A sub-freezing night brought beautiful, delicate frost flowers. Water from a full day of rain and a nighttime thunderstorm brought life to the small waterfall in Wolf Pen Hollow. I’ll forever cherish the memories made and accomplishments achieved — and my own cherishing quickly turned to wondering about other OT thru-hikers’ experiences. Ultimately, the good design for this product was that it was sized right for what I needed, both in dimensions and weight. Not too small, but not too large (and thus wasteful) – a Goldilocks design. After all, I had to be sensitive to weight as we were required to carry our own water for 10 miles as there were no options for filtering during that stretch.
I might actually pick up another for my son to use. I also use a Marmot 20 liter pack which does have a thin hipbelt, but it is more limited space-wise and weighs a couple of ounces more. I’ve carried it in bad weather, including rain and snow. Some days this bag was heavier than I would have chosen it to be.
After Middle Fork, head into the 29-mile Karkaghne section, which mixes sweeping wetland prairies and ridge-lined valley views through the Sutton Bluff Recreation Area. The only thing I might add is a liner for wet days, like a small plastic trash bag. I can’t imagine loading this up with a lot of bulky, heavy items. Be aware, this is a daypack, intended for lighter loads and shorter distances. It isn’t built to be on your back 8 hours a day, and it won’t support 25 pounds.
If something crawled through the zipper door it wouldn’t immediately be inches from my face but instead would have to work its way a few more feet to my head. At the same time, my head wasn’t zero or six feet from the door, but about two or three feet at all times. Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
“Mid-November is one of the best times to hike in Missouri. With the seasonal overgrowth fading quickly, wildlife is easier to spot. The trail is likely to be in better condition this time of year because a lot of trail work begins in the fall,” he said. “Some nights were a little too cool, and I found I needed warmer gear. Another big downside of this season is the shorter daylight hours available for hiking. With the added height of an inflatable pillow and sleeping pad my head height was indeed close to the curvature of the tent ceiling but there was still enough room.
I used this mostly to make sure I was on the trail when blazes were hard to find, and I logged my campsites and where I filtered water. My Suunto Baro 9 GPS watch has a battery that would last a whole day, and I brought the Anker PowerCore power bank ozark trail backpack that weighs a whooping 20 ounces. I needed to charge my headlamp, watch, and iPhone, which I used often for GPS, photos, video, and journal entries. This hydration compatible backpack has a connection for a water bladder built in to the design.
Please be aware that we make an effort to keep this information current. However, businesses and business conditions change, thus the information contained here is subject to change without the knowledge of the Ozark Trail Association. A great way to ask questions of like-minded outdoor enthusiasts is to check out the Ozark Trail Section Hikers and Backpackers (OTSHAB) Facebook page. You’ll find numerous advocates eager to answer your questions and aid you in planning your thru-hike. They might be able to assist in arranging a shuttle. Although I saw many diggings from feral hogs, I was fortunate to have never come across any.