Quarantine Woes - 5 Things to do Other Than Hiking

As the pandemic continues, you can do your part by staying home. Over the past few weeks I have continued to become increasingly stir crazy and find myself just standing over my gear. If you are like me, here are some ideas to help combat the crazies and channel it into something productive!

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend hitting your favorite trailhead because the overuse and congestion at trailheads is completely defeating the social distancing protocols. Popular trail towns, like Moab, are begging visitors to stay away and National Parks are being closed! Do your part and stay home so this can all be over faster.

Self Shakedown

Lighterpack.com is a fantastic way to begin the shakedown process (shakedown=trimming unnecessary pack weight). Order yourself a kitchen scale if you don't already have one and begin weighing each item. Don't rely on company told weights as almost always they are incorrect! Identify areas that you can trim weight on. Then take it a step father and post your link to Reddit WildernessBackpacking or Ultralight and have the community weigh in on how you can drop weight! Check out my gear list and weights HERE.

Gear Upgrade

Now more than ever, supporting cottage style gear companies is extremely important! These companies rely on our community to stay in business. Once you've given yourself a shakedown and identified areas you can loose weight by upgrading, begin researching whom you can buy it from! Avoid cheap knockoffs on Amazon as these are always inferior quality items.

Daydream & Map it Out

Just because you aren't hitting the trail in person doesn't mean you can't begin planning your next adventure! Reddit is a great place to check out trip reports. I'm partial to the AllTrails app to get an idea of what's available in a new area. What's your favorite way to plan a trip? Leave it in the comments or send us a message!

Clean Up & Organize

When was the last time you cleaned your technical gear? Honestly, I can't remember. Treat your gear to a spa day and get everything looking like new! Patch up any defects you find so they don't become a problem on the trail.

• Wash down using a down specific detergent and a front loading washer. Hang to dry and always store loose in cotton bag. Synthetic bags/apparel can be washed with a mild gentle detergent without softener.

• First, close the pad valve then with mild soap and water, scrub down your pad and hang to dry. Toothbrushes work great for this! If you use a pillow, for the love of God make sure to clean up all those drool spots!

• Backpacks need loving too! Fill bathtub with water and mild detergent, scrub and hand dry.

• Water reservoirs and bottles can be washed with a mixture of 1T bleach to 1 gallon of water. It would be worth it to buy one of those long bristle brushes to really get a good clean in.

Once everything is spick and span, take time to organize your gear. Gear specialist recommend storing in a dark, cool place such as a closet and avoiding basements or garages. Sleeping bags and pads should be stored loose, water systems should be opened to promote air flow, and leave the pad valve open to decrease mildew. Plastic totes are perfect for organizing gear. We recommend having a "ready to go" tote with commonly used items to easily throw in your car for packing at the trail head.

Netflix & Chill...or Hulu or Amazon Prime or Youtube

With countless adventure movies and shows out there, you can find something to satisfy your chill vibes. Check out how to videos on Youtube or delve into a new sport (we love watching climbing and mountaineering videos). If you're a horror fanatic, you've got to watch the classic backpacking movie, The Ritual.

Hopefully this list will keep you busy for the next few weeks and avoid the endless pit of sorrow that is not walking the trails. Remember, if we all stay home now we can hit the trails faster!