Trip Planner

On the small side, so it won’t work for hikers who need a spacious pack. Water sources like rivers and streams may only be available seasonally. Ozark Trail maps are a great resource to help identify places where you can access water. Bring enough water for your trip or a way to purify water to make it safe to drink. Many of the creeks and streams look crystal clear, but it’s still smart to make sure any impurities are removed with pumps or tablets before drinking. Why would you undertake a deep study of engineering design, or the design process, when you could go about design on your own and learn from your own experience?

Other items that you may want to keep at the foot of the sleeping area are also hard to access or reach if your head is near the door. For these styles, it seems most people want their head at the door side and so they have a constraint for which way the tent is set up if the ground is not flat. On the other hand, accessing the tent from the middle, or on the long side, gives one more degree of freedom. Assuming a symmetrical tent, like the Ozark Trail, my head could be placed at either end and both options would feel equally comfortable.

At the same time, my head wasn’t zero or six feet from the door, but about two or three feet at all times. The OT is a great “starters thru-hike” in both length and technicality. The one place this trail may be considered more advanced is the lack of towns along the trail for resupply and a bed, shower, and town food. Streams and creeks can run deep and quick during heavy rains, and temperatures can dip below freezing in the spring and autumn. There are long stretches without cell phone service.

Another big downside of this season is the shorter daylight hours available for hiking. This daypack came in handy just for what I intended. We like that this pack has a lot of pockets including a zipper that allows you to access the middle of the pack without opening the top. Includes Trekking pole attachment points, compression straps and a sleeping bag compartment. Altra Lone Peak 3.5 trail runners were my shoe of choice, along with Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot socks. I brought water shoes to navigate streams with but only used them once; way too much trouble to switch at every crossing.

For day hikes this is just as good as (and lighter than) my Osprey Daylite that retails for almost four times more. I carried this daypack back n forth on a trail to the shower while camping. The bag stayed in place on my back using the sternum strap. The one downside with integrated rain flies is the lack of ventilation and temperature control.

Stitches appeared evenly spaced and of uniform distance from the fabric edges. There is a lack of reinforcement on the pack’s taffeta bottom, though. Shoulder straps are lightweight mesh-lined with very little padding. This hydration compatible backpack has a connection ozark trail canopy for a water bladder built in to the design. It also includes loops to hang your trekking poles when not in use. Similar to many of the other thru-hikers, I downloaded the OTA’s excellent GPS maps, but I loaded them into the Gaia GPS app on my iPhone.

The Ozark Trail Montpelier 45L Backpack is the perfect companion for a long weekend. This 45-liter pack is designed with ample pockets to pack all of your gear and a lightweight internal frame for weight support. This pack has trail focused features like the hydration compatibility, trekking pole attachments and a padded waist belt with zip pockets for quick access to essentials. Browse all our gear like spacious tents, durable backpacks, warm sleeping bags, outdoor cooking supplies, and more. Carry everything you need for your next adventure in the Ozark Trail 45L Montpelier Backpack. Before heading out on your next hike or other outdoor adventure, make sure to grab the Ozark Trail 14 Liter Hydration Hiking Backpack.

ozark trail backpack

Lorentz averaged 14 miles per day, with her longest day being 19 miles. She enjoyed many “zero days,” visiting local attractions with her brother, who followed her in a support vehicle. Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting. However, some sources may run dry during extended periods of drought. Plan accordingly and carry or cache water in case you are not able to find a source close by.

My shelters have gotten lighter as have my sleeping system — next in line for a diet was my carry system. Funds, however, were non existent and my CFO (i.e. my wife) wouldn’t increase my discretionary fund. We’ve scouted the best routes, from easy day hikes to epic overnight bike-packing.Find detailed itineraries, directions, and maps right here.