A shakedown hike is where an individual puts their skills and gear to use before they go on a long-trail thru-hike of many months. The shakedown helps determine if their setup will be a go or no-go on trail. Shakedown hikes are essential before setting out on a thru-hike.
I’ll be the first to tell you, being sore for days after a weekend hiking trip is super overrated. And so is being miserable just because you wanted to test out some gear. And a lot of long distance hikers agree with me.
So the Virtual Shakedown was born where people would post their list of hiking gear to a group of experienced individuals and have that group interview them to figure out their needs and how well the gear matched those needs. It quickly became apparent that just because someone has experience, that doesn't mean they were capable of helping someone different than themselves. What they needed to be was knowledgable (and experienced).
The difference between knowledge and experience is in not only knowing that something happened, but why it happened and how it might have happened differently if the components of the situation had been just a little bit, well, different.
I’m not saying that even with knowledgable input, those hikers didn't experience some challenges on their shakedown hikes before heading off for the long haul. They absolutely did, but they experienced far, far, far fewer than they otherwise would have and wasted far, far, far less economic opportunity.
In a lot of ways, becoming a parent is the same as long distance hiking/wilderness backpacking. There's gear. There's having it consume your life 24/7 for many months on end. There's trying desperately to get a good night's sleep despite forces outside of your control making it difficult. There are pains and aches. There's all sorts of new encounters with poop. And you'll be the absolute filthiest version of yourself because showers are rare to come by.
So why shouldn't you get a Virtual Shakedown, too?
We cannot solve the showers issue, nor the good night's sleep (sorry, it just is a season of poor sleep if your child is typically developing), but we can solve you having to carry around the mental or physical weight of gear that absolutely doesn't serve you or your family. I'm that knowledgable online stranger and you deserve the ease and enjoyment of parenting that comes with having parenting gear that works for you.
Get Your Baby Registry Shakedown!