As with all of our camping and hiking trips, my favorite thing to do afterwards is to take some time to do a debrief, thinking through what worked, what didn’t, and how we could improve for next time. It’s always a fun thing for me to think through how to best optimize our hiking setup without adding a ton of super specific or expensive gear or food to the equation.
This trip was a 115 kilometer trek along the Bruce Trail from Hope Bay to Tobermory, with four days and three nights on the trail. It’s pretty technical, though there are a few longer gravel/road sections to break it up a bit. We went with 2 friends, and the weather was shockingly mild for mid-October in Ontario, though it did pour on days 1 and 4. But the temps never went below 50F and got up into the 70s midday on day 3!
Since we love hiking and backpacking but aren’t avid hikers/backpackers and we do a fair amount of car camping/van life-ing, our gear is an exercise in compromise. Things like our tent—the Mountain Hardware Shifter 3 Tent—is big for hiking, but it’s comfortable enough to fit a full size air mattress in while car camping. A backpacking tent would be much less comfortable to live in for a week, but this one fits us and DW perfectly. It is, however, quite bulky to bring into the backcountry. Still, I wouldn’t downsize it. Most of our stuff is in that vein: Comfort- and budget-focused (no ultralight ultra-pricey gear for us at the moment), so we end up with a lot of bulk and a pretty heavy pack weight.
OK, let’s dive into what worked + what didn’t!
Our current camping and backpacking setup:
- 2 semi-lightweight sleeping bags (REI and Big Agnes, respectively)
- Mountain Hardware Shifter 3 Tent
- Clothes in waterproof pillowcase covers (that we had lying around. Not fancy)
- Primus windproof stove for cooking
- MEC backpacks + inexpensive pet backpack for DW
Gear wins from this trip:
Icebreaker Merino Wool Crush Sweatpants, Thermal Top + Underwear
Last year when I bikepacked in a similar area, I wrote about wanting comfortable sweats at night. Well, I finally got them! The Icebreaker Crush sweatpants are SUPER freaking cozy and were perfect for this trip. We had mild weather but if it had been chillier, I still would have been comfortable at night. The thermal top was also a huge help for staying cozy at camp. And the merino wool underwear are super washable and quick to dry, but were also great for jumping in the bay since they look like really basic black bikini bottoms. Would definitely add a couple more pairs—at first, I was admittedly a bit “why would I pay $35 for a pair of underwear?” but now I completely understand. Merino wool is definitely a bit of a spend, and the Crush sweats don’t pack down to nothing, but for cold weather camping, it is SO worth having them. If I was going ultra-light, I’d probably just get a pair of their tights, but go up a size so that they would feel a bit baggier and more like sweatpants.
Get the top here (and in Canada)
Get the underwear here (and in Canada)
Get the sweats here (and in Canada)
Our camp dinners, snacks and breakfast
I DIYed most of our camp meals, and I was happy with how they turned out! We used a lot of Uncle Ben’s pre-cooked rice packets, and added stuff into it for dinners. Generally, it was a mix of chicken bone broth, collagen powder, a powdered four-cheese blend, and one night, the contents from a couple of the pad thai cups that you’d bring to lunch in an office or something. It turned out surprisingly tasty! And since I got the powders at Bulk Barn, it was really cost-effective. I think for 3 dinners, I spent under $20, easily. For daytime, we used a blend of bars (Epic bars, Snickers, and a few random RX, Lara and Kind bars we had in stock) and some trail mix (also put together from Bulk Barn) and I had candy corn as my go-to quick snack in my pack’s hip pocket. For breakfast, we just used Starbucks Via packets for instant coffee, and I’d made a jumbo gallon back of quick oats, chia seeds, chopped walnuts and pecans, hemp hearts, raisins, dried cranberries and a bit of brown sugar. It was fantastic—and again, super cost effective. If I don’t count what we already had at home in our cabinets (not much, TBH, but a bit of trail mix type supplies), I think we spent under $50 total on food for 4 days of hiking. Not too shabby! (I’ve talked about cheap camp food here if you want more tips!)
North Face Booties
I’ve said it a million times but these booties are perfect for an active person who still wants to be cozy in slippers in the winter. I bought a pair of these after our last cold-weather hike and holy $hit they are a game-changer. They made camp so much less chilly, and for feet that really needed to be free from my tight sneakers, they were SO nice to slip on. You can get thinner versions that pack down better for camping, but you won’t be able to walk around in those as much—these are great for everyday wear as well as at campsites (again, it’s that everyday life and backpacking combination where it’s not perfect!) Get them here
Xero Genesi Sandals
Because the weather was so variable and I also knew I’d want to jump in Georgian Bay at some point, I also jammed a pair of Xero Genesi sandals in the side of my pack. They take up basically NO space or weight, and were great for right when we got to camp on the wet days, with wet feet that needed to air out a bit before I put on my warmer shoes. Again, probably a bit much to have 2 pairs of shoes, but I did not regret having them at all. They’re cheap too: $38! (Get them here)
What’s on my gear wishlist:
Now, again, I know some hikers/backpackers can go waaaaaay less extra than this, but I really like to maximize comfort on trips like this because… well, why not be comfortable if you can be?
Compression sacks: I had one compression sack for my sleeping bag, and I think if I had been able to compress the second sleeping back, the tent, and our clothing, the bulk in our packs would have been greatly reduced. I have a few of them ordered already—even for our longer van trips, I think they’ll help tame some of our gear overflow!
Smaller stove: I love our Primus with the windscreen, but it is a space hog. I think we’re going to swap it for the $20 Primus backpacking essentials stove for next time. (Check it out here)
Sun dried tomatoes: I really wish we’d had more veggies of any type with us, to be honest, but I think sun dried tomatoes might be the winning option for cheap additions to our dinner for next time. I’d keep everything else the same, just add them for a bit more flavor and texture. I’m looking at other dried veggies as well, but the tomatoes are likely the best taste/texture addition.
More Icebreaker merino undies: I need to change up what I wear to hike in during the day, and part of that is going to be investing in a couple more pairs of this underwear, so that I can easily keep them washed and rotated on trips.
Hiking shorts: To be paired with said underwear. I realized that while I love my running shorts, the built-in brief and heavier material means they take ages to dry (and really don’t if it’s not warm and dry out), which feels gross on day 2, no matter how clean I tried to get them. Still not sure what pair I’ll end up with, but I’m investigating for next season!
What about DW the dachshund?
I’m happy to report that DW crushed about 60 kilometers of super techy singletrack over the course of roughly 115 kilometers of hiking. I carried him at least a couple hours each day, and we have some modifications we’d like to make to his front pack so he’s more comfortable (and so I’m more comfortable) but generally, his cheap backpack worn as a front pack tucked under my backpack’s straps works pretty well. I’d love to modify it so it doesn’t require its own straps though, so if anyone has any tips, let me know!
The one thing we did wrong was not getting him a Y-shaped harness and using his regular sport harness. Unfortunately, with the rainy weather on day 1, by day 2 he ended up with a bit of underarm chafe on one side. He never complained about it, but the poor little guy has a little raw spot now. So, new harness is on order.
FORTUNATELY, we noticed it pretty quickly and I had thought to bring his regular ‘everyday’ harness that’s thinner straps, so we were able to put him in that instead, but it’s not his favorite for longer walks since it pulls a bit awkwardly when he starts sprinting ahead. But at least it wasn’t hitting the chafed spot!
I was also happy that I bought him a dog towel versus a camp towel. I find the dog towels are still small and packable, but just a bit more absorbent than a camp towel, and in the rain with a wet dog, you need that extra absorbency. Camp towels are fine for us but it’s hard to push water off a long-haired dog.
I do wish we had brought his t-shirt with us though. He kept trying to lick that spot, which obviously just makes things worse, and once we got home, I was able to put him in his little Batman tshirt. I had actually brought that shirt with us last trip thinking he might get chilly and want to wear it, but that seemed ridiculous in hindsight, so I left it home this trip, which naturally was right when we needed it.
Honestly, he did awesome. I think people really underestimate what dachshunds can do, because he had a great time snuffling along the trail, swimming, et cetera. So just because your dog isn’t a traditional ‘adventure dog,’ don’t assume they can’t handle a camping trip! That said, he does weigh 12 pounds, and combined with his pack and his food, he is 20 pounds of added weight when he did need to be carried. So if you are doing long days, expect to carry little guys for chunks of time (we carried him on any road or ATV sections, as well as anytime he stopped, in order to give him enough breaks). That does mean you need to be pretty damn strong and well-balanced, since it’s not the easiest thing to do.
Want more adventure advice? Check out our book, Becoming A Consummate Athlete, right here:
