

Taking your first steps into the world of hiking? Let us be your guide.
#PDF BASICS OF BACKPACKING FULL#
Next up: Fancy a longer trip? Check out our 7 day backpacking checklist.Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+ Practice makes perfect and weekend backpacking trips are the perfect place to practice your backpacking skills on.īack one: Going backpacking but don’t know how many days you’ll be away yet? Check out our backpacking checklist. You just need to keep asking “Do I really need this?” and soon enough you will have a kit that’s light enough and has enough essential gear for you to feel comfortable in the backcountry for longer periods of time than you thought possible. You won’t start out as a super mega ultralight backpacker but given enough time, it can quickly become addictive to spend a week, a month, or more out in the great outdoors. It can take a while to pare things down to a minimum and to be comfortable with only bringing the things on this list. Make sure you are prepared and have thought carefully about each item you have bought and aren’t skimping on the essentials. It’s fun, exhilarating, and probably the beginning of a lifetime adventure! Getting out into the bush for the night or the weekend hiking and camping is a fantastic experience, especially when you are living off just the items you bought with you. Wrapping up our three day backpacking packing list You’ll appreciate being able to use both hands all the time. It helps with balance, weight distribution and takes the pressure off knees and ankles, especially if you aren’t used to walking with a load. You can store all your gear inside with you and there’s more room if it rains or you need to spend more time than planned inside it. Even if you are by yourself, get a two-person tent.The weight of the backpack can make even old shoes rub in new places. Take moleskin or its equivalent for the blisters that you are very likely to get even in your favorite shoes.If you are needing to save weight, a lighter footprint under your tent is an option, or maybe forgo it entirely if you think the ground will be ok on your trip.A hammock with a rain fly and bug net or a Bivy or Tarp setup are all viable and light alternatives to a tent.

Borrow one if you don’t want to buy one and test it out full of gear well before you leave. It’s going to ruin the trip if you are in pain or uncomfortable all day. Make sure the pack you use is comfortable.

There can be a 10-pound difference on your back when you lighten up these pieces of essential equipment. Make sure these are the lightest ones you can find and afford. Your four heaviest items will be your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad, and the backpack you will have to carry.Tips for picking backpacking gear for the checklist Make sure you know if you need one or not BEFORE the bear comes to visit! Some places have mandatory rules about bear canisters.Take a First Aid Kit and a water sterilizing system.Consider a GPS device so that you and your family know where you are at all times. If you’ll be out of phone range and you’re by yourself.You don’t want to be miserable, in pain, or get into camp in the dark on your first trip. Know you can do the miles each day and build in a lot of rest stops. Hints, Hack, and Tips for the first-time 3 day backpacker! General backpacking tips for 3 day trips Lightweight tent, tent poles and rainfly.Here’s our backpacking checklist 3 day packing list of things we think you’ll need for a weekend’s backpacking along with hints, tips & hacks for the first-timer who might need a bit of guidance as they ask for the first time – “Do I really need that?” in their quest to lighten their load and maximize the fun! Backpacking Shelter It’s totally doable, you just need to be prepared. We’ve compiled a list of items that you will need for a long weekend away backpacking so that you can look over your current gear list and see what you have already and what you might need to get or replace.Ī backpacking trip requires a lot less stuff than a car camping trip and the entertainment is all about getting from point A to Point B and setting up camp each day. Which brings us to the point, what do I actually need and what can I live without for a weekend? If you’ve done a bit of car camping, then the transition won’t be too hard, it’s a case of cutting down on gear and equipment that you won’t need or can’t carry. You want to head off on your first weekend backpacking trip where you live off the items you can carry for a couple of days.
