26 Questions I Wish I Asked Before My First Backpacking Trip

Last month, I ventured out into the desert wilderness with a few nature newbies. And they had some questions. Like, really reasonable, smart questions that I didn’t even think to ask before my first backpacking trip. I’m not sure if that’s because I was too embarrassed to look like an amateur (even though I so clearly WAS) or because I simply didn’t know to ask these things.

You don’t know what you don’t know, ya know?

Anyway, (hiking) hats off to these ladies, because they fearlessly covered all the bases when it comes to sitting down and thinking: “How do I prepare for my first backpacking trip?”

So much so, that I felt inspired – nay, obligated – to write these down and share them.

Because I think that people tend to think that backpacking and wild camping is reserved for only the most experienced adventure travelers

or those hardcore hikers that disappear into the wild
and re-emerge months later – a la Reese Witherspoon in Wild – with epic, life-changing stories.

Both those things could be true – and I know my first backpacking trip opened the door to a much larger journey of outdoor exploration and worldwide adventures. But when it comes to just putting some gear on your back and stepping onto a nearby trail, it’s much more attainable than that.

In fact, you often only have to walk a few miles (usually on well-marked trails) before you find that isolation and quiet solitude people love about the outdoors. Most day hikers only venture a few miles on the trails before turning back around, leaving the rest of the park and area for weekend backpackers to enjoy all alone.

That being said, if it is your first backpacking trip, it’s not a bad idea to go with a group or at least one friend who’s camped before. There are always things that could go wrong, and having someone there can make all the difference. You can easily find people that want to join you on your backpacking trip by posting on your own Facebook or searching in a local Meetup group.

Whether you join a group or form your own band of backpacking trip bandits, here are the questions you should start asking (and answering), before you get in your car and drive toward the trailhead.

1. What kind of experience do I want my first backpacking trip to be?

Think about why you want to start backpacking. Do you want to test your physical and mental strength? Bag as many peaks as you can before your next birthday? Train for a larger, bucket list trip – like hiking Kilimanjaro? See the night sky without light pollution? Work on your landscape or wildlife photography? Experience a different climate or terrain? No matter what your goals, there are plenty of hiking trails and routes to suit your needs.

Don’t feel intimidated! There is no right answer to this question. But knowing your “why” will help you plan your first backpacking trip.

2. How far in advance do I need to start preparing?

On average, anywhere between 2-3 weeks and 4 months in advance. Anything less will leave you feeling rushed. Anything more just isn’t necessary. If your first backpacking trip is also your first camping experience, you may need more time to gather the appropriate gear and clothes for your trek.

Start packing about a week before your departure to ensure that you have the right clothes for the weather and that everything fits in your pack.

3. How many days should my first backpacking trip be?

A single overnighter or a 2-night, 3-day weekend getaway is the perfect amount of time for a first backpacking trip.

Even if you are an experienced day hiker or have stayed at campgrounds before, I’d keep it short. Hiking with your gear all day and then sleeping in the backcountry (even if only a mile or two in) is a very different experience than pulling your car up to a campsite. Your body will probably need time to adjust and you might be a little uncomfortable at times.

4. How far should I plan to hike?

A beginner outdoorsman or woman should plan between 5-7 miles a day for their first backpacking trip. This may not sound like much, but remember that you will be carrying a heavy backpack and potentially battling the weather. If you consider yourself to be really fit, a runner or have other endurance training, you could bump that up to 7-12 miles a day.

The better question to ask is how many hours a day to do you want to hike?

Think about it like this: most backpackers can average 2 mph, factoring in elevation and terrain. So, a six-mile hike will take you three hours.

5. What’s elevation got to do with it?

A lot, actually. If you are looking up beginner backpacking trips online, you’ll notice that most include mileage and elevation gain. When I started getting into adventure sports this number might as well have been morse code. But it’s actually very important when it comes to planning a successful backpacking trip.

Elevation is where you’ll be starting (from a baseline of 0 – or sea level) and elevation gain is how many feet or meters you’ll be going up. You’ll want to compare elevation gain compared to miles.

For example, if you are gaining 5,000’ in 1 mile, you are essentially rock climbing. Conversely, 200’ over 2 miles is a leisurely stroll. Finally, know that it gets colder as elevation increases. If you are gaining more than 4,500’, you’ll want to bring an extra layer.

6. What is the weather going to be like?

When helping put together beginner backpacking trips, I always try to make my timing around ideal weather. For example, May is a great time to explore Yosemite on the West Coast, but not late enough in the year to let the snow melt and plan a trip to Yellowstone. I also try to avoid extreme elevation to decrease chances of unseasonably chilly nights or mountain storms.

No matter where you decide to hike, check the weather report about a week before you depart (also when you should practice packing up your gear). That will give you enough time to add additional layers if you need to.

7. Do I need to train for this?

Probably not. The focus of your first backpacking trip should be to have a new adventure, get used to carrying a pack and start learning the roads of outdoor exploration. Not to beat speed records. That’s why I recommend choosing a mellow trail and keeping it fairly short. The most important thing to do in advance is break in your hiking boots and check the fit of your backpack.

Even after you’ve gotten a few miles under your pack, backpacking is really less about being physically fit and more about how much time you are willing to put in.

8. Do I have to buy a bunch of gear?

No! In fact, I’d recommend against buying too much for your first backpacking trip. Chances are, you won’t really know what you will use on the trail (this comes with time and several hikes’ worth of experience) and it can get expensive. In the name of getting you into the outdoors sooner rather than later, I recommend that you borrow or rent your core items until you have a better idea of the types of backpacking trips you like.

If you are on the West Coast, REI co-op has a rental program but other outdoor retailers around the country do as well. If you are going somewhere that is more popular – like the Narrows in Zion National Park – there will also be gear rentals near the trailhead and park entrances. But even these aren’t your only options.

Get creative! Students can ask their gym or outdoor organizations if gear rental is an option and military families can go to their local base (or, for example, you could ask that friend who joined the Navy to pick some stuff up for you!).

9. If I do buy things, what are the most important items (the “Big Four”)?

There are a few basic things that everyone needs, whether it’s your first backpacking trip or the fiftieth time you’ve slipped on your boots. Excluding food and clothes, the Big Four on your pack list should be a quality backpack, a proper backpacking tent, a sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad. These are also probably going to be the most expensive items on your list.

If you forgo all the other extras but have these, you can survive. However, I want you to do more than just survive on your first backpacking trip, so I’ll make sure we cover everything.

10. What wins in the hammock vs tent debate?

This is a question someone asked me on Instagram – whether I prefer to sleep in a hammock or tent.

I have both. And honestly, I love the feeling of gently rocking back and forth in a hammock. However, I still usually default to a tent and recommend the same for a first backpacking trip. Tents don’t rely on an abundance of perfectly spaced trees and can be set up anywhere. For me, that’s worth the extra weight.

11. Can I take the regular backpack I have?

If this is your first backpacking trip and you aren’t quite sure you are ready to get into the sport, you may want to make do with the items already in your closet. I hear ya. I felt the same way.

That’s why I took only a measly little daypack on my first backpacking trip. I stuffed it to the brim with all the things I thought I needed, lashed what gear couldn’t fit inside onto the outside and hung my sleeping bag off the bottom with zip ties. It proceeded to swing back and forth with each painful step I took, as the weight of my unpadded shoulder straps dug into my skin. With all that weigh, I didn’t even have room to bring a sleeping pad, so I suffered in silence on the cold hard ground throughout the night, too.

Don’t be like me. For your back’s sake and for the enjoyment of your backpacking trip, leave the hiking daypack at home.

The backpack you want for future backpacking trips will come equipped with an internal frame (this is contoured to fit your body), padded shoulder straps, padded waist straps, front, side and bottom loading options and a place to keep your water bladder. Most will also be waterproof or come with a rain cover to protect your clothes in a storm. If you can’t rent or borrow one, have a sales rep make sure the pack you buy is sized for you.

I have an Osprey backpack and will recommend their gear to anyone. If you are just going to be doing small beginner backpacking trips, 35L will probably be big enough, but between 40-55L is better suited to get you absolutely anywhere. Here are a few within that range:

• Unisex Osprey Porter 46L Backpack for $140
  • The Porter is a standout backpack. The 46L model is the midsize version but it also comes in 30L and 65L models.
• Women’s Osprey Eja 48L Backpack for $190
• Unisex Osprey Variant 52L Backpack for $200
• Unisex/Men’s Osprey Mutant 52L Backpack for $200
  • Like the Porter, the Mutant was so popular, Osprey made multiple sizes.

12. Is it ok to wear regular tennis shoes?

The general consensus is that your hiking boots (or shoes) are the single most important thing that you will wear. That means that they absolutely need to be comfortable. A lot of tennis shoes don’t provide good support and those one-size-too-small boots you borrowed from your cousin are going to rub. Blisters or a twisted ankle will swiftly ruin the fun.

That being said, I don’t think you necessarily need to go out and buy a new pair of hiking boots. I wore a pair of wool hiking socks and my broken-in Doc Martens on my first backpacking trip and had happy feet the entire hike. Similarly, my friends that I mentioned above wore their tennis shoes on our 10-mile, two-day hike and they felt fine. If you are questioning your footwear, grab your backpack, put a few lightweight dumbbells inside and go for a walk on the treadmill or around the neighborhood.

13. What should my gear budget be?

The right gear is essential to having an enjoyable first backpacking trip. That being said, you usually get what you pay for with gear.

I’d plan on spending $120-$200 on a backpack, $100-$150 on a sleeping bag, around $100 on a sleeping pad, and anything from $100 up for a tent.

Resist the urge to cut corners by getting knock-off gear on Amazon. Instead, see if your local retailer has their own private label brand (for example, REI stuff is often much cheaper, but just as high quality), last-season’s sale items, an upcoming promotion or any gear swaps coming up. I like to consider myself the queen of shopping garage sales and gear swaps that I found on Meetup or Facebook. Patience is required, but walking away with a $500 Big Agnes tent for $24 seems worth the wait.

Here are some Big Four gear recommendations that fit within the price ranges I mentioned above and are great for your first backpacking trip and beyond.

Backpacks:

• Unisex Osprey Porter 46L Backpack for $140
  • The Porter is a standout backpack. The 46L model is the midsize version but it also comes in 30L and 65L models.
• Unisex Osprey Variant 52L Backpack for $200

Sleeping Bags:

• Unisex Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame Sleeping Bag (synthetic, 20F/-6C) on sale for $81.75
• BEST NEW GEAR WINNER: Unisex Mountain Hardwear HyperLamina™ Spark Sleeping Bag (LW and synthetic, 35F/1C) 25% off at $165
• Unisex North Face Aleutian Sleeping Bag (LW and synthetic, 20F/-7C) for $108.95

Sleeping Pads:

• Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Sleeping Pad for $44.95
  • Yes, it’s cheap, and it works. At some point in their backpacking career every adventure seeker has probably owned this bad boy. I personally bought a Therm-a-Rest for my first backpacking trip before upgrading to a Sea to Summit.
• Big Agnes Air Core Ultra Sleeping Pad for $59.95 – $109.95 (depends on size)
• Sea to Summit Comfort Light SI Mat Sleeping Pad for $99.95 – $129.95 (depends on size)

Tents:

• The North Face Stormbreak 2-person Tent for $158.95
• REI Co-op Half Dome 1-person Plus Tent (that means there’s a bit more wiggle room) for $179
• MSR Elixir 1-person Tent for $199.95

14. How do I know what else to pack for my first backpacking trip?

Try to keep it simple for your first backpacking trip: 2 pairs of sock, 1 pair pants, 1-2 shirts, 2 pair of underwear, a high quality jacket, sleeping base layers, a hat, sun screen, toilet paper, a cooking stove, fuel, water, and dehydrated backpacker food will get you most of the way there.

Depending on the type of backpacking trip you are taking – and how long you will be gone – you may need a few other essentials. For example, if you are camping in the fall or early spring, a down puffy jacket will keep you cozy. If you are in humid climates with mosquitos, bug spray will keep the locals away. Make a packlist based on the questions above, have a hiking friend review it and start packing.  

Because I can’t be the discount queen if I don’t find you discounts, here are a few sales on on some clothing:

• Smartwool Sale – pick up those socks and wool base layers!
• 25% off all packs and sleeping bags at Mountain Hardwear
• Up to 40% off Columbia jackets

15. Is there a secret to getting all this in my backpack?

Yes and no. Chances are, you have too much, even if you’ve carefully pared down your packlist. People usually say to line everything up and get rid of ¼ to ⅓ of what you have.

After that, get ready to channel Mary Poppins. Start by packing the heavy things, like a stove and fuel, first. They will go toward the bottom of your backpack and give you a better center of gravity. Then, put your tent, stakes, sleeping pad, food, clothes and toiletries in. Instead of folding your clothes, roll them military-style. This will give you more room. Finally, put your sleeping bag in a compression sack (I love the Sea to Summit stuff sack series) and stuff it into the bottom compartment of your backpack.

Et voila!

16. How heavy should my backpack be?

This can range anywhere between 5 and 50 pounds, but you should aim to keep it as light as possible. Backpackers talk in terms of “Base Weight” or all of your gear, minus food, water and fuel (since that varies greatly based on dietary needs, distances, personal preference and weather). There are three levels: Ultra light (UL), which is a base weight of under 10 pounds; Light weight (LW), which is under 20 pounds; And standard, which averages around 30-40 pounds.

If that sounds light to you, you’re not wrong. When I join people on beginner backpacking trips, it’s common to see that they’ve overpacked by using up every free inch of their backpack. Just because the space is there, doesn’t mean you need it! Try to keep your fully-packed set up to 40 pounds or less.

17. What should I wear?

What you wear is just as important as how much you pack! Like many things, this depends on weather, elevation, time of year, sun exposure and your personal preferences. You can never go wrong with a pair of UV-resistant leggings (for women) or loose-fitting hiking pants (unisex) with a short sleeve t-shirt or light-weight long sleeve sun shirt.

Clothes made of synthetic, sports materials or wool are best because of their ability to strike a balance between warmth and breathability. They are often antimicrobial, quick dry and have built-in UV protection. All things you may not think about for a short first backpacking trip, but that you will appreciate on longer hikes!

18. What’s on the menu?

Keep it simple for your first backpacking meal with prepackaged, dehydrated meals. Before you turn up your nose, hear me out. These have come a long way over the years and made specifically to be lightweight, compact, full of protein, and easy to make. All you need to do is pour boiling water inside, let it sit for a few minutes and eat straight out of the package. You can get breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. And they aren’t boring, unidentifiable meals, either. I’ve had some delicious guacamole, mushroom risotto and berry crumble!

In addition to that, I bring some protein bars and mixed nuts for the day. I love food. And I have a very serious hanger problem. So I never hike far without having some PROBARS, GoMacro bars and Larabars (sign me up for anything peanut butter flavored!) stashed in my hip belt…

19. How much water should I bring for my first backpacking trip?

You’ll need water to cook, have coffee, clean your dishes and, of course, drink during the day. It’s better to err on the side of caution. Most backpacking water bladders (the thing that sits inside your backpack or camelback) are measured in liters. I’d bring at least 2-3 liters for your first backpacking trip. Once you know how much you like to drink, you can start to change this up.

You can also look at forums online to see if the trail you are hiking has a water source or arid weather.

20. Where will I go…uh….to the bathroom?

In the forest like the bears! For a lot of people who are going on their first backpacking trip, this can be one of the more surprising and sometimes unpleasant things. But we all do it!

When nature calls, find yourself a nice rock or tree to duck behind. Make sure you are at least 200 feet (about 70 steps) away from any water source and check for any poison oak, cacti or other devilish vegetation. For number two, you’ll be expected to dig a hole with an awesome backpacking trowel and cover up your deposit. You’ll also need to make sure you have a way to carry out the TP you us. I like to carry Ziploc bags in a bigger canvas clutch. It’s not see-through and it’s airtight.

Just when you thought you didn’t need a lesson in how to go to the bathroom outside, the experts proved that you didn’t truly think of everything before your first backpacking trip!

21. Where does my trash go?

Just like your TP, you will carry all your other trash with you. This is so so important to keeping our trails, forests, deserts, and all of Mother Nature in tip top condition for the next adventure traveler to enjoy. To be a responsible outdoorsman or woman, it’s important to learn the seven Leave No Trace principles before you leave for your first backpacking trip.

In short, pack out what you pack in. That includes food waste, personal hygiene products (you should look up all-natural, vegan options for soaps, sunscreen and bug spray to ensure you aren’t polluting the ground or water when you rinse off) and even biodegradable packaging.

Aside from leaving nature how you found (or better – I pick up trash along the trail if I see it), you’ll also be making sure you aren’t creating any unwanted attention from hungry wildlife. Speaking of….

22. What wildlife will be in the area?

This is important for your safety but also for your enjoyment. Knowing in advance that you are walking along a trail with rare birds or bison or monkeys (hey, I hiked in Costa Rica!) helps you prepare to have your eyes peeled and your camera at the ready.

And, if those animals be of the dangerous variety – like bears or rattlesnakes – it gives you the opportunity to do your research. Hiking around predators can be a safe experience (not to mention how cool it is to see a bear grazing in a meadow), but it’s vital to know what to do with your food, what to do in case you encounter one on the trail, or in the event you are attacked.

23. What will we do when we aren’t hiking?

Sit back and relax, my friend! Your first backpacking trip should be all about having a great time. See if you can find a lake or stream for some wild swimming, a off-trail you can explore after you’ve set up camp or some interesting terrain to explore. The hike that inspired this blog post included scrambling through slot canyons and exploring mountain top caves.

Another tip? Bring a book or journal. I do my best thinking in nature.

24. Will there be phone service and/or wifi?

Let it be a pleasant surprise if there is. Plan your route with a portable GPS or a physical map and enjoy being off grid. Even if your first backpacking trip is only a mile or two into the woods and you still have service, turn your phone off anyway. Or put it on airplane mode to use just the map and camera features.

Shame on you if you take a call on a backpacking trip. Please go back to #23.

25. Where do we camp at night?

A primitive campsite or…anywhere! This is what I loved most about moving from car camping to backpacking. For backcountry hikes, you can set up your tent anywhere and call it home for the night. If it’s your first backpacking trip and you aren’t quite sure whether your hike is considered “in the backcountry,” just check on the park website to see what the wild camping rules are.

If it’s not allowed, the park will have maps with clearly marked campsites they want you to stay at. Sometimes they have pit toilets, garbage cans and even water.

26. What kind of arrangements need to be made to get to the trailhead?

This is another question that came up on the beginner backpacking trip I recently took, because the trailhead was a few miles in from the paved road. It was only accessible by a high-clearance 4wd vehicle.

Double check the parking and accessibility of the trail you chose for your first backpacking trip. Also confirm that your route is a loop that ends where you originally began. Otherwise, you’ll need to arrange to have someone pick you up.

I can’t tell you how happy I was that the ladies that asked these questions excitedly dove into their first backpacking trip. They were some badasses and prove that you don’t need years of experience to enjoy nature.

I sure hope both they and you are now convinced to join the fold of outdoor enthusiasts and adventure travel junkies that I’ve met since ditching my own high heels for hiking boots a few years ago. I’m of the belief that there need to be more women out on the trails and that no one – man, woman, child or somewhere in between – should avoid going on that first backpacking trip because they think they are afraid to ask questions and look inexperienced.

We all had a first backpacking trip. Let yourself enjoy the process of learning how to prepare for it and be amazed at how freaking neat nature is.

And if you have some questions of your own – ask away!  

**Disclaimer: I partner with some of the brands mentioned here and will receive a bit of compensation if you shop through my links. I truly believe in and rely on the brands mentioned. And I reached out to them because I love their stuff and hope you will, too!

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