Thru-hiking
Thru-hiking
The further from centre, the more strongly this hobby leans that way. Your quiz answers are scored against exactly these fifteen.
- RestfulPhysical
- IndoorsOutdoors
- SolitarySocial
- PracticalCreative
- InstinctiveTechnical
- Hands-offHands-on
- RelaxedCompetitive
- CautiousDaring
- Quick winsPatient
- PrivatePerformer
- MinimalistCollector
- Just do itStudious
- Low-kitGear-heavy
- AnalogDigital
- ObjectsLiving things
Hiking a long-distance trail over weeks or months, carrying what you need and resupplying along the way.
~$472Cost to start
ModerateDifficulty
Mostly outdoorsWhere
3 setup steps, ~$472 all in. Nothing to buy until you say so.
Is it you?
Nobody has scored this against your answers yet. $472 to find out whether it sticks.
MessMessy
The path14 quests
ASetting up3 things to sort, in any order$438
- Pick a trail and find out when its season is
- Sort the big three: pack, shelter and sleep system
- Walk a loaded weekend before committing to weeks
Then the quests
- Get proper boots and a daypack
- Do a full-day hike of ten kilometres or more
- Navigate a trail with map and compass
More on Thru-hiking
Everything else we have written about it. Free to read, no account needed.
Guides
Browse all guidesWhat to buy2
Best Backpacking Sleeping Pad (2026): R-Value Decides This, Not ThicknessThe ground takes more heat off you overnight than the air does, which is why people in expensive sleeping bags still wake up cold. The number that fixes it is R-value, and since 2020 it has been a standardised measurement, so for the first time you can compare one brand against another honestly.Best Backpacking Stove (2026): Boil Water Fast or Actually CookAlmost every thru-hiker eats food that only needs boiling water, which makes "how fast does it boil and how little fuel does it use" the question that matters. But if you cook rather than rehydrate, the fastest stove here is also the one that cannot hold a simmer, and that trade is the whole decision.
From the blog
Read the blogLearn it with a course
UdemyRecommended course
Complete Guide to Hiking the Appalachian Trail
Start on UdemyAffiliate link
Same shape of evening, different thing to hold at the end. Or follow a tag sideways.
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