I want to share my chafe treatment. Using a contact lens case fill one chamber with hydrocortisone ointment and the other with triple antibiotic ointment ( one of which is antifungal). Label with marker. At pm rub a dab of each on the pain. It’s often mostly gone the next am!
Have you ever heard of Bonfus? They’re an awesome little family company, I got my pack and my shelter from them and they’re great. They ship from Italy, so if you’re in Europe it’s a great option to avoid high customs and taxes as most ultralight companies seem to be US based.
Steripen user here too! 🙋🏽♀️ I’ve used it for ≈4500 miles and love it. I watched my hiking buddy go through multiple BeFrees on the CDT last year and he would always be asking to borrow my magic wand by the end of their lives. 😅
Total tangent to something only mentioned in passing in the post: Bikepacking doesn't have to be expensive! Sure, most of the people posting online have spent thousands of dollars on gear, but it's not necessary. When cycling you don't have to support the weight of your gear. This means you don't need ultra light equipment. As long as you have very low gears on your bike, you'll still be able to get up all the hills. A 200$ bike off craigslist, two panniers and dirt cheap gear is good enough to cross a continent - I've done it in that style!
Sorry to drop in with a comment like this, I absolutely love your writing Carrot, I just don't want people to be put off traveling by bike because they think they can't afford it.
This is excellent! It's a dream of mine to do long distance thru hikes. I've used the Lunar Solo since 2022 and absolutely love it. Even in the humid Appalachian summers the condensation is manageable. Now they need to invent ultralight photography gear! 😁
Great information! I've been section hiking the AZT, but at some point I plan on doing a thru-hike, and you covered some stuff I haven't heard before. Thank you!
Absolutely - it's always going to be nicer and easier with lighter gear (although too light a bike and you increase the risk of things breaking), and more so the rougher the roads or trails you are riding. These days I have expensive light weight gear, but some of my most fun road and dirt rides in the past were done with very cheap and heavier gear. It's amazing what you can get away with, especially just by leaving unnecessary things at home.
I want to share my chafe treatment. Using a contact lens case fill one chamber with hydrocortisone ointment and the other with triple antibiotic ointment ( one of which is antifungal). Label with marker. At pm rub a dab of each on the pain. It’s often mostly gone the next am!
All I use is Steripen Ultra
Have you ever heard of Bonfus? They’re an awesome little family company, I got my pack and my shelter from them and they’re great. They ship from Italy, so if you’re in Europe it’s a great option to avoid high customs and taxes as most ultralight companies seem to be US based.
https://bonfus.com/
Steripen user here too! 🙋🏽♀️ I’ve used it for ≈4500 miles and love it. I watched my hiking buddy go through multiple BeFrees on the CDT last year and he would always be asking to borrow my magic wand by the end of their lives. 😅
Total tangent to something only mentioned in passing in the post: Bikepacking doesn't have to be expensive! Sure, most of the people posting online have spent thousands of dollars on gear, but it's not necessary. When cycling you don't have to support the weight of your gear. This means you don't need ultra light equipment. As long as you have very low gears on your bike, you'll still be able to get up all the hills. A 200$ bike off craigslist, two panniers and dirt cheap gear is good enough to cross a continent - I've done it in that style!
Sorry to drop in with a comment like this, I absolutely love your writing Carrot, I just don't want people to be put off traveling by bike because they think they can't afford it.
It has been so fun reading this! Can't wait for the next one.
This is excellent! It's a dream of mine to do long distance thru hikes. I've used the Lunar Solo since 2022 and absolutely love it. Even in the humid Appalachian summers the condensation is manageable. Now they need to invent ultralight photography gear! 😁
Great information! I've been section hiking the AZT, but at some point I plan on doing a thru-hike, and you covered some stuff I haven't heard before. Thank you!
This is gold. Will definitely save to refer to many times in the future. Can’t wait for the next installment!
Absolutely - it's always going to be nicer and easier with lighter gear (although too light a bike and you increase the risk of things breaking), and more so the rougher the roads or trails you are riding. These days I have expensive light weight gear, but some of my most fun road and dirt rides in the past were done with very cheap and heavier gear. It's amazing what you can get away with, especially just by leaving unnecessary things at home.