Take Your First Backpacking Trip This Year

Nothing can refresh you like a good walk in the outdoors.

Not all natural doses are the same.

The 20-5-3 Rule suggests that you spend at least 20 mins in green space every three days, 5 hours semi-wild once a month and 3 days off grid each year.

Backpacking is the best way to meet this last requirement.

When you arrive at a park or state, you will see a lot of people doing things like fishing, picnicking and RVing. You'll also see many people taking pictures, day hiking, and taking photos. Once you reach the deeper parts of the park, you will see less people. You can have thousands of acres to yourself. You can find a more fulfilling experience than car camping, one that is wilder, more rewarding, and does your body, mind, soul, and spirit a lot of good.

It's also more difficult to start backpacking because it is more difficult to plan and execute than other outdoor activities.

It can be intimidating to go on a camping trip with all your gear in your backpack if you were not a Boy Scout or did not do it as a child.

This guide will help you.

We'll show you how to make your first backpacking trip a success.

Plan Your Itinerary

This first backpacking trip should be as successful and enjoyable as possible to give yourself the best chance of becoming addicted to this activity.

You'll want to start by planning a trip that is both accessible and interesting, but also a little challenging. Follow these steps to achieve your goal:

Consider an overnight trip.

You'll only be camping for one night on your first trip. Your mind might think that "real" backpacking is only multi-day trips. But 1) this isn't true; we enjoy a quick overnighter even though we have been on many multi-day trips. It's not a right or wrong way of backpacking. You'll want to keep your first trip as simple as possible.

This first trip will be used to familiarize yourself with backpacking in general and how you can use your gear. This is a simple way to get comfortable and gain confidence.

AllTrails App Download

This app is not ours, but we love it and think it makes planning a trip much easier. You can also filter trails by backpacking-friendly ones.

Choose your trail/route.

When choosing a trail to hike, consider the following factors:

Choose a loop if possible. This will make the hike more interesting.

Select a trail that has a "payoff", such as a waterfall or lake. If possible. It will add to the interest of your hike.

Choose a trail that is moderate/hard. AllTrails' "Easy Trails" are usually short, flat and/or paved. You'll need a little more challenge. You can do even "Hard" trails for the first time. Hard trails can be harder than others, but there is no strict definition of what makes them hard. Elements that make a trail easier/harder include its rockiness/smoothness, the steepness of its slopes, the altitude, the total elevation gain, and the elevation gained per mile. The difficulty of a trail will also be determined by your fitness level. Don't get caught up in the technical details when determining the difficulty of a particular trail. The AllTrails reviews can give you an idea. See if any reviews point out first-time-out snoozers, such as the fact that a trail is overgrown or difficult to follow.