A thru-hiker told me to stop overpacking food, best advice I got

Last year on the PCT near Mount Shasta, a guy named Dave looked at my resupply box and said 'you're carrying your own trash can.' He pointed out I had 3 days of extra snacks and a full jar of peanut butter. I cut my food weight from about 8 pounds down to 5.5 for a 5 day stretch, and honestly I felt lighter on the climbs and actually ate fresher stuff at the next town. Has anyone else got a piece of advice from a stranger on trail that stuck with them?

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eric_wright7715d ago

Ditch the extra fuel tablets and the backup bear bag too, that was my trail version of a wakeup call. One guy on the JMT told me to eat my heaviest snack first, like the Snickers bar, and it just made sense for reducing pack weight as the day went on. Also, stop carrying a full water filter when you know there's a stream every few miles. People overthink the luxury stuff, but honestly the best advice is just to feel the difference in your hips after a few miles. Dave sounds like a keeper, that trash can line is gold.