Plan B and the Garage — The Hikers Blog

In September I returned home from walking Stages 2–7 of the Via Alpina in Switzerland. Dragging a MacBook Pro, and an unnecessary power bank, across several mountain passes, to build on The Hikers whenever I was not too dead in between the days.

I actually wanted to go to Norway. I had a Trip Draft on The Hikers, with a set route and itinerary, but the forecast was rain, rain and rain. So I used the platform to have a Plan B: another Trip Draft, with its own itinerary for Switzerland.

Once I locked in my decision, I quickly booked places to sleep along the way. The Via Alpina calls for a light backpack on its mountain passes, and it is nothing like Norway, where you can camp almost anywhere. I knew I would not wild camp on this trip, so the tent stayed home. The computer did not.

And now my draft for Norway awaits another time. The route and itinerary are still there, under “Norway Again”, with the thoughts and plans in one place.

Archived Via Alpina trip lobby showing Sargans to Hotel Engelberg, 9–16 Sep 2026, eight days, and my drawing on a map of Switzerland with Ready and 12.3 kg beneath it — “It's raining in Norway, so maybe this is a plan B?” The line I put on the trip at the time.

The Power of the Garage

The useful part of changing plans was that I already had my gear in the Garage. That is my inventory: the things I own, each with its weight, ready to put on a pack list. Switching countries did not mean starting the packing over.

My Garage now holds 80 items, weighing 23.2 kg altogether. All but two have a watercolor drawing, made from the product's photos. I don't take all of it. The pack list is where I choose what goes on a particular trip, and see the total, base, worn and consumables weight.

Clothing in my Garage, with watercolor cards for two Senchi tops, Enfin Levé pants, an Icebreaker base layer and an Aclima beanie, each showing weight, price and Active status — Some of the clothing in my Garage, available for the next pack list too.

For Switzerland, the list came to 50 items and 12.3 kg. The MacBook Pro was 1.6 kg, its cover another 165 g, and the power bank 850 g. There was somewhere to charge every night in the towns and guest houses. I also brought my camera and travel tripod. Being a filmmaker accounts for some of the weight, though it doesn't account for the power bank.

Via Alpina pack-list rows with drawings and Packed checkboxes, including a 1.3 kg travel tripod, an 850 g PowerCore power bank and a 1.6 kg MacBook Pro — The weight was written down before I left. I carried it anyway.

What Came Home From Switzerland

I walked alone, from Sargans to Engelberg, with a travel day at either end. The recorded walking came to 120.6 km and 5,412 metres up over six days. I took a cable car and a bus on parts of two days.

It was beautiful, but not as wild as I had hoped. Too much civilization. There were lots of cows, and the light fences along the path made me walk kind of like a cow myself. The walking days were mostly dry, which was what I had gone looking for. The next time I'm faced with rain or sunshine, I might actually pick rain.

Via Alpina trip report on a watercolor map of Switzerland, showing one hiker, 120.6 km, 5,412 m up and six walking days above eight day tiles with recorded weather — Eight days in the report, six of them walking. The weather is what those days actually had.

The Second Hiker

Then, in October, a friend joined. He was the second hiker on The Hikers, and we went to Herrestadsfjället in Sweden for the weekend of 17–19 October. The second trip on the platform, and my first experience of collaborating with someone else on it.

The mission was fairly simple: sleep out in a tent or shelter, preferably somewhere new in Sweden, preferably with friends.

We each attached our own pack list. The Group Gear page held four shared items, including two camp chairs and a tarp. It gives us somewhere to agree on the shared kit, so nobody carries a second stove. We had three discussion threads, including the food plan, and two food plans. I wrote a dispatch from each day.

We walked 15.4 km and 822 metres up. The trip is still marked “Completing”. The Hikers opened that the morning after we came home, and it closes once we have both written our part. Then it counts on both our pages.

Last trip card for Weekend tur til Sverige, showing Sweden, three days, two went, 15.4 km and 822 m up, with my drawing beside a grey silhouette and the trip's mission alongside — Two went. My page draws only me; whoever walked with me stands beside me as a shape without a name.

You can see my latest trip on my public profile at thehikers.com/casparmilan. The trail card's walking numbers come from the closed Via Alpina trip; Sweden will add to them once it closes.

My public page, as it stands now.

Building in the Background

A lot has been built since the July post about moving away from mock data. A few of the things now in place:

Planning the days. Trips have an itinerary with travel days and somewhere to record where you sleep each night. A route link fills in where the walk is, and the start can be pinned on the map.
The trip lobby. Each trip has one page with the party drawn in the hero and sections for dates, itinerary, route, participants, discussions, group gear, pack lists, food and logistics. There are live discussions, and a Pack Lists page that sets everyone's pack side by side.
Adding gear. The Garage has a gear database with real products and sizes, and a product link lets The Hikers read the product page for you. There are also 136 drawn generic items for a quick entry, which can be upgraded to the real product later.
Food and fuel. Freeze-dried meals are in the Garage with their weights. A gas canister shows how much fuel is left.
Finishing a trip. Each day's GPS track can be uploaded and measured, alongside the weather each day actually had, each hiker's review and a few words about the people you walked with. The day-by-day report can be published or kept to the party.
Bringing a friend. Each hiker has five personal invites to bring a friend in through the waiting list.

Right now, my approach is to build first and give it love afterwards. Some parts are still a rough cut of what they should be. I want the whole thing working, from planning to coming home, and then to improve the small things as I use it and get feedback.

A New Front Page

A reply on Reddit asked about the old front page: “What is this even about?”

The new front page has been live since 8 October. It opens with “Plan your hikes with whoever is coming”, followed by scenes for going alone, with friends, family, your dog or your clients. The first screen has to answer that question. The waiting list form now sits at the end of the page.

New front page headed Plan your hikes with whoever is coming, with Friends selected, three drawn hikers in a desert canyon, a Paria Canyon planning card and a Join the waitlist button — The Friends scene on the new front page.

Gear and Pack Lists First

Going forward, Gear and Pack Lists come first. The Garage and a pack list can be useful to a hiker on their own, before there is a trip or anyone else coming along.

Marketing also needs more effort and more of my time. My preference is still to build, but I need to spend more time talking about what is here. Reddit and Discord are part of that: you can find us at r/thehikers and on our Discord.

The Hikers is in closed Alpha. If you would like to try it, sign up for the waiting list.

– Caspar