Hiking efficiency and eating+drinking

>> I drink from a 1 liter bottle carried in a side pocket. Bottle comes out, poles go into my armpit, I un-cap, drink, re-cap, grab poles, stuff bottle, and continue on. All while walking. NBD.

Hmmm… OK. Once I've got the bottles so I can reach them I'll practice the maneuver.

usually i have 1 powerade bottle and 1 gatorade bottle. (spare gatorade cap is recommended since they don't react well to rocks) then my 1.5L evernew soft bottle for filtering and extra capacity. the smartwater bottle doesn't fit as nice, but i've tried it.

"Hmmm… OK. Once I've got the bottles so I can reach them I'll practice the maneuver."

It helps if you have an OHM. ;)

">> I drink from a 1 liter bottle carried in a side pocket. Bottle comes out, poles go into my armpit, I un-cap, drink, re-cap, grab poles, stuff bottle, and continue on. All while walking. NBD.

Hmmm… OK. Once I've got the bottles so I can reach them I'll practice the maneuver."

I also do the "Greg" maneuver. However, I made it a bit easier on my easy to dislocate shoulders and sewed four bottle pockets on my pack hip belly put. One for Malto, one for water and two for food. I can easily go 20 miles without stopping for food or taking off my pack. Unless I have to poo.

"usually i have 1 powerade bottle"

The PowerAde bottle rocks. I've been using the same one for 3 years now, going on 4. They're practically bombproof and have great ergonomics. Just be sure to dump the swill they're filled with and rinse the bottle with NaHCO3 solution before using.

I wasn't suggesting Never for poles.
I'm sure there are times for them, stream crossings and such.

I've done both scree and talus with and without poles and strongly prefer no poles for both situations, better balance and speed without poles.
but nothing wrong with keeping them handy on the side of the pack just in case.

as for bottles with powdered food in them, I recommend skipping the super light weight semi wide mouth bottles and just using the heavier full wide mouth bottles of various types. much easier to get the powder in to on the fly … we are talking about speed and efficiency in this thread aren't we ?

You may prefer no poles but suggesting that you only need them if you are feeble or have a giant pack is where you went off the rails.

i use my poles on and off for different situations. it all depends and my tent uses them so there is no cost. I use them more than i don't.

Efficiency, as I've come to think of it, is simply to achieve a goal with a minimum of unnecessary steps.

I really like taking naps on the trail. I enjoy stopping for extended periods at beautiful places. Constantly stopping to eat and drink takes time away from these activities.

That's why I'm focusing on making eating and drinking as smooth and efficient as possible.

ha. now we see where your downtime is ;)

but really, eat and drink while you are looking around. take the pack off, stretch out a bit. change socks, walk around barefoot or in campshoes for a bit. then once you get going again you are focused, comfortable and ready to roll.

i tend to snack out of my waist pocket on the go but have real food at a destination of some type.

plenty of time to enjoy it

"1. putting loops into the backpack shoulder straps to hold the poles. It should be possible to store the poles without stopping. (some pack makers have this feature as addons)"

If your poles have wrist loops, try clipping them in your sternum strap with the pole under your shoulder strap. Basically mimics Osprey's "Stow and Go" sytem, just has the pole hanging further from your body. No need to collapse your poles on the go if the way is clear, just slide them under the shoulder strap from the rear.

I skip a heated breakfast. Next season it will be tortillas and Nutella for me. I like to get moving in the morning. I also make sure all of my food for the day is stored in one of my side mesh pouches. Lunch is simple and packed in a baggie or two. Snacks are in one of my hip pockets or shoulder strap pocket, as is my hand sanitizer, Dr. Bonner's soap, bug and sun lotion. The goal is not to open the main part of my pack all day. So all the gear I need during the day will be in one of 3 exterior mesh pockets or a hip or shoulder pocket. For hydration, I have a 1.5L Evernew bladder and Swayer Squeeze filter as my mainstay. I have ditched the Mini and gone back to the regular Squeeze, as I found the Mini's flow rate sucked no matter how well cared for it, back flushed etc. I use esbit and cook in my pot, so as soon as I make camp I get the pot going and dinner cooking as I make camp. So when camp is made, dinner is ready. My food bag line is already set, so after cleaning up I hang the food bag and I am done. I do hold out a some dark chocolate and my hooch bottle.

^^^

+1

There will always be differences, but this, IMHO, is a pretty good summary of efficiency.

Ed that looks a lot like what my usual day is like too. I go with either a breakfast on the go or at very most cereal and dried milk in a ziplock.

not opening the main pack is a huge time saver. Good use for the big stretch panel in the back to keep layers.

oh and keeping your stuff in the same place every time. you forget less, know where to find it.. no searching.

go thru hike something longer than a week with a resupply and you'll get it down :)

>> … try clipping them in your sternum strap with the pole under your shoulder strap.

Brilliant! I took the wrist straps off mine, they were uncomfortable after a while, but a little loop and maybe a mitten hook would do well.

@Edward, that's a great description of efficient hiking. It really does maximize the time you can spend chilling or getting further down the road.

Starting before dawn and stopping for a hot drink at a pretty spot is one of my guilty pleasures.

btw, I don't wear it in warm weather, but when it's cool I use a ZPacks multipack as a chest pack(actually worn between waist and bottom of chest). Very convenient for keeping snacks, map and compass, camera, etc. so you don't have to stop and dig around for them.

Took pics some time ago, to show how well the trekking poles through the straps works, and found them just now.
My daypack still has the Stow and Go stuff on it, and it is handy sometimes, but I've removed it from my backpacking packs. I like being able to stash the poles for a few minutes without going through the trouble of collapsing them, and was doing this for years before I ever saw it as a "feature".

@OwenM, very cool. Thanks. Been wondering how it looked.

Two 1L Platypus collapsible bottles. Start with both filled. Drink 1L immediately, allowing for up to 6 miles of travel in 80˚F sun on the PCT before hitting another water source. Upon arriving at water source, fill empty Platypus and add Aquamira stored in your hip belt. Swap out disinfecting water with disinfected water stored somewhere on/in your pack. (add electrolytes or liquid food as needed).

Repeat. The Aquamira disinfects as you walk. If you can't drink 1L in one go, the collapsible bottle simplifies on-the-go storage in your waistband or side pocket until the next stop.

I like freeze bag cooking and rehydrating for the same reason… stop long enough to just boil water, add water to food, wait 5 minutes and enjoy. No cleanup – ziplock rolls up and is stuffed away.

Now… getting me to wake up in the morning is a different problem entirely.