Hiking is undoubtedly one of many people's favorite outdoor activities, but it can become a very demanding hobby on a physical level. One of the most important things to make them more enjoyable is to better prepare the backpack. Taking only what you absolutely need will allow you to have more fun by reducing the weight you carry around.
Steps
Step 1. Make a list of all the things you may need on the excursion
Don't skip things thinking you'll remember them when it's time to leave. Include everything you get surely need, and even what you could need.
Step 2. Follow one of the basic rules:
if you can't decide whether or not you need something, you probably don't need it. Instead of carrying an extra heavy flashlight, bring a second set of batteries for the one you already have.
Step 3. Bring a backpack
Whether you buy it or borrow it, adjust it for your build. When full, all weight should be on the hips and sacrum. The braces are used mostly to keep it straight and to keep it close to the back.
Step 4. Reduce the weight and volume of food by taking mostly dehydrated foods with you
Avoid getting too much raw meat, especially for longer hikes. Choose foods that are high in calories, but try to eat foods from different groups. Eat lots of carbohydrates and proteins. Since you will sweat a lot, make sure you are getting enough minerals. Most food packages are bulkier than necessary, and less airtight than you would like. Before leaving, repackage your food by putting it in airtight (zip) bags.
Here are some suitable foods: oats, granola bars, nuts and dried fruit for breakfast; baghel, hard cheeses, crackers, nutella, salami, raisins, nuts and apples for lunch; pasta, macaroni and cheese, couscous, instant black beans and rice, instant soups, ramen and Mexican quesadilla for dinner. Don't forget the dessert; the puddings and cookies are always delicious
Step 5. Buy a tent that fits your needs
Avoid excesses, you would carry unnecessary superfluous weight with you. A two-person tent will be enough for two people; don't be tempted to buy a bigger one anyway. Bring a sleeping bag and mat to insulate yourself from the ground and stay warm. If you don't want to carry a pillow, fill a sack with clothes and use that.
If you can, borrow the tent. Make sure it has a rain cover and is closed underneath. It is preferable that it is a small and light tent. There is no need to have more space than you need to accommodate your bodies while you sleep, as the rest of the stuff will stay outdoors. If you are going to a place with rocky terrain, bring a tent that can stand without the use of pegs, as they may be impossible to use
Step 6. Check on the map how far away the points where you can store water are, and determine how much water you will need between the various points
Two liters of water might be enough for a cold day but, in the hottest regions, you might need as much as 7 liters. You should be able to find water in the camping areas where you will pitch your tent or from natural sources such as rivers and lakes. Use water purifying tablets or filters, in case you were sourcing from nature, no matter how clean that water seems to you. Make sure your water sources are reliable. Some may be dry during dry spells or in the summer months. If in doubt, call the forest ranger responsible for that area.
Step 7. Wear the clothes you feel most comfortable with; there is no dress code for hikers
Bring something suitable for rain to face rainy days (a k-way will not be enough in these cases; focus on a jacket and a special pair of trousers). Hiking boots will protect your feet and ensure adequate support for your ankles. Buy heavy wool or synthetic fabric socks to match, and consider using under-socks (other thin socks to wear under wool socks; they're made of polypropylene or nylon) to prevent 99% blisters; avoid cotton! In colder or rainier areas, cotton is bad! It attracts moisture, is slow to dry and insulates very little. Fleece, polypropylene, olefin, thermax and coolmax are certainly more suitable materials for these uses.
Step 8. Buy a titanium or aluminum pot with Teflon non-stick coating
Make sure it has handles, preferably plastic coated, to avoid burning your hands, or even buy something to grab it safely. Make sure the pot is large enough to allow you to cook everything at once.
Step 9. Bring a regular flashlight or one of those headlights with you so that you can use it with your hands free
Step 10. Bring the fire bait with you
An excellent bait is the lint that forms in the dryer filter. Cotton wool and newspapers work too, but lint mixed with vaseline is the perfect bait. They will ignite immediately, and will burn very intensely. Bring something to create sparks and light a fire even when you're out of matches, and stock up on waterproof matches. To waterproof the matches, soak a few ignitable matches anywhere in the melted wax of a candle. Disposable lighters are also OK.
Step 11. When packing your pack, put heavier items like water, stove and fuel, poles, pegs and food in the top of the pack, and near your back
Put lighter items, such as a fleece, mat, and rain gear on the bottom, away from your back. Put bulky things, like the sleeping bag, on the bottom, close to the back. Some backpacks have a special pocket for sleeping bags. In this case, beware that these pockets could let water pass through the zip, so if you decide to use them be careful not to get the sleeping bag wet. Medium-weight items, such as tools, clothes, food and tent, can be placed either on the top, away from the back, or on the bottom, attached to the back. In the external pockets put the various objects that you must always have on hand: map, compass, knife, flashlight, matches etc. Make sure you bring a garbage bag or two with you to use for collecting the waste you produce and for storing wet clothes.
Put your clothes in a closed garbage bag. Put the heavier things on top, close to your back. Keep your rain gear, snacks and a whistle in an easily accessible place. Use zip-lock bags and bags galore to keep things organized. Keep all things that smell might attract wild animals in the same place, so you don't forget them in case you get rid of them soon
Advice
- Put everything in separate plastic bags; they are almost impenetrable to water and have almost no impact on the total weight and volume. To save even more space, remove all air from the zip bags before closing them. Doing so will not guarantee vacuum sealing or airtightness, so don't use this method to store perishable foods.
- Bring extra socks with you. Having wet feet is terrible.
- Unless you plan to camp in the height of summer and at high altitudes, buy, or borrow, a mummy sleeping bag with a feather filling. The main differences between the down and synthetic ones is that the down ones, when pressed, take up less space and are lighter, with the same characteristics, but, if they get wet, they are very slow to dry and, in the meantime, would be useless.. If you face conditions where you risk getting wet, make sure your sleeping bag is well protected, or consider purchasing one with synthetic padding. In any case, it should be certified to withstand at least -1 ° C. Mummy sleeping bags have a hood that extends over the head and allows you to close it so that only the nose and mouth are exposed to the outside.
- Remember: Whatever you bring with you, you will need to carry it with you throughout the excursion. TRY NOT TO WEIGH THE BACKPACK TOO MUCH!
- If the temperature is over 15 ° C at night, you can also bring just blankets or sheets. The tent will already keep you warm on its own. When you pack your sleeping bag, put a garbage bag inside the bag to store the sleeping bag in. Put the sleeping bag inside and fold out the part of the garbage bag that comes out before tightening the drawstring of the outer bag. This is a very important step if you want your sleeping bag to stay dry.
- For women: if you have to carry sanitary napkins and the like, put them in plastic bags to prevent them from being damaged by water. You will also have to think that maybe you will need an extra bag to put the used ones, since you will hardly find a place to throw them.
- Remember: don't go crazy and take only what you really need with you.
- Try bringing items that can serve a double function - an extra T-shirt or fleece, for example, can also act as pillows.
- On your first hikes, follow trails with enough water points; it will be harder to get lost this way.
- Dress in layers, it will keep you warmer and, if it gets too hot, just take something off.
- Use squeezable bags for bulkier items, such as clothes, tents, and sleeping bags. They will save you a lot of space.
- Buy the lightest tent that fits your budget. Choose it based on the shape, not the square meters. Don't be afraid of high prices, a good tent can last for years. Just pick one you like, and always keep in mind that you'll have to carry it around for quite a while. Before taking it with you on a hike, set it up in your garden a couple of times, so that you can do it even in the dark or in the rain. Also see if your local camping shop has special mats made to keep the bottom of your tent dry. If the answer is no, buy a simple plastic sheet. Don't forget that you can always use a hammock. It is light and has minimal impact on the environment. Just remember that you will need more insulation below you due to convection.
- A rubber mat will prevent you from feeling the rocks that are under your tent and will insulate you from the cold ground. If the temperatures are low in the evening, the mat will be essential. The padding of your sleeping bag will compact due to your weight, so it will only isolate the upper part of your body. If you have money to spend, there are self-inflating mattresses, such as the American Thermarest NeoAir and the ProLite line, but it certainly cannot be said that they are the lightest option. If you settle for something cheaper but not as comfortable, the RidgeRest from the American Thermarest are not bad, even if they are not self-inflating mattresses. The advantage is that they are extremely light. If you are a minimalist, you can also use a piece of the cone sponge used for packaging.
- If your backpack has a hip strap (it should always have one), put the heavier things on top and the lighter ones on the bottom. Doing so will prevent the backpack from staying too far off your shoulders. The hip strap's only function is to shift the weight from the shoulders to the stronger leg muscles, so there is no need to distribute the weight in such a way that your shoulders are comfortable - don't waste time doing this.
- Once all your gear is in your backpack and you have filled all the water bottles, check that you weigh less than 1/3 of your body weight, maybe even less than 1/4.
- Buy a GPS device. Not only will it help you orient yourself, but it will be invaluable for getting around at night. You will only need a map where to read your coordinates.
- Learn to move using just a compass and map.
Warnings
- Do not overdo it. Just because you have no problem walking 10-11km on the flat doesn't mean you will be able to tackle climbs and descents with an 11kg backpack on your back.
- Unless you are very experienced, always take at least one other person with you on your outings; it is the safest thing.
- Make sure someone always knows where you are. Leave your itinerary and contact information for the ranger with a friend or family member, and clearly explain when to call and what to say.
- Avoid wearing jeans and other cotton items. If cotton gets wet, it loses its insulating properties, and takes a long time to dry. If it's hot, it will make you feel uncomfortable and sticky. In winter, however, it could kill you.
What to Bring Behind
List of things to add at the last minute, including frozen meat for first meals and last minute items to buy on the street
- 1. Food and meal plan for all days of the excursion
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2. Everything you need for cooking and eating:
- Bottles of water (two one liter bottles each will do)
- Camping stove and fuel (lighting a campfire is illegal in some areas, and it is not recommended to do so in dry, arid places anyway)
- Meal kit (bring only what you need)
- Pot for cooking and any utensils you think you might need (just avoid carrying too much!)
- Spoon (that's all you need, no forks and knives. Make sure it's plastic and not metal, as it's much lighter)
- A glass and a cup (make sure these are also plastic. A plastic container of the ones with a lid will do just as well)
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3 Everything you need to sleep:
- Awning - including poles, bottom and rain cover
- Sleeping bag - able to guarantee adequate warmth for the conditions in which you will find yourself
- Mat (usually made of sponge, to isolate you from the ground)
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4. Clothes for X days (choose nylon, polyester and other synthetic fabrics - NOT cotton):
- Minimum 2-3 pairs of socks
- Extra pants - shortenable ones made of synthetic fabric
- Extra underpants in synthetic fabric
- Long and short sleeved shirts
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5. Varied equipment for outdoor living - take it with you on every excursion:
- Waterfall
- Knife
- Rain gear
- Fire baits / matches (waterproof)
- GPS / compass
- Map
- Mobile phone (only if it has field where you will go)
- Whistle
- First aid kit with blister patches
- Headlight or flashlight and spare batteries
- 15-30 meters of light rope (skydiving is perfect, make sure it is synthetic and that it is 1 cm or less thick, otherwise it would be too heavy)
- Insect spray (not needed during the winter)
- Sunscreen
- Toilet paper
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6. Extras you may want to take with you:
- Camera
- Mini binoculars for birdwatching
- Sun glasses
- Bandana (not strictly necessary, but can be used to protect yourself from the sun in desert conditions, or even as an emergency filter)
- Fire bait (resin-soaked wood, gunpowder-soaked cloth; or you can find natural bait where you're camping. Birch and red cedar barks work best. Make sure you get it from multiple different trees., not all from the same tree! With birch it is all intuitive, but with cedar you will have to split the bark until you have a soft skein of spherical shape so that it can take air as you turn it on)
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7. Hiking equipment:
- High quality backpack in the right size and with a horizontal buckle at the hips
- Durable hiking boots or walking shoes
- Hat with a wide brim, to protect you from the sun and rain
- A waterproof cover for your backpack. Make sure it's big enough to also cover all the gear you have in your outer pockets. Alternatively, use a backpack poncho to make sure everything stays dry.
- Big garbage bags - but don't think that they can also take on the double function of protecting you from the rain in an emergency, as your arms would remain uncovered and cold air would enter smoothly.
- Bag and string to hang an envelope that can attract and distract wild animals.
- NOT jeans - heavy cotton can lead to hypothermia and kill you if it gets wet.
