Dumbest thing taken on a backpacking trip?

Not me, but a friend brought Koob sticks on a backpacking trip (for reference: http://www.playkoob.com/). The rest of us were like...gosh where in these woods can we ever find hunks of wood to play with???
 
I am not naming names and I wouldn't do it myself but I do know someone here who now lives not in Utah who carries an electric pump to pump up his air mattress. :rolleyes:
 
Once while in a recreation class at an unnamed college in Gunnison, CO... I intentionally brought a small grill, corn on the cob, steaks, and whiskey on a 3 mile backpack trip meant to teach beginners the basics of camping light and eating couscous. I got a C for that exercise because I didn't follow the course "objectives". Yes I know how to camp light but on a short trip like that, why not be comfortable. And even with all that weight I was ahead of a fair amount of people
 
Nick said:
That sounds almost as crazy as carrying a glass to drink scotch from!
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Hey wait a minute! Carrying a glass shot glass for 10 year old single malt is a requirement, not a flagrantly "dumb" thing at all. I'll bet survivorman doesn't drink out of plastic...
 
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langutah said:
Hey wait a minute! Carrying a glass shot glass for 10 year old single malt is a requirement, not a flagrantly "dumb" think at all.
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Shot glass = ~2 ounces. Mini pump = ~2 ounces. Just sayin'

langutah said:
I'll bet survivorman doesn't drink out of plastic...
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Probably depends on the hotel he's in that night. :)
 
It has changed with age.

In my early 20's I packed a 2 foot glass bong on a four night in the Uintas. The bong broke obviously, and then I had to pack out a bunch of very smelly sharp glass pieces.

Recently a buddy of mine started backpacking and bought the big 85L Arcteryx, he took it out on a three night with me and that sucker was stuffed. The first night he pulled out a big plastic tub of trailmix from costco, a can of tuna, and a can of chili. I'll bet he was at 80 lbs at least.
He never fell behind or complained one time.
 
I tried to find some lighter weight trail maintenance tools without success (if you are serious about working on trails the heavier tools are more effective). I once brought a small shovel, which turned out to be no good for anything but stirring campfire coals, but I still carry it in my car. Another time I brought a garden hoe. Was hoping I could grub out poison oak, but it's too light to turn any soil that hasn't already been tilled. I think that hoe has occupied a remote campsite for about 5 years.
 
I once hiked with a guy with a fairly light-weight set-up, to the point where he would write down each meal's weight to make sure he ate the heaviest ones first. And then one night he pulled an iPad out of his pack.

Not naming names, but he was a vegan and was from the east coast :) Not our Vegan Hiker though!
 
I've gone without the fuel. We survived a night on snacks in stead
 
Not really dumbest thing, but I marvel at how much stuff I end up not using on a trip. Last November I, did a three-day backpack+bike ride in Guadalupe Mountains NP. The pack weighed 45 lbs and almost half was water because there's no reliable water in the backcountry there. I hike up 2,700' and there's snow everywhere. Between the water and other stuff I didn't use, I probably lugged 20 extra pounds needlessly.
 
while hiking in the White Mts in NH, my fried had a tough time. we stopped to break his gear up among us only to discover cast iron railroad spikes!
 
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