Frivolous interlude. I’m watching the movie A Walk in the Woods, in which Bill Bryson and a friend walk the Appalachian Trail. I’m at the bit where they stop at a small rural motel overnight for a bit of a break. Bryson (Robert Redford) goes to take a shower but there are no towels. Next scene: he goes to the front desk seeking towels. He’s wearing a very nice very clean thick fluffy bathrobe and a pair of thick leather slippers. Wtf??? How the hell is there room in his pack for those?
So I asked. AI totally agrees with me.
In the movie adaptation of A Walk in the Woods, Robert Redford’s character having a plush bathrobe and leather slippers in his motel room is widely considered a massive Hollywood movie mistake and continuity error. [1]
From a practical hiking standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense. Real Appalachian Trail hikers have pointed out the absurdity of this scene for a few reasons:
- Pack space and weight: Backpacking requires minimizing every single ounce. A bulky, heavy, plush bathrobe and slippers would take up half an expedition pack and add unnecessary pounds.
Wull exactly. How dumb can you get?! The whole point so far has been what a big undertaking it is and then how difficult and exhausting they find it from the start – but ooh hey suddenly luxury bathrobe and thick sturdy slippers appear.
I wonder if Redford tried to talk the bosses out of it. It’s such a howler.
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