u/meanderanyway

I’m hiking just the Smoky Mountains section from Fontana Dam to Davenport Gap. Already have shelters booked for each night along the way, wondering if it’s necessary to carry my tent as well? Was thinking I could get away with an UL bivvy setup in case of emergencies, but then I saw a bear warning at one of the shelters I’m booked at and now I’m questioning whether it’s better to carry the tent JIC I can’t stay at a booked shelter for some reason (like aggressive bears). Has anyone been in the same situation? What did you do/wish you’d done?

I’ve had this happen with a couple of different packs over the years. After a few hours hiking with a loaded pack, I start getting numbness/nerve-type discomfort down the outside of my left thigh. If I’m hiking for days, it can last for weeks after the hike.

My body type is more on the lean side so the bones don’t have a lot of padding. I’ve tried different packs and positions so I’m feeling that it’s an anatomy issue rather than the fit, but has anyone had this issue and successfully fixed it with belt position, a lumbar pad, different padding, changing belt tension, or anything else?