Both beginner and seasoned backpackers fall victim to these common mistakes. Review the list and make sure you aren’t falling victim to these no-nos.
1. Not Properly Hydrating & Fueling Body
Dehydration on a trip can quickly become a serious medial issue and also can easily be avoided. Make sure to bring and consume enough water to keep you hydrated. A rule-of-thumb is to drink 6-12 oz every 15-20 mins. You’ll also want to keep your body fueled with nutrient rich foods to burn.
2. Over/Under Packing
This one can be hard even for experienced backpackers. The common advice is to lay out all your gear and carefully consider what all is essential. This method can usually trim a few items from your pack.
We also recommend snapping a picture of your gear and post to our Facebook page (or your favorite backpacking group page) and ask for recommendations. The community can usually come up with ideas for trimming the load or call out things you may have forgotten or under packed.
Food and clothing are big areas where people miscalculate. For food, we always suggest a written meal-plan beforehand. Planning meal-by-meal and snack-by-snack will ensure you’re not bringing WAY too much (we’ve been guilty of this) or not enough food. With clothes, be sure to always check the forecast for your planned area in advance. We always recommend a rain layer no matter the forecast – but if it’s a dessert hike in the summer, maybe leave the parka behind.
3. Avoiding Trekking Poles
Don’t try to be macho and avoid the trekking poles. The stability they provide could save you from a nasty fall. They also save your knees while going downhill. If you don’t already have a pair, you can pick up a solid pair like these TrailBuddy poles at an affordable price-point
4. Not Double-Checking Your Pack List
Don’t hit the trail or get to camp only to realize you forgot your tent. Checking and double-checking your pack list is worth the effort. We even recommend setting out all your gear and snapping a pic so you can re-evaluate your contents. Sending the pic to anyone joining you on the hike is also a great way to avoid gear duplication. Not sure what all to bring? Review our Beginner Backpacking Checklist.
5. Overconfidence in Speed & Ability
A safe estimate is to assume 1 mph pace. You want to avoid a situation where you overestimate your abilities and are scrambling with what to do as the sun falls and you’re nowhere near your intended camp location. You also want to make sure you don’t overestimate your speed and leave too late in day. Go early, take the time to enjoy the hike, and get to camp before all the good spots are taken.
6. Cooking in Your Tent
Especially if it’s cold out or the mosquitoes are out in full-force it can be tempting to prep your food in your tent. Unfortunately, this is asking for trouble in multiple ways. Not only are you risking burning your shelter, you’re also sending out an invitation to unwanted visitors like mice and bears with your enticing meal aroma. Play it safe and do food prep and cooking away from your main campsite. Recommended distance from main camp to cooking area is 100-200 yards.
7. Not Taking Care of Your Feet
Your feet are so important for your journey both up the trail and back down. Make sure your footwear are high-quality, proper fitting, and appropriate for the trail you are tackling. If you are new to backpacking, we suggest footwear be one of your “splurge” items. It’s worth spending a little more to ensure you have the right footwear so you avoid unnecessary pain.
If you do run into food issues – address them right away! On the way up it can be tempting to push through pain or the burn of what you know will soon become blisters. Don’t! Take the time to stop, assess, and remedy the problem. It may be as simple as retying or applying moleskin. Remember when going up, you’ll need to come down. Powering through pain for the last mile to camp could mean a day of pain all the way down later on.
8. Not Checking Weather/Fire Conditions
We can’t stress enough the need to check weather beforehand. This will impact what you pack, your pace, potentially even where you hike. When planning our trips, we usually have a primary location and a backup location with a slightly different climate planned. This way you can avoid hiking in a downpour or snow storm if that’s not your style. Fire conditions and status/location of any wildfires is also important. You don’t want to get trapped in a burn area or get smoked out of camp if the winds change. Air quality conditions can change rapidly, even when fires are miles and miles from your hike location.
9. Improper Food Storage
Don’t risk a raccoon making off with all your food at night, and avoid inadvertently luring a bear to your camp. Make sure you follow proper food storage procedures when out on the trail. Either hang the food 100-200 yards from your campsite, or get a bear canister and store per the canister instructions.
10. Not Stopping to Smell the Roses
Make sure to stop and enjoy nature when you’re out on the trail! If you are obsessing about your pace and rocking out on headphones you are missing so much of what makes backpacking magical. Be present. Be aware of and in admiration of your surroundings. Sit on a log or a rock and just listen to the quiet.
