Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles for Under $30 — Updated

Recently, while at Costco, I came across a killer deal: Costco is selling carbon fiber trekking poles for $27! So I bought a pair, stripped them down (removed the strap, basket, etc.) and weighed each pole in at 7.1 oz. Although they are no longer offered at Costco, they can be purchased on Amazon.com (click here).

If you have any thoughts of using poles for hiking and backpacking, these are a great find and probably worth checking out.

I use trekking poles to help take pressure off my knees on the down hills, makes the uphills easier, helps me balance, especially on tricky trails and stream crossings. They also serve as my tarp/tent poles, monopod for taking photos and is a handy duct tape dispenser. Talk about multipurpose! Here is a review from Andrew Skurka>>

Leave the TP at Home

You can’t be serious

Before outhouses and modern toilets, we had holes in the ground. In fact, toilets are relatively new to modern society. Most of the campers I lead on backpacks cringe at the thought of having to poop in the woods. Some think it’s sick, abnormal or my favorite, “ungodly.” Continue reading

Los Angeles Backpacking Club

I love LA —  I especially appreciate the diversity of weekend options available to adventurers who make time to get out once in a while.

Last weekend I took the opportunity to signup and go on my first Meetup trip with the LA Backpackers Club. It was a local, 10-mile round trip backpack to the historic site of what was once the Ye Alpine Tavern. One of my motivations for going was Continue reading

Backpack Quick List

How could anyone forget their shoes on a backpack! I did — but only once.

Have you ever been a few miles from the trailhead and forgot something, or had a feeling that you may have left an essential piece of gear at home? If so, chances are you were not using a checklist.

Big List vs. Small List

QuickListMost ultralight backpackers maintain a gear list. Some “gear wienies” like me, keep a list of each item on a spreadsheet and/or online, including their category and weight–down to the gram. Gear lists help keep track of what you have and help determine base weight, yet most of us don’t carry a gear list with us to the trailhead, and virtually no one carries it with them on the trip. Heck, a sheet of paper weighs 5 grams…, right?

I found a quick and easy way to Continue reading

To Boot or Not To Boot?

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Boots have been the standard for backpacking since… boots were invented. In fact, the quintessential picture of backpacking in the 70s and 80s is a tall external pack and hiking boots. Although boots have come a long way with materials and weight, they still play a large role in traditional backpacking today.

However, the backpacking arena is changing; Continue reading