If you’re a newbie hoping to throw on a pack this summer and explore the wilderness, you’re in the right place. In this guide, I’ll be sharing the “how-to” of backpacking for a beginner. In other blogs, we get a bit deeper into the weeds. In this article, I am writing specifically to a beginner audience.
Here’s the good news: backpacking is nothing more than walking, eating, and sleeping. Chances are good that you’re competent in all three areas. The only difference is where you’ll be performing these activities. Instead of the comforts of home, you’ll be doing everything in the great outdoors and carrying all your supplies on your back. I’ve personally backpacked thousands of miles, spent hundreds of nights under the stars, and have guided dozens of first-timers in the backcountry. I love empowering people to create their own adventures. So, let’s dive in.
Gear
A simple online query about backpacking gear can quickly become an avalanche of information. The internet will give you hundreds of gear options and probably twice as many opinions. So, I’ll keep things simple. Here is what you absolutely must have before hitting the trail:
Backpack
Yep, believe it or not, you’ll need a backpack for backpacking. You’ll be using this to haul the rest of your gear. Backpacks come in two general styles: internal and external frame. External frames have an obvious aluminum frame outside of the fabric. They’re a bit old-school, but perfectly acceptable for a trip. Internal frames have a skeleton sewn into the fabric.
It’s perfectly fine to borrow a backpack for your first trip, so long as you’re borrowing a pack that fits your body. Backpack sizes are based on torso length. An ill-fitting pack will cause issues and will not be a pleasant experience during your trip. How to size and fit a pack is difficult to describe via text. So, here are links to videos that clearly show each:
Sleeping bag
Probably my favorite piece of equipment, the humble sleeping bag feels like a real luxury after a long day of crushing miles. First, you need a sleeping bag small enough to fit into a backpack. The old flannel-colored bag you got from your grandparents might be warm as hell, but it won’t fit in your backpack.
Next, make sure the degree rating is appropriate for the weather you’ll encounter on your trip. Sleeping bag temperature ratings are for survival, not comfort. To make sure you’ll be warm, you want a bag that is rated 15-20 degrees below the lowest temperature expected on your trip. So, if the nighttime low is 30 degrees Fahrenheit, you want a bag with a 10 or 15-degree rating.
Sleeping pad
Pads comes in two varieties: foam and inflatable. Inflatable pads are generally more comfortable, but foam pads are more indestructible. While I tend to prefer foam, either is perfectly fine.
Beyond comfort, sleeping pads are important for warmth. When sleeping, your body’s weight will compress the bottom half of the sleeping bag, rendering it useless for insulation. In its place, the sleeping pad will reduce heat transfer between your body and the ground. Sleeping pads come with an R-value that indicates their insulation capability. You can find a chart correlating outside temperature with an appropriate R-value sleeping pad here.
Stove & fuel
While there are plenty of exceptions, most meals in the backcountry are dehydrated to save weight. To “cook” them, you simply add boiling water. And to boil water, you need a stove. There are a ton of stove options out there. I recommend getting one that screws directly onto the top of a fuel cannister. This option isn’t the most efficient, but it’s dirt cheap and has worked fine for me for many years.
If you’re heading out with a group, ask if someone else has a stove and if you can use it to cook. This is not an item that everyone needs to bring. Don’t forget the lighter!
Utensils
Here, it’s best to keep it simple. A single titanium pot and a spork will do just fine. Titanium pots are nice because you can boil water in them and eat from them. They double as a cup for morning coffee or an evening beverage. I do recommend buying or making an insulated cozy for backpacking. First, these sleeves will help keep your food warm, but more importantly, they will allow you to move and hold your pot without burning yourself when it’s time to chow down.
Rain gear
Always bring a rain jacket and a pack cover, period. When you’re living outside, there is just no good way to stay dry when the rain comes. These items are very light and small and should not be the thing you leave behind “because the weather forecast looks good.” If the weather forecast looks downright bad, you might think about packing some rain pants in addition to the jacket.
Clothes
This is the area where people almost always tend to overpack. You can read our detailed breakdown on what to wear backpacking, but the gist is this: bring a base layer, a functional layer, an insulating layer, and a weather-proof layer. You do not need fresh clothes every day and should really only bring a clothing item if you’re positive you’ll be wearing it.
Water treatment
If you’re out for multiple days, the odds are good you’ll have to drink from a natural water source. But, even if there are water spigots in the area, you should pack some water treatment option as backup. Want more info? Here’s how to treat water on a backpacking trip.
Maps
There are lots of digital options nowadays (AllTrails, OnX, Gaia) that you can pre-download onto your phone. These are great, but they don’t replace a good old fashioned paper copy. I use both and love the National Geographic series for a paper pull-out.
First aid kit
You can purchase kits for a specific group size and number of days. Open it up and get familiar with where everything is before you have to use it. If you start spending more time in the backcountry (or just nerd out on medical stuff) I highly recommend getting a Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder certification.
Here are some options items that depend on personal preference:
Entertainment (kindle, cards, etc.)
Sunscreen/bug spray
Paracord (useful for hanging clothes to dry)
Fire starterMicro towel and/or bandana
InReach or GPS device
Camp shoes
Fishing gear!
Food
Generally, you want to stick to foods that are light. In some cases, that can mean simply changing the packaging. For example, you can buy packets of peanut butter instead of bringing a jar. In other cases, you’ll want to purchase or make a dehydrated version of a hot meal. If it’s your first time backpacking, head to an outdoor retailer and pickup pre-made dehydrated breakfasts and dinners. For lunch, I usually stick to non-perishables: cheese, crackers, peanut butter, fruits, and salami.
Planning
So – you’ve heard a particular trail makes for a good backpacking trip. Now what? I like to start with a good digital map. I personally use OnX, but google maps will do the trip for this stage of planning. Review the landscape and scan for landmarks and relevant infrastructure.
Next, determine what government jurisdiction the land falls under. Is it a National Forest? State park? Bureau of Land Management? You can then navigate to their site (links are below) to do more reading and to find specific maps for the area. Here are a few questions you want to answer before a trip:
How many miles will we be hiking?
What is the elevation profile?
What is the highest elevation we’ll reach?
What does the landscape look like?
Is there shade?
Where are the water sources?
Where are the campsites?
Are permits required?
What are the campfire regulations?
Safety
Unfortunately, humans are not great at risk analysis. New backpackers tend to worry about bad things with very low odds of occurring (like animal attacks) while forgetting some of the milder, but much more likely threats (like spilling boiling water on yourself). Backcountry safety starts with understanding your skillset and its limitations. If you’re completely new to backcountry travel, that can be difficult to assess. Here are some rules of thumb to follow if you’re completely new:
- Go with other people. I love traveling by myself, but it’s not something I recommend until you have a good grip on the basics of backpacking.
- If you wouldn’t do something by yourself, think twice before doing it with others.
- Always leave a behind a detailed itinerary. This should be left with a spouse/friend/parent who knows what time to expect you home.
- Do a quick medical check-in with your group. You don’t need to invade others’ privacy, but your group members should be aware of medical issues. You would want to know, for example, if someone has diabetes or a severe allergy.
- Know when to call it a day. Sometimes, things just aren’t going well. Maybe you’re not feeling 100%, or maybe the weather is taking a turn for the worse. Whatever the reason, there is no shame in calling off a planned activity. Often, these gut feelings help prevent us from getting into difficult and dangerous situations.
Waste
Here’s a simple rule: if you packed it in, pack it out. Any trash you create on your trip should definitely be packed right back out. And yes, this includes organic material like apple cores and orange peels. There’s one exception: human waste. That should be properly buried 6 inches below ground far from water sources. Use a trowel and dig a real hole. DO NOT be the person who leaves toilet paper tangling from a bush.
Resources
Navigation apps: OnX, AllTrails, Gaia
Remember – backpacking is supposed to be fun! It often verges on Type II fun (the kind where it isn’t so fun in the moment but feels great at the end of the day), but it’s fun nonetheless. Prepare accordingly and then get out there! Have more questions? Drop us a line or post a comment and we’ll share our thoughts.