Hey @solmssen! You should definitely do what's best for your body! While your request isn't very common, there are packs out there that are designed for ultralight loads. Some thru hikers or endurance athletes that are looking to go ultralight will use frameless packs, and some hikers have gone so far as to cut their hip belts off to save that 2.1 ounces, haha. (This method isn't recommended as it'll probably void any warranty the pack comes with.) Ray Jardine, an ultralight thru hiking guru, kind of normalized hiking without a hip belt. Like @Gary2 mentioned, Zpacks has an option for one such pack. Here's a good article that reviews a few ultralight options that would probably be comfortable without using the hip belts.  Are you backpacking with this setup or doing extended day hikes? If you're backpacking, here's a book that may help you lighten your load and make your hikes more comfortable, one gram at a time. 🙂   ... View more

YAY FOR ADOPTING! ❤️  I'm always a huge fan of the mutts and shelter dogs. I rescued my girl Swayze back in college. She was a Vizsla, but her previous owner didn't realize just how much energy she would have, and she was too much for her to handle. I adopted her when she was only 7 months old. She was the best adventure buddy I have ever had: she hiked the entire Appalachian Trail with me, and actually gained weight doing it! Most dogs look emaciated the further north they go, but she surprised me with how well she did that when we got off trail, I Googled Vizslas and endurance. Turns out, they're one of the best endurance breeds out there, and have successfully run half marathons with their humans, etc. Because a lot of people aren't prepared for the level of activity that Vizslas require, there are many Vizsla rescues out there that you could look into. 🙂   ... View more

Hey @nathanu! 😄 Super awesome hike you've got planned! I did the AT with my dog in 2011 and skipped the approach trail because I didn't want to deal with a dog on leash in a crowd; going back and doing that 8 miles is on my bucket list! Even though it's a slog of a climb, I've heard it's absolutely beautiful with the waterfall views. Have fun on it! 🙂   The best piece of advice I can offer is to keep your pack weight low. You're just going to be out for one night. I don't say that to minimize/discount your trip (please don't read it as "You're just going to..."), but rather to remind you that you'll be back at your car the very next day so there's no need to pack two pairs of pants, three socks, etc. Especially if it's going to be raining, consider leaving the camp comforts behind: the one pound chair, hatchet, etc. One piece of advice I could give would be to check what time sunset is. Let's assume it's 6:30. I prefer to stop hiking one hour before sunset, which would stop me hiking at 5:30 to give myself time to set up my tent, cook supper, gather water for the night, etc. Do a pace audit on yourself at the last potential alternative campsite. Based on your start time and hiking pace, can you make it to the final destination campsite before that one hour mark and/or sunset? If so, great, push on. If not, maybe think about stopping for the night at the alternate and waking up early the next morning to finish your ascent. I think you would have plenty of time the next day to finish the up and then head back to the car, as most people hike faster on the downhill than they do on the uphill. 🙂   Eat a good breakfast to give you enough energy for the stairs, and drink plenty of water (especially if it's raining - we tend to forget to hydrate ourselves if there's water all around us).  And, most importantly, don't forget to come back and share photos of your accomplishment! 🙂 Happy trails! ... View more

Hey @apmallard! I've been with REI for the past nine years, and it's opened up a world of opportunity for me. I've met the best adventure partners I've ever had, and done things that I never would have done before beginning work here because these things just didn't exist in my outdoor Rolodex beforehand: ice climbing in Ouray, sea kayaking with orcas in the San Juans, mountain biking in Sedona, bike packing from DC to Pittsburgh along the C&O/GAP, etc.  My passion is getting people into the outdoors, and I have been teaching Outdoor School classes for the past six years, both in store and out in the field. I've taught people in their 60s to ride a bike for the first time, and I've led a group of women into the woods for their first backpacking trip when the lows were in the 20s overnight. It's an amazing feeling, giving back to them what was given to me a decade ago.  There are opportunities to move up within the company, but there's no guarantee that it will be a quick process. It all depends on how motivated you and your manager are as a team, what opportunities exist in your market, whether you're flexible and willing to relocate to a different market to achieve those goals, and which direction you'd like to grow within the company. I would much prefer to grow with Outdoor School, but those positions are very limited, especially now with COVID with us not having run any classes in six months.  There are a lot of perks to working with REI, but the main benefit I've found is the people: everyone is like-minded, and you can generally find an activity partner for each day of the week. Mountain biking with Jane on Monday, hiking with Tom on Tuesday, etc. You actually want to hang out with your coworkers once you clock out. 🙂   ... View more

There's absolutely no shame in turning around! I have definitely "noped out" on some trails before that made me uncomfortable because of either the height or the exposure - one of which was Half Dome! I got this permit for an epic hike, got nine steps up on the chains, and said "Nah, I'm cool. I don't wanna go out this way."  You have a lot of options where you are in Parker, CO! Check out Hiking Project and read up on some local trails; usually, trails with exposure may be rated a black diamond, so maybe browse the reviews of the trail and see if there are any photos that make you uncomfortable before venturing out.   @hikermor had a great suggestion of taking a rock climbing class or two! I honestly believe knowing how to maneuver myself on rock formations helps with my level of comfort when I encounter them on a trail. We're not going to suggest you go free climb El Capitan just yet, though. 😄   And if you get to an unexpected, short section of exposed trail, there's no shame in crab walking or inch worming (like the dad in the video above :D). The closer your center of gravity is to the ground, the more stable you'll feel. Getting yourself a set of trekking poles, too, may help because that gives you even more lateral stability while hiking. I was in Olympic National Park a few years back and while the trail I was on wasn't near a sheer rock face, it cut right across a hill that I swear felt like it was at a 60* angle. Focusing on the trail just in front of me helped.. that whole "Don't look down!" mentality. 😄   ... View more

Hi @Jpacillo! Welcome to the community! 🙂 Colorado is one of my favorite places in this country... any time I'm within its borders, I'm happy. What part do you live in, so we can get some suggestions close to you? Don't worry: there are a ton of places in CO that don't have sheer ledges! If you're close to Denver, you can go hike a 4-mile loop at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. If all else fails, you can try to get over your fear of ledges using the method this dad did. 😄   ... View more

@Jwhart I know the drive isn't fun, but Memphis welcomes you with open arms. 😄  I have yet to get out to NWAR, but did a MTB clinic in Fayetteville last October. I loved the trails system y'all have!  ... View more

@Trecker @Tonydavid  By chance, when you say that fuel sprays and comes out of the canister, are you holding the canister upright when you are attaching the stove, or are you holding both horizontally, parallel to the ground? It's easier to screw the stove onto the can holding both of them sideways, but it's a surefire way to get fuel leakage, which can be painful if it contacts your skin because of how cold it is.  If you think you may have been holding it sideways, go back and try attaching the stove while your fuel canister is in the upright position and see if that helps. Hearing a tiny pssst when attaching the stove is normal, but once you tighten past that point, it goes away. If you're attaching the stove upright, and still getting fuel sprayed everywhere, I'd look into warranty.  ... View more

Hey @AndrewRigby! I'm so excited for your adventure! What's bringing you out to the Smokys?! Are you backpacking at all, or will you be able to experience lots of different areas of the park with day hikes?  I would definitely say prepare for rain. The fall/winter in the southeast are incredibly wet, and the Smokys specifically get their name from how humid the environment is. That being said, it makes for some great photo ops if you wait out the sunshine. It will be a cold rain, too, so you'll want an insulating jacket, base layers, and a raincoat. Maybe even some gloves. Average lows are near freezing for this area in late November, but it feels colder in the south because of the humidity. If you're backpacking, don't forget to sleep with your water filter at night so it doesn't freeze. If you're day hiking, bring it in from the car each night.  In late November, there's a possibility of snow. If you get to the Smokys and you realize you don't have enough cold weather gear, our Pigeon Forge store just opened last weekend!  Since you only reached out regarding clothing, that leads me to believe you have your trip nailed down, but if you want any help trip planning, feel free to reach back out. I love helping people plan adventures! 😄     Taken last June while waiting out a sunset rainstorm. 🙂   ... View more

Good morning! Shock cord stretch is a completely normal process and replacing it is eventually something we all deal with, kind of like changing the oil in your car, except far less often, haha! We don't sell a new set of poles, but Tent Pole Technologies will work directly with you and repair your cordage; just fill out the form, mail your poles to them, and they'll replace the shock cord and mail them back to you.  If you want to tackle a self repair job, here's a decent video we put together on how to repair your own poles: Repairing Shock Cord  ... View more

It makes sense that you'd think there's more tension on one end than the other. A guy I saw on Youtube said he starts packing his poles down from the center hub because of that exact reason. (His explanation made sense in that if you start from the left, well now there's an uneven pull on the shock cord the whole length of the poles, but if you start in the middle, everything is evenly stretched.) Shock cord has plenty of give, so unless you're in there sawing it with a pocket knife or you regularly pull the sections like two feet apart, you should be okay. 🙂   ... View more