Our Favourite Overnight Hiking Hacks
We are well into Fall, also known as, the best time of year to put on those hiking boots and hit the hills! The temperature is perfect for some upward grinding, the colours are absolutely beeaaa-u-tiful and if you’re lucky, you might even get some snow-capped mountain views as the winter slowly rolls in.
Before you start packing, check out our Peak Training tried and true hiking hacks, almost 100% guaranteed to make your mission all the more epic!
Pack it in
At this point, it should go without saying that a well-fitting backpack will save you a world of pain. We like the Osprey Atmos Aura backpack. But let’s focus on how you’re packing. Almost everyone has their own packing style, and we’re sure many of you probably make use of compression sacks to get those bigger items down to size. But what if - and stay with us here - you treated your pack itself as a compression sack?
Trails await. Photo by Kaili’i Smith
Hear us out. If you’re putting your sleeping bag in a compression sack, your sleeping mat into a compression sack, your clothing into packing pods and trying to fit food in there… Even if you’ve individually packed everything as small as possible, when you put it all into your bag, there’s still nooks and crannies of wasted space as you “tetris” everything in. Instead, pack your sleeping bag down into the bottom of your pack, compressing it as much as you can. Then do the same with all your other items, in effect, making your pack a giant compression sack, with zero wasted nooks!
So next time you’re staring at all your stuff before a big multiday, wondering how the hell you’re going to fit it all, give this method a go.
Foot stuff
Excuse us for a moment while we talk about feet. They deserve it! They’re the ones that are going to carry you to the mountaintops!
Here’s our first foot hack. Even if you have the perfect hiking boot (shout-out to our faves VIVO BAREFOOT Tracker hiking boot), sometimes blisters are inevitable. Here’s how to keep them at bay; before the hike, use a blister stick on high-rub areas. The minute you feel any kind of uncomfortable rubbing, stop to put a Moleskin or a band-aid on it immediately. Don’t wait until you already have a blister or torn skin!
Keep your feet happy on the uphill. Photo by Kaili’i Smith
Also, if you know that you’ve got a problem spot that just seems to always blister, get some pieces of raw merino wool, put it on the spot, slip on your sock to keep it in place and it should help prevent rubbing from the get-go! If you’re not sure where to get merino wool, stop into a shop that sells merino clothing (brands include Icebreaker and SmartWool). They’ll sometimes have samples on hand for product training purposes.
If you’re using new boots, carry your old boots with you on the first few hikes. It’s a bit of a pain, but it’s much better than being miserable as you try to break in the newies. Then you can switch out when you’ve had enough.
Finally, the most underrated feet treat for hikes - HUT BOOTIES. Switching out of your boots and into a pair of these at the hut or campsite is pure heaven. There are several brands that make them, including The North Face and RAB. (These also double as the best apres booties in the winter).
Creature comforts
Forget about feeling too bougie - lightweight inflatable pillows are awesome. And they pack down small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. When you lay your head down after a long day of walking, you’re going to appreciate every penny you spent on one of these. They’re also great for long-haul travel - think sleeping in airports or on the plane. Two birds, one stone.
Are we there yet? Photo by Kaili’i Smith.
If you’re still stubborn enough to go pillow-less, do yourself a favor at night; grab your puffy and fold the arms across the chest. Then roll it up from the hemline to the neckline and pull the hood over the roll. Bam, you’ve got yourself a makeshift pillow.
Another nice touch if you’re at a hut is to bring tiny tea candles. When it gets dark, the candles create such a nice ambiance in the hut.
Finally, alcohol. Nothing hits better than a good swig after a long hike. To keep things light, try to keep your vessels to cans. Nothing sucks more than having that extra weight on the way up and then having to carry an only marginally lighter glass bottle on the way down - heavy and that’s empty space in your pack! With a can, simply stomp on it to crush it and save precious space.
Location, location, location
This will do nicely. Photo by Kaili’i Smith
If you’re fiending to go to a bucket list spot, but you hate the idea of the crowds, put it in the calendar for late season or even winter, it’s almost always less busy. Especially if you’re wanting to hit up some famous BC hot springs, don’t even try it during the peak summer season. Odds are you’ll get there, see the sheer volume of people in the water and not even want to go in.
Extras
In our opinion, you’ll never regret bringing an extra layer or an extra dehydrated meal. And if you can get a dehydrated meal that comes in a resealable container or bag, you can use it when you’re done eating to store your other food wrappers and garbage for the walk back down - always pack in, pack out people!
And now, to the trails!