The Ozark Trail Association Trip Planner contains information on a thru-hike, including directions to Onondaga State Park and Eleven Point Western trailheads. The next section along Trace Creek is an enjoyable, quiet walk in the woods. Camp at Highway DD trailhead near the section’s start or Harper Spring around the 15 mile-mark. If you’re searching east of the Rockies for stunning scenery, technical terrain, and a long hike option sans the AT crowds, this is your pick.
My own personal beverage drama every summer has really pushed me to do this review. To me, worrying about the temperature of the drinks I have on my boat is the absolute last thing I want to be thinking about when I am heading out on the water. Most parents and grandparents dream about sharing their passions with their kids. But what happens when your passion includes schlepping 30 pounds or more of gear through the tick-infested woods and sleeping on the ground for days on end?
It’s been stuffed to capacity with almost everything I had to carry, including, but not limited to, outerwear, lunch, groceries, laptop, iPad, a Bose speaker, and combinations thereof. My shoulders did not chafe nor rub or irritate while walking and I did not get any bruising on my hips. I only walked about a mile away on a dirt ozark trail chair trail to the showers but it was not a flat surface and the equiptment on my back was stable. Fast and easy to adjust and all buckles and webbing are in good quality. On the small side, so it won’t work for hikers who need a spacious pack. Tents, hammocks or open-air camping — you can do it all according to your comfort level.
The Pelican also features a different pull handle than the Yeti and Ozark coolers as well. I do think the Pelicans pull handle is the lowest on my list of the three. As far as color options go, you can purchase this in one of two colors, Greystone which is the one featured in this article and a lighter grey. The constant color feature among the two are the orange rimmed wheels which I don’t love but, it is not a deal breaker. A great way to ask questions of like-minded outdoor enthusiasts is to check out the Ozark Trail Section Hikers and Backpackers (OTSHAB) Facebook page.
My kids were toddlers the first time we went backpacking on a short, level trail where I carried everything and I knew they could do the hike with no problem. My four-year-old wanted to know when we could go again but my three-year-old ozark trail canopy was uninterested in another trip. Now he’s 12 and carries almost the same weight as I do and loves to help me plan trips with 10-mile days. This pack fits me fine and is very comfortable for lightweight loads.
If you find that your sleeping bag doesn’t seem to be living up to its temperature rating, the issue is most likely your sleeping pad. Check out our Best Sleeping Pad review for more info about why your overnight warmth can be dependent on how well you’re insulated from the ground. Although synthetic fibers are cheaper to produce than down, they have not yet been able to achieve the same warmth for an equal weight of material. Synthetic sleeping bags, however, do have one performance advantage, a greater ability to insulate when wet. If down feathers get wet, they clump together and lose nearly all of their loft and insulative power. Synthetic fibers, in contrast, do not clump, so they can continue to provide considerable insulation when wet.