For Tourists’ Information: 5 Life Hacks that Will Change Your Hiking Life
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September, 27

For Tourists’ Information: 5 Life Hacks that Will Change Your Hiking Life

The Day of Tourism is celebrated throughout the world on September 27: it is the festival of songs by the fire, sleep under the starry sky and unbeatable sense of freedom.

“Key to Baikal” prepared a small gift for those who are not indifferent: here goes a list of useful tips that will come in handy during a hike.

Mastering “Lightweight Hiking”

If you ever went on a trip with a backpack, you probably know how crucial it is to properly pack it. To avoid taking too many things when preparing for a trip, you can follow these rules:

Thoroughly plan your route. Then you will not have to take extra equipment or a stock of food “just in case”.

Choose simple but efficient things. Replace a woolen jacket or a thick fleece jacket with a down sweater which warms you up even at -10 degrees Celcius and weighs less. An alternative to woolen socks is cold-proof bivouac bast shoes. They are 5 times warmer, take up less space and warm your feet up even when wet. And so on.

Do not forget about multifunctionality. Conventional trekking poles can turn into tent pins and tent supports, even a tripod for the camera. Whereas clothes folded several times can replace the pillow.

Take the weight off your backpack reasonably, setting correct priorities. Do not think about an ultra-light titanium spoon (16 grams) in the first place, if you are going to take a three-kilogram sleeping bag and a cast-iron pot. Finally, make a list of the necessary things in advance, to make sure you will not forget anything.

Ensuring Comfortable Sleep

In order to feel vigorous, rested and ready for new adventures in the morning, you should get enough sleep. In addition to the tent and sleeping bag, you will need a mat. Traditional roll mats (care mats, tourist mats) are gradually replaced by more efficient inflatable and self-inflating mats. They are much warmer, softer and more compact than roll mats. They are much more convenient for carrying in a backpack:  you will not have to attach a huge roll on top of it.

Such a mat is quite durable and does not require special treatment (although many are sure of the opposite). And even in case the mat is damaged, it is easy to repair it with a patch and glue. Therefore, if you often travel with a tent, we advise that you should take a closer look at this option.

Then the good old roll mats can be used to make excellent insoles for your shoes.

Practicing Hygiene Properly

For Tourists’ Information: 5 Life Hacks that Will Change Your Hiking LifeYou can easily tidy yourself almost in any hike. But do not take a liter of shampoo, hair balm, 10 liters of water, etc. Pour the shampoo into a small bottle or use “dry shampoo”. This wonder-working product is sold in any household chemical goods store. In extreme cases, it can be replaced with baby powder or even corn flour.

You won’t need a large package of fragrant shower gel, too; a lump of soap will be enough. And most importantly, forget about Turkish towels. Microfiber is our everything! A towel made of such material takes up a minimum space, can be quickly dried and easily washed.

Distributing the Food in a Proper Way

You should not put all the food meant for several days in one package. Then you have to go through your supplies in search of the right meal before every lunch and dinner. It is more reasonable to put food into different packages, one for each meal. If you want such packages to take up less space, tie them up with food film. And do not forget about sublimated food:  it is very helpful.

Drying Wet Shoes

Soaked feet are an unpleasant, but almost inevitable phenomenon during a hike. You never know where you will be caught in a bad weather, a deep stream or a puddle. Therefore, it is important to be able to dry shoes properly and quickly. To begin with, clean the dirt off your shoes and absorb the excess moisture. This can be done with a towel, paper, and even dry moss. Then dry the shoes in any of these ways:

Wearing them. During the movement the body produces heat and promotes rapid drying of the material. However, this method is suitable only for the warm season.

Drying them outdoors. If the weather is good, then the sun and wind will quickly dry the shoes. The main thing is to unlace the shoes and take the insoles out of them.

With the help of sand. Warm the dry sand up, pour it into the sock and place it into the shoe. If necessary, repeat the procedure several times. You can use heated stones instead of sand. However, be careful not to overheat the shoes, so that not to damage them.

Thermoids and sodium acetate heating pads. They are most often used for warming hands, but they are also suitable for drying shoes.

You should not by any means dry the shoes by the fire. This way the shoes can be deformed, damaged by sparks or completely burnt if you suddenly forget about them. In addition, the most modern materials for trekking shoes do not tolerate the impact of high temperatures. If you still have to dry your shoes near the fire, hold them in your hands at a safe distance from the fire.

We hope that all the above tips will be useful for you!

Lastly, always observe the tourist’s environmental code. Clean the place of your stay before you leave, and take only photos and pleasant memories with you. Save Mother Nature!

 

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