I third the Altra motion. I love my Lonepeak 4.5s. The only thing that I would warn you about (I don't think I'm the only one that had this issue but I've been wrong before.) is when I first got them, I really had to put some miles on them before my Achilles wasn't torn to shreds by the weird angle of the heel of the shoe. I threw some leuko on my achilles and hit the trail and now they are perfectly fine and they are probably my favorite trail shoe that I have ever used. Good luck! ... View more

I just make sure and take moleskin or leukotape with me. I have also had good luck with the Randy Sun waterproof socks. They work great when you wear really quick drying shoes. Personally, I don't think that I would be able to hike anywhere close to 8 miles with no socks and not get blisters, water crossings or not. If there is a shorter trail to try some stuff out on I would recommend that. Taking care of your feet is maybe the most important thing on the trail behind having water. It would be a great idea to do some test runs before you go on a long trip. Sometimes trial and error is super helpful. I wish I had more experience with this specifically and could help more. Good luck and have fun! ... View more

I lean more toward the ultralight side of things so my instinct is 48. But, like @hikermor already said it is great to have the extra space if you need it. I bought my Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 for that reason exactly. It is ultralight but also has a high load range in case I want to carry more than normal. I rarely carry enough to fill my pack but if you can compress everything well it shouldn't be an issue. DISCLAIMER: sometimes load range is overlooked when people are buying packs and just looking at capacity. A pack may have a 60 liter capacity but only be able to safely/comfortably carry 10-25 lb (like the Levity). Food for thought. Think about how much your gear weighs/will weigh as well as how much space it will consume. Good luck! ... View more

I don't this is unreasonable, especially for traditional backpacking. If you're fine with it, then I'm fine with it. If you wanted to lose some significant lb/oz, the first place I would look would be your shelter and sleep system. They can really cause your weight to go up quickly. I have gone from a sleeping bag to a quilt recently and I'm not looking back. I also don't personally take pots with me when I'm backpacking so I'm not familiar with how much they weigh but that also might be somewhere that you could shave some weight off. But you do have a very comfortable pack so that's nice! I tend to want to lighten my load for my knees sake, but to each their own. It just stinks that the quickest ways to lighten your pack weight are far and away the most expensive. My overall advice would be to look into your big 3 when you have the extra money, but ultimately, just do whatever you have to do to enjoy your time the most. Backpacking is about being out in nature and being outside is more fun if you're back and knees aren't hurting as much. Me and my friends joke that I've spent way too much money to be able to walk and sleep outside.haha. Good luck! ... View more

For sure! ... View more

I am a teacher so I have set time off every year (which makes backpacking more easy) and I have church the 1st and 3rd weekend each month. Everything is just worked around that and my wife's schedule. If I can plan far enough in advance, it makes it easier to still have a life other than backpacking ... View more

That sounds awesome! So far what I've got planned is: 1 . April- Ridge Trail, Cumberland Gap Nat'l Historical Park KY 2. May- Smoky Mountain National Park, TN (with my wife and little girl, her first trip!) 3. June- LASH the upper 141 miles of the Sheltowee, KY 4. July- Paintbrush Divide trip, WY (With my wife) 5 .October- North/South Trail Land Between the Lakes KY 6. December- Zion National Park, UT (with my wife and little girl) I live very close to Mammoth Cave National Park as well and I usually do a couple weekend trips per month in the backcountry to test out new gear and train. Going this weekend as a matter of fact! So exciting to hear about other people's trips they have planned! I hope you and your wife have a great time!   ... View more

That sounds amazing!!! Good luck and I hope everything goes well. You should definitely make some posts about it as you go ... View more

I have several backpacking goals this year, but having just had a new baby, I can't leave for super extended periods of time. My plans so far for 2021: 1. Cumberland Gap Ridge Trail at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park 2. North/South Trail at Land Between the Lakes in Western KY 3. Great Smoky Mountains hiking (a small amount during a family vacation) 4. North 150 miles of the Sheltowee Trace Trail 5. First 73 miles of AT from Springer Mountain to NC state line 6. Training and honing in my gear loadout for the JMT next year! (very wishful thinking) ... View more

My daughter was born in April of 2020 and we started what I hope to be our annual hiking trip on Black Friday in order to get away from everything. This year was great and I look forward to many more! ... View more