The Ozark Trail: A Guide to Hiking Missouri’s Mountains

And on summit day, I sure am glad I have a daypack! 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. At 35 liters, this pack is perfect for day trips or for hikers who don’t need to carry a lot of gear on the trails. Also a good choice for youngsters who are new to hiking, or who need a rugged pack for toting school items.

Material is durable and will stand up to heavy duty use. The next section along Trace Creek is an enjoyable, quiet walk in the woods. Some hikers may choose to continue on Trace Creek to the Taum Sauk section, but OT thru-hikers should head west onto Middle Fork/John Roth Memorial section to complete the longer route. This hilly 26-mile segment gains over 2,600 feet of ozark trail backpack elevation over a contoured landscape crossing brooks, streams, and wetlands, as well as small savannahs of oak and hickory hardwoods. Camp at Highway DD trailhead near the section’s start or Harper Spring around the 15 mile-mark. 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.

ozark trail backpack

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. In fact, my particular tent spot wasn’t completely flat so I quickly rotated my sleeping bag so that my feet weren’t above my head all night.

Aside from the main pack bag, there is a small zippered compartment on the front, that, depending on how much you have stuffed inside, is pretty tight. I managed to fit my headlamp, lighter, map, compass, and some tp in the pocket. I saw this pack at Wally World and figured, $19 for a 28-liter pack, ozark trail canopy I’d give it a shot. If it doesn’t suit my needs, one of my daughters would be able to use it. Order your 2024 Official Missouri Travel Guide and start planning your Missouri adventure today. Tent, hammock or open-air camping — choose your camping style based on experience and comfort level.

Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections. Choose this pack if you prefer a smaller yet spacious design, as it has useful features and the durability of larger options. On the small side, so it won’t work for hikers who need a spacious pack. Because it’s basically a single compartment stuff bag, I did have to make sure the items inside were distributed properly. I have used the hydration compartment for items like my iPad.