Backpacking with braces

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7 Responses

  1. Thanks for sharing this post.

    I had braces for the last year and a half or so. I actually found them to be less trouble on backpacking trips than in everyday life – animals didn’t care that I was a 28-year-old with braces whereas people judge. Or – even if people didn’t judge I would project it.

    The only extra hassle I found from braces on backpacking trips was that they would rub a lot on my lips when they got dry. They also tended to get a extra little cold (I had metal ones, not ceramic) if I would breath through my mouth huffing and puffing up a pass or something.

    • Alice says:

      Thanks, Chris. It’s great to hear about someone else’s experience too.

      I know what you mean about projecting judgement. I expected to get far more comments about the braces than I actually got. The main one I did get was that I looked younger than my actual age (28-29), and I assumed that was part of the sentiment behind the several surprised “oh, you’re hiking this alone?!” comments I got. Who knows, eh?

      I wouldn’t have thought about the cold effect of metal brackets. I didn’t experience that with my ceramics ones or the molar bands, which I am now thankful for. I did get a bracket stuck on my shirt while wiping sweat off my face after a big climb, and that was painful and awkward. And the extra drooling at night made my face a bit grimier.

      Hope you’re getting yours off soon — it’s a wonderful feeling to have it in the past!

  2. Abby Koepp says:

    Hi, today I am leaving for a 4 night trip at Old Rag Mtn. I have braces and these tips are going to be helpful for my survival haha! Thanks a ton!

  3. Mai says:

    Hi there! I’m planning a 3 day hike and I was wondering what you ate (besides jerky lol)? Before getting braces I used to carry muesli bars and nuts, which with braces I cannot eat.

  4. Tammi says:

    Thank you for this post! I’ve got a hiking trip coming up with my dad later this year, and have been worried about how to manage my braces. I’m glad to hear that it isn’t too big of a deal, and that even jerky is possible. I’m also curious what foods worked best for you? I usually like snacking on nuts and dried fruit during the day, but both of those clog up the braces big-time.

  5. nancy says:

    I’m wondering about portable light weight hiking lunch and snacks, too. Breakfast and supper will be cooked, so no problem.
    And girls, I am 70! I always judged older women with braces as too vain, but now I’m one of them; now I know older people get them fo shifting alignment…a lesson in compassion!
    Dried fruit and nuts were my staple snacks on the AT. Now I am thinking of filling a small nalgene cup with dried fruit and a little water to rehydrate as I walk so it will be soft when I want it. I have also thought about having a small container of peanut or almond butter to eat with a spoon when I would have had nuts.

  6. Annie says:

    YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER. Thank you millions!!!

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