I know all about this because I have made all of these mistakes. Some of them like
just today, so...
Hello, lovely people of the internet. Welcome to "Eight Mistakes Beginner Backpackers Make."
This video is all about how you can have a much better backpacking experience by not
making some newbie mistakes that I really frequently see on the trail. I have taken...let's
see, about 50 women backpacking now. A lot of them it was their first time. And so, one
of the key things that I am hyper focused on is getting that pack lighter.
So let's start with the big number one thing that people really often get wrong and that
is not thinking light when it comes to your food. So, when you're at the grocery store,
you really wanna be thinking about, "Can I buy food that can be rehydrated?"
Oh, that sound good.
Vanilla...
Honey, cinnamon, peanut butter.
Chocolate hazelnut almond butter...that sounds like Nutella.
These too?
Yeah, let's do it. Watermelon seed butter? What?
Most backpacking trails that I've been on did have plenty of water available, not in
the desert but rather in mountains where there are lakes and streams, a glacier runoff, melting
snow. So, for me water is usually not a problem. If you are backpacking in the desert, you're
gonna have to carry it, so maybe it's a moot point. But for me, I'm always thinking about,
"How can I bring food that is not already hydrated?"
I really like these organic Mary Jane Farm ones. They are a little bit smaller than some
of the other brands but they don't have sort of that weird chemical taste, they actually
taste really good. So here I have a bear burrito. I've got protein, I've got fiber, I've got
tomatoes, sweet corn, red bell peppers, onions, garlic, herb spices, and citric acid.
Other things to consider are, if you're going to bring peanut butter or some kind of spread,
which is a really good idea, that you don't wanna bring the entire jar. Not only are you
bringing the weight of either a plastic, or worse, glass jar with you but you have all
this peanut butter that you're probably, honestly, not gonna eat. I like to bring little individual
packets so that I can have different flavors, little things to look forward to. I also really
like kale chips to keep my veggie intake high. Power bars can be really good as well. I really
like to bring some nuts and fruit for my lunch meals so that I don't have to stop and cook
anything and they also pack a lot of energy per ounce.
Also bring powdered milk. Hydrated milk is heavy but powdered milk, honestly, it's not
that bad. You've probably had it before without even realizing it and it will remove a lot
of weight. So just have these things in mind when you're packing your food, powdered potatoes,
pasta. These can all be really good choices.
The number two big mistake I see people making is not going as light as possible. I think
a lot of people don't realize that you really only should bring two pairs of clothes when
you go backpacking, one that you hike in and one that you sleep in. And don't try to tell
me that's disgusting because it just doesn't make sense to bring extra pairs of hiking
clothes that you are then getting sweaty and disgusting within 5 minutes. So really trust
me on this, I've advised so many women to do this, they were all really grateful to
not have the extra weight and did not have to pick what they were gonna wear each day.
Bring enough underwear, bring ample socks. But really only bring like two pairs of leggings
and two shirt situations and you will thank me later.
I also like to bring some baby wipes that are dried and in a pellet and can be hydrated.
Same with toothpaste, just bringing little toothpaste dots rather than a whole entire
toothpaste. Every little way that you can get creative, do so because every gram seriously
matters when you're climbing up a mountain with a 50-pound pack on.
I do have a backpacking checklist with all of the gear that I've been using for almost
a decade. I'm gonna edit in the checklist right here. There's a link below where you
can sign up to receive it and it will be super helpful for you for figuring out which things
you should be bringing.
Another big thing that people don't always do is try your pack on in the store with weight
in it before you buy it. The last thing that you want is to have a pack that doesn't really
fit you right and that, trust me, is just the recipe for misery. You want a pack that
is big enough, you want a pack that truly fits your body. Packs that are designed for
female bodies are different than for male bodies. So, if you're gonna borrow a backpack
from someone, just make sure that you try it on with weight in it because it feels way
different when it has weight in it versus not. And just make sure that it actually fits
you. If you go to, say, an REI or a similar store, they pretty much always have an expert
in the backpacking area who will give you some weight to put in the pack. If you have
to order them online, then give yourself plenty of time. Order a few different kinds so that
you can make sure that you test them and obviously check the return policy on them.
And while we're on the topic of gear, I made this mistake today.
We just thought it would be fun to go to a whole bunch of stores today to find a whole
bunch of things that I waited till the last minute to buy. So we're at REI. They have
a curbside pickup, which is great because it's really dangerous for me to go in there.
I will not be able to just pick up the fuel I ordered, I never have gotten out of there
without spending 200 bucks.
Neat. Oh, that's a lot smaller than I thought it was gonna be.
Yes. Yes.
Don't leave gear buying until the last minute. I actually have a closet full of stuff, it's
like a little magic closet that I'll take you into right now.
But what I didn't do is make sure that I had a bear can, a stove, and fuel for this particular
trip. So I was just running all around town trying to find these things and it was actually
impossible. I went to seven different stores, I was calling. And if you live in a sporty
area at all, for some reason, this summer, just things are selling out and back ordered.
But if you're watching this with enough lead time, buy your gear now. Don't wait until
the last minute because a lot of people are trying to get outside and enjoy the wilderness
right now.
Hello. Number five big mistake that I find first-time backpackers make is leaving mad
trace. There are a lot of different ways that you can enjoy the wilderness by leaving no
trace, and there's a whole website dedicated to this. So, the first thing to do to make
sure that you're not leaving a big trace is to avoid social trails. So if you see little
side paths off of the main trail, maybe to cut out of something or to avoid like a mud
puddle, don't take those unless the mud puddle is gonna come up to your shins. But if you
have good shoes, like we already talked about, that are waterproof and have decent tread,
you're gonna be fine walking through some mud.
You know, going off trail, just in general, is worse for the wilderness than you may think.
So, it can harm the desert, definitely meadows, there are a lot of vulnerable ecosystems,
and stepping on these plants can cause them to not grow back. And then, there's less food
for the bees, etc., etc. So have that in mind before you go off trail.
Additionally, never wash anything in a water source. If you're going to use the bathroom,
walk at least 200 feet away from the water source, bury it, and pack out your tissue.
Please. Don't backpack if you can't do that because leaving it out here is just disgusting
for other people to come up across but also like it lasts a lot longer than you think.
And it's so easy to just bring a ziplock and pack it out. If you don't wanna see it, then
duct tape the zip-pack.
Don't do any washing in a stream. Don't wash your dishes in it. Collect some water, carry
it away from the stream, just like you would if you're going to the bathroom and do your
washing there. Otherwise it all flows down to people who are lower than you and then
they're having to drink your dirty dish water, or whatever you may be washing in there.
The number six mistake I see beginner backpackers make, and this is a big one, is strapping
a bunch of stuff to the outside of your pack. And the reason why this is a problem is, if
it happens to rain, which even if the forecast says it won't, you can't be sure, in the mountains
they do their own thing. If your sleeping bag gets wet and you're in an area where it's
not gonna clear up and dry off, then that puts you in a pretty dangerous position because
you can't get warm.
Also, almost every hike I've been on has gotten really windy at some point, and I've done
them all over the world at this point. And having something to the outside of your pack
will act as a sail. And it might not seem like a big deal but, when the wind is really
heavy, which can absolutely happen in Iceland, Patagonia, Alaska, you will just be thrown
around like a marionette. So I really recommend a 75-liter because this can basically hold
everything you need for 8 to 9 days. And I pretty much bring almost exactly the same
things even for shorter trips, like a sleeping bag and all the gear. So this is a really
perfect size for backpacking.
Number se...seven...mistake beginner backpackers make is not having the right gear or not checking
the gear before you go. I've had it happen before where I rented a tent and it had a
leak in it. And unfortunately, that's really hard to detect until you're out there having
an issue. But that particular hike I got caught in snow and rain and I was just getting dripped
on all night and it was not fun. But if you're borrowing gear or you're renting gear, you
can at least check the air mattress for leaks, you can make sure that the sleeping bag that
you're borrowing is rated for the temperatures that you might encounter, and make sure it's
all as light as it can be. The colder weather you go, the more expensive it's gonna be to
have ultralight gear. But it's so worth it, as we talked about earlier in this video.
So, rent it if it's getting too expensive for you. REI's a great place. Make sure that
you get that reservation early because it's been a popular summer for outdoorsy adventures,
so you just wanna make sure that you can actually get that gear. Or if you're borrowing from
a friend, just ask them how recently they used it and if it's still working well for them.
Wow, nice sunset. The number eight biggest mistake that I see beginner backpackers make
is not taking care of your feet. So, when I went to buy some hiking shoes, I looked
on Amazon and I went with the best-reviewed ones. And when I got them, they had no tread
on the bottom at all. And I mean, when you're out backpacking, you're probably gonna be
going up and down rocky mountains, like the ones behind me, or like who knows what. So
you really need shoes with good tread. That's super important. They should also be waterproof
and provide good ankle support for you. So these are high enough. They're also great
in the water, so I can go through puddles, rivers, mud, and it's no big deal. And they're
super comfortable, they fit me. Lace them up really tight, tighter than you think is
even reasonable because that'll stop your foot from moving and you won't get blisters
as easily.
Blisters are a trip ruiner, they're one of the biggest reasons why people suffer when
they backpack. So bring blister bandages and, as soon as one is forming, take care of it,
make sure that you stop everything and put that blister bandage on because it will only
get worse. And...wow. This is a gorgeous sunset behind me.
I was thinking of so many more mistakes people make as I made this video but...that's part
of the fun is learning and refining it and figuring out what works better for you. Other
people might have totally different advice to mine, this is just what I've learned throughout
the years and what I teach people. But you have to find your own way and also know that
backpacking is just so much more mental than it is physical. It's definitely not a competitive
sport, so just get out there and enjoy, know that it's always the hardest in the beginning
and that you're gonna have moments of heaven and moments of hell. But the reward is you
get to spend the night in places like this and...there's no one even around me right
now, so it's pretty magical.
I hope that you liked this video. Let me know what kinds of things you want to know about
the outdoors. And again, the checklist, we're gonna edit it in right here. You can sign
up for that in the show notes below. Yes, I'm lisping because I have Invisalign. If
you got to the end of this video, let me know. Give it a thumbs up and share it with your
friends. And I will see you soon for another amazing video on how to enjoy the outdoors.