# Are you hiking the Appalachian Trail? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 5, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531 "2019-05-05T23:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/61 "2019-05-07T01:13:38Z")
Yet a woman can carry a purse the size of a small car and no one calls her out for it. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/62 "2019-05-07T01:40:58Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Yet a woman can carry a purse the size of a small car and no one calls her out for it. Well, this thread keeps taking unexpected turns. Now it’s a Men’s Rights issue? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/63 "2019-05-07T01:43:07Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Yet a woman can carry a purse the size of a small car and no one calls her out for it. Do we have to start a new thread, or just add it to this one? I hate women with some huge purse banging into me on the Metro. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/64 "2019-05-07T01:56:40Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I take my computer home rarely, like when it’s going to be bad weather and I might be able to telework. I carry it in a laptop bag, about the size of a briefcase. I don’t understand why a backpack is necessary. > > Some people have 2 or 3 huge bags that they are carrying on the metro and into work everyday. Never can figure out what the hell people are carrying into work. Well, since I rarely work in the same office two days in a row I don’t have much choice. If you leave it at work and go to a different office the next day, how do you manage that? Also, the equipment I carry around won’t fit in a briefcase. I have a small Li-Ion screwdriver, a set of bits, a set of hex wrenches, a battery tester, measuring tape, and often paperwork. Also, briefcases suck. Why on Earth would you carry something heavy in your hand for long periods of time? That sounds like you’re trying to give yourself a back injury. A backpack spreads the weight evenly and being tight to your body is more ergonomic. Briefcases are for people who want to look important. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/65 "2019-05-07T02:06:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Also, briefcases suck. Why on Earth would you carry something heavy in your hand for long periods of time? That sounds like you’re trying to give yourself a back injury. A backpack spreads the weight evenly and being tight to your body is more ergonomic. Briefcases are for people who want to look important. Strange definition of “heavy” you have 🙂 And I don’t carry it for long periods of time. I carry it from my work to the Metro, about 500 feet. Then I set it down between my feet during the Metro ride. Then I carry it to my car. Another 500 feet. Then I set it in the passenger seat. Then I carry it to my house when I get home. About 100 feet. And it’s not a briefcase, it’s a laptop bag. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/66 "2019-05-07T02:35:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’m not sure which rouses my sympathy more; the sucky commute, or the fact that your employer makes you take your work equipment home with you (or does your employer make you provide your own computer? ‘Cos that would be even worse). I’m DC area as well. The problem is often that employers do not provide any office space (or even lockable storage) because of the lovely space-saving concept known as “hotelling”. So, we have to lug our computer bags with us to and from the office every day. I’m fortunate in that I only have to commute 1 day a week, and I live near the end of the Metro line so I always get a seat, which means I can always stow the backpack. Evenings are a different story, but I’ve taken to riding the train 2-3 stops **in the other direction** so I can reboard a different one, and nab a seat. 😃 The trouble with a backpack is that it’s not easy to get on and off without whanging your fellow commuters, AND its design is such that you can’t safely or easily carry it any other way. And no method of toting the thing (briefcase, roller, or backpack) is easy to manage securely on the train. I’ve almost never been on a train so crowded that the backpack (mine or others’) was a huge deal. People try to be attentive and if minor bumps happen, they’re no worse than any other jostling. Though there was the time we got booted because the train broke down, and everyone pushed onto the next train, and it was so overcrowded and hot that I actually passed out. People helped me back up by using the backpack straps as handles, so it was actually useful! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/67 "2019-05-07T02:48:58Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Evenings are a different story, but I’ve taken to riding the train 2-3 stops **in the other direction** so I can reboard a different one, and nab a seat. 😃 That’s a secret! Don’t be telling everyone that trick! 😉 Also, I’m not familiar with “hotelling” What does that mean? You don’t have/can get a cable lock for your laptop? If you leave your laptop at work and it gets stolen, then you are responsible for it? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/68 "2019-05-07T03:04:06Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Well, this thread keeps taking unexpected turns. > Now it’s a Men’s Rights issue? Nope. Just, if you’re going to complain about a guy having a big backpack, do you also complain about large purses? No? I carried a small backpack on the bus for a while because I was carrying a computer, my iPad, maybe a book or two and sometimes things to and from my desk. I’d much rather see someone carrying a backpack than multiple boxes that they then set on the seat (or two) next to them or set on the floor and ignore people trying to step over or around them. Been there, suffered that. Six people standing on the damned bus and some jackass covers the seat next to themselves with a box, coat and other items. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/69 "2019-05-07T05:33:36Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Also, briefcases suck. Why on Earth would you carry something heavy in your hand for long periods of time? That sounds like you’re trying to give yourself a back injury. A backpack spreads the weight evenly and being tight to your body is more ergonomic. Briefcases are for people who want to look important. I think the only time I carry my briefcase/laptop case by the handles is when I’m boarding an aircraft, or in similar tight situations, where I might inadvertently hit someone with it. Normally, I’m carrying it using a shoulder strap. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/70 "2019-05-07T06:53:24Z")
Like hell will I put my backpack down, unsecured, on a filthy floor. However, if the train is really crowded, I will take one strap off and cradle it in my arm. Deal? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/71 "2019-05-07T07:27:11Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/72 "2019-05-07T13:34:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, yes, I’m annoying. I’m lecturing. I’m “tarded.” I should shut up. I’m \. There’s something in my past that I stupidly revealed about myself that you can use to attack me now. All of that will be wasted air, as I won’t be reading it–no matter who posts it. > > You treated a guy like shit who didn’t deserve it, and so I defended him. I do that. I wish more people would, as I think the world would be better. What the fuck? This is your first post in this thread, and you’re preemptively claiming that anyone disagreeing with you is attacking you because of something you said years ago? You’re truly a fucking nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/73 "2019-05-07T15:27:29Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > That’s a secret! Don’t be telling everyone that trick! 😉 > > Also, I’m not familiar with “hotelling” What does that mean? You don’t have/can get a cable lock for your laptop? If you leave your laptop at work and it gets stolen, then you are responsible for it? Lucky, lucky employees do not have an assigned working space. You just show up and grab whatever desk you can. This also means that you have to carry everything back and forth, because you don’t have an assigned space. Nifty, right? Whoever thought of that idea needs to spend a day getting clocked with backpacks. > [@Chimera](#): > > Nope. Just, if you’re going to complain about a guy having a big backpack, do you also complain about large purses? No? If they are being inconsiderate twits, then, yes, they can be included. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/74 "2019-05-07T15:40:37Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Lucky, lucky employees do not have an assigned working space. You just show up and grab whatever desk you can. This also means that you have to carry everything back and forth, because you don’t have an assigned space. Nifty, right? Whoever thought of that idea needs to spend a day getting clocked with backpacks. Yes, that does sound pretty horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/75 "2019-05-08T02:39:22Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Yes, that does sound pretty horrible. They’re trying to push that at my work too. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/76 "2019-05-08T09:34:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Oh, for fuck’s sake. > > You see the thing above this post? It’s called a quote box. It tells you who I’m replying to. Now take another look at **AHunter** ’s post. See if you can figure out what you’re missing. > > You say you’re not talking about him in your OP, but you sure seem ready to jump on him over the stupidest of things. > > And, obviously, his first post was to try and give you some perspective about why people might wear backpacks and not take them off, as well as reveal that they might take them off if things were busier. He was not in any way being hostile towards you, so it’s no wonder that he might not want to bother replying to you after you were towards him. > > And, yes, I’m annoying. I’m lecturing. I’m “tarded.” I should shut up. I’m \. There’s something in my past that I stupidly revealed about myself that you can use to attack me now. All of that will be wasted air, as I won’t be reading it–no matter who posts it. > > You treated a guy like shit who didn’t deserve it, and so I defended him. I do that. I wish more people would, as I think the world would be better. What a baffling post. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/77 "2019-05-08T09:37:14Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Speaking of the AT, the 23 year old son of a friend of mine is currently hiking it. > > And how do I know that? Because my friend’s wife posts about it 20 times a day on FB. :rolleyes: > > Even worse, the kid is a hippy/slacker who works at Burger King. But his “life-long dream” was to hike the AT, so he quit his job. He didn’t have enough money to hike the AT, so his mother set up a GoFundMe page, and then begged & pleaded all of her friends to donate to it. “Please donate. It is his DREAM to hike AT. Please help him fulfill his DREAM!!!” :rolleyes: > > Suffice to say, I didn’t donate. I am probably on her shit list now, LOL. > > Last week she said he will soon be calling it quits because he doesn’t have enough money to complete the hike. I’m guessing it was just a ploy for more donations. I mean, the phrase “Appalachian Trail” is in the thread title, but the thread isn’t actually about that. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/78 "2019-05-08T10:13:08Z")
> [@Ace309](#): > > I mean, the phrase “Appalachian Trail” is in the thread title, but the thread isn’t actually about that. Understood. Just thought a slight hijack was in order. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/79 "2019-05-08T11:45:54Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You treated a guy like shit who didn’t deserve it, and so I defended him. I do that. I wish more people would, as I think the world would be better. For the record, if I’m ever attacked unfairly please do not defend me. I can handle it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531/80 "2019-05-08T13:20:19Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Yet a woman can carry a purse the size of a small car and no one calls her out for it. I thought the age of whataboutism had been drawing to a close. I guess I was wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/833531.md?page=5)