Goes to . . .
You may have seen it, it’s called a ‘bottle belt’. Its a nylon strap that goes around the bottle and clips - via an unincluded caribiner - to your belt.
The product info on the back encourages you to buy it so you won’t “need those 12 strips of duct tape anymore”
Which, of course, made me want to scream “THATS NOT WHY WE’RE USING THE DUCT TAPE, YOU INCOMPETENT BOOB!”
So . . . now that’s off my chest . . . anybody got any other DUMB GEAR stories?
Kineo Kid
I’ve no other tales to tell, but I saw what you described and thought pretty much the same thing (with slightly less excitement).
Conan.
Conan
This is not dumb, nor is it gear. But it should take some type of award. I was section hiking in the Smokies a couple of years ago and ran into a 17 year old, just out of some type of juvenile camp experince. He was a nice kid and was hiking from Springer to Harper’s Ferry by himself. It was his first hiking experience and he carried with him a 20 lbs. sack of long grain white rice. By the time I met him, he was getting a little tired of eating rice. I could only think of what Grandma Gatewood must have carried on her thru-hike.
:lol
Bilko
Bilko, that’s halerious. I believe I would get tired of eating rice on day 2 and go nuts. I spent the night in the Smokies this past Saturday and gave some thru-hikers a can of Pringles, they almost cried. It’s amazing how fast we miss eating real food when on the trail.
guru
We saw a fellow packing a small battery powered TV in '02. Not one of these new LCD, it was of these small 12" tube type in color. It was purched up on the top of his pack with a lawn chair tied to the back of the pack. He said he didn’t want to miss the Sapranos!
We met a fellow at Springer with casting material so if he fell and broke his leg he could fix it!!!
Papa Smurf
How about the guys with a Barbeque Grill tied to the outside of there pack. Ofcourse, who can forget “TubaMan”
Al-
I met a guy on the JMT in 2002 carrying two packs and and art easal. He ws hiking north. I met him at the half way mark on the trail, he said it had taken him two months to complete that stretch. He was also hiking to give up smoking but readily handed out Marlboros, of which he had a ten pack carton. I asked him how he carried all that gear, he said that he’d basicly hiked the first 110 miles three times, once to shuttle one pack, going back for the next then rejoining his other pack (along with easal). He seemed to be having fun so good luck to him!
Oh, oh, oh, and he was carrying a bear cannister in each pack, both crammed with goodies.
Cheers
Cheers
I recall walking the Overland Track in Tasmania several years ago and passing a crazybrave Japanese dressed in a pin striped buisness suit and carrying a large suitcase struggling up Marion’s lookout. Im not sure what was in the suitcase though!
koalabear
Hi all,
I could fill this page, but I will just give you a few of my sightings of stuff on the trail that would follow under “Dumb Trail Gear”.
Lets see:
2002 - a guy was carrying a full size lounge chair.
2003 - a lady was carrying all her make up, hair spray, including self tanning stuff.
2004 - a guy was carrying dumb bells to work his arms after he was done hiking for the day, I do not remember what size weights they were. (he felt he worked his legs, so he had to work his arms too.
2005 - a guy was carrying a full size bike tires and all.
2006 a guy was carrying two packs. I gave him the trail name “Two Packs”
I’m an oz counter myself, so if I do not use it I don’t bring it.
Happy Trails
POOH-BEAR
POOH-BEAR
This doesn’t really count as gear I guess, but we saw some old guy carrying a guitar.
Emily
I think the bottle belt (www.thebottlebelt.com) is for climbers, but even then I wouldn’t want a 2+ lb weight swinging around my belt or bag while I climb. But I could see hikers using this, and again, I personally don’t want that thing bouncing around my waist or pack.
My favorite though are the compact chop sticks for hiking for $24.95, weight 1 oz. I’ve never actually carried chopsticks while hiking, but I have to wonder about these. The FREE ones I get from the local chinese carryout place are compact, low cost, and are so light they don’t register on my digital postal scale ( <.1 oz).
-xtn :boy
airferret
I guess if you are carrying it is not dumb to you. It is all funny really… to see what people take. Even funnier to watch them toss it:D I really thought about a coffee grinder. Coffee is just crucial, and I thought that would be dumb… so i just brought the folger bags. I still think about the grinder for my next journey. OZ
bktoOZ
In a recent hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with Billy Goat we ran into a young feller who was a handy man by trade and new to the world of hiking, let alone LWHing…and what was he using to boil water with…??? A welders blowtorch and his pot was his metal sierra cup, he could put the cup down on the table and apply the flame right to the water…instant boil!!!
Meadow Ed
Meadow Ed
I remember last year, coming down off of Bear Mountain in CT, there is that really steep downhill. Well, it was a very hot day, around 100F so me and my partner stopped by a stream in the shade for a nap. A little later, we saw four or five young boys, going SOBO up that steep climb. One of them had a cooler straped to his pack. Not a small one, but one of those 48 Qt. deals. All I can say is I hope it was empty!!
Flying Turtle
In 2002 at Neals Gap, the first hiker box on the trail. Had
a machete! and a flare Gun ! There were no flares so we figured he must have used them to get rescued! Also I met a woman at Gooch Gap in 1999 with a black iron frying pan AND a man with her had a little TV. I carried four pairs of sox for a month.
bamboobob