Oh man, that's rough. Six hours is too long to be stuck anywhere.

Did you at least get your money back on the socks?

Man, that really sucks. Hope you got the seller to cover some of it.

Bet it made him slow down and cook real meals instead of scarfing down cold ramen. Four pounds is a lot, but I've seen folks carry guitars and full pillows for that same homestyle comfort. If it kept him happy on the trail, more power to him.

Read something from a trainer the other day that said balance is like a conversation between the horse and the rider @harperb46. If the prep work is sloppy, the horse never gets a chance to find its feet properly. I saw a mare last month who was all over the place because her owner rushed the warmup and skipped half the transitions. Took a good solid ten minutes of just walk-trot-walk to get her back to a normal rhythm.