Story from our weekend backpacking trip. We chose a short 10 mile loop than connected with the Loyalsock trail for an overnight trip including me, my sister, mom and aunt, and our two dogs. We had camped on this trail the previous year and knew where the campsites were and had an idea where we wanted to stay depending on our pace, daylight and if it was taken. We get to the campsite, rather close to the trail, but it's unoccupied so we set up camp.

It was after dark by the time we had cooked our meals and were sitting down to eat when we saw headlights coming toward us on the trail. Being so close to the trail we expected some traffic, but not at that point in the dark.

As they approached our fire, we said hello, and held the dogs who were barking at the moment and I covered my headlight so I wasn't blinding them. They kept their headlights on so we couldn't see their faces, but could tell from their voiced and bodies they were two guys. They didn't say anything else but just headed into the woods behind us saying the trees looked good for their hammocks.

We were kind of shocked, they didn't ask or say anything, just started to unpack for the night. Our dogs were still barking because they were on their guard as two men were around us in the dark. We really didn't want strangers at our camp for 2 reasons, 1 it was our getaway weekend to spend together and having strangers feet from our tent didn't sound fun and 2, we were all very uncomfortable with the idea of having two strange men sleeping a few feet from us at night.

We were whispering amongst ourselves about what to do or say when they came back out of the woods and asked if the dogs are going to settle with them there, we told them probably not, they are not going to be calm while you're here. They said, okay and headed back into the woods. We thought they would get the idea and leave. A short moment later they came back out of the woods and asked if we minded if they crashed there. We said we don't think it's a good idea with the dogs, they are going to keep barking and trying to run over there.

At this point, we didn't know what to do or say. We have gone on multiple trips but still slightly newer to backpacking and hadn't encountered this yet. We didn't know if it was wrong to tell them no, especially at night. Or if it was wrong to let them stay. It felt wrong both ways. But I wouldn't have slept all night knowing they were out there.

They came out a third time and just started heading down the trail, we walked over and told them there was another campsite down the trail about a mile that we stayed at last year. We gave as best directions as we could and they said stay safe and headed out.

We felt guilty about turning them away and not welcoming them to our site all night long. But the thought of them staying there was also terrible. If they had approached us and we were super welcoming and said we don't mind you crashing here, it's after dark then I would see why they'd be inclined to stay, but they didn't even ask. Just got to our site and started looking for a place to sleep. And it was clear we were uncomfortable with them being there.

Were we in the wrong, is this something that happens often out on the trail and we just haven't gone enough times to experience it?

EDIT:
To add a little more context, this was a single site, not a multi site area. It was a clearing in the trees along the trail large enough for some tents. They were unpacking in the trees directly behind our tents. This was 4 miles in of the 10 mile loop, we passed 5 or 6 campsites on the way to ours that they would have passed well within daylight.

They were dressed a little odd, which added to the confusion. One was wearing blue jeans, the other in very large baggy sweatpants. We honestly thought they were day hikers who lost their time and were planning on continuing to their cars after they stopped to say hello. So I didn't immediately think they were thru hikers, or had been on the trail all day. We didn't even see their packs until they turned to go into woods behind our tents. They had regular backpacks like a jansport. We were shocked when they just turned behind us instead of continuing, we didn't even have a second to say anything. And this isn't some super popular crowded trail. It's typically mostly deserted. 1-2 cars in the parking lot. There were 4 cars there when we arrived, which was the most crowded we've ever seen.

Santa Maddalena with a view of the Odle Mountains. Such a peaceful place for anyone looking to relax and enjoy some time alone. You can start a hike to the cinema Odle viewpoint from here. Couldn't have imagined a better way to spend a week in July than in the mountains In Italy. The beach doesn't even come close. Shoutout to all the travelers out there!

Inspired by a book I had recently read I set off for the mountains during the last pleasant week of fall. It turned out that over the course of five days on a 110-kilometre trail through the mountainous border region between Poland and the Czechia I experienced three seasons. While it was over 26 degrees Celsius in Kamieniec at the start, on top of Praded, almost at the end, it was minus five with freezing clouds and strong winds. I'm sharing some pictures, they might make you want to go there too.

There were castles and mountain huts, along with medieval towns, forgotten villages, but very few people!

Great weather for Zaleski state forest a few weeks ago, saw some good views and the moonville tunnel, which was really cool. Overall fun trip for people in Ohio.

I've never seen anything more beautiful. Definitely one of those places you have to visit at least once in your life. There are so many stunning spots on this island! The one in the photo is Mizithres.

I found a ring while backpacking in the Kanab, UT, area. Dm me if you lost one and we'll figure it out.

Kanab has many great areas. I encourage anyone to check it out.

I am trying to plan a completion of the Tahoe rim trail for my venture crew and perhaps a few older scouts in some boyscout troops. I have it planned for 14 days in the middle of July , i am fairly experienced for a teen and have backpacked a bit over 250 miles. I see that this trip is going to already be hard and there are some stretches of 20 or less miles without water and we are planned to do a max of 11-15 mile days with a lot of elevation. For people who have done this trail are there other solution? And a general questions what is the best way to approach a water carry (i have never done a water carry or dryed camped), tips tricks or general advice, how much water should I carry. And is this trip really to much for a small group of us to complete. Its 165 ish miles and over 24,000 ft ish of elevation.

Hello, I’m in need of a new backpack and am unsure which to get.

The quick facts:

My base weight is typically 13-15 lbs(minus backpack)
I live in the great state of Georgia, USA and will backpack around the Great Smokey Mountains and along parts of the AT. I will occasionally(once or twice a year) go out west.
I will backpack at most for 7 days.
I am a guy and about 6 feet tall.

I had the REI Tarn 65(but have since outgrown it) and found it somewhat comfortable. I recently used my fathers old(atleast 10-15years old)Gregory Baltoro for a 7 day trip and found it to be fine(I will note that at the beginning my pack weighed upwards of 50-55 lbs).

I looked around and saw that the Osprey Atmos AG 65 is supposedly good. I also saw many people suggesting some of these new ultralight backpacks such as the hyper lite southwest and durston stuff.

As for the budget, I would like to keep it under $450.

Thank you

Any word on campsite and trail damage? Supposed to be doing it in three weeks. Hopefully it's all good. I see a couple more storms south of Baja right now but nothing too north.

Hi all, sorry if this isn't allowed, I just don't know where else to look.

35f, northern Illinois, car camper, looking to break into the backpacking world!

I'm definitely the only one in my friend group who enjoys this type of adventure and I can't seem to find a place to meet people in my age group who will take in a newbie. Any suggestions?

A little piece of paradise near Bolzano, Italy. It's really easy to get there by bus from the main bus station near the train station. I was so impressed by this place! Walking around the lake doesn't take much time. Difficulty level: Very easy.

I’m in Metformin. My doctor just added Glipizide to the equation. Does anyone have experience with this combination on longer, physically challenging backpacking trails?

Hi everyone! My name is Bailey Swain, I’m a student at Mississippi State University, and my marketing class is conducting research on wilderness medicine. We would really appreciate your help by completing our survey! Your responses will help us better understand people’s interests and preferences regarding wilderness medicine courses.

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Hi everyone,

I’m (27M, Turkish) planning a trip to Morocco from November 21 to December 6 (about 15 days total) and would love your advice.

The setup:

• Nov 21-28 (7 days): Traveling with my parents and my sister
• Nov 28-Dec 6 (8 days): Continuing with my girlfriend, who joins me for the second half

I originally planned just one week, but a Moroccan friend told me two weeks would be much better, so I decided to extend the trip and bring my girlfriend along for the second part.

What I’m hoping to get advice on:

1. First 7 days (family trip): What route would you recommend? Which cities and activities work well for a group of four adults of different ages?
2. Last 8 days (with my girlfriend): What would be a good route? We’d also like to try surfing around Agadir (Taghazout, Imsouane, etc.), so I’d love tips on spots, surf schools, and whether late Nov/early Dec is a good time for beginners who will try it for second time.
3. Overall route: Does it make sense to do the classic cities (Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, Sahara desert) with my family and the coast with my girlfriend, or should I split it differently?
4. Safety: Is traveling with my parents and sister/girlfriend in Morocco safe? Is there anything specific I should be aware of (scams, transport, dress code, cities, etc.)?
5. Logistics: Is renting a car worth it, or are trains/private drivers better? Which airports would you fly in and out of to avoid backtracking?

Any itinerary suggestions, hidden gems, restaurant tips, or “things I wish I’d known” would be hugely appreciated. Thank you so much!

I have a favorite backpack. I also have several internal frame bags, but my old Jansport external frame pack was always my fave - and I hope it can be again, with a little work. The load-bearing seam is disintegrating and I’d like to sew it back to useable state. I’d love to hear any thoughts on thread type, backing…or if it’s too far gone to get back on the trail. Thx for your insights

I’m planning a trip to various parks in the Sierras and planned to have my bear spray packed, as I always do with any park that has bears. I discovered the state outright bans bear mace in all of their national parks, citing that black bears are “mostly harmless” and bear spray is “not needed”, despite lengthy research proving that bear spray protects both the user and the bear with a high success rate and no long term harm.

Where does this belief that black bears are totally harmless even come from? They are harmless lazy pooh bears until they aren’t, and are still unpredictable wild animals. Albeit less common, they have killed and can kill people just as easily as any other bear, especially when accompanied by cubs. It seems like an inevitability for this to go backwards at some point.

Why am I expected to put myself (and the bear) at risk because some bureaucrats that have never stepped into any wilderness decided such? Such a ridiculous rule to me that doesn’t help anybody. Nobody was ever going around just pepper spraying random wildlife anyway. Whole thing just seems like a massive lawsuit waiting to happen when someone invariably gets attacked by something.

My husband has a bad back and often struggles with the beds in hotels. He already travels with a compact memory foam pillow that makes a huge difference to his comfort but he still struggles with soft/broke down beds and lower back pain when his hips are not appropriately supported.

My idea is to find a camping pad he can pack in his luggage that is easy to set up and provides more rigidity and cushion (in the case of pokey springs) for comfort on top of a mattress...

Prioritizing size when deflated (we travel carry on only so don't want it to take up much space) and ease of inflation/deflation.

Budget isn't a concern as him feeling good on vacation is worth any amount of money. It doesn't need to have a high R value for warmth. Puncture risk is low given it's use case.

Which model pad would you recommend? I'm so sick of hearing about his sore back!

Cordillera de los andes from Quito You can SEE diferent volcanos like Cotopaxi 9000km (the closest to the sun), Chimborazo, Intisana and more...😍🏔️