mason.brian•1mo agoProlific Poster

Noticed something weird on the Lost Coast Trail last month

I hiked the Lost Coast Trail in California last month and saw something that stuck with me. Almost every group I passed was carrying way too much water, like 4 to 6 liters each for a 2 day stretch. There are reliable streams every couple miles in the spring, so you really only need a filter and a couple liters. I counted 12 people on the trail and maybe 3 of them had a proper filter. The rest were lugging heavy bottles and dumping out extras at camp. Anyone else see this kind of overpacking on coastal routes where water is easy to find?

3 comments

3 Comments

veraj531mo ago

The water thing is wild out there. I did the same trail last year and saw a guy with two full 3-liter bladders plus a couple of Nalgenes, looked miserable. But here's the kicker he didn't even have a filter, just dumped half his water at the first stream crossing. People get so scared of running dry they don't think about the weight slowing them down or the strain on their knees. I always carry a Sawyer Squeeze and maybe 2 liters max, never had an issue even in dry spells because those creeks are so consistent.

james_campbell121mo ago

Same here, man. Last summer I ran into a guy on the PCT who had about 8 liters on him and he was so hunched over from the weight he could barely walk. I felt bad but also just wanted to tell him to ditch half of it. I switched to a 2 liter bladder and a Sawyer Squeeze a couple years back and it's a total game changer. Never had a problem finding water on that trail, even in late August. The creeks are just too reliable to justify carrying that much extra weight.

the_robert20d ago

Dude, it's like people forget gravity is a thing out there. Pack light or die slow basically.