I woke up today with a new sense of hope.  The weather coming in through the window was cooler and crisp.  I looked outside and the leaves had started to turn beautiful colors and the weather simply screamed Fall.  I love this time of year more than any because it is the best time to be active outside.  When you have a stoma and carry around ostomy gear, it is not super fun to hike covered in sweat.  I am not the biggest fan of being super sweaty at any point in time, but add on some ostomy gear and you know that the extra sweat and weight are just not that fun. So fall is the perfect time to get outside and have fun on the trails.  That is what I want to talk about today and it is how to properly prepare for a good hike or backpacking trip with an ostomy. 

The first part that I think is important is to have the right gear.  Now, this can be the right ostomy bag, but I think a backpack is also important.  For me, I like to do really long day hikes instead of backpacking.  That is because on an average backpacking trip I usually do about 20 miles.  That is over the course of 2 to 3 days.  But I also found out that if I simply carry a very small backpack that fits water, food, and clothes for a day that I can hike that amount of miles in one day.  That leaves the other 2 days of exploring new territory.  That is a concept I learned from my brother in law and we were able to explore national parks 2 to 3 times faster than the average person doing this style. 

But in order to do it with a stoma, my pack needed to be just a little bigger.  That is because I like to take emergency gear along with me.  When hiking mountains or just woods you can slip, fall and puncture yourself or your gear.  When you have an ostomy bag that can be a gross and frustrating experience.  So be prepared for the worst.  I don't go overboard, but know that If something happens I have extra gear and cleaning supplies to make it all right. 

Now get yourself a good backpack that can carry the gear you need. I like to use a 25 liter backpack that is super comfortable for my body.  I use a chest strap to help divert the weight a little from my shoulders.  But if you are able to with your stoma then getting a hip belt can be really useful.  That is not necessary though, transferring weight to your hips is more important for backpacking and not just a day hike.  So if you cant use a waist belt that is ok.  Get a backpack that has comfortable should straps and a chest buckle.

Then make sure your gear is safe.  I like to waterproof my ostomy spare gear.  This can be done super lightweight which is also important to me.  I like to use double zip lock bags.  They are great at waterproofing gear that I don't want to get wet and it is super lightweight.  That is a double win in my book.  So once you have the extra gear you need with you, just go out and have fun.