a second to  
make before main course.

10. "Wet ones" anti-bacterial wipes with t.p.  The resealable travel  
pack size, 15 to a pack, use two per day, one for the bottom and one  
for the hands.  Used to get painful bottom rashes and sores, but when  
I started using these, no more problems, really made a big  
difference.  Three zip-locs refreshed after each section, one for the  
unused t.p., one for the used wipes and t.p. (LNT), and one to contain  
the other two plus the travel pack of wipes.  Also helped switching to  
boxer style hiking briefs from normal style hiking briefs.

(11. No handshakes.  Trail hygiene can be sketchy, so to avoid  
spreading anything one way or another, will bow or wave but not shake  
hands.  Main problem is always what to say to people to avoid seeming  
rude to an outstretched hand.)