If you’re about to get your first backpack for the great outdoors, this backpacking guide for beginners is the first place to look. Backpacking is a more adventurous approach to camping. Without the comfort of your vehicle or a cabin, this outdoor activity tests your survival ability, challenging you to become more creative on the days spent in the wild.
Backpacking requires packing light, so you have to be resourceful & inventive to survive. Let’s check out a few tips for a newbie to the world of backpacking below.
Recommendations for Starters to Backpacking
Follow a Straightforward Route
There’s no need to start out as though you were an expert backpacker. Avoid going overboard. Your route has to be kept simple; do not take confusing roads or routes you’re unfamiliar with. It is always better to start small than getting lost in the wild. You can ask a more seasoned backpacker to go with you on your first trip.
Draw up a Meal Plan
Combing the wilderness for food may not be ideal on your debut backpacking trip, as you’re yet to get familiar with the wild. You should come with energy bars, easy-to-make meals, or a cookware kit for cooking. This will ensure that your energy levels remain intact throughout your stay.
However, I’m not against you foraging or hunting in the wild. It would make a great challenge, in fact, and that may be a good thing. I just think it’d be best if you hunted for food on your second trip.
Use a Checklist to Prepare
Your backpack is what makes you a backpacker. Your backpack has to contain essentials that will last from the beginning of your adventure to its end. There is indeed no infallible checklist to keep to, but there’s a list of items that must be in your pack.
What Should Your Backpacking Checklist Contain?
There are various lists highlighting the items that you should pack on your trip. And while these lists are undeniably helpful, I suggest that you plan & work out the activities you intend to get into. This gives you more clarity on what tools you’ll be needing. You should ask yourself how to make things easier for you.
By doing this, there’s little margin for error, as you’ve narrowed down your potential gear checklist, so over-packing is avoided. After all, a heavy backpack will only make your trip harder.
However, regardless of your preferences, some items are a must in your backpack. These are very pivotal gear to your survival. Some of them are:
Navigational Tools: These are tools to help you get to your site more easily. Come with permits for the trip, maps, compasses, a cellphone & a flashlight.
Shelter: There are plenty of shelter types to settle for. Some of us prefer tarps, while some would rather regular tents. Whatever your choice is, make sure it is adequate. You can come with stakes, insect mesh, hammock/tarp/tent & a ground cover.
Sleeping Aids: These are items that’ll help you have good sleep at night. You can come with a sleeping bag or quilt, pillow & an emergency blanket.
Concluding our Backpacking Guide for Beginners
Needless to point out, food & water are very important supplies. You should have some energy bars at your disposal & ensure you have enough to last for a week at least. Let’s hear from you: if you were to write a backpacking guide for beginners, what would you add to this?