When you are starting out going on your first backpacking trip it can be kind of daunting trying to
figure out what things to pack and what things to leave at home. Here are a few things that I have learned over the years that I can tell you so that you don't make the same mistake.
1. DON'T WEAR COTTON
Have you ever heard the saying cotton kills? Well when you are in the woods for a long time, it can. Wearing cotton is not ideal when you are in the woods because when it gets wet it does not stay warm. Wearing cotton clothing can lead to hypothermia if you are not careful. On one of my first backpacking trips, there was a girl who only brought cotton sweatpants and then wore them in inclimate weather, she almost got hypothermia and it was not a fun time. So word to the wise, stay away from cotton when in the backcountry.
2. MAKE SURE YOUR BACKPACK FITS YOU PROPERLY
You might think that you might just borrow your friends pack, and while that is fine make sure it fits you decently. There have been a few trips where I wore a different backpack that wasn't my normal fitting backpack and it constantly hurt my shoulders and would not strap tight enough to my hips. There is a reason that REI has you fitted for pack sizes when you are in store. A backpack that fits a 5"2' woman is probably not going to fit a guy that is 6" and 70 pounds heavier.
If you need to figure out how to properly fit a backpack go check out REI for a complete guide on how to make sure you have the right fit for you.
3. BRING FOOD YOU WANT TO EAT NOT FOOD YOU MIGHT LIKE
This one has taken me countless backpacking trips to realize and still to this day I do this. When you are picking out food to take into the woods, just take things that you know you already love eating. It will make eating enough calories so much more fun.
For example I'm not a huge granola bar fan but I love certain brands, so when I go backpacking I only bring those brands of granola bars. I love cheese its, so when I go I always make sure to pack some because I love them and I love snacking on them, especially on top of mountains. There is some trial and error when it comes to finding food that you love to eat when in the wood, but don't just take a bunch of things you might not normally like in real life into the woods just because its "healthy" and has a lot of calories. Find foods you do like and that have a lot of calories.
Also, bring a wide variety of food. Don't just bring salty foods or just sweet foods. Bring both, there's nothing worse than being in the woods and craving something sweet when all you have is pretzels.
4. DON'T BRING TOO MANY CLOTHES
You do not need your entire wardrobe on the trail. There are only a few things I bring multiples on and that's socks and underwear. I have been on trips where I thought I needed a lot more than I did and came home and most of my clothes have been untouched. My usual go-to clothing options are:
A moisture-wicking shirt (I wear this)
A pair of hiking pants
A pair of shorts ( I usually either wear these or my hiking pants)
A raincoat
A down coat
A warm hat
A sun hat
2-3 pairs of socks
2-3 pairs of underwear
Base layer top (for sleeping)
Base layer bottom (for sleeping)
A buff
A fleece top*
Rain pants*
*weather dependant
My hiking clothes are my moisture wicking shirt, my shorts (or pants if its cold), one of the pairs of socks and underwear. All of the other things I store in my pack during the day with my down coat and rain coat on top of my pack.
Fun Tip: If you have a bag for your sleeping bag you can use it as a pillow and stuff it with any extra clothes.
5. LINE YOUR PACK WITH A TRASH BAG
You can use a fancy pack cover and spend a bit of money on it, or if you want to be cheap you can use a normal trash bag like me to keep your stuff dry. I really like this method of keeping your belongings dry because it protects them from the inside. You can still use a pack cover if you need/want as well. But using a trash bag on the inside of your pack will keep not only your extra clothes dry, but you can also make sure your sleeping bag is dry. I would recommend lining your bag with the trash bag before putting the things in. Usually I just wrap my sleeping bag and clothes in there, but you can put as much or as little in the bag as you need.
6. DON'T BRING TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE FOOD/WATER
There is something to be said about running out of food on the trail. But also you do not want to bring too much because then you will have to much to carry. If you can, try and figure out how much water will be on your trail. If there is a lot of water you might not need to bring a lot and you can just filter while you go. But if you are in a drier area, you might not have as much access to water.
*Please be careful and err on the side of caution please*
7. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY FANCY BOWLS/UTENSILS
When you are starting out, unless you are going alone and need a pot that is also a mug/cup/bowl you do not need to buy fancy lightweight bowls, I learned that if you bring a Tupperware you can use that. You can also use those 50 cent bowls that you can get at Target. You do not need to spend a fortune buying unnecessary gear. You can also just use plastic spoons/forks. As fancy as they are you do not need the titanium utensils.
8. YOUR PACK SHOULD NOT EXCEED 20% OF YOUR BODY WEIGHT
This is not a hard and steadfast rule because sometimes you need to carry more. But as a rule of thumb, you should not have your pack exceed more than 20% of your body weight. If you are traveling long distances it is a little harder to do this. But there are four items in your bag that you can upgrade to help get that weight down. You can get a backpack that weighs less. There are many long-distance hikers that use backpacks that weigh about a pound. You can also get a lighter sleeping bag. If you are getting serious about backpacking you can get a sleeping quilt, I prefer one because I tend to sleep all curled up on my side. You can also buy a sleeping pad that is lighter as well. The one that I have is the Hammock Gear Economy Burrow 0-degree custom bag. If you do not have the money to upgrade your gear, then just being super conscious of what you are bringing on the trail with you.
9. HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE
It is okay to take it slow. It is okay to take it quickly. You hike in the way you want to hike. Please be safe and use the Leave No Trace Principles, but you hike in whatever capacity you want to. If you want to get up at the crack of dawn and hike 20 miles. Do it. If you want to wake up a little later and enjoy some coffee and only hike 5 miles. Do it. This is your hike, your trip. Don't let anyone tell you what is the right and wrong way to hike something. If you struggle to get up a hill and take a while, that is okay. I personally am a slow hiker, and for the longest time I felt a lot of shame that I couldn't keep up with the faster hikers. But I realized that's okay! You got this. Don't let anyone hold you down or tell you the number of miles you are hiking, or that the pace you are hiking is wrong. You are doing a great job.
10. ITS OKAY TO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING
It is okay to be new to something, to learn, ask questions. Do your research. It is okay to not know what you are doing. It is okay to try something new and put yourself out there. If you are scared, you are not alone. It is okay to be scared. You've got this! Just get out in the outdoors and do it!
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