Comment by timerol | Hacker News Reader

Comment by timerol | Hacker News Reader

I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably not going to use any of those before I get home, though.

Backpacks are magic for longer trips. Food, water, coffee, all go in. Unsure about the weather? Layers layers layers, all in the pack. I also use LL Bean's PrimaLoft Packaway (I own two, one black and one orange), and have a shell for rainy/snowy weather. Unless it's both cold and rainy, one of the two goes in the backpack.

I've also never worried much about pocket preferences on my shorts and pants. I instead care about pockets on my packs. My current big pack is an Osprey Exos 58 (but the newer version doesn't have hip belt pockets or a shoulder strap pocket), and my daypack is an REI Flash 22 (with easily accessible side pockets, and a top pocket that you can reach with an awkward shoulder movement).

Edit: The big floppy hat comment was absolutely spot-on

I cannot deal when a backpack when the temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, for the very reason Arnade gives -- a sweaty back. I've been using a Nittany Mountain Works fanny pack on bike rides recently (the larger model will carry A5 notebooks, which is plenty big for my non-work commuting since I'm remote full time now). I guess I will still deal with a sweaty lower back, but that's better than my entire back.

That said, I agree with you -- I could imagine walking (or riding) with stuff in my pockets.

Getting a good hiking pack designed to sit off of your back a bit was a godsend to me. I'm with you that I won't carry one if it's hot out, but I'll gladly carry a smaller pack all the time otherwise.

Fanny packs are sweet, except the part where you're wearing a fanny pack.

Fanny packs are sweet, except the part where you're wearing a fanny pack.

Yes, my teenagers were shocked and appalled when they saw it, and made me promise I would only wear it while on the bike.

Are you not obligated to wear it _more_ due to your teenagers being appalled...?

Spin it around so it's not on your fanny (or is, pending what side of the pond you are on) and it will be less offensive to bigots.

Sorry, no it won't. Then it's just a crotch pack, or a worse name. -bigot But I applaud your effort!

> Fanny packs are sweet, except the part where you're wearing a fanny pack.

Hear me out:

Sport coats. (edit: and blazers)

Very light linen ones for hot days, which keep sun off your skin without really making you hotter. Cooler days, break out the wool.

All those extra pockets are wonderful. Grab some thin old mass-market genre paperbacks and discover why they made them that size :-)

They're like purses for men, that you can wear instead of carry, and that make you look better. Similar storage capacity to a fanny pack, I'd say. Maybe a little more.

I’m so tempted to try this. I never wear a sport coat. Well, unless I’m in a suit, which is a couple times a year if I’m unlucky.

I wear a short sleeve polyester t-shirt in black. I own a dozen of them, all identical, and wear them most days. My wife hates it.

The black is not good on very hot days. It’s surprising how much difference a light color makes. But, I can’t seem to keep light stuff clean.

I don’t know if I could stand my arms in a sport coat, but I guess it’s no different from a regular jacket in the winter.

You could grab one or two from a thrift store and see how you like it, then upgrade if it seems like something you want to keep doing. Nice and cheap way to try it out. Difficulty: a nice light linen jacket's probably gonna be a little hard to find at a thrift store, so it may be best to start this attempt in the Fall.

May be a drawstring shoe bag could work, but usually they have lesser carrying capacity than a full backpack.

Cross body bags are a nice midpoint between a backpack size and a fanny pack size and they don't sit on your back causing sweat - I got an adidas one for like $30 and I can easily fit a 32oz water bottle a folded light jacket plus other small things.

That's the cocaine dealer uniform where I live.

In my experience, when you go on very long (10-20mi) walks in hot weather, you need a backpack even more, since you have to carry around large amounts of water (either in water bottles or in one of those hydration pack things).

Biking is different, of course--you're not outside for as long (at least for a given number of miles), and you can store your water bottles on the bike itself.

Hydration bags tend to be slightly less problematic as many incorporate some amount of airflow-management and moisture-wicking, and the water itself tends to be somewhat cooler, at least initially.

I can't stand sweaty back either. Each of my bikes has some sort of rack or basket.

With that said, the college kids tend to prefer a backpack because it's their mobile office, and they don't want anything on their bike that can get stolen.

Sir/madam, have you ever tried an Osprey that suspends the weight of the bag off of your back with a sturdy piece of mesh and very minimal metal internal frame?[1] (I think Osprey pioneered this, other manufacturers now have it too). It has been life changing for me. I use it daily for commuting, and just finished 3-week tour through 3 countries with laptop, Kindle, and everything else packed inside this one bag. I’m sure Osprey has smaller versions if 34L is too much.

[1] https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/tropos-TROPOSF19.html

The metal frame must be the key. I have an Osprey backpack without it, and the mesh alone does almost nothing to help with sweat, even though it was sold to me as being better. A friend in high school found an old Vietnam-era? US army rucksack with a metal frame that was less comfortable in the short term but not bad in the long, sweaty term.

I fixed that by using a small gym sack for longer (mostly urban) walks and hikes. There are some with rather thick ropes, and they are quite comfy if you don't pack them too heavyweight. Also lets your back breathe due to the smaller area covered, and the ropes are narrow enough to not leave a sweatmark (as opposed to straps).

I am coming from same path as you describe - hiker to the core. Be it 2 hours or 3 weeks in himalaya. That's my past 14 years of life described (with some climbing, ski touring and few other sports on top, but this is the solid base).

I have 2 small kids now, and they are really not in best shape for long hikes or anything more extreme. Son on baby backpack would be 20 kilos without any further equipment/food required.

So I switched to long evening walks during work week after they go sleep. 2-3h, up to 10km. Luckily there are some nice options around me, so I try to variate things a bit every time, join things in loops and so on. Often music in the ears, very dark, walking in the forests where path surface is not really visible, rather than just very weak line and I trust my feet (and know the surface is not really tricky since I walked it 100x already).

Walking fast, as fast as my legs allow it for prolonged time (one gets this sense after some time spent doing it, pushing oneself too much is very bad idea). Also not fan of backpacks for this, rather stuffing pockets of jacket with everything required.

Its magical, clears head, tons of ideas come to me, for family, work, anything. Sometimes I struggle to write it all down and not forget anything. Sometimes smoking a bit of weed which makes this process more smooth. One activity that keeps such previously-active person as me still sane, even if kids sometimes try hard to push me the other way.

My bike commute to work used to be this time for me, though it was pretty short by the clock (25mins each way), and obviously was lost with the pandemic/WFH. In the last few months I've reclaimed that space somewhat with recreational evening walks, and that's been really great— sometimes with a friend, often on my own, usually in silence. Currently these are around 40-60mins, but your post is for sure inspiring me to step that up.

I'm a fan of the small backpack when I'm out with my kids, particularly for a water bottle, tubs of snacks, a place to put that pinecone they found, etc. But just me? A wallet and phone in my pants pockets is more than enough.

>I can't imagine walking around without a daypack

Depends on how hot and humid it is outside. Even in breathable clothing like Nike Dryfit or any of the thousand knockoffs, in 90+ degrees, high humidity weather, a backpack blocks perspiration evaporating off. It literally becomes a hot spot on your back. He did have one tip I don't entirely agree with to use Vaseline, but instead I use Glide just because I don't care for the consistency of petroleum jelly. Although he mentions long sleeves shirts and a hat with neck guard, he said nothing explicitly about skin or eye protection; people in the sun day after day should be wearing polarizing lenses and high SPF clothing along with sun screen.

Clear safety glasses block UV as well as tinted & polarizing sunglasses.

Nice! Good tip. Anything to prevent the advance of macular degeneration and cataracts. [1] Maybe that's not settled science - not sure - but it's a cheap preventative. And it's settled enough at least that good sunglasses can be purchased through some FSA/HSAs.

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21617534/

Even during monsoon season in AZ, I still find an all-mesh marathon vest like Ultimate Direction Marathon Vest V2 plenty comfortable. I put my phone, flashlight, ID, hand sanitizer, tweezers (for cactus thorns) and keys in it. If I need to I can also put something like a Patagonia Houdini in it for windy / light precip.

Perhaps an odd thing to ask, but what are you packing in your backpack for coffee? That sounds lovely, but between the need for hot water, the subpar quality of most powdered coffees, etc, it has seemed out of reach.

For day trips I brew coffee at home and carry it in a vacuum insulated bottle. The bottle smells like coffee even after cleaning, so I have one that I always use for the task.

For multi-day trips I already have a small camping stove (MSR PocketRocket or an alcohol stove), and I pack instant coffee. I heavily prioritize saving weight on longer trips, so I generally drink my coffee out of the same light plastic bowl that I just ate oatmeal out of, which doubles as a decent way to clean the bowl.

Not the OP but I take every opportunity to brag about my Zojirushi SM-KHE insulated mug. I use mine every day -- cold coffee and tea are a thing of the past.

I have several friends that really like their Fellow Carter Everywhere mugs if you want an alternative.

+1 for the Zojiroshi. I've owned a variety of vacuum flasks and it's by far the best. Years later and my tea is still scalding hot ten hours later (I usually let it cool a bit after steeping before I put it in because it protects too well). It's gone on dozens of flights and journeys with me and other than a few scratches looks and feels as good as the day I got it. It's also trivial to disassemble and clean.

For wilderness backpacking I'm a big fan of Jet Boil and their clones. You can make your own freeze dried / just add water meals pretty easily, only using it to boil water for that and drinks. They make a french press insert that actually works ok. Personally I just converted over to earl grey tea. It's crazy convenient to just do one boil for food, one for coffee / tea, and nothing to clean or pack out but a zip lock bag.

For urban backpacking the more high end thermoses are really effective at keeping stuff hot once you've made it.

I take my backpack [1] on my daily 1.5+ walk. Typically, with just an iPad, and a water bottle, but when I get to the destination in SoHo (Manhattan) it gets stuffed with fresh baked Bagguete, and some other minor daily grocery etc.

[1]: https://projektco.com/products/gravy-silverado (can't recommend this high enough.)

Is the spare set of headphones in addition to another on you, or secondary to the ones left at home?

In addition to the ones I had in my ears. It's not a normal thing for me to carry. I had thought I lost a pair of earbuds. I keep an extra set of cheap headphones at home, so I put them in my backpack. And then it turned out my main earbuds were in my jacket pocket, so now I'm carrying two pairs until I get home tonight.

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