Wasted $280 on a fancy water filter I didn't need for the Pacific Crest Trail last summer

I carried that heavy thing for 200 miles before a guy at a resupply told me the streams up there are so clean you can just use Aquamira drops for $12, so has anyone else lugged gear for days that you could have swapped out way earlier?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_chen1mo ago

Lmao I feel this so hard. I hiked the JMT last year with a 3lb stove kit when I could have just cold soaked my dinners and saved the weight. By the time I hit mile 100 my back was screaming at me every time I bent over to tie my shoes. Finally ditched the stove in a hiker box and ate cold beans for two weeks. Honestly wish I had just left it at home from day one.

mark_smith591mo ago

Had to learn that lesson myself... got halfway up the Sierras with a Jetboil I never used because I was too tired to cook. Cold soaking knocks out nights and cleanup is just a swish of water. Tip I'd give anyone new: test a cold soak at home first with ramen or couscous. If you're fine eating mush for a week straight, leave the stove behind.