Prior to taking it out on the trail, I did give it two coats of silicone spray so that it would shed water. Packing-wise, I chose to line it with a garbage disposal liner. If you’re on a multi-day hike, toilet paper and a cathole shovel are necessities. When you have to answer nature’s call, make sure to stay at least 200 yards away from a water source and bury any solid waste at least 6 inches deep. Bring a dedicated bear canister or hang a bear bag for all food and other aromatic items that might attract a bear’s attention. Further south, you can find Klepzig Mill, a historic building constructed nearly 100 years ago along the banks of Rocky Creek.
Temperatures can swing from chilly mornings to sweltering afternoons. Consider bringing several sets of clothing so you have options for hiking and spending time at camp. Wear layers to be comfortable in any weather, and pack rain gear to stay dry. Yeti has clearly set themselves apart as the biggest player in the cooler space. Since they launched, they have carved out an incredible market share delivering products across the board from coolers to dog bowls.
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. 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. And I do day hikes in Sequoia National Park and on the coast. Be aware, this is a daypack, intended for lighter loads and shorter distances.
We just completed a review of the Ozark Trail Tumbler line, which is not only budget friendly but also well performing. For most cases, the backpack that comes with me for hikes and longer trips is the Gregory Baltoro 65L. Here’s another AWESOME thing about the Ozark Trail Atka day pack. It’s sized to fit every airline’s carry-on size requirements. My son and daughter each took one of these on a trip through Europe and they carried it on every plane, train, and bus they rode without any problems. It’s also small enough that it wasn’t inconvenient for them to have it with them everyday.
The Ozark Trail 1-Person Backpacking Tent is on the cheaper end of the spectrum. A variety of websites have it currently priced for less than $50. Many higher quality tents could cost 3 or 4 times that amount. Altra Lone Peak 3.5 trail runners were my shoe of choice, along with Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot socks. I brought water shoes to navigate streams with but only used them once; way too much trouble to switch at every crossing. I was fine hiking with wet Altras and mailed my water shoes home at Brushy Creek.My food cost me around $300, not counting what I ate on my town day in Van Buren.
“[The Ozark Trail] is more raw than other trails I’ve thru-hiked. There are few bridges over creek crossings and hardly any developed campsites,” Letner said. Lorentz averaged 14 miles per day, with her longest day being 19 miles.
The Ozark does need those pegs in the ground to be self-standing so setting up on rocks would be infeasible (at least without applying some clever tenting skills). I also liked how my head wasn’t directly beside the door, which often occurs for an end-door tent. 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.
I did instantly notice the difference of carrying a lighter bag. I also don’t really prefer single compartment stuff bags, but, this works for what I need. Fit and finish were pretty good — no loose seams or stitching. Stitches appeared evenly spaced and of uniform distance from the fabric edges. There is a lack of reinforcement on the pack’s taffeta bottom, though.
Other items that you may want to keep at the foot of the sleeping area are also hard to access or reach if your head is near the door. For these styles, it seems most people want their head at the door side and so they have a constraint for which way the tent is set up if ozark trail chairs the ground is not flat. On the other hand, accessing the tent from the middle, or on the long side, gives one more degree of freedom. Assuming a symmetrical tent, like the Ozark Trail, my head could be placed at either end and both options would feel equally comfortable.
Since the trip was three years in the making, the anticipation was doubly intense. We like that this pack has a lot of pockets including a zipper that allows you to access the middle of the pack without opening the top. Includes Trekking pole attachment points, compression straps and a sleeping bag compartment. With access to the Ozark Trail available year-round, ozark trail backpack hikers will need to prepare differently for each season. Ozark springs see a lot of rain and varied temperatures; Ozark summers tend to be hot, muggy, and wet; Ozark winters can drop below freezing. Wet weather is common to the Ozark climate, especially in late spring through summer, and fosters a breeding ground for bugs, mosquitos, and ticks.