A guy in a gear shop told me to skip the rain pants and I still think about that trip

Last spring a random hiker at the REI in Denver said I'd be fine with just a poncho on the Colorado Trail. I took his word for it, hit a solid 3 hour downpour near Kenosha Pass, and ended up soaked to the bone. Has anyone else found a piece of advice that sounded good but totally backfired?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina21d ago

Man, that's the kind of advice you get from someone who's never actually had to sit in a cold wet seat for four hours. It's like how people say you don't need a spare tire until you're stuck on the side of the highway at midnight. Sometimes the shortcut just costs you more time and comfort in the long run.

clairepark7d ago

That spare tire thing is a bad example though, you need those by law.

gavinperez7d ago

That poncho advice probably worked fine for the guy who gave it because he was doing short day hikes in mild weather, not multi-day trips where you're stuck walking through hours of rain. Rain pants have their own problems too, like trapping sweat and making you feel like you're wearing a trash bag. Sometimes the real lesson is knowing what kind of hiker you are and what conditions you'll actually face, not blaming the person who gave you well-meaning advice based on their own experience.