Best tips from BPL

Bottom of an HDPE milk jug as a SUL eating plate/bowl (free, too).

Repack your deodorant into a chapstick tube (label it clearly!!!).

BRS-3000T canister stove.  25 grams, $11.

Quilts.  I’m a convert now.

Chrome Dome in sunny climates.  I’d known this for years, but now I practice it.

I had lots of experience and had “drunk the (UL) Koolaid” on my own back the early 1980’s, but hearing of how others have used the multi-purposing, leave-it-home, don’t-pack-your-fears, weigh-everything mantras has upped my game.

Clear your cache and cookies.

ETA

Ok, seriously, I have picked up so much from this forum, dating way back to lurking before I joined.   Sincere thanks to all the knowledgable people who share so generously on here.

Most recently it has been some great advice on winter stoves.  I’m trying out the superb custom ultralight design that is Roger Caffin’s labor of love, and Bob Moulder’s simple and elegant MYOG heat exchanger.  And thanks to all the others who posted helpful advice.

I learned that just because some company makes a product, they do not necessarily put the correct info about it on the product page. Especially in the earlier days, manufacturers dimensions and weights were “guesstimations’. I learned dont believe anything until i have seen it for myself.

…and that clelland is into ufos….  Whaaa?

I learned to:

• Listen to the experts, who’ve already used all the gear that I bought first and moved on (sadly after I had already spent a ton of money in purchasing!)
• Weigh everything and ask myself how badly I really need it
• Buy what Roger Caffin does
• Consult the experts on water repellancy with their hydrostatic column tests
• Find physical therapists who focus on manual manipulation vs. assembly-line exercises
• Solar charging doesn’t work anywhere except southern California
• Trail Designs Caldera Cone.
• Going without toilet paper is doable, but a pain in the a$$ sometimes.
• Tarps and inner tents are fantastic. And my wife is almost ready to agree.
• Sawyer squeeze bags absolutely suck. Evernew bags from Trail Designs are the bomb as they’ll squeeze far better.
• (Not a tip, but an observation: The BPL community is unbelievably generous in helping out new hikers)
• Peter’s Headnets are a lifesaver in Yellowstone where the mosquitos collaborate to carry you away
• Freezer bag cooking. Sarah Kirkconnell is a wizard at creating recipes easily cooked and far more easily carried
• Trail runners are better than boots for multiple stream crossings
• Dinky stuff kits are fantastic to keep in a hip belt pocket, making it easy to reach hand sanitizer, soap, mosquito repellant, and more
• Petzl e-lites are fantastic for most every type of hiking I do!
• The principle of trying something new on each trip has led to a discarded gear list of nearly 100 items  in my spreadsheet

Best Tip from BPL website: Appreciate the wisdom and generosity of the BPL community

Things that I have learned from BPL that have transformed how I backpack:

1. Getting a postal scale and gear calculator to weight everything and seeing how making a few changes can save weight. Example: Swapping a white gas stove for a canister stove. Canister to esbit stove.
2. How to wisely/carefully/safely transition from traditional to lightweight gear by taking only one or two new items on a trip along with the traditional one to “try it out on the trail” to see if it works for you. Example: Taking a thermarest sleeping pad and a close cell foam pad and trying out the CCF, but having the thermarest pad in case it did not work out for me.
3. That hiking with wet trail runners after a stream crossing won’t rot your feet…that trail runners will handle all the things that my heavy boots did and allow me to travel faster/easier on the trail.
4. Making the “leap of faith” ditching the tent and going to a Bivy & Tarp and still being comfortable
5. Switching from a sleeping bag to a quilt and understanding how to use a quilt effectively with your sleep system to limit drafts and staying warm
6. Realizing that there is a beauty and simplicity in knowing that you really don’t need a lot of gear/stuff to be warm and comfortable on the trail

This website and all its experienced and knowledgeable contributors have totally changed the way I approach backpacking, mountaineering and even day hiking. The most transformative BPL gems would have to be 1) weight matters as much as function, 2) you don’t need much to be safe and comfortable and 3) every single ounce really adds up. Taking these gems and other BPL tips to heart this summer has let me have more fun backpacking than I even knew was possible.

I walked with BPL on the trail for awhile, then i killed it.

Some of the best BPL tips I’ve had have been trip suggestions.  So many beautiful off trail areas I would have never seen if it weren’t for you guys.  Thanks!

Weigh everything and make a list

Being really analytical about your gear choices and quit planning on unlikely what ifs.

Weighing things to really see where that load is coming from but not letting weight be the sole deciding factor.

Buying quality gear only stings at the register.

Gear Swap is an incredible resource to try things and unload you and others experiments.

It’s been an incredible place of learning about an extremely wide range of subjects since the forum started and even before.

Curtis: “Petzl e-lites are fantastic for most every type of hiking I do!”

Those Lithium CR 2032 batteries aren’t cheap at most local stores  Larger lots are starting to show up only now (Walmart has 2 for $5.78, 10 for $5.95, 25 for $9.95, and 50 for $17.95) but all button batteries have long been available for cheap on eBay straight out of Shanghai / Taiwan if you had a few weeks to wait.  Now, some USA sellers are splitting larger lots from China and not marking them up hugely (50 for $8.99 from Pennsylvania) so you can get them in a few days.

This also applies to lithium AAs and CR123s (12 for about $19 for either) for larger headlights and Steripens.

nm

Ah, but that’s my point about eBay for little stuff like that.

$0.18 each with free shipping on small orders from the USA on eBay is cheaper than $0.80 each with free shipping over $50 from Battery Junction.  5 times cheaper.  Or more, if you don’t need $50 of batteries.

nm

Bring fewer things.

Belay coat & pants for cold weather.  (layers for hiking plus a lightweight puffy for camp)

-Bring fewer things.

-Separately consider things needed for hiking vs. camping.  Sometimes single use is more efficient than multi-use.  For example even winter time in the Sierra, I have very seldom needed more than base, mid, & shell while on the move.  So now I bring lightweight puffy and/or rely on sleeping bag for warmth.  These items don’t need the durability and adjustability (pit zips, etc) of hiking gear.

(edited for more detail)

Lightening my load by simply not taking junk I don’t need.  My lightest pack was my first winter trip and my first solo trip.  I used everything I took and didn’t need anything else.  :)