Always treat any water for drinking and cooking along the trail. Specific water sources are indicated on Ozark Trail online and printed maps. I backpack in the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada.
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.
I’ll forever cherish the memories made and accomplishments achieved — and my own cherishing quickly turned to wondering about other OT thru-hikers’ experiences. Of course it has no side water holsters, or lid pocket, or hipbelt strap, but I think that all contributes to its low weight. For the water bottles I just use Platypus .5 liter and 1 liter flat style bottles, which you can fit in the main body of the pack on top of your other gear. Today I immediately loaded it up and went out for a few hours. For water and OJ I use Vapur anti bottles which aren’t bulky at all.
My son and daughter each took one of these on a trip through Europe and they carried it on every plane, train, and bus they rode without any problems. It’s ozark trail chairs also small enough that it wasn’t inconvenient for them to have it with them everyday. Fit and finish were pretty good — no loose seams or stitching.
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.