Shug was inspired by this site to hammock backpack.

Dixie got to Cascade Locks and Bridge of the Gods. Neat to see.

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go” ~ Jamie Anderson

00:00 Hey Y'all
00:11 What I mean by "Backpacking Meal"
02:11 What I look for in a Backpacking Meal
03:36 Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy
04:28 Packit Gourmet Polenta With Pork Sausage
05:10 Mountain House Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
05:37 Packit Gourmet Texas State Fair Chili
06:18 You have to click to find out! (jk it's Mountain House Lasagna)
07:09 Other Brands in Consideration

Duct tape
cooking cozie
separate food for each day
carry out town food
dental floss for teeth and repairs
Needle for dental floss
Butt pad
split hotel room
remove TP tube
rebounce the bounce box
utilize guides

Stay calm
Don't run (like other cats, attracted to motion)
Avoid bending down or crouching.
Stare them down (w/ bears, avoid eye contact but w/ lions...stare them down).
Raise voice and speak firmly
If they approach, show you are BIG--raise arms and trekking poles, open coat
Clap hands, throw stone/stick in general direction
If attack, fight for your life (not like w/ grizzly where you play dead) FIGHT!!!
Protect head and neck
Aim for face or throat

15-30L pack (Like Osprey Escapist 18)
Buff / bandana dorag
Sun glasses
Hat
phone
Map
snacks/bars/calories for the day

ditty bag - TP, toothbrush/paste, sunscreen, first aid kit, knife, lighter, flashlight/headlamp

1-2+ Liter of water depending on weather
water filter and extra container (bladder for water collection)

wind or rain jacket
thermal jacket (fleece?)

trekking poles

camera/phone

Others Added
Compass!!
Physical map (backup on phone)

Mace or other protection (knife?)

Space blanket

I always include "The Ten Essentials" in all of my packs, without fail. This includes packs I carry when I cross country and backcountry ski.

1. Navigation. Topographic map and assorted maps in waterproof container plus a magnetic compass, optional altimeter or GPS receiver.
2. Sun protection. Sunglasses, sunscreen for lips and skin, hat, clothing for sun protection.
   3, Insulation. Hat, gloves, jacket, extra clothing for coldest possible weather during current season.
3. Illumination. Headlamp, flashlight, batteries. LED bulb is preferred to extend battery life.
4. First-aid supplies, plus insect repellent.
5. Fire. Butane lighter, matches in waterproof container.
6. Repair kit and tools. Knives, multi-tool, scissors, pliers, screwdriver, trowel/shovel, duct tape, cable ties.
7. Nutrition. Add extra food for one additional day (for emergency). Dry food is preferred to save weight and usually needs water.
8. Hydration. Add extra 2 liters of water for one additional day (for emergency).
   10. Emergency shelter. Tarp, bivouac sack, space blanket, plastic tube tent, jumbo trash bags, insulated sleeping pad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials

I do not rely on any electronic device for navigation. I always have a topo map and a quality compass (with sighting mirror, that doubles as a signal device). I always have the darkest prescription sunglasses I can get. Cataract protection and delay are important. I always carry a wool rag sweater and Gore Tex parka. I carry a space blanket. I also carry rope, 6mm - 100 feet. I've used it to cross flash flooded streams during extreme thunderstorms. In the winter for cross country skiing I carry a butane stove for warming liquids when I find hypothermic people. I've lit some fires in very challenging storm conditions to heat people up. I always carry 2 quarts of water.

I'm retired from the U.S. Forest Service, which included some time as a wilderness ranger. I was an EMT on a fire department ambulance. I've had my share and then some of emergencies and public assists in the backcountry both on and off the job. I've treated critical hypothermia, high altitude pulmonary edema, broken ankles, torn ACL's, anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting and some heat exhaustion cases while in the wilderness. I've assisted 2 helicopter evacuations off the job. I've also been involved in several search and rescues. I've seen the importance of each of the 10 essentials in assisting others and for myself in some unplanned circumstances.

On many of my hikes it would seem that there was no reason to carry many of these items, but I ended up using them. You just never know what you are going to encounter.

Dan hikes w/ cotton in the desert...Elsewhere? Baseball hat/bandana combo to protect head and face from sun. Long sleeve cotton dress shirt (collar up if needed). Loose fitting. And cotton lady's beach pants to protect the legs. No sunscreen, too heavy and greasy, and the greasiness keeps you too warm...He sees his setup as the coolest option, though not in a fashion sense :)

Carolyn is keeping her food in an odor proof bag and sleeping with it. Special clip helps keep it air tight. Says other hikers doing same. Wow.

Slipping raincoat or shirt or puffy top over top head end of inflatable mattress pad and stuffing inflatable pillow inside. This keeps pillow positioned and enables you too stuff other soft item in that created space.

Quick important note. Don't use permetherin near cats. It's okay once dried, but it's highly toxic for them in liquid form.

Great video. As a beekeeper & backpacker, maybe I can offer some additional info. Bees' vision is attuned to quick movement and edge contrast. When they go to sting, it's often along a contrasting edge, or something small that is moving at or above the waist. Favorite spots include wrists, face, hands, neckline or belt line. Also, all mammalians that predate on bees are dark (think bears, raccoons, skunks, etc). They are alarmed by large blotches of dark color, which is the reason that bee suits are white or sometimes light blue like the sky. They also see yellow and blue, which can attract them, but they don't see red very well. (Notice that red flowers attract other pollinators and are usually inaccessible to honeybees). Biting deerflies are also attracted to blue in a big way.
Bees communicate through pheromones and have unbelievably sensitive olfactory senses. So there are two things to avoid here: anything lemon scented and bananas. Citral is used to scent lemon products and is a significant component in the Nasonov pheromone, which bees use for location and worker recruitment. In short, they are attracted to it; so much so that some beekeepers even use lemon pledge to bait swarm traps. The alarm pheromone which will trigger a defensive response is released when stinging or when the colony is disturbed. So if you get stung, the sting site will give off a smell that tells more bees to sting you. It also smells just like a banana. Eat a banana near a colony and you may attract unwanted attention. Avoid floral scented stuff as well, but if you smell like flowers while backpacking you're probably not backpacking. Just sayin.
A honeybee will die when it stings, so it will do everything it can to deter you before stinging. If you get too close to a colony (it varies usually somewhere between 15 and 50 feet depending on the time of year), some workers will fly up and bump you as a warning - usually in the head area. If this happens, you are probably walking toward a colony. If you turn around and go the other way, without making sudden movements or swatting, they will leave you alone after a short distance. Lastly, ammonia emulsifies venom and pheromones. It's usually the active ingredient in those sting pens. I carry a 1 oz squeeze bottle that works way better than one of those pens. Hope that helps and clear skies!

A few natural tips for insect "repellent". I carry a small bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap with me and mix the Tea Tree and Mint soaps, 50/50.

I'll use to clean my dishes after a meal and as a quick wipe down at the end of the day and in the morning. Yeah, it's a luxury, but there are some benefits. Tea tree and mint are natural insect repellents. The thin residue of left over soap after a wipe down leaves a layer of the oils behind. It's not as effective as DEET, but every little bit helps.
Tea tree has natural antiseptic properties. So, you can drop the antiseptic wipes. Mint is cooling and helps get rid of skin irritation around bites, scratches, and hot spots.

Yes, hiker musk is real, but bad hygiene is the best carrier of viruses and bacteria. Hand sanitizer only does so much and is just breeding more badass versions of Noro and others. Besides, I just feel better after a quick wipe down. 😛 Also, dirty utensils and eating containers cause food poisoning. Vomiting, diarrhea, and fever on the trail SUCKS!! Better hygiene with miniscule added weight is worth it. Wash up, ya filthy hippies!!😜

One last tip. Moist tobacco on an insect bite or sting will help draw out the toxins, decrease histamine reactions, and numb the affected area. So, even if ya don't smoke, a couple of natural tobacco cigarettes or rolling tobacco in your first aid kick comes in handy. Also, makes for an easy bit of fire tinder to get a campfire lit.