GenX Backpackers

Super Duper Ultra Light!

Some time back I read this article about Timmermade's SUL 1.5 down puffy. I have the Timmermade Super Ultralight (SUL) 0.75, and like it, but find it a bit too UL for me - i.e. not as warm as I would hope. When I read the bikepacking

Elk Creek Loop Lessons Learned

On July 1-4, 2022 Chris Spears and I traveled to Southern Colorado to do a "shakedown" trip with his daughter Maxine on the Elk Creek, Valle Verde loop in preparation for the 4-Pass Loop trip that we would go on August 5-8. This was my first time ever backpacking in

Colorado 4-Pass Loop Trip Report, August 5 - 8, 2022

Friday August 5th: We Drove from Manitou Springs to Crested Butte trail head and arrived around 11:30 am. After group picture taking, myself, Chris Spears , his nephew, and his daughter began our climb. We debated clockwise or counterclockwise around the loop right up until we got to the decision

Superior Trail Packing List

Tina and I will be doing the Superior Trail September 4-16. We are going to be doing a "choose your own adventure" plan. i.e. we know where we are going to start, and we know when we are going to finish, but exactly where we are going to finish

Jetboil Stash Review

Like many other GenXers, I buy stuff. Lots of stuff. I consider it my duty to keep the economy moving. As a result, I recently made several purchases. First, a Jetboil Stash and second, a Soto Windmaster stove. I have officially stimulated the economy but now it is time to

BBNP Shakedown

This past weekend I went on a quick two-nighter with Chris and his daughter to Big Bend NP to see how she liked backpacking with elevation change. This is in preparation for a possible longer trip later this summer. Chris has many more pics and stories to share - I'll

Am I materialistic? Umm..... yeah, but...

I drive a 2007 Pontiac Vibe with 250k miles on it. Still going strong. Looking forward to 300k. Fully depreciated baby! But, yeah, I like nice things. I just choose to spend my money on my passions: my pups and backpacking. One of the things I really enjoy about cottage

Penny-wise but Pound-foolish

If you've used a canister stove for any amount of time, you've undoubtedly got a collection of half-used canisters. Annoying. Wouldn't it be great if there were some way to combine the contents of one cannister into another? Surely there must be a way. I consulted the modern source of

Tape! The new normal.

Today Brian and I did the road walk between Trailheads 9 and 10 that we skipped on our last trek on the Lone star hiking trail. I had discovered Kinesiology tape a few months back and I made sure that my current problem areas were supported. I went with this

I'm wearing your underwear....

For Thanksgiving of 2021, Brian and I attempted the LSHT, but a nice bought of plantar fasciitis ended our trip about 30+ miles from the end. We are currently attempting to make up the sections we missed even though Brian has already gone back and finished. He's kindly helping me

Educational

My pre-trip planning documents for the LSHT

Had someone ask me how I plan for a backpacking trip. I'm sure everyone's planning system is completely different. Mine varies greatly by what the hike is. Some hikes are more about route planning and making sure you have good maps and know the elevation changes and distances. For the

Gear Reviews

Wildland Coffee Review

On January 5, 2022 the founder of Wildland Coffee Zach Frantz posted the following on the Texas Hiking Community Facebook group: "I am the founder of Wildland Coffee and we put delicious coffee into tea bags. No more mess and fuss of french presses or pour overs while you camp!

Trails Reviews/Wrap-ups

Trip Report - March 11-13 2021

Before my divorce last year I had been quite active with a pair of Scout Troops in San Antonio. The crossroads of Scouting and backpacking go a long way back for me. It was Scouts that first introduced me to the sport, and it was in Scouts that I accomplished

Personal Growth

Genx girl hiking..aka Female hiking views from a newbie with health issues

I began my hiking adventure last year (2021) after meeting Brian, to bring us up-to-date though I need to backtrack...and go way back but not so far back you feel like you are reading a recipe online and want to skip to the end. My content will be relevant

Gear Reviews

Timmermade Sleep System (Coati Quilt, Overquilt, and Waterbear) Review

Timmermade (Timmermade – Handmade Outdoor Gear) is a cottage boutique for hand-made custom ultralight backpacking gear. I ordered a 20-degree Coati quilt from them in October of 2021 to upgrade my Enlightened Equipment 20 degree Revelation. While I have enjoyed the EE quilt, I had read about the almost mythical qualities

Personal Growth

Already planning the next round of adventures!

Less than a week after returning from the 100 mile Lone Star Hiking Trail, I'm still nursing a bit of a shin splint issue on my right leg. Not horrible but I am taking one week off from serious hiking just to be safe. I did about 2 miles yesterday

Personal Growth

The Regret of Finishing 8 Days on LSHT

I completed the LSHT over Thankgiving week in November of 2021 with one of my dearest friends. Our week was full of long days on trail, silly anecdotes, new experiences, and varying degrees of exhaustion. Recovery aside, ending 8 days on a trail had some unexpected side effects, but I'll

Gear Reviews

Lone Star Hiking Trail Breakdown Stream!

Just four LSHT hikers talking about the trail and also talking shop! Join Chris, Rob, Brian, and Brekken for way too much chatter about backpacking stuff!

Educational

Brian's LSHT Lighterpack Breakdown!

LSHT Mar 2022 - ULLone Star Hiking Trail March 4-6 2022.Weather:Friday 3/4: High 75, Low 61, Wind 6-10 mph, Dew Point 46-50Saturday 3/5: High 80, Low 67, Wind 9-15 mph, Dew Point 55-57Sunday 3/6: Hight 83, Low 66, Wind 8-16 mph, Dew Point 57-63, chance

F' it! We'll do it LIVE!

We'll be doing an in person wrap up plus Q&A of our Lone Star Hiking Trail through hike on March 9th, 2022 at 5PM CT! This will be our first attempt at streaming as a group. While I'm an experienced streamer with hundreds of hours under my belt,

Trifles

Old School

Can you identify this stove just from the picture above? No? How about if you heard it's distinctive sound? https://youtu.be/qLwsqcdLbKI This is the grandfather of all modern backpacking stoves. It's a brick by today's standard, but has served generations of backpackers. True to form, I inherited it

Trifles

Brian's First Ever BSA Camporee

That's me on the right on my knees. This would have been in the fall of 1983. I was a Tenderfoot Scout at the time, after having attended Mount Norris Scout Reservation the summer before. I remember the names of most of the Scouts and adults in the picture with

Personal Growth

A 10 hour shower....

When I posted I was hiking 70 miles in 3 days solo in a facebook group a while back, one of the first posts was something to the effect of "You shouldn't hike alone, it is dangerous" Uh... thanks? So yeah, hiking alone can be somewhat more dangerous than hiking

Personal Growth

It began on the trail...

I have long toyed with the idea of putting together a page just for posting hiking and backpacking related content. In fact, I managed to pull together a small effort recently in the form of austinhiker.com but I just haven't quite had the time or the motivation to give