How To Plan A Backpacking Trip
Are you ready to do more than day hike? But you just don’t know anything about planning a backpacking trip… I was in the predicament myself once, and now I know exactly how to plan a good safe and fun first backpacking trip! I’m excited to be sharing the knowledge with you! These are all very important to go over and plan out to make a successful safe trip! It doesn’t have to take a crazy amount of planning to go out and have a blast for your first trip.
Picking a Trail
Personal suggestion would be to go no more than 3-4 hours to this trailhead from your house. I would also look to make it an out and back trail. Remember this is a time to learn and enjoy, not to crush miles and trails. National forests are great areas to backpack in. I always research local blog posts and All-Trails to pick out a good route. Sometimes even state parks have short “backcountry” sites that are easy and fun to hike into!
Another suggestion would be to keep the milage short. Miles and elevation with a 35lb+ backpack on feels 5 times as hard than a hike without a backpack. For your first backpacking trip I would keep the miles between 3-5 everyday. That way you get to rest often and to enjoy your campsite more and there’s no pressure if your forgot something you have day light to turn back. Deciding how much elevation is totally up to you. 1000-1500 gain a day is probably hard enough for your first trip. I would even suggest not having much elevation at all on your first weekend backpacking and testing gear.
Get your gear organized and sorted.
Check out this GEAR CHECK LIST I made for backpacking, it’ll have everything you need, right down to your underwear.
Here is my personal amazon storefront list of gear easy for your to look at!
Be sure to test how everything works before heading to the wilderness.
Organizing daily food and looking up water sources.
Click here for my favorite food company for backpacking meals. I would suggest packing high calorie meals and snacks. It’s beneficial if they are things that pack down well. Some of these items would look like high calorie granola or protein bars. Oatmeal mixed with protein. Dry freeze meals and trail mix. I pack about about 3000 calories a day for a regular backpacking trip.
Water sources can be found on trail updates and maps. Calling a local ranger to ask about how well the water is flowing in the streams before your trip is super beneficial. I would also try to camp within walking distance (still over 200ft away though) from your daily water source. This way you always know you will have lots of water for cooking and drinking. My favorite water filter currently is from Katadyn.
Safety and Leave No Trace
Brush up on Leave No Trace
Learn rules about camping near water and trails.
Learn about what to do with your toilet paper and how to dig a cat-hole
What kind of wildlife?
Do you need a bear canister?
What’s your safety gear…Bear spray, knife, sos system?
Are there a lot of bears or moose in the area, and know what to do if you walk up on one. Same goes for proper food storage and cooking away from your camp site.
Is there a fire ban in the area?
If not, learn how to have a safe fire and how to properly put out a fire, extremely important in the back country.
