Backpacking Tips

Looking to start my journey on backpacking and want to know some pointers.

Just got back from a trip in Trinity National Forest. 9 hours of rain day one and I forgot my rule!

I typically always pack everything in my bag after placing a large trashbag inside. I do this also for important items like my sleeping bag sack. The trashbag adds such little weight and keeping important items dry will reduce water weight and make the trip soooo much better.

I just got gifted one of the Eno Hammocks and am interested in any tips anyone has on using it! I have no rain fly or anything yet.

Does anyone have any advice about getting physically fit for backpacking? In about a year I'm supposed to be going on a 17 day backpacking trip. I've only been on a week long backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, focusing on Kanab Creek and Lower Jump up. And a three trip near Sonoita Creek at Patagoina lake.

Hey there! I have just recently gotten into backpacking, and I find myself in need of a lightweight and compact sleeping bag. Does anyone have any suggestions for something on the low/mid price range, and about a 30°-40°F rating? One odd stipulation is that it has to be able to unzip completely flat to accommodate my unusual hammock setup... Thanks so much! I'm excited to become a part of this unique community!

Store several matches inside a small, empty pill bottle so they stay intact and dry. Cut the striking paper from a matchbox and paste it onto the inside of the lid. If there’s room, add a fire starter to the pill bottle as well. (Cotton + collect cloths lint from dryer or cloths on the trail)

This will be a culmination of basically everything I can think of and find when it comes to ultralight packing, some are ridiculous but not false. Please add anything additional in comments!

First, we are going to talk about both perceived and literal lightness.

"Perceived" Lightness Tips:

1. Get stronger and practice. The stronger you are the lighter your pack will feel and the easier the hikes will be. Practicing with a pack heavier than your trip pack will make the trip itself seem ridiculously easy in comparison. Everything is relative.
2. Keep moral up and in good spirits, nothing weights more on you than a heavy heart or a crap mood. Enjoy the wilderness, enjoy the rain, enjoy the cold, enjoy the fresh air and sounds. Enjoy yourself.
3. Go solo, hiking with friends is great but if you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together. (general life tip)
4. Avoid gravity, hike at higher altitudes. 'if something weighed 1000 lbs at sea level, it would weigh only 997.2 pounds at the top of Mount Everest'. Along with that, pack your pack high, don't let parts go below your waist. It is much easier to keep it over your center of mass
5. Spread weight. The closer the sum of the forces to your center of mass, the lighter and more balanced the pack will feel. If you can attach something to your chest that isn't in the way: do it.
6. Momentum to counter yours is BAD. Don't have much lose or hanging. Having a bladder for water that will compress as you drink can keep it from sloshing around
7. Clear the ground of rocks and sticks under your sleeping area. A good sleep will make everything feel lighter
8. Make sure your pack is well placed and balanced on your hips and shoulders. Again, center of mass

Actually Lightening the Load:

1. You can wrap: Tape, Fishing Line, Rope, and floss around other items like a Nalgene. Packaging is almost always dead weight and takes space.
2. Stuff everything: Sleeping bag, Tent, cloths. If you don't need the bags for them, ditch them.
3. Get a mini sleeping pad, your legs can deal or you can extend it with your pack or clothing.
4. These are ultralight gaiters, they can keep snow and dirt out of your shoe
5. Forget the jacket. A water proof liner or wind breaker with layers is plenty
6. Have only a few pairs of wool socks and plenty of sock liners
7. Water is heavy, if it is easy to get, try to cary less
8. Get light weight camp shoes or sandals. No need for sneakers
9. Powder Toothpaste is lighter
10. Shave off the handle of your tooth brush to the point that it is still usable
11. Mini-Lighters
12. Cut away foam on your foam mat, shape it to yourself if you want. You don't need it under your head or below your bum
13. Stuff a shirt as a pillow, also allows for warmish cloths in the morning
14. Forget the tent and go with a tarp and hammock
15. Cooking is nice but if you can avoid fuel and burner weight, thats a huge win. There are plenty of cook-less meals. Though for long trips this might not make up for the savings in freeze dried food weight
16. Make sure all parts of you meals are edible. You can eat and apple core but don't grab anything with a pit or peel.
17. Don't bring unneeded electronic or batteries. A solar charger is light if you REALLY need something
18. Get concentrate of everything you can. A few drops of soap concentrate can do dishes and wash yourself
19. You don't need deodorant, you are backpacking. No one should care about your smell. Wash off in a stream
20. You can use trek poles / Sticks as make shift tent poles if it works
21. Rocks and sticks work in place of stakes for your tent
22. Down or Synthetic super lighter sleeping bags can keep you plenty warm and are much lighter than their counter parts
23. Cotton Balls or lint from clothing is a nice light fire starter
24. Vaseline
    1. Rub between toes to help/avoid blisters
    2. Protect cuts with it and some duct tape
    3. Great slow burning fuel
    4. Use on lips instead of chap-stick
    5. unstick your zippers
25. See my Bandanna post for all it's great uses
26. Bags of Wine can help you pass out and be inflated back up for a pillow (college hack)
27. Floss can be used to tie and stitch up tears in cloths/(maybe skin?)
28. If your ankles are strong, trail runners are great in place of heavy boots for shorter light weight trips
29. NO COTTON, water is heavy. Rain will weight you down like crazy
30. Rain pants will make your life so much better and can be used for warmth and water protection
31. You can probably avoid duplicates of anything but socks, wash you and yo' cloths if you have time to dry
32. Drink as much as you need when you get to a water source, if it is in you, if doesn't feel as heavy
33. Share the load with your: Dog, Buddy, Mule. Or even place your items in their pack when they are not looking (unethical)
34. Trash compactor bags can be used instead of a water proof pack liner
35. Ponchos are light and do the same job as a thicker rain coat
36. Compact and light weight foods are a must, freeze dried, dried, bags of tuna/chicken, packets of peanut butter and powdered drink mixes
37. Biodegradable plastic bags can save some weight of compost bags
38. Eat your whole meal, you will most likely be very hungry but make sure you lick it clean. Bits of food in the garbage add up.
39. Not sure if it is really ok but decomposable organic food products can probably be left for the animals, like apple cores and stems
40. Cut down straps that are to long/not needed
41. Getting a scale and weighting everything can really put things in perspective
42. Think about all items: Do you really need it, can something else I need serve the same?
43. No plates, bowl and spork are perfect
44. You don't need a big knife, a razor blade does 99% of all things you might need it for. A small pocket knife can also be useful
45. No bottle openers (you shouldn't have bottles). If you do, pop the cap off a rock or look at any of the 1000 other ways to take a cap off
46. A mini sewing kit is typically very useful and light
47. No wipes, thats extra trash. Use the soap concentre and bandanna
48. Large First Aid kits are normally not needed but make sure to have at least a small one. Duct tape = Bandaid though. Some superglue = stitches/butterfly bandage.
49. Thin strong rope: you don't need a massive rope for a bear bag
50. Use sanitizer tablets for water, iodine might taste off but is lighter and small than a purifier
51. Use a food sealer to melt down Ziplock bags to size. You can customize size for all items and the seal is stronger than the original bag seals. (Works well for board game pieces also)

Please share your ideas!

Often I have had some cold days and night on the trail. These are some things I did to keep/stay warm.

If you have bad circulation extremities get cold fast. You might think tightening your boot will make you warmer but it will block blood. Make sure your arch has plenty of room to get warm blood to your toes.

Put your sock liners under your pants layer and your sock over, it will make a seal that will keep out snow/wind.

Wearing your rain pants over your hiking pants will really help contain heat.

Putting your next days cloths in your sleeping bag will have them warm to put on in the morning and help avoid the shock of leaving your sleeping bag half dressed. Even sleep in those cloths maybe.

You can also use tomorrows cloths to make a pillow. Pack a shirt or jacket and sleep on it.

Look at my face mask post for some make shift ski-mask options

Socks make great quick mittens, if you have ones to spare you can cut finger holes

Warming large rocks by the fire that can be later placed near/under your sleeping area can provide extra warmth to help you fall asleep

If you really need, find a buddy! Sharing warmth is a great way to stay warm, most cases of hypothermia occur over 50 degrees so be mindful

Wet = Cold, if you have to many layers, shed some so your sweat doesn't cool you later

Snow shelters can really help but make sure to dig a second lower level for the cool air to pool

Try to get out of the wind, rocks, trees, earth, anything to block it

Warm food = warm you, even allowing your water to warm in your pocket will help a lot

Bandanas are one of my must haves on backpacking trips let me go over some of the uses:

- Facemask: Look like a thug but maybe keep dust, cold, sun away

- Bandage: Good material for a night tight bandage in a pinch

- Trail Marker: Colorful bandanas can be tied around trees to mark a path

- Cloth Napkins: wash it in a stream and you are set

- Tissue: intended use

- Pillow-ish: A few times I have tied it around my head to my backpacking frame to prop up my head so I could sleep-hike on long days or early mornings.

- Use it as a thin layer to protect your hands when cutting small objects or veggies

- Scarf

- Hair tie

- Ice Pack: Just add ice

- Cool wet cloth: Just add water

- Lamp/Flash light shade: Tie it over your light source to get softer reading light etc

- Hobo-basket: Tie all corners together to make a pouch

- Different colors can help identify different people / teams

- Water filter: Sift out large particles

- Sling: Not comfortable

- Sleep mask

- Picnic cloth

- Dog Accessory

[Some Ideas](https://www.theyummylife.com/Backpacking_Food)

If you are on the trail for a long time, you get sick of eating the same thing. Bringing some spices and a small amount of hot sauce is a huge favor to yourself. My favorite snacks:

- Spicy trail/chex mixes

- Ritz and little bags of peanut/almond butter

- Gatorade powder packets (electrolytes and sugar) But will dry out your mouth

- Gummies are always great

- Dried fruit

- Nuts Berries Seeds

- Hard Candy lasts and variety packs can give your tongue a welcome change

- Beef Jerky is a blassing

- Tortillas or Naan > Bread loaves

- If you want chips: Pringles are the best volume/chip option I think.

- Bags of tuna and chicken are great for a quick bite/meal

EAT A LOT, backpacking is hard on the body and I have never left a trip without losing much more weight than i hoped for.

Forget a hat? Cold out? Hot out? Dusty? Sweating into your eyes? This shirt trick has helped me so much.

Place your face through the head hole of the shirt so the collar comes over your chin and above your brow. Then tie the sleeves behind your head and pull the neck over your nose. This will give you a ninja mask that will protect from the sun/cold, pour water on it to cool down, and keep you hidden from all bears in the area!

I will be doing 3 months backpacking in New Zealand starting next week. I will keep adding tips as I find some but my internet will be limited. Hopefully this subreddit can grow and help others. There are a lot of ingenious tools and tips out there from people. It would be cool to have one place for people to come and learn about little tips. Not the big obvious ones.

[Sock Reviews](https://www.gearweare.com/review/best-hiking-socks/)

Just wanted to share some of my sock tips: Beyond just ALWAYS use wool! Your feet are the most important thing when backpacking, keep them safe.

- Pack socks inside one sock to make a sock-snake, This will keep them in one spot and fairly compact. And provide a useful tool to slap your mate with if they get out of hand

- If you get a hole in a sock, don't trash it right away. Cut away the foot part and use the ankle part as a knee or elbow sleeve

- Sock liners are key, I normally go with only a few pairs of socks but many liners. They will save your feet and save your socks.

- Nice socks can be pricey but don't skimp here

- Sock Gloves are great in a pinch

- Always keep a pair of socks in the car for emergency gloves / oven mits / replacing wet socks

When using water sanitizer tablets, after the tables have dissolved a bit, flip your Nalgene over and slowly unscrew the top so that some small amounts of water flow though the threads and wash out and unclean water that might have been trapped there.