4 Quick Tips and Tricks for the Lazy Thru-hiker
I refer to myself as a lazy thru-hiker because I do not want to spend time or energy on anything other than hiking and socializing. If you are looking for simple ways to make thru-hiking “easier”, then this is the post for you!
If you’re ready to make more miles or want more free time to relax on-trail, then these tips could prove useful for you.
Tip #1: Use the in-line adapters to add your Sawyer Squeeze into your water reservoir tube
Finally acting on my desire to install my Sawyer Squeeze into my reservoir tubing was among the best decisions I made on the PCT. All I had to do while hiking was pour the “dirty” water directly into my reservoir, and I could filter while walking just by drinking through my mouthpiece. The simplicity of passive filtering won me over quickly! Plus, I could still twist the filter out of the adapters and use it to filter from a LIFEwater bottle into my cookpot for meals or into my Nalgene for electrolytes, breakfast essentials, or to be able to chug water when extremely thirsty.
Tip #2: Don’t carry inflatable sleeping equipment when possible!
I’m going to paint you a picture. You walk 12 hours, stopping for occasional breaks to escape the heat, and finally stop to set up camp. You pull your inflatable sleeping pad and pillow out of your pack. Now, at this point, who wants to blow those things up? Carrying an inflatable sleeping pad makes sense when temperatures are low or to insulate against the snow. At other times, it just seems like unnecessary work. The risk of a puncture should also be in the back of your mind because trust me, it happens, and the result is losing body heat to the ground until you can replace it.
I don’t care what anyone says: you don’t need a pillow. My pack was extremely comfortable to rest my head on at night. Plus, my pack didn’t slide around and need constant adjusting like a pillow does. Pillows pack up pretty small and comprise a negligible part of your pack weight, but the fewer items the better! Plus, who wants to inflate a pillow every night?
Tip #3: Cowboy Camping
At first, I thought the idea of cowboy camping was crazy, but I warmed up to it over time. After trying it, I wondered why I hadn’t grown a pair earlier and saved myself a lot of hassle. Cowboy camping saves you the effort of setting up your tent and allows you to be even more connected with your environment. Mosquitos did deter cowboy camping throughout parts of Oregon, as did the moisture in Washington, but take advantage whenever you can! Weigh the risk though, and make sure to pay attention to weather patterns so you aren’t woken up by rain in the middle of the night!
Tip #4: Go Stoveless!
Who needs warm food anyway, right? Isn’t that what towns are for? Cold soaking is a real option, and a HUGE timesaver. Cooking requires time to stop, unload your cooking equipment, filter water, boil that water, and then you have to wait for food to rehydrate/warm up before you can get to the eating part of the whole process. On the other hand, cold soaking requires filtering water, waiting for rehydration (if you’re patient, which I rarely am), and already the eating phase is at hand. If you are not bothered by cold food, this may be a good option for you! There were definitely cold, rainy night where a warm meal would have boosted morale, but cold-soaking offered more pros than cons for my hiking style. However, I will note that I will always carry a stove in snowy sections or during seasons other than summer. Under these conditions, the ability to add a Nalgene filled with heated water into my sleeping bag at night is important, especially when considering I am a cold sleeper.
Conclusion
Maybe these tricks will make things easier for you, maybe they would make things harder. Totally depends on your perspective. For me, these strategies were gold and allowed me to make more miles when I wanted to AND provided more time to relax. With each decision, there is a sacrifice to be made; it just depends on what you value and what you are willing to part with. To each their own!
Happy hiking!
-Slaughterhouse
