travel and rhum

I was hiking up a trail with lots of steps, half way down my pack came unzipped dropping all my stuff on the trail. so now I zip it up so they meet on the side and never had that problem again..

If I'm not using poles, I'll hit my thumbs on my thighs with every stride and I'll do it until my thumbs start to hurt.

What are some hiking accessories or gear you would get or did get to spoil yourself a little? Other than a Garmin/gps watch or device. Looking for ideas of things that would be fun to have, but might not be considered essential…and are not super expensive.

Already have new poles, a new thermos, and plenty of clothing.

A few weeks back, someone posted a gear recommendation thread, and on that, several Redditors talked about Shokz bone-conduction headphones. They fit around your ear, pressing against the bones in front of and behind your ears, leaving the ear canal open. It connects via Bluetooth, and you can listen to your music or podcast and not bother others on the trail.

I was fascinated and decided to buy two pairs for Christmas “from Santa” to myself and my husband. I do day hikes, he likes to run, but we both don’t want to drown out surrounding noise just in case there is a vehicle coming, an off leash dog, or other hazards, so these things sounded interesting!

I love these things! As much as I enjoy the sound of nature, sometimes I just want to vibe on some music or listen to some interesting podcasts. The sound isn’t as great as noise canceling, over the ear headphones, but it is clear, and I can easily hear what is happening around me. My husband says that even with the rhythm of running on the road, his Shokz Open Fits stay in place and sound great.

Now my daughter and mother are both asking for some, too. I’m so grateful to this sub!

Happy New Year everybody!