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If you’re ready to venture beyond the car campground by putting a pack on your back and hitting the trail, you need to learn a few basics. Plus, i made a printer-friendly checklist so you don’t forget any essentials.

Backpacking for Beginners

Backpacking is an adventure that blends hiking with backcountry camping. It lets you broaden your horizons beyond the car campground to enjoy a richer, more immersive outdoor experience. A key distinction from day hiking is the size of your pack—your backpack (and you) must carry all of life’s essentials on your back. And you must choose those essentials with care.

To get ready for your first backpacking trip, follow these steps:

Choose an easy destination: Short overnight hikes close to home are best.
Get essential gear and clothing: Borrow and scrounge gear to save money.
Plan your eating: Meals with just the addition of water can be found at your local stores or easy-to-cook options at regular supermarkets. Also bring plenty of snacks for trail fuel.
Get ready for your trip: Condition yourself to do the planned hike with a fully loaded pack; get your permits; brush up on Leave No Trace principles.

If you have an experienced backpacking friend who knows you well, invite them along and they can be your guide. But you can also do this backpacking thing on your own—that’s the focus of this article. I advise you to bring a friend regardless of their backpacking knowledge, though, because that makes any trip safer and more fun.

Getting Ready for Your Backpacking Trip

Set yourself up for success by taking steps to be sure you’re physically, mentally and logistically prepared for your trip. To get ready for backpacking, follow these tips:

Get physically ready: You’re not training for a marathon, but even a short trip can be physically demanding. At a minimum do plenty of day hikes and be able to comfortably handle trails with a similar distance and elevation gain as your planned trip. Do at least a few pre-trip hikes of similar difficulty wearing a backpack loaded with 15-plus kg.
Get mentally ready: Familiarize yourself with your gear ahead of time. Pitch your tent, fire up your stove and filter some water before you go. Learning basic first aid and map and compass navigation is also a wise move, and both skills will serve you well even if you don’t go on future backpacking trips.
Figure out your logistics: In addition to figuring out your ride to and from the trailhead, you need to be sure you have all of the necessary permits. Popular destinations are especially likely to require them. Check with the local land management agency / Natural parks to learn what’s required — both are also a great resource for updated trail conditions, fire restrictions and other valuable intel.
Leave a trip plan with a friend or family member: Include details about where you’re going and when you expect to be back. That gives them a jump on alerting help if you ever need it.
Do your packing early: Don’t wait until the night beforehand to load your pack. Do your pre-trip pack loading several days in advance, then weigh it to be sure you didn’t overdo it. A rule of thumb is that it should weigh no more than 20 percent of your body weight. If your pack weighs well, mark, take a hard look at your checklist and see what you can jettison.

Backpacking—hitting the trail with nothing more than life’s necessities on your back—is the quintessential outdoor adventure.

To determine what you need to bring on a backpacking trip, think about how far you plan to hike, how remote the location is and what the weather forecast has in store. In general, the longer and/or more remote the hike is and the more inclement the weather, the more clothing, gear, food and water you’re going to want. If you’re just getting into backpacking, be sure to read before you head out.

A backpacking pack that holds 30–50 liters is about right for overnight trips; go with packs in the upper end of that range if you’ll be out for two or three nights.

What to Bring Backpacking

These items should be part of your backpacking checklist:

Hiking boots or shoes
Backpack
Tent
Sleeping bag and sleeping pad
Stove and fuel
Portable solar panel / power
Kitchen supplies
Plenty of food
Water bottles and water-treatment supplies
Weather-appropriate clothing
Emergency and hygiene supplies
Small repair kit
The Ten Essentials

How to Use This Backpacking Checklist

While you’re packing, use this handy backpacking checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything important. Here are some notes on how to best use this list:

The Ten Essentials: Items that are part of the Ten Essentials are marked by an asterisk (*). The exact items you take can be tailored to your trip based on considerations such as weather, difficulty, duration and distance from help.
In case of no cell reception:

Maps offline: Download maps of the area to your phone or GPS device beforehand. Consider a paper map as a backup.

Tools: Pack a compass, a whistle, and a headlamp with extra batteries. Learn basic navigation skills.