5 Backpacking “Tricks” to Use

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Backpacking and hiking can be difficult – not only on your body and your feet, but also on your mind when you’re sick and tired of moving. Thankfully, being in the outdoors doesn’t have to always be so uncomfortable – or so tricky. Here are five backpacking “tricks” you can use to enhance and improve your experience.

1. Bring rain gear.

Rain gear is simple and lightweight – all you need is something water-resistant just in case it rains. For many people, this might be packing a poncho, but anything that is water-resistant and lightweight should work well. You don’t want to get caught in the rain and have all of your stuff soak through – remember to cover your backpack or fanny pack as well. Keep a close eye on the weather forecasts to help you prepare for rain, but always be ready in case the weather unexpectedly goes from sunny to rainy quickly.

2. Bring Gold Bond Medicated Powder.

This can do wonders for the feet and will help you lift your spirits after a tough time out on the trail. If you’ve been hiking or backpacking a while, you’ll know the need to treat your feet well – they’ll be doing much of the work on your journey. The better you treat them, the better you’ll feel overall.

3. Don’t over-pack when you put food in your bag.

Many people want to cover themselves for emergencies, but they also add weight when they do this. A rule of thumb is to keep your backpack under 40 pounds. If you’ve been a backpacker for quite a while and notice how you always bring home extra food, it might be wiser to take other emergency supplies like first aid or water instead.

4. Go on trial backpacking trips to make adjustments.

You may think it’s great to bring a miniature coffee grinder with you on a backpacking trip, but you also might find that the device simply doesn’t work as well when you’re using it in the wild. These are the sort of things that only experience can teach you, so build that experience by going on short hikes and seeing how you fare. Cut out what you don’t need and emphasize what works out there. Keep track of what you’ll need to improve before you head out the next time.

5. Bring a compass.

You may think your sense of direction is keen, but if you get a good compass and know how to use it, you’ll want to make sure that you’re actually being accurate. A compass will tell you where you can head; bring a map along with you as well so that you know which directions will take you where.

Photo Credits: pfly

Are You A Backpacker?

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

When we think of the term “backpacker,” we probably get a particular image in our heads: someone walking solo through Europe, going from town to town after graduating from college and hoping to discover something about themselves.

Okay, maybe our image of the backpacker isn’t that specific, but we do know one thing: being a backpacker isn’t limited to the profound. Backpacking is also about integrating hiking and camping into one enjoyable, relaxing activity that helps you get out of the world for a few days and cut loose. Spending the occasional weekend on a backpacking trip doesn’t mean you’ve mentally checked out; instead, it means you’re simply recharging your batteries.

With that in mind, ask yourself a few questions to determine whether or not you have the personality of a backpacker, and you’ll understand in a few minutes whether you have it within you.

-Do you function well alone, or at least feel the yearning to get away from things?

You might have a busy and active social life, but sometimes taking “time off” doesn’t only refer to work. Spending a day or two camping by yourself can be totally reinvigorating, especially if you’re used to the hustle and bustle of a highly active social life. If a break from “people” sounds as welcoming as a break from work, you might want to spend a weekend backpacking, if even just to try it out.

-Do you enjoy camping?

You don’t need to enjoy being alone to be a backpacker; often, you can spend a backpacking trip with a friend or loved on. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, you come to another question: how much do you really like camping out under the stars. To some people, the novelty of sleeping directly under the clouds or under a tent is refreshing and welcoming. To others, they can only think about how many canisters of bug repellant they’ll have to bring. If camping out without breaking the bank sounds good to you, you might have the personality of a backpacker.

-Do you want to learn self-sufficiency?

Sometimes, you don’t need to be predestined as a backpacker; you can develop those skills by backpacking! Learning self-sufficiency is a great skill, especially to people entering college or the work force. For you youngsters who want a taste of what it will be like to depend on yourself for your livelihood, a simple “one-weekend trial” can be a big step forward.

Do any of these personality types sound like you? If so, consider giving backpacking a try. You’ll enjoy your own cooked food, clear summer nights, and sometimes a more developed relationship with a loved one.

Photo Credits: Mat Honan

Three Essential Survival Tips for the Lost Backpacker

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

So you’re enjoying another fresh summer day in your extended backpacking trip, well used to the sounds of trees whistling in the wind and the sound of leaves and branches under your feet. You’re both a backpacker and a hiker these days, enjoying the feeling of the sun on your neck and having little else to worry about. Until you reach a strange new spot, look at the ground under the feet, and realize that you’ve lost the path.

What do you do now?

Here are three tips to remember if you ever get yourself into a situation in which you feel like you’re lost.

1. Get seen.

It’s tempting to continue on with your backpacking trip like you aren’t lost, as if following the woods you were walking through will somehow lead you back to the path you were on. But you need to get seen, especially if you’re in an area that has a relatively high level of human activity. You want to get seen not only to be seen but to see – many times by getting in a clearing or on a higher elevation, you’ll be able to scope out your exact situation. Sometimes, simply “getting seen” at a good vantage point can give you a reference that leads you back to where you were headed.

2. Don’t panic.

If you’re lost for the first time in your life, you might not be sure how to handle it. So the body reverts to its old fallback option: panicking. You want to avoid this. Why? The more calm, assertive, and relaxed you are, the better you’ll be able to function. As soon as you start playing doomsday scenarios in your head, you’re beginning to find ways to make those scenarios happen. So cut them off right away and ask yourself empowering questions like “okay, what’s my next step? Where can I go?” Just taking that first step can clear your mind and get you feeling calm again.

3. Believe in survival.

Survival experts across the world point to your mental attitude as being one of the most crucial elements to any survival situation. After you’ve stopped yourself from panicking, you need to take an empowering attitude that opens up your mind to the right possibilities. Do you believe you’re going to get home? If you don’t, there won’t be much sense in trying – at least to your mind. But if you do believe it, you’ll work for it, you’ll persist, and you’ll eventually find a way to make it happen. Make sure that you do – and believe that you can.

Photo Credits: andrew.petro

Essential Gear for the Consummate Backpacker

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

When you’re a backpacker or a hiker who enjoys long jaunts through undiscovered territory, it goes without saying that you need to pack light. When you’re traveling solo, there’s no additional aid or transportation: just you, your feet, and gravity. Because of this need to stay light, it helps to narrow down the few essential items you’ll want to bring with you on your next backpacking trip.

• A Water Filter – Bringing a water filter, especially as you travel along a lake, river, or stream, will be greatly beneficial. Why? It reduces the excess energy you’ll have to spend preparing to filter water while keeping you adaptable. After oxygen, water is the most essential compound we need to get our bodies going: do you want to be ready when your bottle runs out?

  Keep in mind that many water filters are not very heavy. They might take up a little more space than you’d like, but the trade-off is more than worth it.

• Proper shoes/boots – Since you’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet, you won’t want to break in a new pair of shoes or boots the moment you decide to go backpacking. Instead, you’ll want some comfortable shoes that have already been broken in, and shoes that you know you can rely on after all of the wear and tear that walking in the wild is bound to bring them. Having your feet well taken care of is also an integral way to keep your spirits up well after you have started your backpacking trip.
• A Swiss Army Knife – We all know about the practicality of a Swiss Army Knife, so why is it so especially important that you bring one along with you while backpacking? Putting the practicality aside, a Swiss Army Knife is tiny, lightweight, and won’t take up the kind of space some of your other tools will. Some people even clip their knives or include them on their keychain. Besides, you never know when it will come in handy.
• The proper “living” equipment – If you’re backpacking out in the wild and plan on spending more than a few nights out under the stars, you’ll need to remain both comfortable and warm. Both are integral to getting a good night’s sleep, which will be even more important when you’re out backpacking throughout the day. Bring a small, lightweight sleeping bag that covers your body and traps heat well, as well as a pan for cooking.

When filling your backpack, keep these essential items in mind so you know what to be prepared for – and how to pack it light.

Solitude vs Socializing: Which is Better for Backpacking?

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Many people who have gone on backpacking trips have done it to learn more about themselves – they want to get out into the world, into nature; they want to discover who they are by bringing themselves and only themselves into the world with them. But not everyone takes this approach. Some people take a friend or travel in groups, and find that backpacking trips can be just as transformational and life-changing that way. So which way is better, and which way should you approach your backpacking trip? Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Going Solo

Advantages: Going solo is a big investment in your personal growth. By exposing yourself to the world with you and your wits, and nothing else, you literally force yourself to become more independent. You grow up a little. And you learn that you can meet challenges that you didn’t think you were capable of overcoming. Many people go solo simply because it provides this amount of self-discovery.

Going with Friends

Advantages: Going with friends can add a buffer against some of the dangers of backpacking, giving you support when you need it and help when no one else would otherwise be there. Bringing friends along on a backpacking trip also has the benefits of giving you a shared experience; it’s one thing to view the stars over your head while a fire burns by yourself. It’s another thing when you and your friends can share that story forever.

Disadvantages: Having a buffer is great. But it can also handicap you. If you’ve never been by yourself before, perhaps that’s exactly what you need. Being on your own can build independence and self-reliance, while bringing your friends would only buffer you against from those kind of personal growth experiences.

What type of backpacking sounds good to you? Ultimately, of course, it’s up to you. But if you know what you want to get out of your backpacking trip – personal discovery or simply some good times – you have a head start and know which way to lean.

Photo Credits: justinjohnsen

Finding Light Gear For Your Backpacking Trip

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

There are two ways that you could potentially remember your backpacking trip. You might remember the peace that comes with solitude, the connection with nature that comes when you remove civilization from your life and head out under the sky. You might remember the stars over your campsite each night, and how it brought about deep questions about your life. Or, you can remember how uncomfortable the experience was, how heavily your backpack weighed you down, and the blisters on your feet.

Needless to say, we want to avoid the latter backpacking trip. Which is why it’s so important that your backpacking gear be as lightweight as possible – the more it can get out of the way of your experience, the better. It’s one thing to pack one lightweight item, but once your supplies add up, you realize just how quickly twenty pounds turns into forty. If you want to make sure that you carry as little weight as possible, you’ll have to consider all over your supplies and their impact on your traveling weight.

What supplies will you want to consider?

The North Face Ion 20 Backpack weighs under two pounds and has a suspension system and molded foundation that provides for comfort. The less backpack you’re carrying, the more supplies you can bring: that’s the idea behind a backpack like the Ion 20.

Other features include a rain cover, a front “stash” pocket, and water-friendly options. Needless to say, you’ll want a backpack like this if you’re interested in staying as comfortable as possible during your backpacking trip.

MSR DuraLite Classic Cookset. This cookset registers at over half a kilo or just over a pound (20.6 ounces, to be precise), which means that you won’t have to notice that you’re carrying so much cookware. If you plan on having some nice hot meals at night before you rest, you’ll want to make sure that you have a set of cookware that is lightweight.

Remember that backpacking doesn’t have to be all about the supplies. Instead, you’ll want to make sure that your supplies simply stay out of the way as much as possible. The experience is about you, not your supplies, which is why you shouldn’t let them weigh you down.

Photo Credits: kevindooley