Last year I went on one wild backpacking trip. It was not in an extravagant location, but it was a very hard hike and yes I also have an ostomy. One of my friends wanted to do a 50 mile hike in 3 days. It was a really adventurous plan and would not be easy because the 5 to 6 thousand feet of elevation that you had to climb each day. This was certainly a hard trail and I wanted to go over a few things to keep you safe just incase you decide to go on a wild backpacking trip and especially if you have an ostomy too. Now I prefer to go on these wild trips that have tons of elevation with a light pack. I mean the full weight of my gear is not to exceed 25lbs even when full of 3 to 4 litres of water. I simply do not want to be walking with lots of weight. Now my ostomy is higher up and I am able to use a waste belt for my main backpack. This is really important because getting the weight on your hips is a great way to keep your body safe and strong for the hike. My ostomy gear sits high enough to stay out of the way. I am lucky in this because I can get that weight on my hips and be able to do those high elevation backpacking trips. One thing that also really helps me is that I use walking sticks. This changed the game for long distance or high elevation hikes. It allows you to take some of the work and put it on your arms and that simply adds miles to your trip. This is something that I wish I knew a long time ago. The extra distance I am able to cover and the less work that comes with it is certainly a blessing. But what happens when it rains. Now I don't like my skin to get wet and then get rubbed raw. So to keep this from happening I use a poncho. Ponchos are great for giving space for air to flow and to still keep the water off. This keeps sweat from building up and it basically feeling likes its raining inside of your rain gear. So get a poncho that can fit over your pack and give lots of space to get air moving. Your feet will still get wet, but the rest of you and your stoma will stay dry. This can mean the ability to keep hiking or have to call someone to pick you up halfway through. No one wants that to happen. So I also like to keep my gear in a protected area for my ostomy supplies. When I am hiking I like lightweight bags for waterproofing my gear. My backpack is waterproof and I also have a poncho, but I still want another layer for my gear. So ziplock bags work great for this application. They are lightweight and also pack down very small while protecting my ostomy bags and gear. So I suggest this method instead of a heavy plastic waterproof case for hiking. If I was in a kayak I would take an otterbox but that is a whole different type of adventure. So stay safe and have fun out there!
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