Overheard a thru-hiker talking about drying socks on the trail, changed my whole approach

I was grabbing coffee near the Yosemite visitors center last week and overheard this guy who just finished the PCT talking about how he never uses campfires for drying socks because the heat damages the fabric and makes them stink worse. He said he uses a simple mesh bag tied to the outside of his pack while hiking, and the wind and sun do the job in like 2 hours if it's not raining. I've been doing that on my last 3 trips into the Sierra and it honestly works way better than my old method of hanging them from a tree branch. No more crispy socks from fire embers or that damp smell from trying to dry them inside my tent. Has anyone else tried this mesh bag trick or do you have a different system that works for wet gear on longer routes?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_mary13d ago

Read this tip on another forum too, sounds promising.

anna71713d ago

Three different people in my book club tried this same thing last month and it worked for all of them. It's funny how the small stuff like this actually adds up over time. I started doing something similar with my morning coffee routine - just changed one tiny habit and it totally shifted my whole day. The little wins really do snowball into bigger changes when you stick with them.