I spent the last two weeks on the AT from Harpers Ferry to Shenandoah and the Trail Pro 30 turned into a joke. The hype around the carbon‑reinforced frame and the "ultra‑light" claim is dead weight when the strap buckles snap on the first 10 miles of steep ascent.

• Back panel delamination started after the first rainstorm. The advertised 30 % water‑repellent coating is a myth; the fabric soaked through and the seams split.
• Carbon pole system flexed like a cheap tent pole on the rocky sections near McAfee Knob. The claimed 1.2 kg weight advantage is irrelevant when the pole bends and you have to replace it mid‑hike.
• Permits: The new state‑mandated AT permit system adds a 48‑hour wait for approval. By the time you get it, the trail is packed, the campsites are full, and you’re forced to camp on the shoulder where the trail is already eroding.
• Crowds: Over 2,500 hikers per day in the hotspot zones. The trail is a moving sidewalk of backpacks, and the Trail Pro 30’s supposedly "ergonomic" strap system just slides over the shoulder like a cheap fanny pack.

Bottom line: The gear hype machine is feeding us overpriced junk while the real problem—overcrowding and bureaucratic permits—gets ignored. If you want a reliable pack, buy a 2020 Osprey Atmos AG 65 and accept that you’ll still be trampled by a thousand strangers.

Anyone else fed up with the “next‑gen” gear hype while the trail itself is being choked by permits and people?

I spent three days on the AT (Mile 210‑212) using a Garmin Fenix 7 with Low Power Mode enabled. After about 2 hours of continuous GPS tracking, the battery fell from 100% to 5% and shut down. I followed the recommended settings:

• GPS + GLONASS enabled
• Heart rate sensor off
• Backlight set to auto, timeout 5 seconds
• All notifications disabled
• Power manager set to "UltraTrac"

The same settings on a previous trip (last spring) gave me ~24 hours of runtime. This time the temperature was 45 °F, no extreme cold. I swapped the battery (new OEM) and re‑flashed the firmware to version 15.00.2. Still the same rapid drain.

Has anyone seen this behavior with the Fenix 7 on long hikes? Could a faulty GPS antenna cause excess draw, or is there a hidden setting I’m missing? Any diagnostics steps or firmware tweaks would be appreciated.

• Model: Garmin Fenix 7 Solar, 1.3" display
• Firmware: 15.00.2
• Battery: 1.5 Ah OEM replacement

Thanks.

Just smashed my personal "ultralight" benchmark on the Ridgecrest Loop—packed everything under 4.9 kg! 🤯

• Gear: Osprey Raptor‑2 (3.2 kg), Zpacks Altapack (0.6 kg), and a Garmin Tactix 7 (0.4 kg) – all stripped down to the bare essentials.
• Trail stats: 12.3 mi, 1,020 ft D+ (yes, the GPS logged 1,019.7 ft, I’m not making that up), avg. pace 18 min/mi, 0.2 % net grade overall.
• Nutrition: 120 g of dehydrated quinoa‑lentil mix, 2× electrolyte tabs, no "energy gel" nonsense.

I’m still buzzing – the Raptor‑2’s 3‑D stretch mesh felt like a second skin, and the Tactix’s barometric altimeter finally stopped ghost‑reading the summit. The only thing that bugged me was the slight chafe on my left calf from the 2‑mm nylon strap – guess I’ll need a new anti‑chafe liner for the next run.

Anyone else managed to dip below the 5 kg mark on a comparable loop? What tweaks did you make to your COT or water‑filter setup? I’m ready for the next push, maybe the 15‑mile Blackstone Ridge with a 1.5 kg pack…

Any criticism? Bring it on – I can take a good ribbing about my "ultralight obsession". ??

i'm using the quest 2 with my dell U2720q (120hz on the headset, 90hz on the monitor) and it still reports 90hz in the settings tbh i thought the headset would override the monitor is this a driver thing or is the headset just stuck anyone else see this weird mismatch? lol

I've been having some trouble with my Garmin inReach Explorer+ on my recent hikes. Specifically, I've noticed that the GPS signal keeps dropping when I'm in areas with heavy tree cover. I've tried adjusting the antenna and making sure the device is fully charged, but the problem persists. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced similar issues and has found a solution. I've been using this device for a while now, and it's been really reliable, but this recent glitch has me stumped. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction? I've heard that the DeLorme Earthmate app can be a bit finicky, but I'm not sure if that's the root of the problem.

i've been trying to perfect my hiking playlists for ages, but no matter how i organize them, the same 3 songs always seem to get stuck on repeat. i'm talking about 'Clair de Lune' by Debussy, 'The Swan' by Saint-Saëns, and 'Prelude in E minor' by Chopin. i've tried shuffling, i've tried making new playlists, but somehow these 3 songs just keep popping up. has anyone else experienced this? am i just going crazy??

I've been using the Salomon Quest 4D for a while now, and I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed. I know a lot of people swear by them, but for me, they just haven't held up on longer hikes. The tread starts to wear down way too quickly, and the ankle support isn't as great as I thought it'd be. I've been on a few 20-mile hikes with them and my feet have been killing me by the end of it. Has anyone else had this experience? I'm starting to think it's not the shoe, it's just not meant for long-distance. Maybe I'm just not used to the more minimalist design, but I've been hiking in Merrells for years and never had this problem. I dunno, maybe I'm just getting old and my feet are getting weaker or something. But seriously, has anyone else had issues with the Quest 4D on longer hikes?

so ive been noticing that whenever im hiking with my 65l backpack packed to the brim, it feels unbalanced af. ive tried reorganizing my gear, using different packing configurations and whatnot, but it still feels like the weight is all in one spot. ive even tried switching out the hip belt to a more comfortable one, but thats not seem to have fixed it either. is this just a me problem or have any of you guys experienced the same issue with your packs? does it have something to do with me carrying a ton of camera eq lol. looking for some suggestions on how to fix this issue rn

I keep replaying the moment I mixed up my design sheets on the weekend. I was working on re‑routing a 3.2 mile ridge‑top trail near my town and, for some reason, slapped the AASHTO‑standard 12‑ft lane width (CROW 15‑15) onto it.\n\nWhat happened next:\n- The trail now runs side‑by‑side with a 2 % cross‑slope, far beyond the recommended 5 % for footpaths.\n- My “design speed” of 30 km/h, a metric borrowed from urban arterial planning, translated into an illegal 7% gradient on parts of the trail.\n- I forgot to run an LRFD check, so the culvert I sized at 300 mm diameter is crumbling under peak runoff – the whole thing flooded after last night’s storm.\n\nBottom line: I turned a gentle hikers’ corridor into a miniature highway. The locals are already calling it “the concrete scar” and the erosion is scarring the hillside harder than any bulldozer could.\n\nI know I should’ve stuck to the AASHTO Green Book footpath recommendations – 1.5‑2 ft clear width, max grade 10%, side‑drainage every 30 m – but I was too caught up in the CAD “clean lines”. Anyone else slipped up with cross‑disciplinary standards? How did you back‑track (literally) and restore a trail without tearing up the entire segment again? I’m braced for the heat if I have to redo the whole thing.

I went on a hike last weekend and was really annoyed to see that some of the trails were poorly marked. It took me a while to figure out where I was going, and I ended up taking a wrong turn at one point. I think it's the responsibility of the park rangers to make sure the trails are well marked, especially for hikers who are new to the area. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm thinking of contacting the park rangers to see if they can do something about it.

Ran a 12m mountain course in vr with my kit before tackle, actual hike felt wobblier than a sleep-depr camel ladda Simulation's all smooth lines and soft ground. Cough. What did i overlook for terrain matching?

tossed those old electronics you know the ones that just collect dust my speakers from 2011 and a broken iphone that’s slower than my grandma’s walker idk why it took so long to realize that less = more when it comes to dead weight lol like seriously who needs seven hair ties or three toasters am i right? anyway omg the difference in my mood since doing this is wild anyone else feel way more chill now that their space isn’t trying to suffocate them?

I know the standard advice: batch‑cook on Sunday, portion into zip‑lock bags, and haul them on the hike. That whole system assumes you’ll eat the exact same meals day after day and that the extra prep time saves you on the trail. In practice I’ve found the opposite.

1. Weight variance – A full week's worth of pre‑portioned food adds roughly 1 kg to your pack just for containers. That alone forces a slower ascent and higher fatigue.
2. Menu fatigue – Eating the same chicken‑rice‑broccoli combo for three consecutive days blurs the line between “nutritious” and “boring”, leading many to over‑eat or snack on unhealthy trail bars to break the monotony.
3. Failure rate – Bags get punctured, spices spill, and a single broken seal can contaminate an entire day's worth of food. The time spent fixing or improvising outweighs the minutes saved by not cooking on the trail.
4. Opportunity cost – The few hours spent chopping and sealing on a Sunday could instead be used for a short hike that familiarizes you with the terrain and gear before the actual trip.

My workaround: pack a lightweight stovetop, a small supply of raw ingredients (dehydrated veggies, quick‑cooking grains, jerky), and allocate 10‑15 minutes each evening on the trail to assemble a fresh, varied meal. The added prep time is negligible, the weight stays lower, and the taste variety keeps morale up.

Anyone else found the “pre‑packed bag” myth more hindrance than help?

I know this is a hiking forum but I had to share - just got back from a sailing trip and I'm still on a high. The conditions were perfect and we caught some amazing wind. I feel like it's really similar to hiking, you know? The thrill of being out in nature, the rush of adrenaline when you're pushing yourself to the limit. Maybe I'm just biased because I love both activities, but I think sailors and hikers aren't that different 😊. We're all just chasing that next big thrill, right? Anyway, I was thinking of planning a hike soon to keep the adventure going - anyone have any good trail recs?

I'm still trying to process what went wrong on my hike yesterday... I've been thinking about it a lot and I'm not sure what I could've done differently. The trail was way more overgrown than I expected and my navigation skills were definitely put to the test. Does anyone else have experience with trails like that?? I feel like I should've been more prepared, but at the same time, it's not like I hadn't researched the trail beforehand... I don't know, maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. The views were still really beautiful, but the struggle to get there was pretty discouraging. Has anyone else had a similar experience recently?

i've been watching cap rates inch up lately. a lot of folks say hold off until they dip again. i’m on the fence—my first rental is up for sale next month. anyone else waiting for the market to cool before pulling the trigger? how long did you wait? any signs i’m missing??

i was thinkin about using artificial intelligence to help with trail navigation, like maybe a neural network to predict best routes or somethin. anyone got experience with this kinda thing? i just got back from a hike and was thinkin about how cool itd be to have a system that could help me avoid gettin lost

I've been using the MSR Elixir 2 for a few trips now and I'm starting to get frustrated with how finicky it is to set up with my trekking poles. I mean, I love the tent itself - it's super lightweight and the vestibule space is huge - but every time I try to attach my Leki poles to the clips, I end up struggling for like 20 minutes. Has anyone else had this issue or am I just doing it wrong? I've followed the instructions to the letter and watched YouTube tutorials, but still can't seem to get it right. I'm starting to think it's just a design flaw. Anyone have any tips or should I just stick to my old Big Agnes?

just been thinking about how cool it'd be to have a hiking buddy that's an ai lol like a personal guide that knows the trails and can give you real time feedback on your pace and stuff or maybe even a robot that can carry your gear for you tbh it sounds like sci-fi but i've seen some pretty wild advancements in ai lately anyone else think this is something we'll see in our lifetime?