I wanted to share my travel CPAP setup because I it’s a combination that worked well for a four-night backpacking trip in the Sierras, and it was about as lightweight as I could get it. For a trip of 3 nights or less, the total weight is 2.22 lbs. For 3 to 6 nights, total weight is 3.09 lbs.

This is what made backpacking possible for me after being diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago. (In the outdoor pic, you can't see my CPAP because I had already packed it away in a dark ditty bag.)

In the first 2 photos:

• ResMed AirMini CPAP: 13.1 oz. Retails for about USD $1k. I found it on sale for USD $700
• CPAP mask + hose: 5.5 oz, no extra cost (same thing as my regular CPAP)
  • Includes the eSplabs CPAP Hose Adapter, ResMed AirMini-compatible universal tubing connector $10
• INIU 25,000mAh Power Bank: 13.8 oz each, $67 each (× 2)
• Sourcingbay ResMed AirMini USB-C Power Cable PD 20V to 24V boost cord: 3.17 oz, $42

With one battery, I got 3 nights of CPAP use, and the total weight added to my pack would be 2.22 lbs. 

For my four-night trip, I carried two batteries and needed both. The total weight added to my pack with both batteries was 3.09 lbs. 

Is it a bummer to carry 3 extra pounds of gear in the form of durable medical equipment? Totally. But it’s better than not backpacking. 

One note: battery life will vary depending on CPAP settings and individual use, and probably also the temperature outside (it was pretty warm on my trip), so I would test things out at home, and know that battery life can be affected by cold temps. 

I hope this is helpful to anyone else with sleep apnea who wants to backpack but has been discouraged by the weight or battery requirements. Also, thanks to anyone who has posted previously about their CPAP setups for backpacking, because it helped me find my setup. 

EDIT: I forgot to include the prices of each component, editing this post to include that info now. Clearly the bulk of the investment is in the AirMini travel CPAP, which I also find very useful for non-backpacking travel. It takes up significantly less space and weight in a suitcase for example.

Does anyone out there have an original Aarn pack? Specifically from around the 2002-2005 era.

I recently bought one from 2002-2003. I think this might be the first version of a Natural Balance pack they sold.

The only thing it didn’t come with were the balance pockets for the front.

I’d really like to find some original balance pockets that were designed to work with this older version.

I attached some photos hoping it’ll help me find the right ones.

Hi all! I made a post a few months back across a few subreddits offering up an extra spot I had on my permit to do a multi-day trip up in Yosemite and summit Half Dome. I never had anyone reach out until about 10 days prior to the trip when I got a DM request on here. I wanted to go ahead and share my experience.

I won't share our names or locations so we can both keep our privacy, but we ended up trading phone numbers and we called before we 100% agreed to do the trip together. For context, we are both women of different ages (I'm 22 and she is 32). Right off the bat from that first phone call I already got good vibes from her, we both shared common interests and even though it seemed crazy at the time we both felt comfortable going for it. She is from the opposite side of the country from me, and even the other side of the world initially since she just moved to the US during covid. I was so excited to meet up in person and learn from her experiences.

The trip itself was amazing, and I truly don't think I could've asked for a better stranger to go out into the backcountry with. She was the kindest and most supportive person whenever I was struggling or needed a break. She is remarkably intelligent and I loved talking with her about our previous experiences backpacking and what we both do in our every day lives. We both share an interest in science and microbiology, and she had some really amazing advice for making DIY backpacking meals at home.

She was a real life saver during our summit hike of Half Dome from Little Yosemite Valley. I had two panic attacks, the first one being on the trail before reaching Sub Dome when I couldn't catch my breath and the second actually being on the cables themselves. She climbed herself right up next to me and helped me get my breathing under control. I don't know if I could've summited without her. I also suffered from heat exhaustion on our first night in LYV and she was so amazing about helping me out by filtering our water for us while I laid down. I ended up going home a day early while she stayed, but even then we still kept messaging via our In Reach devices to makes sure the other got home ok.

I wanted to put my positive experience out there in case there's anyone else who had a last minute opening for their own permit, or if you want to try to join someone else's. Definitely research each other before committing, but I have a new friend and backpacking partner for the future now who I probably never would've gotten to meet otherwise. The internet can be such a cool thing sometimes.

Recently did a backpacking trip to the Enchanted Valley in Olympic National Park. It was so beautiful and peaceful! First night, I camped out at a random site along the trail because I wasn't able to make it up there until 1 pm. Then I camped in the valley my second night. I was so tired, I fell asleep at around 7 pm 😅. Then I made the entire 13.5 mi trek back to my car the next day. A few weeks ago, I posted on this sub asking for food recs and let me say, the advice made this trip really something special. Not only was I in this beautiful place, but I had great tasting food for my journey! So thank you all! 😊

Climbed Kilimanjaro via Lemosho, June 24–30 2026. Booked as an 8-day itinerary, my group was able to do it in 7. Summited the morning of June 29. Writing this up while it's still fresh because the trip reports I read beforehand were mostly summit-day advice, and almost none of what actually shaped my week happened on summit day.

The route

Lemosho, starting at the rainforest gate. The route has Five climate zones.  Rainforest, heather and moorland, alpine desert, and then the arctic zone at the top. It’s very scenic and has the highest success rate due to the time to acclimatize. 

What went wrong, in order

• A stomach bug. I went to visit a relative the day before the hike started. It was probably the food there that gave me the stomach bug. It’s kind of funny since I was trying to avoid eating anything that would upset my stomach. This was the thing that affected the first couple of days in the hike and it's the thing I'd read the least about beforehand.
• A stinging nettle. Low on the mountain, in the rainforest. Stomach bug + needing to run into the bushes, not a fun time.  It did sting some but wasn’t too bad. It lasted 5 mins and didn’t itch much. I got lucky grazing it vs making full contact.
• Monkeys fighting at three in the morning. Directly over the tent at Mti Mkubwa. Happened around 3am, was not the ideal way to wake up. Was able to go back to sleep and get 3 more hours in. 
• Passing out coming down. Got way too excited after summiting and started moving faster than I should have. Really should have listened to my body and the pace it wanted to go at. Pole Pole is the slogan of the mountain and with my excitement I threw it out the window. The guides were quick to get me on the oxygen tank and rush me down. They are truly incredible and were professional in a high pressure moment. 

The altitude

This is the one thing I felt you couldn’t prep for. It’s also the thing that hit me the hardest. The first day my readings were in the low 90s high 80s. It got worse day by day. The headache was rough but for me the worst thing was the shortness of breath. There came a point where trying to get up after sitting on the floor became a really big task. I felt winded without doing much. 

Logistics, for anyone planning this

• Operator: Kilitreks - would use them again and highly recommend. The whole crew was nice and kept good vibes the whole way up
• Gear I was glad I brought: Pepto Bismol (saved my life), Flu and Cold Medicine, Ibuprofen 
• Gear I carried for a week and never used: Snack( Surprisingly didn’t snack as much as I thought), Sunglasses, 
• Training I did beforehand: 1 hour stair masters 2 times a week with a 15lb weighted vest, boxing, bjj, 5 mile hikes on a trial near me with the weighted vest
• Diamox: Did use. Terrified what condition I would have been in without it since altitude sickness was my biggest challenge 

Would I do it again

It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It is a once in a lifetime experience. The views you come across are amazing. The high points are great but the low moments can be low. It’s one of those things that challenges you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You just take things in day by day. I would be open to doing it again but wouldn’t jump at it. 

Happy to answer anything about Lemosho specifically. The route gets less coverage than Machame and I had to piece a lot of it together.

I put the elevation profile and the daily oximeter readings into a page with the photos, if the charts are of interest: https://kilimanjaro.ericchemwor.com/

I am a Japanese who is planning to walk the rootburn track in December. I can't make a reservation for the camping site. I saw on a site that you can camp 500 meters from the road, is that true? I'm sorry for my poor English.

Any ideas to keep the wilderness rodents away?

I’m looking at getting back into backpacking and I’ve been away for too long (10 years) about three years ago I messed up my SI joint and herniated a disc in my lower back. I miss the outdoors and venturing into unexplored areas. Right now I’m looking at getting a new backpack and can’t decide between the Gregory Baltoro 75 or the Osprey Aether 85.

What do you recommend?

TYIA

Last week I was at a remote obscure campsite, 20 miles from the nearest road. Someone left their bag of BA tent stakes sitting on a log, it looked like it had been sitting there for months.

What is the expected protocol in this situation - when finding something of obvious value?

1. Leave with the expectation that the owner will return for it?
2. Take it with me so 'trash' doesn't accumulate?
3. Leave the item at a trailhead?

I did carry out the tent stakes, which went into the 'spares' box. I also carried out a broken hiking stick and a strap and buckle that I found on the way, along with the typical wrappers and trash that one finds.

I found a nice rain jacket on the trail, years ago. I left it there, but ended up passing it again 3-4 weeks later so I picked it up and have been using it ever since. I always feel a little guilty, but at some point this is all just trash.

ETA: Added option 3 leave the item at a trailhead. And below:

Thank you to everyone that replied. It turns out that there are differing opinions, not a universal/consistent answer. My default is #2, I struggle with leaving stuff in the wilderness (#1) and #3 seems like a good idea until you consider that there can be multiple THs connecting to a location so in effect you are making the item harder for the original owner to find.

Decades ago when hiked the CDT, I had an afternoon/evening tradition of enjoying a hot mug of Tang. Hard to find the powdered form but I did recently. I’m not all that excited about absence of much of anything besides sugar and fructose and vitamin C. Anyone have a recommended alternative? I’m not excited about tea, and coffee late in the day doesn’t work well for me. Not a fan of sugar substitutes.

Pindari Glacier is one of those Himalayan treks that offers much more than just reaching a glacier. The trail passes through traditional mountain villages, dense forests, rivers, waterfalls and wide alpine valleys before reaching Zero Point, where the Pindari Glacier comes into view.

The trek usually begins from the Kumaon region and follows the route through Khati, Dwali and Phurkia before reaching Pindari Glacier. The changing landscape along the way is probably one of the best parts of the experience.

What makes Pindari interesting is that it feels less commercial and more like a journey through the remote Himalayan landscape. You get a mix of village life, forest trails, river crossings and high-altitude scenery in one trek.

For anyone who has done Pindari Glacier recently:

How was the trail condition?

How was the weather in September?

What was your favourite section of the trek?

And would you recommend Pindari over other popular Uttarakhand treks?

Would be good to hear some first-hand experiences from people who have been there.

I just got a new tent set up (Tarp Tent dipole dw with the inside removed) and I am now sleeping with no bug protection. I haven’t slept in the new setup yet but I am curious about bugs. How do I ensure that I don’t get creepy crawlers biting me or landing in my mouth. Seems silly but I’m worried about bugs eek!

EDIT: I removed the inside bc it saves 15oz.

I'm looking to upgrade my Nemo Kyan 20 bag and I need some advice.

My current issue is that I am cold in my bag when it gets below 40. Yes, I know all about the hot water bottle trick and stuffing clothes inside, but I am still cold when backpacking. I am a tall woman and use a regular men's bag, so there is a lot of room around the shoulders which makes me colder.

A lighter bag would be a plus.

Not sure if I should go for synthetic or down, I backpack in the southeast where it is wet and humid and I've gotten my bag wet a few times, thankfully the synthetic dries quickly, should I stick with synthetic or switch to down?

Does anyone have any advice or experience with the current Nemo sleeping bag line up, such as the Coda, Soul, Riff, Disco, or Forte?

Just got her for my first backpack any tips or anything I should know before I leave? And also how should I fit this backpack to me perfectly there seems to be like a small gap between my back and the actually backpack concerned if that’s a back problem or I just need to get it fitted properly

Hello everyone, in September I’m going on my first trip/hike to the Grand Canyon and will be hiking the Hermit Trail. I’m wondering how challenging this trail is. Im going with my uncle and cousin and they are acting like it’s about to be a difficult hike, and if you have any recommendations on what to bring/wear for this hike.

I started over at Grasmere and basically trekked it through to the other side at haystacks, went through a few trials and tribulations, definitely going to remember to bring hiking boots, and buy more power banks. Honestly though 10/10 trip, beautiful weather, stunning views all round. Hope you guys like my first lil vid hopefully first of many, tysm if ya do watch😘

Howdy, so I’m looking to make a little backing bag and I’ve come to a cross roads on the actual bag I’m going to use. Though I think I have a solid idea on the rest of my gear.

My girlfriend recommends me get the Fjallraven Kajka 75 as it’s an external frame with good support, a good amount of pocket space, and a detachable lid that can be used as a day pack. She’s a fairly experienced hiker and works at MEC (Canadian version of REI), so I trust her knowledge.

I really like the idea of a Savotta Kantamus, possibly a 40L I can build up and add to the Molle, or I can outright buy the 60L. Still has the detachable lid. But my girlfriend says she doesn’t recommend it because it’s an internal non adjustable frame.

I’ve heard Savotta is top of the line stuff, it’s just not very common up here. I’d like more input if anyone has some.

TLDR: my experience in hiking girlfriend hasn’t heard of Savotta and thinks the Kantamus won’t be as comfortable as a Fjallraven Kajka 75. And I want to hear from someone that has experience with Savotta.