I do a bit of hiking on the beaches in the winter and spring. Mostly 2-3 day trips, but have done two 8-day trips. I was wondering if anyone else does this. Should I wash the salt off gear (pack, tent, shoes) after each hike? Does the coastal environment degrade gear?

Also, how do you deal with the 100% humidity, dew, constant wetness and that "sticky" feeling, and sand fleas and ticks? After much trial and error I have decided to accept wetness while hiking and always have dry clothes for camp. I put the wet clothes on again in the morning. I take my old rain clothes, because I am worried about the salt ruining my expensive new rain jacket that I use for the mountains.

An added "essential" is a good detailed tide table specific to the location. These are easily available on the internet. I also am very careful to be sure there is water flow in the fresh water streams along the route. One problem I have had is getting to the water- many times the creeks are choked with brush- nasty stinging nettles and poison oak.

I am not yet good at sand camping- always get sand in my food and setting up a tent on sand is challenging. Camping up and away from the sand is not always possible. Even inland the ground is very sandy.

Just curious how others deal with all this.

I'm no expert on it, though I've done few trips over the years. Likely not as much as you. I do know that I had a drag of a time once when I used a non-freestanding tent: the stakes kept pulling out of the sand and it sagged badly. But even with a free-stander, there is still a problem with stakes coming out and blowing away (hasn't happened to me). I wonder if there are special types of stakes that would be best. I have a hard time imagining how an ultralight tarptent would work, plus I like having a shelter that really keeps the sand out.
Aside from sand in my food, hair, eyes, gear, my biggest complaints have been being over-run with thousands of hermit crabs crawling all over me (Costa Rica) and having only coffee-colored swamp water to drink (Queen Charlotte Islands)
Where do you do your trips, Daisy? I know there is the Lost Coast (which I have done) and the Ozette area of Olympic (which I have not).

I've only done three coastal hikes, so I'm hardly an expert, but all three were longer than a couple of days.

On my first trip, my hiking partner reported afterwards that his trekking poles had corroded and he was having trouble with them as a result. So unless you have carbon fiber (and maybe even then), I would take care of any metal parts that get in contact with the ocean. In our case, at one point we pushed the tide table more than we should have perhaps, so we were waist deep in the ocean, using poles along the way --- i.e., his were substantially submerged. I've not had poles as deep in the ocean since then.

Other stuff not so much, at least for me. Hiking for almost three weeks on the PNT a couple years ago the trip started on the WA coast and just continued inland from there. So I wasn't able to wash gear much but observed no issues from it. Other than shoes, socks, pantlegs, for the most part things don't have direct contact with the ocean. The salt air and spray and stuff can, I guess, impact things too but again, I observed no issues.

All that said, I think it's a very fine idea to take extra care to wash things out after such a hike.


I don't remember any of it nearly that way on any of my hikes. But two of these were on the WA coast and one on the Oregon coast. Other places (and times) might be a lot different. The wind is refreshing, I didn't observe any sand ticks or fleas --- might have been there but if so I didn't notice.

Not that you won't ever get wet when hiking, but not necessarily more than other backpacking. Dry clothes for camp are certainly a good idea.

Detailed tide table is definitely a must. If there's a local ranger station and/or online, you might be able to find a map that points out the places that are typically choke points, places that in particular you shouldn't try to hike through at high tide. Knowing where those particular places are is a critical part of overall and daily planning. Sometimes there is an option to either stay along the coast or hike uphill to go over a headland, but often there's no such option --- you just have to time it to make it past a certain point in a given low tide period. Sometimes it's awkward to make it past point X and then also push to make point Y in the same low tide, that sort of thing.

Water flow in creeks can be an issue; it's weird to think of water being a problem when walking near the ocean, but it can. OTOH, hiking in spring time I've also found the creeks to be very tough to cross, so factor that in too.

You don't always have to camp on sand, though it is important to be able to. Typically it's not "just sand". If it is, making a small deadman anchor using local wood is a good technique, just like you do in snow. The wind can be quite a factor; I would bias towards a tent that's structurally stronger, but then of course do your best at site selection to not be too exposed. This of course can vary a lot by the particular day, but still ...

One thing I'd mention is that you should plan on low mileage days. Partly due to the tide table issue. Partly because sometimes coastal hiking can be some of the MOST dangerous. For example, you push to get through one "only at low tide" point due to schedule so that it's all wet and slippery rock. Very easy to slip and fall, on hard rocks. So you take this slow. Plan, btw, on footwear that dries quick would be my advice. If you're a confirmed boot wearer, consider some sort of water shoe to alternate for creek crossings and other cases where you'll get your feet wet (nice to have in camp too). Pick something that will stay reliably on your feet when you're in mud or out in the ocean or whatever.

BTW, do anticipate muddy, perhaps quite muddy trail at times. And sometimes a lot of coastal hiking is well away from the coast. It can be quite a mixed bag.

Where I hike, bear canisters are required in places due to racoons, FWIW.

Finally, plan on having a GREAT time. A very different backpacking environment, with different geology, flora, fauna, everything. And you can hike it at times when snow blocks higher elevation backpacking.

Best wishes!

All I've managed is Point Reyes and St. Joseph's peninsula in Fla. backpacking, but I have camped near the salt many, as in many days. Salt has not been terribly corrosive if my gear has not been subjected to spray, but if it is, it needs any metal parts to be cleaned with fresh water. Even boot eyelets will rot out. I've lost the zippers on lots of rain gear, forgetting to wash them off. Some of my daypacks have had their zippers destroyed also. Salt will also degrade some types of thread and thus, stitching. Stainless steel and plastic zippers are safe. Waxing zippers or spraying them with a dry silicone lubricant will help protect them.Like Bobito, I like freestanding tents in sand with a full tub floor, and actually bring a full size towel to wipe off with a bit before getting in the tent. I prefer burying stuff like driftwood in the sand to getting my stakes all covered in sticky sand. For me, the more fresh water the better. I hate getting sticky from salt spray and having to stay that way. I also hate sand in footwear and use gaiters to keep it out. The more fresh water I have, the more I enjoy the salt. I recently asked about the Olympic Coast, as it's right up our alley, just need to allocate the time and money. At one time, you were allowed to camp on the beach at Crescent City, Ca. A great place to walk and fish down to the mouth of the Smith River. I'll have to go to the Lost Coast now to experience similar. The good ol' days. Watching otters play in the mouth of the Smith, sitting up on rocks covered in multi-colored blooms of sedum will always stick in my head. The majority of our salt exposure revolves around surf fishing, so I apologize if I didn't pass any useful info on.

waxing the zippers or using silicone sounds like an interesting idea, I wonder which would be best? Maybe it would work on poles too. I can definitely see how corrosion of zippers would be a problem. On the other hand, you don't want something that would cause sand to stick to it.
I'm an electrician, and we use a sticky grey goo called "cu-all" (among other names) to coat electrical connections where there might be corrosion problems. We also use it, for example to coat steel screws that will be threaded into aluminum boxes in outdoor environments, to prevent corrosion and resulting binding of the threads. I wouldn't recommend it for zippers, it's messy, but I guess there might be some sort of use for it, I don't know. You can get it in any hardware store, home depot.
Another problem I think that comes from coastal camping is that there is no shade generally, so you get a lot of UV damage.

The two long trips were the entire Lost Coast ( 65-75 miles depending on exact start, end and road walking). Neither was an ideal trip; heavy rain on the first trip and fog on the second. I do shorter trips at Point Reyes and several short trips to cover Simpson Beach to the south end of San Francisco. I am trying to do the entire coast from Oregon border to Moro Bay in bits and pieces. My next planned trip is the entire Monterey Bay, about 45 mile and 3-4 days. My husband will help out by bringing our kayak and transport me across one river mouth, and pick me up once for camping. There is a 17-mile stretch with no legal camping and I do not think I can do that in one day.

The Lost Coast is getting pretty crowded. Still no quotas but you do have to self-register. And the part that goes through Sinkyone State Park requires camp fees and you can only camp at designated sites. From about Memorial Day through the summer is fog season, so although pleasant hiking, it is not great for photography. The only real problem with fall is lack of fresh water. Winter can be really good but you almost have to be a local and go out immediately when you see a good weather report. I did one trip in April and in spite of a good weather report it rained 4 inches one and had about 7 inches for about four days. The shore walking was easy but the trails were muddy and washed out. The other was just after Memorial Day. I had missed the clear weather by a week. You also have to factor in tides. It is tedious but I figured out tidal "windows" for about three months and then kept an eye on weather reports.

Definitely do the Lost Coast - it is really a wonderful experience. Logistics are tricky. Each time I walked up the road in Shelter Cove- it really is not that bad and only takes a few hours and simplifies logistics. I did not use the commercial shuttle (it is expensive but does provide good service). My husband picked me up each time- once at Usel Campground and the other time I walked all the way out to Hwy 1 since he picked me up on his motorcycle. In any event, you need half a day to get back to your car at the starting point. Most people only do the north part and stop at Shelter Cove. I definitely recommend doing the entire route. You can do it in about 6 days.

There is a two-book guide of the entire California Coast. I am not sure they are still in print. If you can get them, they are very useful. There is also an organization called "Coast Walk" that are on the internet. They do guided coastal trips.

Sorry for misspelling! Stinson Beach, not Simpson Beach.

Bobito, not familiar with that particular name, but I have used numerous brands of dielectric grease for the same purposes of keeping aluminum from bonding with steel, and preventing corrosion on connections. The dry lubricant silicone spray dries and leaves no residue. It's good for bicycle chains because it's a dry lubricant that doesn't retain grit. Wet lubricants like wd-40 aren't so good.
On another note, I carry a studding kit for my boots and shoes that is good for both ice and for long stretches of wet, slippery rock on the coast. It consists of aluminum hex head screws, an 1/8 drill bit and a nut driver bit. I can stud myboots or shoes in 5 minutes and walk fairly safely with hugely improved traction. Weighs less than 3 oz.s I've carried it in the Grand Canyon instead of micro-spikes when there was a chance of some ice on the way up and out. Fisherman have used studded soles on waders and wading boots for quite a long time. I adapted it to my use. I usually wear studded wading boots on the coast where i fish on a regular basis and on ice-shelved steelhead rivers. I ain't above stealing tricks from other pursuits.

The electrical compound is more of an Anti-seize then a lubricant. Try looking for Dow-Corning No. 4 Silicone Grease or Spark Plug boot grease. Auto Zone had spark plug boot grease in a little squeeze packet. For zippers, you can also use spray silicone. It's a bit tricky to avoid overspray, but it doesn't leave a messy residue. The grease is good stuff, but it's difficult to apply "just enough" and it is messy. Might try thinning some with odorless mineral spirits and paint with an artists brush.

For those of you using dead man anchors in sand, what do you carry to dig the holes?

Same thing I use to dig a cathole. For me, that's an SMC snow/sand stake. I think that more common is to carry an actual trowel of some sort.

I prefer mine as it's cheap, light, and somewhat dual-use: in soft ground that's not so soft it requires such an anchor, my 'trowel' can serve as a stake. And my tent requires only two really solid anchors for structural integrity.

If you like the idea of a trowel but don't like the weight, there are some 'ultralight' alternatives, for example:
http://gossamergear.com/deuce-of-spades.html

I guess I should add that when it's just really soft sand, a small trowel (and especially a narrow one like mine) doesn't move sand very efficiently, and much of what it does move wants to flow right back into the hole.

Typically I can find a piece of driftwood then or something local that will move loose sand in volume more easily. I don't carry anything else for it!

What IS handy for deadman anchors in snow especially, but sometimes in sand too, is some extra cord that you can wrap around the deadman in such a way that in the morning you can liberate the cord and take down the tent without having to dig up the locally-sourced anchor. I'm particularly keen to do this in snow when it's frozen hard overnight!