I present several slideshows on both our Mississippi River Expedition and Appalachian Trail thru-hike every year. I love these presentations and especially enjoy the question and answer sessions. Each time I give the Appalachian Trail talk, I always know I’ll spend some time talking about footwear. Some folks hike in boots, some in trail runners, but I ended up hiking in Chaco sandals for the entire 2,170 miles.

Backpacking in Chaco Sandals

Before my Appalachian Trail thruhike, I scoured the Internet for any info I could get my hands on for information. One site I often visited was Michael McCormick’s Ultralight Backpacking page (now defunct). Michael was one of the first folks that turned me onto the idea that yes, it was possible to backpack in sandals as long as you kept your pack weight down. I had to try it out for myself to see what the fuss was about. At this time in my life, I only owned 3 pairs of shoes – my Chaco sandals, running shoes, and one pair of rarely used dress shoes. 95% of the time I wore my Chacos – not out of some misplaced sense of asceticism, but because I simply loved how they felt.

I was also working for Blue Ridge Mountain Sports at the time, and as luck would have it, I ran into the Chaco representative about a month before leaving. We talked a bit, and once he learned of my plans to hike in Chacos, he offered me the chance to prototype a new type of sole they were playing with. It was a win-win for everyone – Chaco got the data from a long hike, and I got 2 pairs of sandals for the trip. Excellent. Because we were starting in Maine and going south, I did bring a pair of ruining shoes with me in case I decided make a last minute change. Just before leaving the motel to head to Baxter State Park, I decided once and for all to go all the way in sandals, so my shoes were left behind. The first day was a little scary, but I made it up and down Katahdin without killing myself or twisting anything.

Chaco Sandals on right had 1,200 miles on them

I only needed two pairs of sandals over the course of six months, and the first pair made it over 1,200 miles. After that thru-hike, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to hiking with boots, with the rare exception of winter hiking. For what it’s worth, I never had a blister the entire time I was out. Everyone has to find what works for them, but I’m sold on my sandals.

Advantages

• Highly breathable
• Long lasting

Disadvantages

• Less ankle support
• Less protection against rocks, sticks, and thorns

More info:

www.chacousa.com

My personal favorite I’ve always had good luck with the Z/1 model.

www.keenfootwear.com

First came out in 2003, but have expanded rapidly. Lots of shoe/sandal hybrids available.

www.teva.com

One of the originals on the market. Thousands of feet are running around in Tevas.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA-YjqRGTyw

I’ve bought at least 5 pairs of Salomon Techamphibian shoes over the last few years. Love em, but there are some things to keep in mind.
Pros:

• Very lightweight. About 20 ounces for a men’s size 11. These are super-light.
• Dry quickly. Fastest drying shoes I’ve ever owned
• Breathability: you can literally feel the wind blowing through these shoes. It’s the closest thing to wearing sandals that I’ve worn.

Cons:

• Lack of support: These aren’t full blown running shoes, so don’t be looking for heavy padding or support. I use Superfeet insoles in mine, and that works well.
• Heel strap slips: That little strap on the heel slips almost constantly. No big deal to cinch back up, but it gets annoying after awhile. I usually just sew the strap in place with a few stitches and call it a day.
• Durability: I get more mileage out of regular trail runners. The laces can eventually wear out, and finding replacements can be a pain.

Overall, I really like these shoes. They’re great for weekend trips, especially if I know it’s going to be wet and sloppy. If I was palnning a thru-hike, I’d probably go with something with a little more support and padding though.

Weight: 20 oz

List Price:  $80

Overall Rating: 4/5

Basic Recipe:

• 2 parts honey
• 2 parts corn flour (NOT corn meal! This is the same as Corn Masa, often found in the latino section of your grocery store.  -JP)
• 1 part peanut butter (preservative-laden)
• Mix thoroughly, will take some time.
• Pack into Coghlan’s Squeeze Tube (REI, Campmor, etc), or in cold weather wrap in wax paper. (I just use a cheap tupperware container -JP)

Single Squeeze Tube Proportions (2-3 lunches w/ large tortillas):

• 8 tbsp honey
• 8 tbsp corn flour
• 4 tbsp peanut butter

Per tube:

• 1320 calories
• 172g carbs (70 simple, 102 complex)
• 24g protein
• 38g fat (That’s a high proportion of fat, but what the heck…)

Frameless packs aren’t for everyone. Carry more than 20-25 pounds in one for too long and you’ll wish for something else. If you can live with their limitations, I think they’re great. I hiked 2,150 miles down the Appalachian Trail with a frameless pack, and would choose to go that route again.

Advantages of Frameless Backpacks

• Cheaper: many packs in this category can be found under $100
• Lighter: frameless packs rarely weigh more than 20 ounces!
• Smaller: less room to cram stuff means (usually) you’ll carry less overall weight. It also means more room in your gear closet.
• Supports small companies: many frameless packs are made by small operations with great customer service.
• Easier to construct: simple pack designs are much easier to sew if you are making your own gear.
• Easier to wash: I routinely just toss mine in a front-loading washer to get the funk out. Try that with a big internal frame pack!

Manufacturers of Frameless Backpacks

• Gossamer Gear
• Six Moons Design
• Golite
• ULA Equipment
• Granite Gear
• Osprey
• Fanatic Fringe
• Mountain Laurel Designs
• Moonbow Gear

Examples

Granite Gear Virga

Six Moon Designs Starlite

Osprey Talon33

Golite Jam2

• Cheap, cheap, and cheap. I’m not dropping $18 on a pair of socks again.
• Dry very fast
  
• Easily replaceable
• Long-lasting
• A Fashion Statement. The single fastest way to get that Retiree-living-in-a-RV vibe is to rock a pair of black socks with your sandals.

Disadvantages

• Usually need to wear two pair at a time
• Not as much cushioning as wool or high-tech synthetic socks
• The ultra-thin sheer types of dress socks wear out quickly

Now that your sold on the idea, here’s a few tips to keep in mind

• Don’t get fuzzy, thick dress socks. They don’t dry as fast and leaves stick to them. A mid-weight ribbed sock (black, always) has worked the best for me.
• Try out a few pair and see which ones work best for you
  
• Keep your toe nails trimmed for best wear
• Hiking socks + separate cozy sleeping socks = happy feet
  
• Dress socks generally work best with lighter-weight hiking shoes, trail runners, and of course, sandals.

Try ‘em out, and let me know what you think. Anyone else have any sock preferences that work well?

What you’ll need:

• Insulation (closed cell foam pad, “bubble wrap”, or other similar material
• Scissors
• Pen or sharpie marker
• Tape measure or string
• Adhesive tape or contact cement

In keeping with the adage that “the best project is a done project”, we’re going to make this pot cozy out of cheap, easily available materials commonly found in any gear closet. Even if you bought your materials new, it shouldn’t cost more than $10 to make a cozy that will wow your friends.

Step 1 – Measure the Insulation
Your cozy should fit snugly around the pot, with a little extra wiggle room that will make it easier to slide the pot into and out of it. The easiest way to measure the circumference is to wrap a string around the pot, then add about 1/4″ inch to that length. Mark your foam pad with this length, then put the side of the pot on the pad and mark off the height at several points.

Now take you pot and trace the bottom onto the pad. Do that again, and you will end up with a rectangle and 2 additional circles for the top and bottom drawn on your foam pad. Congratulations – you’re through with the hard part!

Step 2 – Cut the Materials
Cut both the rectangle and the circles out, cutting directly on the lines. Try to keep your cuts as straight as possible, but don’t worry too much about it if you are off a little bit. Duct tape can cure all ills!

Step 3 – Put it all Together
Tape the short ends of the rectangle together. You may want to just tape the outside first, then check the fit around your pot before taping the inside seam. Remember, you want to have little room to wiggle the pot into. You may have to cut the foam to fit around the handle depending on your particular pot.

Leave the foam cylinder around the pot, the tape one of the circles as the bottom piece. To do this, align the bottom circle and tack it in place with 2 2″ pieces of tape, then use one long piece of tape around the bottom. Take the last circle and put on top of your pot. You can either leave it loose, or make a “hinge” with a 3″ piece of tape – your choice.

That’s it! You’re now the proud owner of a pot cozy that will drastically cut down on the amount of cooking fuel you’ll need, and keep your food hot for much longer.

Large sections of the trail were still on roads, and the Appalachian Trail was something of an afterthought to many of the locals. His description of spending the night with a Forest Service ranger in a watchtower is something that one would never have these days. You can now go out with maps loaded into a GPS, have scads of info gleaned from books and websites, and spend every night with several companions if you wanted to. Not saying that’s better or worse, but that’s just how it is. Sometimes I wonder if we’re getting overloaded with information about the trail, and how that affects people’s experience.

Each chapter begins with a short poem by Earl, and there are scads of black and white photos scattered throughout. Many of the shelters and buildings in the book have been torn down over the years, so the book serves as an archival snapshot in time of what the Appalachian Trail was like. Earl went on to hike the trail two more times, in 1965 (southbound from Maine to Georgia), and 1998 (northbound again.) Earl lived an extraordinary life, including a tour in the Pacific during WWII, and passed away in 2002 from complications from liver cancer. He regarded his thru-hike as a way to “walk the war out of his system,” and we are richer for having his words still with us. Walking with Spring is a great read for anyone interested in the culture surrounding the Appalachian Trail.

For more selected Books for Backpackers, check out our Amazon AStore at http://astore.amazon.com/sourctoseapad-20. Proceeds from our Amazon links help defer the cost of this website and are used to further the efforts of the Source to Sea Expedition. Thanks again for your support.

Our 15-liter bags were used as bailout bags. Wallets and other valuables were carried in these, the idea being that if everything else was lost or stolen we could at least make it home. We were easy to spot with our Hot Orange “pocketbooks”, but I couldn’t be happier with their performance.

These dry bags are still being used, and no leaks have developed despite the rigors they’ve been through. Because of their continued high performance, Pacific Outdoor Equipment’s WXtex dry sacks are great examples of Gear That Works!

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I’d heard about this jacket for years but never understood why people raved about them so much. It’s just a windbreaker, right?

Wrong.

The DriClime Windshirt has attained it’s cult status among outdoor folks for good reason – It works great over a wide temperature range, dries quickly, and can be used under an array of conditions. It’s a simple garment with few bells and whistles, and that’s a good thing.

Layering is this piece is all about. Depending on the weather, this can be used as a next to skin layer, mid-layer, or outer shell. This versatility allows you to use one piece of clothing for many situations, and allows me to leave an extra shirt at home to save weight.

The range of temperatures this garment can be used for is incredible. I’m comfortable hiking in it over a synthetic t-shirt down into the upper 30’s, and when worn with gloves, hat, and a thermal long sleeve underneath, it easily goes well below freezing while hiking. As the weather warms up, I open up the zipper to cool off. My DriClime is always at the top of my pack and is the first layer I put on when getting chilly.

The nylon shell is treated with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) from the factory. I often use the windshirt in drizzle and light rains rather than break out a rainjacket, but it should’t be considered a rain shell by any stretch of the imagination. Once it gets wet, it dries out in a flash. The jacket is lined with Marmot’s proprietary polyester lining that does a great job of wicking moisture off your skin.

The outer layer is quite breathable but effectively blocks the wind. The mesh armpits allow you to let off some steam without being too breezy.

Nits
I’m 6′2″ and wear a size large. Sleeve length is long enough, but I wish it was about an inch longer in the torso. The thin nylon shell isn’t the most durable material, so I’d think twice before scrambling through a briar patch. Having said that, I don’t baby my gear, and my DriClime is still going strong after many miles of abuse.

Bottom Line
The Marmot DriClime windshirt is a great layering piece. It has just the right combination of features to do what it’s supposed to do without being cumbersome. Bottom line, I love mine, and highly recommend their entire DriClime line for anybody that likes to play outside. As a bonus, you can often find this windshirt available at discount at Sierra Trading Post!

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