Met a guy on the PCT who only carried a tarp and a plastic fork

He said he ditched his tent and stove after the first 200 miles. Told me he eats cold beans straight from the can every night. Has anyone else run into ultralight hikers with really strange gear choices?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley431mo agoMost Upvoted

A few years back I met a guy on the AT who carried nothing but a military poncho and a spoon, claimed he slept under it like a tent. I ate cold beans from the can plenty of times myself on shorter trips, it's not that weird once you get used to the temperature. People overthink gear sometimes, a tarp and a fork is a little extreme but it works for him.

the_richard1mo ago

Riley and Eric make it sound like this is just a harmless quirk, but I think there's a line between being ultralight and just being unprepared. Skipping a stove is one thing, but eating cold beans every single night for weeks is a good way to wreck your stomach and your morale. I've seen plenty of hikers with janky setups that worked okay in good weather, but when a storm rolls in or you get sick from cold food, that minimalist philosophy stops being clever real fast. A tarp is fine if you know how to pitch it right, but a plastic fork? That's just a gimmick. You can pick up a metal spork for a couple bucks and it'll actually last the whole trail. It feels less like minimalism and more like a weird flex.

eric_knight71mo ago

Feel you on that @riley43, cold beans are totally doable once you get past the first cold bite. I once shared a shelter with a guy who used a cut-up foam sleeping pad as his only rain gear, just wrapped it around himself like a poncho when it poured. It was honestly kind of impressive how simple his setup was, even if it looked ridiculous. We all start somewhere with gear, and some people just figure out what works for them without caring what anyone thinks. Did that tarp guy at least have a way to tie it up or was he just holding it over his head?

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