Your Epic Guide to Backpacking: Tips for Beginners

Ready to ditch your phone for a few days and become a wilderness legend? Here’s how to go from zero to backpacking hero without totally embarrassing yourself.

Why Backpacking Is Actually Amazing (Trust Me on This)

Okay, so sleeping on the ground sounds terrible. And those Instagram posts with perfectly arranged gear? They make it look way more complicated than it needs to be. But here’s what I learned after my first trip (which was kind of a disaster, honestly) – backpacking might be one of the most epic adventures you can have.

Sure, it’s camping. But camping where you actually earned your spot instead of just pulling up in your parents’ SUV.

You disconnect from all the drama. Social media can’t reach you when you’re miles from cell towers. Your body gets pushed in ways that might surprise you. And you come back with stories that’ll make your friends jealous – assuming you survive to tell them, which you probably will.

It’s also way cheaper than most adventures once you get started. Though that initial gear cost? Yeah, we’ll talk about that.

Step 1: Pick Your First Adventure (Don’t Go Crazy Yet)

Choose Your Season Like Your Life Depends on It

Summer (July through September) seems like the obvious choice for beginners. You get warm weather, long daylight hours, and fewer things trying to actively kill you. Spring and fall can work if you’re thinking desert backpacking – mountains still have snow that can mess with your plans. Winter? Just don’t. Seriously. There’s a reason experienced backpackers wait years before attempting winter trips.

Find a Trail That Won’t Destroy You

AllTrails is probably your best bet, though sometimes those ratings can be… optimistic. Google “best beginner backpacking trails near [your city]” and look for specific things:

Distance: Five to seven miles total sounds reasonable. That’s maybe two to three hours of actual hiking with a heavy pack, assuming you don’t stop every ten minutes to catch your breath.

Elevation: Less than 1,000 feet of climbing per day. This might not seem like much, but add 30 pounds to your back and suddenly those hills feel like mountains.

Water access: Pick somewhere with a reliable lake or stream. Carrying all your water for multiple days gets heavy fast.

Trail difficulty: Well-marked trails where getting lost requires actual effort on your part.

Here’s the thing though – if you can’t comfortably handle a regular day hike to the area, backpacking there is probably not the best idea. Just saying.

Step 2: Get Your Gear Game Together

The Big 4 (These Are Non-Negotiable)

You need four things: shelter (usually a tent), a sleep system (sleeping bag, pad, and something for your head), a backpack bigger than what you take to school, and a stove for food that doesn’t completely suck.

Everything else? Nice to have, but not essential for surviving your first trip.

Don’t Break the Bank

Before you blow three months of part-time job money at REI, consider this: you might hate backpacking. It happens more often than outdoor magazines want to admit.

Borrow gear from that outdoorsy cousin everyone has. REI rents stuff – their rental program actually makes sense for beginners. Facebook Marketplace and REI’s used section can be goldmines if you know what to look for. Starting cheap means you can upgrade later when you actually know what you like.

Your Actual Shopping List

Tent: Get a two-person tent even if you’re going solo. Trust me on this – the extra room makes everything better. Look for “3-season” tents. Four-season ones are for people who climb mountains in blizzards, which hopefully isn’t you yet.

Sleeping Bag: Synthetic fill appears to be the better choice for beginners. It’s cheaper than down and still works when it gets wet, which it probably will. Get one rated ten to twenty degrees colder than you think you’ll need. Temperature ratings on sleeping bags can be… generous.

Sleeping Pad: Don’t even think about skipping this. The ground is cold, rocky, and generally unforgiving. Inflatable pads pack smaller but can develop holes at the worst possible moment. Foam pads are basically indestructible but take up half your pack.

Backpack: Something in the 50 to 65 liter range should handle a weekend trip. Make sure it actually fits your torso – getting measured might feel awkward, but it’s better than a weekend of back pain.

Stove: Canister stoves are pretty much foolproof. Get one that screws onto those small gas canisters you can buy anywhere.

Clothes That Actually Work

Cotton kills. Literally. Well, maybe not literally, but it stays wet forever and makes you cold when you least want to be cold.

Base layers in synthetic materials or merino wool work best. Quick-dry pants and shirts for hiking. Some kind of puffy jacket or fleece for when it gets cold. A waterproof jacket at minimum – rain pants if the forecast looks sketchy.

Your regular hiking shoes are probably fine, assuming you have hiking shoes. If you’re still wearing Converse everywhere, we need to talk.

Layering is like having personal climate control. Learn it, love it, live it.

Step 3: Food That Doesn’t Suck

The Lazy (But Smart) Approach

Freeze-dried meals from outdoor stores work like this: add boiling water, wait, eat straight from the pouch. They taste better when you’re actually hungry, which you will be. Get one “2-serving” pack per meal – those serving sizes were clearly calculated by people who’ve never been hiking.

The Budget Approach

Regular grocery stores have plenty of options. Instant mac and cheese becomes gourmet after a long day on the trail. Instant oatmeal for breakfast. Energy bars and trail mix for when you’re dying between meals. The fancy ramen (not the 25-cent stuff) actually works pretty well. Bagels and peanut butter are classics for good reason.

Don’t Forget the Other Stuff

Pack way more snacks than you think you need. Hunger hits different when you’re backpacking. Water treatment tablets or a filter – even crystal-clear mountain streams can make you sick. A long spork that works for everything. And rope plus a stuff sack for hanging your food, because bears might be rare but raccoons and mice are basically guaranteed.

Step 4: Actually Prepare (This Part Matters)

Test Everything at Home

Set up your tent in the backyard. Figure out your stove before you’re miles from help. Sleep in your sleeping bag at least once. Pack everything into your backpack and see if it actually fits.

Do this stuff before you’re standing in the wilderness wondering why nothing works the way the YouTube video promised.

Get in Shape (Sort Of)

You don’t need to become a fitness influencer. But you should be able to hike whatever distance you’re planning with extra weight on your back. A few practice hikes with your loaded pack will tell you if your ambitious plans need adjusting.

Plan Your Trip

Popular spots often require permits, sometimes months in advance. Check the weather forecast, though it’ll probably change anyway. Tell someone reliable where you’re going and when you’ll be back – this isn’t optional. Download offline maps to your phone because GPS can be spotty.

Step 5: On the Trail

Setting Up Camp

Flat ground away from water – at least 200 feet, though judging distances in the wild is harder than it sounds. Look up for dead trees and branches that could fall. Think about where water would flow if it rains. Use existing campsites when possible to minimize your impact.

These rules make sense until you’re tired and just want to stop hiking. That’s when good judgment becomes important.

Staying Safe

Hang your food properly. Bears get the headlines, but raccoons and mice are the real food thieves. Purify all water, even if it looks clean enough to drink. There’s no shame in turning back if things go wrong – experienced backpackers do it all the time. Keep your headlamp within reach because you’ll need it more than you expect.

Actually Enjoying Yourself

Turn in early, wake up early. Sunset and sunrise in the backcountry can be magical, assuming you’re awake for them. Download podcasts or books offline for tent time. Take photos, but maybe put the phone away sometimes too. Pack out everything you brought in – leave no trace isn’t just a slogan.

Real Talk: What to Actually Expect

It won’t look like those Instagram posts. You’ll probably be dirty, tired, and smell like campfire smoke mixed with hiking sweat. That’s completely normal.

Weird noises at night? Usually just small animals doing their thing. Stay in your tent unless there’s actual danger, which there probably isn’t. Your first night of sleep might be rough – bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper.

Food tastes incredible when you’ve carried it on your back for miles. And there’s something pretty satisfying about hauling everything you need to survive on your own back. It’s more badass than it probably sounds.

Common Beginner Mistakes (Don’t Be That Person)

Packing too much is the big one. If your pack weighs more than 20% of your body weight, you’ve probably overdone it. Testing new gear on a big trip never ends well. Ignoring weather forecasts because “it’ll probably be fine” – it won’t always be fine. Going too far too fast because you want epic photos. Forgetting to tell people your plans because you feel like you’re being paranoid.

These mistakes happen to almost everyone. Learning from other people’s errors might save you some suffering.

Next Level Moves

Once you survive your first trip without major disaster, longer adventures start to make sense. Three to four days feels completely different from one night out. Different terrain – desert, mountains, coastline – each has its own challenges. Learning navigation, first aid, or advanced cooking techniques can make trips more enjoyable. Joining hiking clubs connects you with people who share this particular form of insanity. Solo backpacking is a different experience entirely, though maybe not for trip number two.

The Bottom Line

Backpacking isn’t just about getting cool photos for social media, though you’ll definitely get some. It’s about discovering you can handle more than you thought. Seeing places most people never will. Having adventures your friends might envy, assuming they don’t think you’re slightly crazy.

Your first trip will probably be messier than you planned. You might forget something important or struggle more than expected. But if you’re anything like most people, you’ll also start planning trip number two before you even get home.

The mountains aren’t going anywhere. But your motivation might fade if you wait too long.

Ready to actually do this? Start researching trails near you and make a realistic gear list. Your future wilderness-savvy self will either thank you or wonder what you were thinking.