USA in 6 months

[John Saxby]

On the matter of Ursacks & related bags:  Over the past several years I've used the robust plastic Loksak and Opsak bags for food storage.  They're advertised as odour-proof and, with a double seal at the opening, waterproof as well.

They've been durable, and while using them, I've never had any problem with critters attacking my panniers.  That said, I still don't keep any food bags in my tent overnight.

BTW, on DEET as a fire-starter:  The stuff I use comes in a small (37 ml) squirt bottle. So, no propellant. Brand name is "Ben's", made in NH.  Sez it repels black flies, but beyond that falsehood/fantasy, I've found it works quite well.

[mickeg]

I NEVER store my food in a tent, but when camping in designated campgrounds with lots of other campers, generally the only troublesome wildlife are chipmunk sized, then I will often store my food in a tent vestibule.  But when camping in wilderness where the wildlife may be much larger, the food is never stored in the tent.

Exception, there was so little four legged wildlife in Iceland, that I often cooked in the vestibule and stored food in it, I did not worry about animals when there.  I was sitting inside my tent when I took the attached photo, the vestibule offered good wind protection where I did not have a convenient picnic table to use.  Door was open when I cooked in vestibule.  But sometimes I boiled water in the vestibule with tent door closed.  The dehydrated chili mix came from home, the small can of tomato puree was bought in Reykjavik.

[JohnR]

Regarding bug repellants, a friend who was brought up in Africa told me that chewing two cloves of raw garlic per day was very effective at repelling mosquitoes. I would expect that this approach would also be effective against other bugs and maybe other bigger critters.  The problem, he added, was that everyone needed to do the same so they wouldn't notice the stink of garlic.

[WorldTourer]

Regarding bug repellants, a friend who was brought up in Africa told me that chewing two cloves of raw garlic per day was very effective at repelling mosquitoes.

Africa (like anywhere, really) is notorious for folk remedies that don’t actually work; overlanders are exposed to a lot as they cross the continent. But malaria is no joke and has claimed the lives of members of our community, and doctors specialized in the region do recommend repellent with DEET.

When cycling in mosquito country, I recommend covering up with an expedition shirt over a breathable merino-wool microweight base layer, and expedition trousers (my favourite is the Fjällräven Abisko). Mosquitos can’t bite through the polycotton fabric that such clothes are normally made from.

[jul]

Hi all,

Finally, for my first trip in US, i plan to hike the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). A bike tour should be for a next time.

I have to arrive to Los Angeles by plane then San Diego by train and Campo (mexican border) by i don't now yet.

My first thing to do is probably to find can gaz for my stove and buy something to eat for fews days  and why not to find a place to sleep at Los Angeles or San Diego for 1 or 2 nights.

My questions are where can i to find can gaz easily ? and which type of food should be great for my hike (light, caloric, quick to cook) ?


Thanks 

[mickeg]

...
Finally, for my first trip in US, i plan to hike the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). ...

My first thing to do is probably to find can gaz for my stove and by something to eat for fews days  and why not to find a place to sleep at Los Angeles or San Diego for 1 or 2 nights.

My questions are where can i to find can gaz easily ? and which type of food should be great for my hike (light, caloric, quick to cook) ?

Most common store recommendation you likely will hear is REI, they are a big camping chain.  They are officially a coop, not a retail store, but going in a store you would likely never know the difference.  You do not have to be a member to shop there.
https://www.rei.com/search?q=butane+canisters
https://www.rei.com/stores/map

You asked about Gaz.  When I see that word, I think of the French canisters that are unthreaded.  If you have the stove for that, you might need a different stove.  See attached, canister on the left is unthreaded and you are unlikely to find any canisters sold in USA like that.  Most stoves sold in USA will be like the threaded one on the right in the photo, or those on the REI page, link above.  I took that photo 8 years ago in anticipation of such questions.

I only know of two stoves that will work on both the threaded and unthreaded canisters, both of those stoves are rare, it is unlikely you have that stove. 

I think officially you are not allowed to carry a butane canister onto a train in USA.  But, I have done it repeatedly, they do not check like they do at airports.  So, if you buy one before you get on the train, do not let anyone see you have the canister.  I assume you will carry all of your luggage onto the train, no checked luggage.

Type of food, what have you used for backpacking before?  I would expect the same fare here.  I usually do not use freeze dried due to high costs, but I suspect much of what I use for backpacking is similar to what you have used in other locales.

West Coast, a common grocery store chain is Safeway.  If you shop there, you should get a membership (free) so you can get the sale prices.  There are several other stores, but I think that Safeway are the most common in urban areas.  Rural areas, I do not know what is most common.

I would expect along the Pacific Coast Trail, that there are stores in the communities near the trail that stock butane canisters since a lot of people hike it and there likely is plenty of demand for canisters.

I know nothing about PCT, but I have backpacked other places, second photo is me this past September.

If you have a Sawyer water filter or one that is similar, I suggest frequent backflushing.  I have met many people on the trails that have trouble with those filters, solely because nobody told them they need to be backflushed.  I have had no trouble with my Sawyer, but I frequently backflush it.

If you plan to bring a phone and buy a sim card here, this may help you figure out which networks your phone will work with.
https://www.frequencycheck.com

Have a great trip.  I live thousands of miles from the trail, so I have no first hand knowledge of it, so can't answer detailed questions, but generic questions I may be able to help.

[mickeg]

I thought of this later, a couple good sources on food planning for a long hike.
https://www.msrgear.com/blog/nutrition-for-thru-hikers-part-1-food-for-fuel/
https://www.msrgear.com/blog/9019/

I have never worried too much about caloric intake, my backpacking was no more than two weeks at a time.  Bike tours are generally up to five weeks.  Thus, I usually lose weight but not such a loss that it is a problem.

After one bike tour I had some weird physical issues.  My Dr (GP) diagnosed a severe protein deficiency.  I now have more protein in my meals and I also have a 20 gram protein bar at the end of the exertion part of the day when backpacking or bike touring or something else like that.

[jul]

Thanks Mickeg !

REI !! i didn't know, only fews times i'v seen this brand on internet.

Effectively, freeze dried are expensive and me too i don't eat it.  Probably i'll find chinese noodle (ramen), bread, noodle soup, ham, cheese. Certainly, i'll find similar things as to France. 

Of course, my stove is for threaded canister   

Treatment Water = chlorine tablets 

[mickeg]

There are a few brands of dehydrated soups sold in USA.  One in particular that I have used is Bear Creek.  I split a bag (dried, dehydrated) into thirds and have that for supper.  Bear Creek says to add 8 cups of water to a bag, I add the equivalent of six, or two measured cups of water for a meal.  SOme of their soups require an additional item, the chili for example requires some tomato sause or paste.  And for protein, I add a 2 to 3 ounce packet of some form of meat, Spam (a USA invention), or chicken or tuna to the soup.  Sometimes I add some dehydrated vegies that I dehydrated at home as a boost for the soups.  THese soup instrucitons say to add to boiling water and simmer for a long time.  I boil the water, add the soup and meat, then bring to a boil again.  Then turn off stove, occasionally stir it, when it is cool enough to eat the parts that needed the simmer have softened enough to eat.

There is something by Starkist here called Creations, it is a meat and sauce mix, between two and three oz, I make a tortilla sandwich with that.  That is my daily lunch.  First photo.  Disregard the note "2/day", that was a note to myself for packing.  I have one packet for lunch, two packets shown to show that it comes in Tuna or Chicken.

Second photo.  One of my suppers.  The Bear Creek was split into thirds at home, the plastic bag labeled Chili 24 is the Bear Creek soup.  Spam is meat.  The bag of vegies on right, I add a handful or two to each meal.  Third photo, is ready to eat.   Do not expect to find these dehydrated soups in all stores, only the larger stores stock it.

Fourth photo, another supper, this one I added chicken instead of spam.

More photos in next post.

[mickeg]

First photo, this is all the food I brought for nine days (eight breakfasts, eight suppers, eight lunches, snacks, etc.) of backpacking in Sept. 

Starting at lower left and working to the right, two bags are nearly white, these are my bear creek meals, the meat in the packets is under the dehydrated mix, so you can't see it.  Then two bags that have some coffee creamer packets and some blue and grey paper bags, those are an instant hot cereal.  Far right lower corner, stack of the Starkist Creations for lunches.

Left on middle row, a bag of granola bars, next to the right is another bag of granola bars, then the third bag to the right are my protein bars and to the right of that are the tortillas for lunch.

Upper row, left to right, some more granola bars.  Then a couple bags of hard candies, and on the far right are some spices, etc.

This does not include my instant coffee, that is stored in my coffee mug.

Second photo, supper at the brew pub at end of trip.

Third photo, breakfast the next morning, an unusually good omelet.

Fourth photo, a better photo of breakfasts, I forgot to mention that I add 2.0 to 2.5 oz of dried fruit to my two hot cereal packets for breakfast.  I find the coffee creamer powder makes it taste better.

This is a calorie deficit, but for only a bit over a week, I am happy to lose some weight.  But if you are thru hiking, you need more calories because you are talking about months of calorie deficits, not a week or two.  What I have here weighs roughly 0.8 to 0.85kg per day.

I do not know if you need bear proof food storage for your food on PCT, you might.  Best to find out now instead of later.  You should plan on hanging your food if you do not need a canister.

This is a food storage policy for where I was two months ago, PCT might have different but likely similar policy.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/superior/notices/?cid=FSEPRD1174552

John S might have more suggestions on foods available in USA, much of what they have in Canada is also available here.

[jul]

Fantastic Mickeg, it seems light and good 

It's right, a bear box is necessary in some places. But i'm doubtful, because it is quite heavy on the back .

Where do you live if it's not  too indiscreet ?

[mickeg]

...
Where do you live if it's not  too indiscreet ?

Madison Wisc.

You should get lots of opinions, I have only given you mine here.  Everybody does things differently.

[jul]

...
Where do you live if it's not  too indiscreet ?

Madison Wisc.

You should get lots of opinions, I have only given you mine here.  Everybody does things differently.

Have you heard about this trail (PCT) ? what's your opinion on it ?

[mickeg]

...
Where do you live if it's not  too indiscreet ?

Madison Wisc.

You should get lots of opinions, I have only given you mine here.  Everybody does things differently.

Have you heard about this trail (PCT) ? what's your opinion on it ?

I have heard of PCT, but know almost nothing about it.  A gal I used to work with planned to hike it, but suddenly had an illness that got in the way.  She is not hiking it, or if she is, it will be a few years into the future, she will be in the hospital for a several weeks in the next few months.

I have met several that hiked the AT (Appalachian Trail), but I really know almost nothing about PCT.  I used to have two neighbors that through hiked the AT.

Over last three years I backpacked most of the Superior Hiking Trail, but at about 300 miles, that is dwarfed by the AT or PCT.  I did it one or two weeks at a time.  While hiking that, I met several others that had through hiked the AT, so I have heard more about that trail.

And I backpacked eight days on Isle Royale this past summer, a National Park here in USA, but that was only roughly 50 to 60 miles.  Nothing like the thousands of miles for AT or PCT.  That was the third time I have gone backpacking on Isle Royale.

Decades ago I backpacked in the Rockies but not on any particular designated trail.  We mostly went to national forests that had a lot of wilderness and generally would start near timberline and then spend days above timberline.  That was in the 1970s before backpacking became popular, so we pretty much had the places to ourselves.

I do not know how many miles you have to average per day to complete PCT.  AT is roughly 20 miles per day if you want to get it done in one season.  I am 70 years young, thus am a bit slower, I average about 10 miles a day.

[jul]

Ok !

From France or a international point of view, the PCT is a bit mythical, specially since the film's release "Wild" made by Jean Marc Vallée

 

After there is also the CDT (continental Divide Trail) as quoted above, but by foot it's a bit boring depending  on the location, i heard that.  Probably more adequate to go through it by bike.