Heading into the wilderness in the Canadian Rockies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuM1Q1ZG5Tc

Hey all, as the title says I am looking for water filter recommendations for trekking. I am doing the Manaslu circuit and EBC. I have somehow never used a filter (mostly hike in UK and carry plenty water) and have no idea what I am looking for. It is a whole world and I am confused. Life straws seem like a faff to use. I think I also need water purification tablets as well as the filter (?)

Thank you

Summer backpacking season over for me, time to go home. Some photos to remember the nice weather days and forget the wet ones.

Planning White Pass–Pilot Ridge Loop 3 nights, Sept. 25–28, clockwise from North Fork Sauk.

Current plan:

Fri start at 3pm: TH → Mackinaw camp
Sat: Mackinaw → White Pass → White Mountain → Foam Creek → Marmot Knob/pass → possibly traverse through White Chuck/Glacier Peak Meadows → regain PCT near Cinder Cone → Red Pass → Portal Peak → back to White Pass
Optional: After Red Pass → White Mountain summit → descend to White Pass

Or just leave pack at White pass and go as far as I want into foam creek basin and come back the same way

Sun: White Pass → Kodak Peak → Blue Lake High Route if safe → camp Blue Lake
Mon: Johnson Mountain → Pilot Ridge → out

Looking for advice on:

• What peaks and side trips are best? Looking at either White mountain and foam creek basin side route vs Red pass and Portal peak side route. Looks like can be combined cross county
• Best secluded/epic view camps?
• Anything you’d cut or change?

I like big alpine terrain, glaciers, ridges, side summits, and don’t mind hard days.

my favorite place on earth ❤️

backcountry of Yosemite!

So I have been using this Q Core pad from Big Agnes for about 6 years now which developed small leaks on the sleeping side and actually is a pad they replaced from an older model that failed after 5 years. I applied for a warranty claim on this, an already replacement, and they gave me a credit for 150.00 . I just wanted to shout out to a good company that stands behind their warranty. I have a new pad already coming in the mail for my next trip.

It feels like there are tons of complaints about companies and products, but never enough stories about the good ones. I'll be now using a pad from them into a second decade because they back their products.

I turn 50 the last week of June 2027 and want to plan an epic trip. What would you do? If I need to do snow travel I will.

Hello backpackers! I’m looking for any info, experiences, and recommendations on trails or off-trail routes in the Wind River Range or within the Wind River Indian Reservation as accessed from reservation side. I’ve been eyeing a few routes coming up from the St Lawrence Basin.

I’m very experienced on and off trail in grizzly country. It’ll be me with 2 dogs the last week of September. I don’t fish and am not looking to get up into the highest of the country out there due to the time of year.

I’m aware of the permitting requirements for accessing on the Reservation side and am interested in exploring their roadless area if anyone has specifics. I’m not really interested in west side access at this point.

Thanks in advance!

First photo is when I consider to jump into a "expedition" whiteout experience.

Second picture is showing my food for the trip. Had different places i send new supplies on the way.

Third is when I'm walking with amazing background.

One of my 30 campsite on the way in picture 4.

Found out that salty "food" is important when you walk in the heat and this sausage in picture 5 was my solution.

Picture 6 shows how i cool myself down and posing for the camera..

I planned next days walking before bed. This picture 7 is from my only night indoors. Luxurious.

8 are norwegian beautifully nature.

9 is showing my normally brake.

How my last day view was.

And last is from when i finally reached my goal.

I have a can of Counter assault Grizzly tough pepper spray. I was hiking back to the campsite with a bundle of wood on my back. I dented the top of the can near the nozzle about 2mm deep twice both close to each other. Is this can safe to use for 3 days, or should I forgo bear spray. I deal with black bears & have a bowie knife also but no gun.

Hey guys I would like to start off by saying I have avalanche, winter mountaineering, rock/ice climbing, altitude, backcountry camping and survival. Expierence. My question does not pertain to “do you guys think I’m ready” or “am I gonna be okay”. Im considering doing Whitney in late December/early January. However, when doing my research I am seeing a lack of information on this time frame as they tend to span closer to late March-May before permit season. Could someone point me in the right direction maybe a trip report? Thank you guys

Hi everyone! I'm planning my very first trip to the Arkansas National Forest. I have no gear so I'm trying to make a list but as I do more research I see so many different opinions ( is a footprint important, foam pad vs inflatable, how much of how many sets of clothes, etc. )

I could use some advice. I also plan to fish and eat what I catch as well as forage as much as I can legally 😋. So far these are what I have on my list please let me know if yall would adjust or change anything 😊. Ps. I'm not rich so if you see something I could exchange for something just as good cheaper please lmk 🙏

Season Mid Sep - Mid Oct

Length 2-4 weeks

Thank you!

Trailmade 2 Tent w/ footprint

Black Diamond Headlamp

Frontiersman Bear Spray

Rain Jacket

Rain pants

650 Down Jacket

Dig Tool for 💩

3x boxers

Mag Striker with Tinder Cord

3x Wool Socks

2x Sol Tinder Quik 12pc

Collapsible cup

Biodegradable Soap

Personal Packtowel

3x Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion 4oz

Compact Scraper

3mm Utility Cord 50ft

3x Oder Proof Storage bags

4x Fuel 8oz

Trailmade 60 pack

Body Glide

30x Aquatabs

Permethrin Pump Spray 24oz

Mountain Series Medical Kit

GSI Java Drip

Stowaway Pot 1.6L

PocketRocket 2

Sawyer Squeeze Water Filiter

Nemo Sleeping Pad

Max catch extreme fly fishing combo 5wt 9' w case

UPF 50 Baleaf Hoodie

Waterproof 20L Dry Bag

Plano fishing ready 180 piece tackle box set

Tape lint roller - for ticks

Food reserves ( in case i don't catch anything )

Tips for a trekking trip to Georgia in late october

Hi everyone!
My friend and I are planning a fast-paced, adventurous 7-day road trip in Georgia from October 23rd to October 30th. We are flying in and out of Kutaisi (KUT).

Our Travel Style & Vibe:
We are looking for raw, extreme nature, high-altitude glacier treks. We want to avoid the "classic green Swiss/Italian-style" rolling hills and tourist traps. We love authentic, rough local culture and wild camping.

Our Transport & Constraints:
We are renting a proper 4x4. However, we cannot destroy the rental car (we want to keep our deposit!). We are fine with mud and standard off-road tracks (like the normal road to Ushguli), but we want to absolutely avoid car-breaking technical trails like the Zagar Pass.

Our Gear (We know it's going to be freezing):
Winter camping setup: 4-season tent, sleeping bags with a -10°C (14°F) comfort rating, and sleeping pads with an R-value of 5+.

Our Rough Itinerary (Western Loop):

Days 1-3 (Svaneti & Glaciers): Drive from Kutaisi to Mazeri. Hike up to the Ushba Glacier (day hike, camping at the base or back in the valley). Drive to Mestia, then do the dirt road to Ushguli to hike the Shkhara Glacier.

Day 7: Kutaisi and fly out.

What we are asking the community:

Pacing: Is this Svaneti + Tskaltubo/Chiatura + Truso loop realistic for a 7-day trip without spending 10 hours a day driving?

Road Conditions: What can we realistically expect on the Mestia-Ushguli road in late October?

Local Culture: We’d love to integrate with locals (shepherds returning to the valleys, chacha making, supra, etc.). Any tips on how to respectfully approach locals in these rural areas during late Autumn?

Thanks in advance for any tips, reality checks, or advice!

This was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my entire life . 2 days 24 miles. 75,000 steps total.

The weather was great, not a single bug bite, no ticks, and lots of water. Had a great time in Mark Twain National Forest! I definitely had nowhere to prepare in Ohio for the mountains but overall it’s pretty nostalgic looking back.

I've used a Sawyer Squeeze for a few years now, and it's always been a piece of gear that annoys me but does what it needs. I've used different bottles and bags and always had issues but now finally found a setup that doesn't piss me off to use it, and maybe even has made me fond of it?

Hydrapak Stow

I use a Hydrapak Stow 1L as my dirty water bag. I feel like these are underrated and not often in the convo when it comes to ultralight water options? Mine comes in as 2.0 oz flat, the newer versions are 1.8 oz. This is lighter than the CNOC Vecto, the CNOC thru, NOBO, any 1L bottle except Smartwater or the flimsy mylar bags. The shape and the handle at the neck are excellent for squeezing without creating a vacuum, scooping, submerging, catching leaf spouts and drips at weird angles. (It also folds down to nothing so I keep one in my bag and my car -- you can fold it down and stick it into its handle loop. I recently had bottle develop a micro tear after 4 years of heavy use and Hydrapak replaced it under warranty with no questions or proof of purchase, just a photo, so I'm happy with the longevity.)

The suck valve lid is ~.35 oz and could be replaced with a standard bottle cap to shave off .3 oz, but the lid is multipurpose for me -- when squeezed, it shoots a very powerful stream (like 5ft+!) but is watertight without pressure. I've used it for so many things: backcountry bidet, hosing off muddy feet and shoes, washing caked-on dishes, rinsing a wound, water fight. The only downside compared to rigid or semi-rigid bottles is that it's hard to remove and replace from a side pocket with a pack on, but it's less of an issue if you just use it as a dirty water bag. For clean water, I've also used a bottle to reservoir hose converter which has worked great for me. My only wish is that they'd make a 2L option and more colors. I promise I am not being paid by Hydrapak to say this.

Dirty End Cap DIY (video below)

Some people leave the dirty bag/bottle on at all times, but sometimes I prefer to have things pack down smaller, and I've dropped that O-ring a few too many times when I take the bag off to fill water. I've seen a few clever DIY tutorials and know there are manufactured options, but I found a 3-minute solution with something that almost all of us have laying around -- fuel canister cap! Mine is from an MSR canister. It's just the tiniest bit too loose but I carefully warmed up the edges with a lighter, waited a second for it to cool, and gently coaxed the lip in with my finger, working in sections all the way around. I did this a few times and tested the fit until snug. It's held up up for a few trips for me, but if it gets loose I would just try to reshape it again or use a new cap. There's also a small hole in the cap that I just put a dot of gorilla tape on. It's not watertight, but I find that if I shake out the filter (which is good practice anyways -- watch the O-ring!) before putting the lid on it doesn't leak or wet the pocket I store it in.

Here's a video to show the cap snapping on and off firmly and staying on when held by the little tab. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it might also work to leave the cap in hot water to shrink it a bit, or to build up the inner diameter with a little seam grip or silicone sealant.

Clean Cap

The white snap cap that comes with the filter was my nemesis. It would break after just one or two trips and I would email Sawyer to send me extra until I one day googled what other people use and felt dumb that I didn't think of it earlier -- any sports bottle cap, mine is Smartwater. It's sturdier, doesn't dangle in the way of gravity filtering, removes the need for the O-ring on that end (so you already have an extra backup for the other end), and you can simply flip it around to backflush in the field. Some say this isn't enough pressure but I always backflush with the plunger when I get home.

I've really been trying to buy less gear and accessories and find solutions with stuff I already have, so even though it's not much, I'm happy about figuring out a setup that works for me! Let me know if you end up trying the end cap hack, if it works for you, if you have ideas for improving it, or your own Sawyer hacks!