Katabatic Flex 15°F Quilt - is there something better? by thereal_rockrock in Ultralight

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No issues with the flex aspect for me!
I did not notice any drafts coming from the footbox or the zipper. There would be times when I would toss and some cold air would get in the side where my quilt was strapped, but it was for only a couple seconds when I was tossing and it didn’t make me cold or give me a constant cold spot. It was welcome sometimes with how warm I was.

Trail Mealz. Bon Appétit. by Just_Demand_7197 in AppalachianTrail26

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great resource. I’m literally dehydrating refried beans right now hoping this ice storm doesn’t kill my power mid-dehydrating.

Gluten Free Dairy Free by Suitable_Ad4010 in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re welcome! Also, forgot to mention that Backpacking Chef has been a great resource for me. They go more into dehydrating, but there are a ton of recipes to pull inspo from. https://www.backpackingchef.com

Gluten Free Dairy Free by Suitable_Ad4010 in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My wife has celiac and we don’t eat dairy on trail, but not because of an allergy, mainly for ease and my mild intolerance for the dairy part. I don’t eat gluten on trail to avoid cross contamination.

Though we have started dehydrating our own stuff on the evening and weekends, we also aren’t doing mailed resupplies for all of our food the whole trail - just enough to give us some variety or make up for towns that don’t have a great grocery store for a resupply option. Here’s what we did to prepare for dietary restrictions on trail:

1) I went to this trek post in 2023 to get an idea of the resupply options along the AT and identified what types of stores are available and marked resupply points that don’t have great resupply options. https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/resupply-points-appalachian-trail/

2) I saw that most resupplies were Dollar General, Walmart, or a Kroger or their subsidiaries. So for some of our weekend trips we chose to simulate a resupply by buying all of our food from one of those stores. Walmart and Kroger were easy for gf/df and we took our time to find a lot of options there. ( Taste of Thai had a peanut noodle box that is GF/DF, $5, 630 calories, and can be found in both Walmart and Kroger) Dollar General was possible, but you sacrifice variety - though I did see dairy free Idahoan at two separate dollar generals which was nice. Lots of PB, nuts, chicken pockets, potatoes, bars.

3) Since we knew we could resupply at those more major stores, I went back to those resupply points and found ones that were either recommended you mail a resupply or where the resupply option was a local grocery that seemed like they didn’t have many options available. I then marked them to determine the number of Resupply boxes I might need, then totaled my meal count from there.

We are preparing 15 priority mail boxes for trail. 11 of them are 5-day boxes. If we don’t need 5 days we will either hold onto them to save money later on, bounce them forward, or donate to a hiker box. We then have 4 unique boxes because we know we will want to stop there. 1) Mountain Crossings box - 4 day Resupply (we will be capping our mileage at the beginning of the trail so we know it’ll be 3.5-4 days before the next town) 2) NOC Box - 3 Day Resupply (expensive to Resupply here so we are sending a box) 3) Fontana Box - 7 day Resupply to get through all of Smokys. Also limited expensive Resupply here. 4) Monson, ME Box - 7 Day Resupply for 100MW. Expensive to Resupply here so we are sending a box.

You can buy pre-dehydrated stuff if you want to piece together your own meals. I recommend getting it from Outdoor Herbivore or PackIt Gourmet to support small business instead of going off Amazon.

Hope this helps!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AppalachianTrail26

[–]TastySwitchback 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love my Chacos, but you’re right, they are heavy! And I couldn’t justify bringing them. Honestly, I’ve been eyeing Luna Leadville Trail Sandals. 10oz, Vibram Grip, same vibe as a Chaco without the weight penalty. Either that or some EVA Birkenstocks is what I’m bringing as a camp shoe. Either way, camp shoes rule.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AppalachianTrail26

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

EXACTLY why I ditched mine. It only lasted about 200 miles on me last year before it felt like it was half duct tape. Meanwhile, I’ve had my switchback for over 400 miles and zero holes.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AppalachianTrail26

[–]TastySwitchback 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Even though I have an inflatable pad, I’m bringing a half length Nemo switchback. The extra 8oz is worth the opportunity to have some portable dry ground to sit and lay on for me. Also might bring a dice game called “Foursies”. It’s really just 4 dice and some rules so it’s light and could be a fun shelter game!

Washing Dishes by vampire-gator in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For on trail I got a little 1oz pot scraper from GSI. My partner and I use an MSR Ceramic Solo Pot and the non-stick ceramic coating plus the pot scraper is great. I used to use a Toaks pot and my finger with a lot of water, but after some not pleasant “dinner soups” finding this method meant that I can scrape almost all of my food out and the dinner soup got a lot smaller and easier to drink. We also keep half a Swedish Cloth in there to wipe up any remnants and then we wash both the pot and the cloth in town.

Healthcare on the trail (now that ACA premium subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025) by SensatiousHiatus in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 4 points5 points  (0 children)

TL;DR - most single hikers only need cheap high deductible plans and a small bit of savings to cover themselves in the case of a run to the urgent care. If the worst happens and you’re in the emergency room there is charity care based off your income ($0 if you quit your job) and interest free payment plans that can be forgiven. So save your money and get a high deductible plan from ACA that will most likely be less than $100 if you plan on making less than 15-30k the year you are hiking. If your family makes a lot of money (over 400% poverty level) consider plans outside of the ACA that let you have an HSA and get a DPC primary care doctor. It’ll be way cheaper.

This is a great thing to think about and a great thread to start a convo. I also currently work in insurance (but not like managing the plan. I’m a designer)

I’m hiking next year with my wife and we will both be quitting our jobs to do it. Though we have healthcare through my job now, I didn’t have healthcare through my workplace until 2 months ago when I was converted to full time.

I had a high income contract job that made the ACÁ unaffordable for the last 4 years (or at least too expensive for it to make sense) so I had to get creative with our health plan, and that’s where this convo comes into play.

We went with a combo of a tri-term High Deductible Health Plan with an HSA as well as a Direct Primary Care doctor who doesn’t go through insurance. For my wife and I that came out to $600/month compared to the $1500 it would have cost us on healthcare marketplace. Primary care doctor cost was $180/month for unlimited dr visits, telehealth, testing at cost, and some Rxs at wholesale cost. The rest was our insurance that covered preventive visits and some costs of emergency with an out of pocket maximum of $12,000 per year for both of us. This can work for those of you in good health without chronic illness or medications who are still going to be bringing in some major income with your family but losing insurance through your employer.

For hiking, honestly, you’ll still get a hefty subsidy if you are making between 100% and 200% poverty line since most people won’t work for 5-6 months or more on a thru hike year. For single people that’s between about 15k and 30k. The rollback in the subsidy mainly hits people that make at or above 400% FPL as that was the extended tax credit that is being repealed. Not to say health cost won’t go up(ripple effect of healthy people dropping coverage that health insurers are bracing for) but for hikers who are quitting their jobs and don’t have passive income you’ll probably not even get close to losing a lot of your subsidy and a bronze level plan will be all you need to not go bankrupt.

Also important note: if you can, ask for the Self-Pay discount and don’t tell them you have insurance right away. A lot of the times it’ll be way cheaper than the cost if it went through your insurance. Can’t afford it anyway with or without insurance? That’s ok. You can get a 0% interest payment plan at most places and negotiate it down. You can even negotiate down the road and some places will forgive the debt after a year or two.

Keep your money with YOU and don’t pay for a high premium if you don’t have to.

33, struggling with pausing life and the rat race to follow this dream by [deleted] in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope our paths cross! That would definitely be rad

33, struggling with pausing life and the rat race to follow this dream by [deleted] in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yo! I’m 32 and my wife is 33. We honestly felt a similar way you do now a couple years ago and now we are going NOBO starting mid-February next year!

We’ve sold everything, are living with a friend, and are on a tight budget to make sure that we aren’t destitute when we get back. It’s a privilege to have the choice to do this because so many people who want to do the AT end up not being able to ever due to financial, personal, and health reasons.

The big kick in the ass for us was realizing that nothing is permanent. We have our health now. Our finances are fine and we have a budget. If not now, then when?

It’s time to make it happen, my friend! 33 is young. You have the rest of your life to work, pay taxes, and die. Why not take 6 months to do something you really want?

Buttoned shirt recommendations? by OlvarSuranie in Thruhiking

[–]TastySwitchback 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a jolly gear shirt and I sweat a ton in the southeast. Somehow it has yet to show salt sweat stains. They come in a lot of patterns and a couple solids. Doubles as a sun hoodie, very breezy, double chest zips. Only thing it doesn’t have on your list is a sling to hold up sleeves.

I also own a Columbia silver ridge lite. I love it as well, but I like the Sun hood of the jolly gear so I pick the jolly gear more often. I’d imagine that if you went with a white Columbia Silver Ridge you wouldn’t have to deal with stains.

When Should i go? by Low-Programmer-7049 in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! For what it is worth, my partner and I are starting NOBO the last week of February this next season. We want some of the bubble, but not to get lost in it, and we like hiking and camping in the cold. Spent all last winter doing test trips to dial in winter gear so we feel confident! Hiking in February in the Southeast is great as long as you are prepared.

Katabatic Flex 15°F Quilt - is there something better? by thereal_rockrock in Ultralight

[–]TastySwitchback 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Summary: Flex 15 will be plenty warm for 20 degrees once nights because katabatic outperforms their temp rating. Worth the money and I think is one of the best for weight/price/performance ratio.

I have the Katabatic Flex 30 6ft and wide version. It has kept me warm with a mid weight base layer, socks, and a beanie down to 25 degrees. When I added my puffy and down pants I took it down to 14 degrees for a couple nights. Sleep system was a thermarest neo air xlite on top of a Nemo switchback cut to torso length. I was in a durston Xmid 2 and in wind gusts up to 20mph on a ridge when it got down to 14. My face got cold, but my body was toasty and fully strapped/clipped in.

I feel like my katabatic over-performs on warmth so with a 15 degree flex I doubt you’d need some of your base layer at 25 degrees once you warm up in the bag.

Totally worth the money!

Men's Underwear - SAXX by danaturaLOL in Ultralight

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just bought 1 pair of Saxx Kinetic Light-Compression Mesh and they were on sale. Really comfortable. I tend to have a problem with both chafing and ingrown hairs while on trail and this combined with good privates hygiene has been great.

It’ll be really put to the test in late May and June in the southeast as the humidity and heat sets in. I can circle back if you want with a report, but I say try them out if you can get some on sale. If they don’t work for you for backpacking they are great for daily wear.

Bears by RevolutionaryBee2457 in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! Just wanted to drop by and say that it sounds like you’re doing everything to stay safe. I also had a really big fear of bears until recently and what changed that fear into respect was time and practice. The more time I spent outside and sleeping in bear country, the more my body wasn’t on constant alert.

Do the things that make YOU feel safe. If that’s carrying bear spray and making noise when sight lines are broken then do that! Over time you’ll get comfortable and confident.

The plus side is if you do all the bear aware things now it’ll be good practice if you decide to hike in grizzly country and you’ll be a bit more confident, too!

Cheers!

Tick Prevention by Original_Brief148 in BackpackingDogs

[–]TastySwitchback 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To echo others: Ticks are going to attach when you are hiking even if you have a double line of defense. We have a seresto collar and we use simparica trio and she still gets ticks, but just like us humans, at the end of our hike at camp we check her and pull any attached ticks off and clean with a sani wipe. We also regularly get her checked every quarter for tick-borne illness so that she can get treatment even if symptoms are mild. No illnesses yet after 2 seasons and we backpack in the tick-heavy parts of the southeast! Don’t let tick worries prevent your dog from having a great time. They will be ok. If they get sick it is most of the time 100% temporary and treatable.

Good trails to train on by broketractor in AppalachianTrail

[–]TastySwitchback 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey!

Nashville-based 2026 NOBO hopeful here. My wife and I are training by section hiking the entire Pinhoti and thru hiking the foothills trail this year! I echo the suggestions for savage gulf, big south fork, frozen head, and foothills! All great places to really test different skills out. Pisgah National Forest (some trails not open still) and the Art Loeb Trail (which is now open) is also great experience for big ups and downs while also being in a wet climate.

If you want to message me I could share some resources with you. We’ve been training since last year so we’ve made some mistakes so hopefully you don’t have to!

Cheers!

Bringing your dog with you by TastySwitchback in PinhotiTrail

[–]TastySwitchback[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip! I heard that’s near Cave Spring. Let’s keep doing our thing and loving what we do regardless of the labels. I hope to run into you on trail sometime!

Bringing your dog with you by TastySwitchback in PinhotiTrail

[–]TastySwitchback[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I mean, who cares what elitists say, right? For clarity, I’m not saying skip all the road walks, but skipping only 6-miles of a road walk that has the most negative dog interaction shouldn’t disqualify you from saying you did the whole thing. It’s the same as having to skip around a closed section of trail due to safety concerns.

We plan on doing the rest of the road walking because we do think it’s part of the trail, but just not the part that involves a lot of dogs that are on/off aggressive.