Backpacking is Better

I've been backpacking since I was a kid. I got my first external frame pack when I was 9, but I was already very much a backpacker at that point. My dad took me to remote hot springs, mountain lakes, and many of the prominent peaks in the Wasatch range. Including one just shy of 12,000 feet. Not bad for a kid.

When I was in college I didn't get out as much as I wanted to and I started to get the itch to go camping. So I went to a campground with some friends and discovered that it wasn't camping that I was missing at all. It was backpacking. I have done plenty of both in my life and I can say with confidence that backpacking is the way to go. And I'll tell you why...

#1 Location, Location, Location.

Backpacking gives you the ability to see places that you can not in a car. Some of natures most spectacular places are impossible to get to except on foot. And sometimes even then it's difficult. Part of their pristine beauty is due to the fact that not very many people are there. It's a chance to see what nature is up to while the rest of us sit in traffic. You get to watch squirrels harvest seeds from pine cones, and see trout go crazy over a cluster of flies. There isn't the noise from a Winnebago blaring Def Leppard to scare away the deer, or an old refrigerator sticking out of the lake. It's just wilderness doing it's thing.

#2 A sense of accomplishment.

My dad was wise to take me backpacking at a young age. It is an experience with so many life lessons built into it. You learn about preparation, perseverance, patience, appreciation of nature. The list goes on and on. For me it's about accomplishing something hard. It is hard to describe the feeling of standing at the top of the highest peak around and knowing that you got there by your own efforts. It is a feeling that backing a car up to a fire pit will never give you. It's something that you earn. It's something that will change you. Once you've done it, you'll want to do it again and again. 


#3 It's easier to pack and unpack.

Sure, you need to walk a few miles into the woods on your own two feet, which is effort. But I find that packing up the car with every possible item that you might want, then setting up camp when you get there, is just as much effort. Sometimes more. And I always feel like I end up spending most of my hard earned vacation time moving stuff around rather than relaxing. Backpacking is way more straight forward. Instead of trying to cram one more thing into the car, you're looking for ways to leave more out. The list of things you bring gets pretty small. When you get to camp the only thing to do is set up a tent and eat a meal. Quick and easy. This is very much a case of "less is more." When you get home all you have to do is pull your laundry back, your food bag and dry out your hydration pouch and you're done. Everything else stays in the pack for next time.

#4 Self Sufficiency.

 Backpacking makes you think more about what you need. What you really need. When I'm car camping I inevitably end up over packing some things and forgetting other things all together. I'm a lot less careful. When you have to carry everything you take, it changes the game. You think about the word "need" differently. Do you need that cast iron skillet? Maybe not... When you get on the trail you know that you are carrying everything you need to stay alive in the woods for however long your trip is. It's a very empowering feeling to know that wherever you go, your home away from home is right there with you. It's a good way to encourage you to learn some new skills in order to make the most of what you are carrying, and knowledge is really the lightest piece of gear you can carry with you.

#5 Truly unplug.

One of the most important parts of a vacation is the change of pace. It's about not checking your work email and letting everything go for a little while. You've got to get that break! It's becoming increasingly difficult to get away from everything, thanks to cell phones and wifi. Backpacking forces your hand at the disconnect. Even if you want to check your email, you probably don't have cell service. And it gives you something else to think about: walking. I know it sounds lame, but it's very therapeutic. It's like meditation in motion. It lets you rest your mind for a bit. And when you do, you'll be able to see and hear things that you didn't notice before. You will start to notice things that our modern 15 second attention span didn't allow before, like how amazing it is to watch the sunlight fade out and see the milky way appear. And no, watching a time lapse video of the experience on youtube is not the same. 

I founded Colter Co. based on a long time love of simple outdoor skills. The kinds of skills that make backpacking better. We want people to be able to tie down a loose rainfly when the strap breaks. Or be able to find the stars in the night sky. Or tie on an elk hair caddis when the trout are going crazy. We want people to be able to carry all this without adding weight to a pack. Most every backpacker carries a bandana. Why not carry one that does more for you? 

Backpacking Meal Ideas

Backpacking season is here!! I love backpacking. It was one of my earliest outdoor passions. The unknown of the trail, the fulfillment of looking down from the summit, the feeling of self-sufficiency that comes from carrying everything you need on your back. In backpacking it's all about taking less. But somethings you have to take. Food is one of those. If you're like me, you get tired of the same options over and over on the trail. I wanted to post a few of my favorite options. One of the best sources I have found is this article. It gives some great options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

I always want something substantial and tasty at dinner time. After a long day on the trail you've earned it. Here are a few DIY meals that are lightweight, tasty and fulfilling.

I have frequently made my own meals based on a bag (or two...) of ramen noodles, choppped beef jerky, freeze dried veggies and then a variety of seasonings. Ginger powder is a nice switch up. I'm pretty loose about the recipes I use, which only adds to the variety :) I'd suggest trying a couple things before hand and seeing what you like the most. 

Snack time! What about the times you need a little pick me up with out wanting to boil water? I have a few favorites. Dried hummus mix (in the bulk section at Winco) is a great, easy, sustaining way to get some protein and calories. It mixes with water, oil and lemon juice, ideally. Although I have mixed just water in and found it perfectly suitable. It pairs well with a hearty cracker, summer sausage and ice cold filtered creek water. 

Another option is single serve tuna. Each pouch gives a nice kick of protein and it's shelf stable. When you've hit the end of your ability to look at trail mix and peanut butter, this is a good place to turn. 

We want to hear your favorite backpacking meals! We are always looking for more. Let us know here, or on Facebook. 

Learn how to Tie Knots

We are starting a series of video tutorials here at Colter co. Starting with our favorite subject: Knots! We're starting out with a fishing knot and a couple classic climbing knots. Our Know Your Knots bandana and Fly Fishing Knots bandana are great for reminders and reference, but it's super helpful to learn how to tie the knots ahead of time.

The Clinch knot is a classic tippet to fly knot. It's a simple knot and pretty straight forward. It was the first fishing knot I every learned. I just recently learned this super fast and easy way of tying it with the hemostat. Once you try it, you'll never go back. 

The bowline is used when you want a loop that will not slip. Think rope hanging from a helicopter to lift you to safety. Not a good time for a slip knot 😳. In that case make the loop large enough to sit in like a swing. You can also tie a small loop to use for making snares or lassos. Because the bowline loop won't cinch down it allows the lasso to slip tight more quickly. It's a knot that will hold firm under weight, but will still untie afterwards. There's even a way to tie it with one hand! But that's for a future post.

The alpine butterfly is used to create a fixed loop in the center of a rope when you don't have access to the ends. It's used in rock climbing and rescue. You can use it to make a loop to hang a carabiner from, or to isolate a damaged section of a rope so you don't plummet to your death. There are lots of other, around the camp uses you can use this one for. 

Please let us know what you think! We take requests. :)

Tyler & Becca PCT

In April we posted about Tyler & Becca plan to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. And they made it! We asked them a few questions about their trip. Talking to them makes me really look forward to hiking this summer. 

CC: What did you learn about your gear? 

T&B: We learned that quality gear is worth the investment. We did our homework and found gear that was going to fit our specific needs, but that would stand up to the abuse that we put it through. If on average a person spends 15 nights a year out backpacking the gear will last a good long while and is worth the investment. We were out 136 nights, which is equivalent to about 9 years of use that we put into our gear in one 4 1/2 month period. We had to do some minor mending and patching along the way, but overall everything is in great shape...except for our shoes. They all took a trip to the trash can.

CC: What gear was worth its weight in gold, and what was not worth having? 

Worth its weight in gold:
Becca: CALORIES!, trekking poles, sleeping quilt, leuko tape (for blisters), Nike Pro Indy bra, bug headnet, baby powder

Tyler: CALORIES!, solar panel, Sony NEX 7 camera with 16-50mm lens, Patagonia Houdini wind jacket, fishing pole

- A little more on calories: All food that you are craving is worth carrying. Avacados, an entire block of cheese, a jumbo bag of Fritos, chocolate cake, no problem!

Not worth having:

Sawyer Mini water filter - go with the full size version, sunscreen (not recommended for everyone else. We tanned up pretty quickly and never used it again), bug spray (as long as you're walking 3 mph the mosquitos can't catch you. In camp we just put on more layers).

CC: How did you alter your gear along the way?

T&B: The alterations were mainly to get rid of redundancies or gear that we thought we'd use but didn't. I ditched extra camera batteries once I had a good system down and we ditched a tarp to use as shade in the desert that we never used. Anything else that we would potentially need, but didn't want to carry was put into a "bounce box". Basically, you address a package to yourself two or three towns ahead and put in stuff that you might need. I had a big bottle of contact solution that I could use to refill my smaller one, extra socks and underwear, ziploc bags, and even some snacks and extra meals.

CC: What was your favorite parts of the experience?

T&B: For Becca it was the trail life with all of the social interactions. For me, it was definitely the scenery and the opportunity to see some incredible parts of the country. We both really enjoyed hiking through the Sierras and any other big mountain pass. It is a hard and discouraging climb, but once you get to the top of the pass and see all of the lakes and beautiful scenery that lies ahead of you all of the hard moments melt away.

CC: What was the hardest part of the experience?

T&B: The hardest part was definitely the repetitive nature of getting up day after day to hike 20+ miles. You go to bed exhausted and wake up in the morning slightly less exhausted. Finding that motivation in the morning would be really difficult for us if we weren't hiking with each other. I don't know how solo hikers do it. We were a good source of motivation for each other and she kept me from hitting the snooze button daily. If you can make it past the first few weeks where your body is adjusting, then the rest is mostly mental. Your body get into such incredible shape that you are a walking machine. 

CC: Did you meet any interesting people on the trail?

T&B: Oh, so many! It takes a certain kind of crazy to spend 4 to 6 months living out of a backpack. All walks of life were represented, but the coolest part was that the trail was a level playing field. It doesn't matter if you work at McDonalds or are a doctor, everyone is able to be their true selves without judgement. There were the crazy hippie types, but they tended to be occupied with alcohol and drugs. We kind of separated ourselves from that crowd just by the pace that we set for ourselves. 

We made a handful of friendships that will last a lifetime. "Ricky Bobby" from Michigan, "Raddish" from Oregon, Tami from Oregon, "Diatom" from California, and "Salamander" and "Tree Beard" from Washington were our closest friends. No topic is off limits when you sit around picking your feet and popping blisters in front of someone. You get to know people pretty quickly.

CC: Did your Colter Co. bandanas come in handy? :)

T&B: Yes! A bandana for a quick wipe of the forehead on a steep climb, or added sun protection is always handy.

CC: Did you guys get hiker nicknames?

T&B: Yes, mine was "Nomad", because I was always exploring and didn't sit still when other people were just relaxing. It was usually because I was off exploring a stream or lake.

Becca's was "Rattles", because she is chatty and as some of our close friends said, "you tend to rattle on and on". 

Trail names have to be given to you by people that you're around, not self-appointed. Most of the time it comes from a personality trait or something quirky that you do.