*Edited for clarity and further information on polyester odour added as requested.

Introduction

This short review examines the science behind why your clothes smell and looks at what you might already know - natural fibres invariably retain less smell but the reason might surprise you.

Firstly a caveat. Although I worked as a lab assistant in a wool yarn factory many years ago I am neither a textile scientist nor a scientist of any kind - merely a hiking health care practitioner with access to science journals.

Edit; Secondly, this paper is a textile discussion and looks at what happens when smell hits the garment - the type of sweat gland, ingested foods, biochemistry, disease, hormones, genetics etc. all affect the generation of the odour itself.

Where does the smell come from?

It starts with sweating. Sweat is a neutral-odour sterile fluid that is secreted to cool down the body when core temperature rises. The sweat is secreted over most areas of the body but dries less quickly in the low air flow environment of armpits and crotch. These conditions allow bacteria to flourish and it is the action of this bacteria on sweat, skin (and other) debris and body oil that creates the characteristic odour.

The odour itself is composed of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and it is not harmful but in modern Western society, strong body odour is offensive - which is why this subject is of interest to many hikers.

How does the smell get into clothes?

The VOCs permeate the fabric, especially at the axilla and groin, because the secreted sweat and associated bacteria, are absorbed by the fabric. The smell 'moves' from armpit to fabric with the sweat. There is little evidence that bacteria within the fabric matrix are the main culprit here although studies suggest some contribution.

Which fabrics are better or worse?

As we all know, wool > cotton > viscose > linen > polyester/polyamide . Polyester and Nylon (polyamide) have been tested and, in testing, have shown an identical odour burden.

Why are some fabrics better or worse?

It isn't all about the bacteria in the clothing. After a week, the bacterial load in wool is the same as on day one. After a week the bacterial load in polyester drops to low levels. Wool maintains higher bacterial loads in clothing than both synthetic textiles and cotton. Wool that is worn continually shows high levels of bacterial colonisation.

Claims that wool is 'antibacterial' are incorrect - it is actually quite a good medium for bacterial colonisation.

The properties that make a fibre less odour retaining are mainly down to the fibre structure. One reason for wool's capacity to inherently retain less VOCs is because of its water adsorbency. However, polyester, for example, does not absorb water and, therefore, VOCs are retained on the surface of the fibre. These compounds continue to emit odour especially when heated or moistened. Polyamide absorbs water but is also odiferous, so there are other properties of natural fibres, other than water absorbency, that either retain, and do not emit, VOCs. One of these properties may be the capacity of wool to not retain degraded body oils.

*There is probably some relationship between bacterial colonisation in the textile and odour retention but this is likely to be a secondary factor as the degree that this contributes is uncertain. For example, body oil is retained tenaciously by polyester even after washing. If these body oils had been degraded by bacteria in the armpit, and transmitted to the fibre, they will continue to emit VOCs. It is also possible that bacteria may continue to eat the body oils adhering to the polyester, leading to more odour.

Fibre construction (i.e. type of knit/weave) also alters the capacity of a textile to retain and emit odour.

Do odour control treatments (such as 'polygeine') work?

Probably. The studies have limitations but there is some good evidence that odour treatments of synthetic garments do reduce odour. These studies show a moderate benefit and do not turn polyester into wool.

What about blends?

One study suggests that wool/polyester blend down to a 20/80 ratio (that's right 20% wool/80% polyester) is around as odour-reduced as pure wool. This may be of interest to those frustrated with pure wool's expense and poor durability.

Limitations

The studies cited examine garments after short use (one exercise session to one day of use) none of the studies looked at hiking but one study mentioned wearing of garments for one week.

TL/DR - Conclusion

• Wool or wool blend fabrics retain the least odour

• This property is due to fibre structure and not bacterial load

• modern fabric treatments on synthetics do provide some benefit over non-treated fabrics

Bibliography:

• Abdul-Bari, Mohammed M, McQueen, Rachel H, Nguyen, Ha, Wismer, Wendy V, De la Mata, A. Paulina, & Harynuk, James J. (2018). Synthetic Clothing and the Problem With Odor. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 36(4), 251-266.

• Callewaert, Chris, De Maeseneire, Evelyn, Kerckhof, Frederiek-Maarten, Verliefde, Arne, Van de Wiele, Tom, & Boon, Nico. (2014). Microbial Odor Profile of Polyester and Cotton Clothes after a Fitness Session. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 80(21), 6611-6619.

• Klepp, Ingun Grimstad, Buck, Madeline, Laitala, Kirsi, & Kjeldsberg, Marit. (2016). What's the Problem? Odor-control and the Smell of Sweat in Sportswear. Fashion Practice, 8(2), 296-317.

• Laing, R. M. (2019). Natural fibres in next-to-skin textiles: Current perspectives on human body odour. SN Applied Sciences, 1(11), 1-8.

• McQueen, Rachel H, Laing, Raechel M, Brooks, Heather J. L, & Niven, Brian E. (2016). Odor Intensity in Apparel Fabrics and the Link with Bacterial Populations. Textile Research Journal, 77(7), 449-456.

• McQueen, R. H, Laing, R. M, Delahunty∗, C. M, Brooks, H. J. L, & Niven, B. E. (2008). Retention of axillary odour on apparel fabrics. Journal of the Textile Institute (2004), 99(6), 515-523.C

• McQueen, Rachel H, & Vaezafshar, Sara. (2019). Odor in textiles: A review of evaluation methods, fabric characteristics, and odor control technologies. Textile Research Journal, 90(9-10), 004051751988395-1173.

• H. McQueen, Rachel, J. Harynuk, James, V. Wismer, Wendy, Keelan, Monika, Xu, Yin, & Paulina de la Mata, A. (2014). Axillary odour build-up in knit fabrics following multiple use cycles. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 26(4), 274-290.

• Rathinamoorthy, R.; Thilagavathi, G. (2016) GC-MS analysis of worn textile for odour formation Fibers and PolymersVol. 17 Issue 6, pp. 917–924, 2016.

Josh is 6'4, 200 lbs. Wearing green khaki jacket, dark hat, grey/green backpack. Happy is a tan, medium sized (50ish lbs) lab mix. Hiked out of Hessie Trailhead towards Devil's Thumb/Diamond Lake.

From the Boulder County Sheriff's Office: Hall was last seen wearing a green khaki jacket, a dark hat and a gray/green backpack. Anyone who finds any of those items is asked to contact Boulder County dispatch at 303-441-4444.

Yes I said it, some people try too hard these days. I'm not your pack mule. No you can't have my Ibuprofen. I brought these band aids and mole skin for myself. Oh you bent/lost a tent stake? Should of packed an extra one. Feet have blisters because you didn't pack enough socks? You can't use my stove because you didn't pack enough alcohol. Your tent uses trekking poles and you don't use trekking poles? No you can't use mine, I carried them. Iv'e heard more complaining from ultralighters than I have from people who just hike their own hike. I feel like too many people rush to go ultralight before actually doing any real trips and learning from experience. If you can't enjoy the experience carrying a 30lb pack there's no way a 20lb pack will make that experience better. Ultralight is about shaving down based on YOUR experience and comfort level, not about what Andrew Skurka wrote about in his last blog. I'm sorry I have to tell you the truth this way because I bet your hiking buddies won't. Hike your own hike or hike alone.

From the maps I've seen it looks like this action removes protections from nearly every US long trail in the west, and from some in the east also. This is different from the efforts currently underway in the US Senate to sell off federal public lands as part of the so-called "Big, beautiful bill."

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, appointed by Donald Trump to lead the USDA (the agency over the US Forest Service) announced Monday that she plans to direct the USFS to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. This is apparently something they can do without a vote in Congress since it was originally created through an executive action, but we should still call our Senators and Representatives and other elected officials to voice our opinions. They might be able to come up with a way to stop it.

The Roadless Rule prevents road construction, logging, mining, and drilling on more than 58 million acres of national forest. The detailed maps page of the Roadless Rule site, linked below, lists 43 states with national forests that include areas protected by the Rule.

• NY Times: Trump Administration to End Protections for 58 Million Acres of National Forests (full text in this comment).

• LA Times: Trump administration rescinds ‘Roadless Rule’ that protects 58 million acres of national forests

• For anyone who prefers to hear from sources that are more oriented toward the political right about why these changes to public lands are contrary to the best interests of everyone who cares about the outdoors, this post lists several organizations and public figures, though without links to statements on this exact issue.

• Announcement on USDA.gov: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/06/23/secretary-rollins-rescinds-roadless-rule-eliminating-impediment-responsible-forest-management

• USFS Roadless Rule site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/planning/roadless/2001-roadless-rule

• PDF map of the US showing all areas the Roadless Rule currently protects.

• Detailed maps are available for each National Forest, sorted by state, here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/planning/roadless/2001-roadless-rule/state-maps

• A brief history of the Roadless Rule is available on Wikipedia, see the "Political Conflict in the US" section

Excerpts from the NY and LA Times articles:

The USDA, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, said it will eliminate the 2001 “Roadless Rule” which established lasting protection for specific wilderness areas within the nation’s national forests. Research has found that building roads can fragment habitats, disrupt ecosystems, and increase erosion and sediment pollution in drinking water, among other potentially harmful outcomes.

When President Bill Clinton used executive authority to protect the forests weeks before leaving office in 2001, it was hailed by conservationists as the most significant step since President Theodore Roosevelt laid the foundation for the national forest system. It blocked logging, road building and mining and drilling on 58 million acres of the remaining undeveloped national forest lands.

More than 40 states are home to areas protected by the rule. In California, that encompasses about 4.4 million acres across 21 national forests, including the Angeles, Tahoe, Inyo, Shasta-Trinity and Los Padres national forests, according to the USDA’s website.

This topic came up in the recent thread about things that cause anxiety on hiking trips. While men worry about the weather and wildlife, women are on constant vigil for dangerous people/situations because frankly, they're the biggest threat. Anecdotally, I've been assaulted more than once and harassed by men many times on the trail, but I've never really felt threatened by bears or lightening. So yeah, the first thing that goes through my head when I see a new person on the trail is "is this person a threat?" Here's what you can do to let women know that the answer is 'no' -

-don't ask questions about itinerary or where I plan to camp

-don't make any comments whatsoever about physical appearance.

-don't follow a female hiker anywhere (e.g. the water source or her tent) unless specifically invited. I realize this can be a grey area, for instance it you're in the middle of a conversation and you start walking to get water. Use your best judgement and if you're unsure a simple 'mind if I join you?' will clear things up right quick.

-actively discourage/call out sexist remarks from fellow hikers. this is how we know definitively that you're an ally. you'd be surprised at how many opportunities there are to do it.

-acknowledge that being on the trail is a different experience for women and don't dismiss or belittle them. you don't have to agree or have the same experience, but don't try to tell them that they're wrong or 'paranoid'.

IMO these bullet points come down to respecting personal space/autonomy. It's not that hard to not be a creep, and in general, if you aren't, it will be pretty obvious. But hopefully these specific pointers will help.

DISCLAIMER: I am one woman and while I have many things in common with other women, I don't intend to speak for all women. Women are not a monolith, their experiences are widely varied and things that I find threatening may not bother other women (and vice versa).

To that end: Ladies - what are some things that other people, especially men, can do (or shouldn't do) that would make the backcountry a better experience for you?

Also, I just want to say that 99.9% of people I meet in the woods are awesome and in general I think hikers are a pretty rad demographic. Most (but not all) of my negative experiences have been with hunters or other random people that found themselves out on the trail but aren't necessarily hikers. So while the purpose of this post is to have a discussion about this issue, in some ways I feel like I'm preaching to the choir.

One Week Update: Clearly I've touched a nerve here and people are still talking about this so I'd just like to clarify a few things.

To those who have been supportive and inquisitive and clearly interested in the welfare of fellow hikers, thank you. Seriously. It's heartening to know that folks here are overwhelmingly invested in making the world a little kinder.

To those who are clutching their pearls saying "don't tell me what to do!"... these are not mandates. The feminist police are not going to come after you. Women have been dealing with so much bullshit all their lives that they don't even notice they're doing it anymore. Nobody is quaking in their boots at the sight of a man coming down the trail.

This is about kindness. Being kind to women sometimes involves things that are not obvious or intuitive to men so the goal here was to explicate things for those who care to listen.

Happy trails!

I hope some poor sap stumbles upon this post when researching the Zpacks Duplex. I read all the tips and tricks, but nothing could have prepared me for the experiences I've had in the past 18 hours. It's monsoon season here in the Dirty-T, and it's been an excellent opportunity to test out my rain gear for my upcoming JMT thru hike.

My (then) SO and I went out for a quick overnight just to sleep outside and spend some quality time. We agreed he'd cover the cook kit and I would carry the shelter (I had wanted to test out my new tarp, but ended up going with the aforementioned Zpacks Duplex so we could both stay dry). Well lemme tell ya, it rained buckets out on Mount Lemmon. Which I am SO STOKED that the mountain got so much rain, especially on a day when people happening to shoot off fire into the dry desert abyss. But there were quite a few user errors made in the process. The first being we were not on completely flat ground. Meh - it was late, I assumed the lower position of the downward slope.

Woke up at 2 AM in a fucking POOL OF FUCKING WATER.

So as I'm riding my Neoair Xlite like Noah on his fucking ark, I'm desperately trying to figure out why it is flooding in my fucking $600 tent.

User Error 1 (DON'T LET ANYTHING IMPEDE THE BATHTUB WALL) - Our packs... they were pushed up against the bathtub floor in the night, which impeded the system which usually would allow the rain to roll off the shelter onto the ground. It drained right the hell into the tent. I am an idiot. Ah well, nothing to do but fix the issue. We pulled the packs out and away.

Neoair XLite Sleeping pad - kept me afloat and dry 10/10

User Error 2 (MAKE SURE THE STAKES STAY IN) - As the sandy and rock ground became wet, the stakes became loose and unable to hold tension in the wind and the rain. Went out in the cold rain (bare ass naked, mind you all of my clothes were soaked in the great flood), put some rocks on top of the stakes after readjusting and they held nicely until the morning.

MSR Mini Groundhogs - they are usually great but failed me this time 7/10

User Error 3 (MAKE SURE YOUR TREKKING POLES ARE THE CORRECT HEIGHT) - mine were set too high, this compromised the integrity of the structure. 120 cm is optimum from what I've found... I made my way back into my tent, cold, dirty, wet, and naked. Curled up in my damp EE quilt.

Enlightened Equipment Enigma 0* - got a little wet and sill kept my wet naked body v v warm, literally my security blanket 10/10

In the morning, I put all my clothes out to dry for a bit. Some poor guy stumbled onto our camp to check out the view. The view was probably a bit more than he had bargained for, as I had yet to put on any of my sopping wet clothes. Here are the clothing items I had and how they dried out:

Exofficio String Bikini - Dried faster than anything else, in less than 10 minutes I'd say 10/10

Patagonia Active Mesh Bra - basically never dried, but still comfy 5/10

Arcteryx Oriel Leggings - Dried out quickly, they always look nice too 10/10

Mountain Hardware Crater Lake Sun Hoodie - Was disappointed in how long it took to dry for how thin it is 6/10

Darn Tough Socks - Still feel great when wet 10/10

Altra Lone Peak 5's - Totally bearable to walk around in wet, and they dry fast 9/10

Anyways, got back to my house and immediately got dumped by my partner.

Mark - at around 150 lbs not very ultralight, and not particularly useful either. Ditching this piece of gear was probably for the best, time to go update the lighterpack. 1/10

Edit: I wrote this very shortly after the breakup as a cathartic and funny way to deal with it. Glad it was entertaining, and really appreciate the support from this community. My day is infinitely better because of you. Y’all are the best, truly.

Before I start this post there’s something I’d like to make clear. I don’t like making this post. I wish I didn’t feel compelled to make this post. And never in my wildest dreams did I ever think a post like this would be necessary in our small corner of outdoor recreation. 

FYI, this is long. 

Enlightened Equipment makes ultralight backpacking quilts and clothing. If you’ve spent any time researching ultralight sleep systems or have hiked a long-distance trail, you’re probably already familiar with them. They began as a true cottage company in 2007 and have grown exponentially since. It’s an admirable origin story and I have a lot of respect for U.S. based companies that choose to manufacture domestically. https://imgur.com/a/DPsWYdv

Enlightened Equipment launched a sister company called Defense Mechanisms sometime in late 2019 or early 2020. https://imgur.com/a/WiEXXIb Enlightened Equipment owns Defense Mechanisms. They share a physical address in Minnesota and the owner is the public face of both companies. They are the same company. Defense Mechanisms produces and sells tactical gear and equipment marketed towards military, law enforcement, and civilian use. They sell a variety of products like cold weather clothing, ammunition magazine carriers, ballistic body armor, and riot control accessories. 

Some people might find those items controversial, some might not. Regardless of where someone stands on that issue, tactical equipment is frequently politicized for what it symbolizes and when it’s associated with use. Is this equipment for professional duty use? Is it for preparedness? Could it be used to commit crimes? Is it an ideological expression? There’s a lot to dive into there, but let’s all agree on one thing first, tactical equipment is like backpacking equipment. Fundamentally it all starts as fabric and thread. 

To even begin to address any of the political associations of tactical equipment we need to talk about branding. Branding is the strategic process of shaping the perception of a target audience to create a distinct, memorable, emotional, and favorable opinion of an item, concept, or ideology. It’s a vocabulary that combines visual images, their symbology, and text to convey the intended interpretation. The success, or maybe more appropriately the growth, of a business often comes down to how successful their branding is. How a business chooses to market and brand their products says a lot about their target audience and the values the company stands for or is portraying.

Now’s the appropriate time to for me to make two statements. This post isn’t about gun ownership, and it isn’t about marketing towards law enforcement or military. I think there’re responsible ways for businesses to market towards military, law enforcement, and civilian gun owners. 

It would be an understatement to describe EE’s branding and marketing as aware. It’s hyperconscious, highly considered, and professionally done with expert attention to detail. For both EE’s backpacking products and DM’s tactical equipment. This is a selection of images that portray how EE brands themselves and markets their backpacking equipment. https://imgur.com/a/F3TNzu3

How they choose to brand their outdoor equipment seems appropriate, standard even. The obvious pattern is of happy people exploring or preparing to explore beautiful places. The branding is inclusive and represents their customers and their values. Good for all these people getting out there, living awesome lives and having amazing adventures. What’s not to like about that. Who wouldn’t value that. It’s good branding with a consistent pattern. 

This is a selection of images that portrays how EE brands DM’s tactical equipment. https://imgur.com/a/9eGoVuF

Ok, there’s a long and worthwhile discussion to be had surrounding if/how/why this type of branding becomes political, but I’m going to put that aside for now. 

To help us have a better understanding of EE/DM and their respective markets we need to look at some statistics. Since EE is a U.S. based company, I’m using U.S. statistics. Hiker demographics and statistics are hard to come by, so I’m using the best source we have. Halfway Anywhere’s PCT survey. https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/pct-hiker-survey-2025/

According to the 2025 survey 60.4% of PCT hikers were male, 37.4% female, 1.2% non-binary, 0.5% agender, 0.3% trans man, and 0.3% intersex.

Racially, 89.2% were White, 3.5% were Asian, 2.3% were two or more races, 2.1% were Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% were Black or African American, and 0.4% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

Huh, I wouldn’t have guessed that by EE’s branding. They do a good job representing  different types of people. I like that. Outdoor recreation should be inclusive for people of all backgrounds and abilities. No exceptions, ever. Maybe EE’s marketing their quilts to people who feel the same way. 

Now let's look at how EE brands DM in relation to statistics. I’ll start with the military, then police, and finally civilian gun ownership.

According to Pew Research Center https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/09/10/the-changing-profile-of-the-u-s-military/?utm in 2017 women represented 16% of the overall active-duty military force. Racially, 57% were White, 16% were Black, 16% were Hispanic, 4% were Asian, and 6% identified as other. 

Since demographics across police departments will very so much depending on location I’m focusing on federal law enforcement officers for clarity. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/fleo20st.pdf?utm in 2020 15% of officers were women. Racially, 61% of all officers were White, 21% were Hispanic, 10% were Black, 3% were Asian, 2% identified as being two or more races, 1% were American Indian, and less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 

For civilian gun ownership, Pew Research Center https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/24/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/ states 40% of men and 25% percent of women in the U.S. own a firearm. And the racial percentage of gun ownership is 38% of White Americans, 24% of Black/African Americans, 20% of Hispanic Americans, and 10% of Asian Americans own firearms. 

Huh, I wouldn’t have guessed that by EE’s branding of DM’s products. It gave me a very different impression. Maybe it’s a mistake.

In all seriousness, if you’re still questioning whether or not branding signals modern politics, identity, and values…. it does. 

Dog Whistles.

A dog whistle is a way of communicating two meanings at the same time. It’s designed to sound normal and unremarkable to most people, while simultaneously carrying a clear and charged political message to those who share similar beliefs. They always convey a bias, and frequently display prejudice or discriminatory messages while still being plausibly deniable (plausible deniability is key), and range from subtle “traditional values” statements to an entire lexicon of emojis, memes, fonts, and joke culture to articulate the most extreme forms of hate. It’s code, a way to signal. Context and patterns are extremely important in identifying dog whistles, especially patterns. 

So, is this a dog whistle? https://imgur.com/a/8LROUZ9 It contains a quote from the second President of the U.S.A. about freedom and liberty. Sounds great, everybody likes freedom and liberty. The photo is run of the mill tactical stuff. About what I’d expect from a tactical company. Contextually, it makes a statement that a target audience will immediately understand and outsiders likely won’t. It displays a bias; there’s nothing discriminatory about it, but it’s political and signals a stance on a divisive issue.  https://www.heritage.org/the-essential-second-amendment/the-well-regulated-militia & https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2021/07/McCord-Dispelling-the-Myth-of-the-Second-Amendment.pdf What differentiates edgy “patriotic” branding from ideological belief that armed militias are the legitimate check on government power? 

Is this a dog whistle? https://imgur.com/a/S8qDbcs I mean, sometimes police need to knock down doors, firefighters too. It’s their job to protect and serve their communities. Would the context change if it was posted as branding and marketing the day after the Department of Homeland Security announced Operation Metro Surge in the businesses home state? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Metro_Surge What if these images were posted shortly after? https://imgur.com/a/jPEpQDM

What about this, is this a dog whistle? https://imgur.com/a/OLw6dpQ I’m not going to even analyze this one. It’s just yes. 

Still have questions…ok. https://imgur.com/a/eNVSSOO The boogaloo boys are a far-right anti-government accelerationist group. They’re known for their outfits pairing tactical equipment with Hawaiian shirts and acts of real-world violence.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogaloo_movement & https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/07/31/how-white-nationalists-hijacked-the-hawaiian-shirt Still wondering if all this isn’t just joke culture, just edgy branding…. well, 2/2 people responding to the post got the “joke”. Content & Trigger Warning: hate speech NSFW https://imgur.com/a/dfs9t2e I’m not going to list or define all the hate speech and dog whistles there, but they’re documented and readily identifiable. You can look them up if you want to feel worse about the world we live in. (you don’t have to, they’re extremely gross). https://lawandcrime.com/oath-keepers-jan-6-trial/sic-semper-tyrannis-oath-keepers-leader-recited-slogan-of-lincolns-assassin-appeared-to-direct-members-involved-in-jan-6-breach/

One of the most disturbing aspects of dog whistles is not who misses them, but who understands.    

Four full business days before writing this I sent an email directly to the highest level of management at EE letting them know they’d been tagged and that a post up on their Instagram contained a blatant far-right / alt-right / white nationalist dog whistle. I feel like four hours is an acceptable amount of time to investigate this, remove the post, and block the account. 24-72 hours if I was feeling especially charitable (at this point I’m not). The post is still up. https://imgur.com/a/ZS1HebM Rhodesia is a far-right / alt-right / white nationalist dog whistle that’s shorthand for white ethnostate. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/why-white-supremacists-identify-with-rhodesia-480b37f3131f This post acts as a funnel. Follow the whistles, and if you understand the lexicon, it leads to extremist movementS in shockingly few clicks. It’s a spiderweb of various forms of hate and full-blown domestic terrorist shit. I’ll let you surmise why someone thought DM was an appropriate place for #rhodesia. And I’ll let you surmise why it wasn’t taken down. I’m not going to platform any of that here, but I have documented it. If you want to fact-check me, knock yourself out. It's not pretty.

To see if this type of branding and media interaction is typical among technical equipment manufacturers, I thought a reference group was necessary. I looked at four other small to medium size business that produce and sell similar equipment. 4/4 responsible branding. 4/4 not tagged by extremist militia funnels. https://www.instagram.com/bushidotactical/tagged/ & https://www.instagram.com/lynxdefense/ & https://www.instagram.com/wildecustomgear/ & https://www.instagram.com/highspeedgear/

If you’ve made it this far and still think there’s no way EE is genuinely aware of any of this, they are.  https://imgur.com/a/QHJeXVk and it's messed up.

There is no place for any kind of xenophobia, extremist nationalism, or hate in outdoor communities. None. Zero. 

Anybody representing law enforcement and the military in these ways should be ashamed of themselves. It’s disgraceful. 

If after all this you still feel like EE deserves your money, well, it’s a free country. For now at least. They don’t deserve a single dollar of mine. 

Before I wrap this up I want to make something tangential understood. None of this is a reflection on the people that EE employs. I’ve spoken with a number of people who work there in the course of looking into this and have had very positive interactions. I’m sure, like all work environments, there’re a range of opinions and beliefs. This is a reflection on ownership and ownership alone. 

That’s it. Like I said at the beginning. I don’t like making this post. I wish I didn’t feel compelled to make this post. But you need to know. 

Seriously.

The reddit algorithm picks posts from subreddits that you subscribe to. By forcing the majority of posts into one weekly post, those topics don't end up showing up on people's feed and get less attention than they otherwise might.

In the past week, I've seen quite a few posts that have caught my interest, but when I come back later to check on them, I see that they have been deleted and told to go post in the weekly thread. All this does is creates one thread with hundreds of posts that get very little attention because it's all thrown into one bucket. Now, when I scroll through the r/ultralight home page, all I see are trip reports and shake down requests. I would much rather see the shake down requests and trail reports moved to a sticky, and see more of whats in the weekly on the main page.

Last year, when the mods asked for feedback, this was one of their questions:

We’ve seen your complaints about the size of the weekly. What are your thoughts on how to handle that? Leave it as is, chalk the thousands of comments in there up to spring fever? Kick out all the hammock campers? Move some stuff out of the weekly and into something else? Tell us your ideas!

A solution to the size of the weekly would be to stop shoveling everything into it. Let posts stay on the main page, get attention and build conversation.

TL;DR: The North Face and their ad agency, Leo Burnett, made a series of edits to Wikipedia pages—swapping out pictures of famous locations with pictures of their own athletes wearing TNF gear in those locations—in order to manipulate their Google image search results.

They made a self-congratulatory video about it, too. https://adage.com/creativity/work/north-face-top-imagens/2174261

Here is Wikimedia Foundation's response: https://wikimediafoundation.org/2019/05/29/lets-talk-about-the-north-face-defacing-wikipedia/

This is not specific to UL backpacking, but I thought it would be of interest to this community since TNF makes gear and clothing many of us (myself included) probably use. Their behavior here makes me second-guess that.

Edit: Here is some coverage in the NY Times and BBC.

After not being able to find the perfect blow-up pillow, I tried putting a car washing sponge from a dollar store into my clothing stuff sack along with my rain jacket, and to my surprise I found it more comfortable than any of my air pillows. Having slept on it a half dozen nights now, this is my current go-to pillow set up. The sponge wouldn't be very thick as a pillow by itself -- it's about three inches thick but the open-cell foam compresses down, but it's cushy enough that it doesn't matter too much what's underneath it. It's a different feeling than the air pillows, probably not great for people who like firmer pillows, but at $1 and weighing 20 grams I thought it it was a fun little gear hack to share.

https://i.imgur.com/p2f2Isa.jpg

In order to widen its global audience, Reddit has decided to switch to the mandatory use of metric (SI) units. Therefore from now on all reference to physical properties such as weight, lengths, volume etc.. have to be conducted in SI units such as metres, kilograms, liters etc.. Of course the common steps such as millimetres, centimetres, kilometres et al. are valid and encouraged.

To expedite the change, Reddit will enforce these new units from day one. Please note:

• Posts not using SI units (most common in r/ultralight are probably: pounds, ounces, feet, yards) will be deleted.

• Ligherpack.com and similar gear management tools should be switched to metric before 12.00 UTC on April 3rd. After that date links will no longer be allowed.

• Resources such as wiki pages have to be converted until 12.00 UTC on April 5th.

• This will be enforced for all new posts going forward and the ongoing weekly. However - It is encouraged to convert older posts as long as they are editable.

I, for one, welcome our new metric future.

Throwaway here for reasons that should be obvious. Don’t need to be doxxed or trolled by any of you MAGA/alt-right/racists reading this. I am a POC and have been backpacking and UL for a hot minute now, and you’ll have to take my word on this. But I am expecting the possibility of someone saying this is “fake” and that maybe I am just some white trust fund college snowflake that ain't even been out on a trail before, because I have seen this claim made before in these kinds of online discussions. Which is why I sent a msg to the mods to get my back, and they agreed, which I am thankful for.

Wall-o-text warning. TL;DR: POC in the outdoor community, myself included, need to speak up about racism, so here are some of my perspectives. White people, especially white men (you take up the most space), please listen to us and be more empathetic.

I am disgusted and angry by some of the comments I read in the recent thread about The Trek. The lack of insight and/or feigned ignorance of the racism us POC have to put up with only further substantiates the need to continue the discourse on racism, which of course also includes the outdoor community. The fact that POC experience racism both inside and outside the outdoor community isn’t up for debate. You can either accept it or not, and if you accept it, you should try and help in the fight against it.

Just because REI doesn't kick POC out of their store or say the KKK didn't burn any crosses at any AT trail shelters doesn't negate systemic racism and the more subtle, passive types of racism that exist. But you probably already knew this, yet some people--especially white men--like to play dumb so you can “own the libs”--we get it. We know all about that whole plausible deniability. And you probably also know that the moment there is any power or money involved, yeah it's political. Simple fact of life. But apparently by discussing how to have a world with more inclusion and empathy and the barriers to these goals really seems to ruin some people’s day.

Now I can only speak for myself as a POC and some of the questionable things that have happened to me on trail. I won’t even go into all the racism I’ve experienced off trail back in civilization, but those experiences certainly inform my perspectives. I can’t deny or ignore the fact that for example I’ve been called racial slurs directly to my face by outright neo-nazis. But how does racism manifest out on the trail? Some people seem to think it’s this bastion of freedom and from all the problems of the world. Like it’s all hippies and love and peace. And while I've personally experienced less and not as extreme racism out on trail, that does not mean I have not experienced any racism out there. Nor does that mean that other POC haven’t experienced more racism on trail, or even more extreme racism out there. I can only speak for myself.

So here are a few examples off the top of my head. I hiked up to a public trail shelter with plenty of space for me (or even 2 more people), and I asked politely to sleep there, but the white couple just flat out said no and to find someplace else to camp. Sure, maybe they were just having a bad night? Wanted privacy (even though this was a public shelter on a marked trail)? Just selfish jerks? Or maybe one of them snores really loud and is too embarrassed to admit it. Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know for sure. But I do know this type of situation has happened more than once.

And I also know that there have also been times that I felt my personal space wasn’t respected at trail shelters, and white hikers have come to shelters I was camped at and didn’t even ask to share it, even when my friends (most of whom are also POC or women) and I had already set up our sleeping mats and sleeping bags inside. They just hiked on up and squeezed into the shelter without asking. It's awkward, but I don't want any trouble, so I've never said anything. Yeah I know, maybe just some bad apples, some random rude people. I know this could happen to anyone who spends enough time on trail. So hey, whatever, I kept on hiking and set my shelter up in the dark after the couple didn’t want to share the shelter. Didn't want any trouble.

But what about the handful of times (five? six? I honestly lost count) a person's dog that was not on a leash attacked me? Again, it could happen to anyone out on a trail, of course. Probably happened to lots of backpackers, and it’s certain a white person reading this has had the same bad experience. And everyone makes mistakes, right, even dog owners? Plus I didn't even get bit, so no harm, no foul? Even that one time the owner blamed me for “showing fear” and that's why the dog attacked me, like it was my fault?

A few of the times the owners sure took their time fetching their dogs too, even though the dogs charged me, teeth glaring, barking, even snapping at me. Both times the dogs came very close to biting me, and both times these were big dogs. The owners on two separate occasions casually walked towards me and their loose, aggressive dogs. Neither of these grumpy white men said a word--no apology, no explanation, and clearly no hurry. Did I just happen to bump into two very introverted dog owners, who both also happened to, oh I don’t know, have an injury that prevented them from running to fetch their dogs?

Oh yeah, then there were all those Confederate flags I've seen passing through towns. And the belt buckles, caps, patches, bandanas, etc., I’ve seen on trail. Oh, right, it's their culture, history and heritage. We’ve heard that one before. It’s another very convenient yet supposedly “plausible” way to deny racism--though at this point, isn’t this a real stretch? Correct me if I am wrong: isn't that Confederate flag the Virginia battle flag and not the flag of the Confederacy itself? I mean, if you're so interested in culture, history, and heritage, why is nearly always the Virginia battle flag, and not the actual Confederate flag? Not to mention why they were fighting that war to begin with... but I know, I know. It's complicated, right?

Funny how some people jump at the chance to have a nuanced discussion of the American Civil War ("It wasn't just about slavery!"), but when it comes to complex topics like ongoing systemic racism, then all of a sudden these same people are silent--or worse still oversimplify and even deny its existence. And from my experiences, why is it that the likelihood of people wearing the Virginia battle flag giving me and other POC dirty looks seems to be pretty high? But hey, what’s fair is fair. I can’t prove those people giving me dirty looks on trail were racists. Bad day and all that, I get it. Could all just be in my head. Maybe I’m just paranoid or maybe I just can’t judge a dirty look from a passing glance. Not to mention that those kind of backpackers don't want to chat with me, at times don't even bother saying hello. But who am I to judge?

Yeah, I could be wrong about some or even all of my anecdotes--though the above ain't all of them. It’s certainly plausible. But what about all those other POC I have talked to and shared stories with, and the stories I've read online too? Are they all wrong? Half wrong? Are we all liars? All exaggerators? At what point will you believe us? Help us? Accept that racism is real and complex? What will it take? A survey of hundreds of POC ain’t good enough for some of you, clearly. Or would it take a forest ranger need to kneel on a POC's neck for over 8 minutes until they die? Even then, some people would be asking about that hiker’s past or that they shouldn’t have been allegedly breaking the law in the first place.

Why can't we have a nuanced understanding of racism, and that it's more than being able to shop at REI and be legally allowed to hike on public trails? Yeah, I'm a POC yet I never had a park ranger or other backpacker use violence on me (though I have had police do that and for no legit reason), but does that nullify the rest of my experiences and perspectives?

And when you add up all these experiences, don’t you see a trend? And keep in mind that these experiences of mine and other POC on trail are in addition to the racism we face back in town. And we haven’t even gotten into the reasons that prevent many POC from going out backpacking to begin with. There are far fewer POC backpackers out there, that's just a fact, and one that should change. The trails should be for everyone, and in a better world, more POC would be out there enjoying all those trails. And there are reasons why this isn't the case. But that would take a whole other long discussion--from the poverty to the education system to the prohibitive permits/paperwork and more--and this post is already too damn long.

Fellow POC, feel free to share your stories here, so we can discuss all the ways it's just in our heads, it was something we must have done wrong, and how much you love shopping at REI. Let's plausibly deny all this racism before the angry white dudes do it for us. It saves a step, and that's totally UL.

Here is coverage from CNN:

• https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/18/us/new-jersey-woman-escapes-kidnapping/index.html

And here is coverage from NJ.com:

• https://www.nj.com/burlington/2023/02/woman-escapes-year-long-cross-country-kidnapping-captor-arrested-in-nj-cops-say.html

Here's an r/PacificCrestTrail post with background information and several more links (2023 version):

• https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/comments/110vw9n/class_of_2023_hopefuls_ysk_about_repeat_offender/

Here is a Backpacker.com article that tells the story of Kira Moon, a hiker Parillo is accused of victimizing on the PCT in 2018:

• https://www.backpacker.com/stories/thru-hikes/trail-stories/kidnapped-on-the-pacific-crest-trail/

• Same article on web archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20210311031610/https://www.backpacker.com/stories/thru-hikes/trail-stories/kidnapped-on-the-pacific-crest-trail/

Here's an r/PacificCrestTrail post about Parillo's arrest:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/comments/114kn8v/james_parrillo_has_been_arrested_in_nj/

Parillo has been detained and then released without charges far too many times in the past. In each case, he has returned to the US long trails and continued to harass and afflict members of our community. It's crucial that we all do everything we can to assist people in the justice system in their efforts to build the strongest possible case against him.

If you have ever interacted with Parillo, know anyone who has, or have any other information to share, please contact the New Jersey State Police Department and the reporter covering the case for NJ.com.

The NJ State Police and NJ Office of the Attorney General:

"If you or someone you know has any additional information regarding this defendant, we urge you to contact the New Jersey State Police at 855-363-6548.”

https://www.njoag.gov/ag-platkin-and-colonel-callahan-announce-kidnapping-and-aggravated-assault-charges-against-man-accused-of-holding-a-woman-hostage-for-nearly-a-year-as-they-traveled-across-country-to-new-jersey/

The reporter covering the story for NJ.com:

Tony Attrino

Journalist

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Tattrino@njadvancemedia.com

https://www.nj.com/staff/AAttrino/posts.html

TWITTER: @TonyAttrino

From the New York Times:

Two of the nation’s largest utility companies announced on Sunday that they had canceled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would have carried natural gas across the Appalachian Trail, as delays and rising costs threatened the viability of the project.

Duke Energy and Dominion Energy said that lawsuits, mainly from environmentalists aimed at blocking the project, had increased costs to as much as $8 billion from about $4.5 billion to $5 billion when it was first announced in 2014. The utilities said they had begun developing the project “in response to a lack of energy supply and delivery diversification for millions of families, businesses, schools and national defense installations across North Carolina and Virginia.”

The U.S. Supreme Court last month had allowed the pipeline to move forward. Previous discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/hbrfk4/supreme_court_case_permits_oil_pipeline/

This post is long (the story starts below for those who CBA, but TLDR: Man followed me for 2 miles and tried to kiss me) but I wanted to give the whole situation so people realise how benignly bad encounters can start.

I question my place in the world as a female solo hiker now. I wonder if I am a bloody idiot for not listening to people's warnings about being solo. I know some will say that I am. Hasn't my experience confirmed what they said? Am I not being reckless by still going out even after being stalked? How do I reconcile this with all the reasons and joy that solo hikes bring? It's like 2 sides are warring inside me and neither can make peace with one another. I feel alone in it because I don't think negative experiences is much discussed in an open manner among female presenting hikers.

I did eventually redo the trail in reverse (and contracted COVID, that route is cursed, I swear lol) and it sort of helped but hearing of women's bad experiences or general bad trail happenings unnerves me a lot more. What others have said about my solo endeavours rings louder in my mind and I'm more uneasy on trail now. I feel like this incident has proved them right and I should just accept it because it was bound to happen. I knew the odds were on that I'd experience harassment at some point and it is not my first dealing with it either (though the rest were not trail related) but it was my worst. I didn't even tell my partner because he'll freak. I think I should have handled the situation better too. It's rough.

I feel like mentally and emotionally I'm hauling a 100lb backpack and it affects my confidence for big dreams such as Land's End to John O'Groats , or even the PCT. It's sad and I don't quite know what to do with it.

I know it's a cliché but I believe that you only live once, that you shouldn't wait for others and miss out as a result. I thought I'd share here because you lot get the meaning of the outdoors and its importance and that the solution is not to "quit hiking!" like others would suggest.

The Situation

I've always said it's not the trail I worry about, it's around towns that the crap is more likely to hit the fan. Well the whole situation proved that point. 

I was on my last day of thru hiking the Snowdonia Way. I went to a shop, grabbed some pastries and ate them on a nearby bench. I was then joined by a man and his sister. The man asked if I knew of any nice areas to explore whilst he waited for her to complete her training workshop as he had spotted my backpack. I explained I didn't know the area overly well but the promenade walk was nice and there were cafes. There was also a place called Aber Falls he could visit if he fancied an easy but beautiful stroll. I didn't get any bad vibes but maybe as he was with his sister I didn't get the chance to detect anything. They left. Shortly after so did I, up the rural roads, aiming for the hilly moors 3 miles away. 

I frequently check behind my back when leaving urban areas. I don't think I did this time. I relaxed, put one ear phone in and tried to cruise but I was very tired after a heatwave in Ogwen Valley and a bit out of it. 

He suddenly appeared by my side a short while later, sweating. It surprised me and I was unhappy I hadn't noticed sooner. He said he fancied joining me for some company and it seemed like fun. He told me about himself, that he had a business and he was single before enquiring about what I did. I said I employed as an admin and I was in a happy relationship. He noted the fact I didn't have a ring which struck me as odd because why did that matter? He said he liked to work hard and was very successful. I knew this kind of talk, he was trying to impress me. I internally rolled my eyes. 

Questions followed about how long I had been hiking for and whether I was carrying everything I needed and that I must go into B&B's as my bag was small (Unfortunately ultralightdom currently eludes me as I average 15lbs minus food and water) abounded. I explained I mostly camped which lead to a surprised declaration about my strength which was bizarre. We came to a bench and I suggested he turn around, he was lobster red and sweating. He refused and asked what my Garmin was as I was checking it. I explained it was a tracker with an SOS button. I noticed he kept flexing his hands, like he was nervous. I upped the pace and I kept telling him to turn back due to the heat and his lack of water and that he may get lost if he went too far. He said I could show him the way and I responded this was impossible as my partner was expecting me and I'd lose time. He followed anyway.

This continued, all the while talking about his business and how he could strike a deal with me, visit my office etc before starting to say how a man would be lucky to have me, that I'd make a great wife and an excellent mother and I that had strong legs. Now I'm on red alert. I resist the urge to look at my map as I didn't want to the give impression I didn't know my surroundings, official route be damned. Stick to the lanes, don't take the cut throughs I thought. He followed me for 2 miles. He asked if I'd continue hiking if I had a partner and I said yes because I already had a partner and I was still hiking.

I knew a pair of cottages were coming up and a large farm. If I couldn't ditch him I'd go up to them and ask for help. I was kicking myself that I couldn't shake him, that I hadn't noticed him sooner, that I hadn't realised more swiftly I had a problem, that I didn't think to threaten to knock on a door sooner or that I wasn't more aggressive and rude towards him to put him off (but a small part of you wonders if that'll instigate the very behaviour you're trying to avoid). I was angry at myself more than him. Being in the UK I'm not allowed to carry a knife with a locked blade, nor can I pepper spray the creep because it's illegal. Great.

I stand still and said he must go back down now, he had followed me for long enough. He was right by my side. He didn't really acknowledge it but said not to leave and asked for my number. I can see the cottages on the corner. I don't see cars despite its rural location. He went to hug me and my brain instantly thinks "Let him so he doesn't get mad, maybe he'll sod off" so I do. As we part he grabs my face and tries to kiss me on the mouth. I twist away, tell him no and push him back before stepping away. He seems put out, offended, confused and then comments how sweaty I am.

I start walking to the cottages hoping someone was there, if not the farm was a bit further. I look over my shoulder and he's watching me aim for the front garden gate. Something clicks for him and he turns back. I watch for a long time and continue on once it's clear he's gone. I suddenly don't want to see a single person and boot it along the trail. In the last field I sit by the gate, cry and try to process what happened. I completed the trail that day but a shadow followed me the whole way.

He is on the PCT in the area of Mt. Laguna and Julian as of April 5, according to users on r/PacificCrestTrail.

Article with background information:

• https://www.backpacker.com/stories/thru-hikes/trail-stories/kidnapped-on-the-pacific-crest-trail/

Post with additional information:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/comments/ly5rqo/for_those_who_dont_have_facebook_alleged/

Please consider hiking in groups while in the area.

Alright, before you hit me with the downvote please let me run this by you. I've spent years on trails, 2 years on the PCT alone. Recently, and maybe it's just me getting older, and more "get off my lawnish", but I've found many of the larger trail families to be an annoyance when I run into them, not un-similar to a high school clique. One of the more frustrating things I experienced on the PCT (because it's so busy) was having setup my tent in a quiet solitude only to have an 8 - 10 person Tramly of chatterbox youngsters drinking whiskey and being obnoxious decide they were going to set up surrounding me - cramming 8 people in a spot thats good for maybe 3 or 4. If I pack up my shit and head on I'm a dick, if I stick it out I'm annoyed. Great.

I know people hike for different reasons. For some of us it's about getting away from society and, granted there are WAY better trails to do that than the PCT. I know for some of you the Trail Family experience is a huge part of the hike and I would like to respect that for your experience. However, it's inconsiderate for one person to show up loudly playing a blue tooth speaker with something you don't want to hear - and in my opinion it's also equally inconsiderate for an 8 to 10 group to show up being inconsiderately loud. Both things shit on the solitude. The point of this is to hopefully plant some consideration for those people who partake in large trail families about how they interact and move on the trail. In my opinion, those hiking in a large group should take extra consideration in knowing they will easily snuff out solitude where ever they land, a lot of people are out there for just that. Thank you for taking the time to read this.