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This is part #2 of the Backpacking Tips for Beginners mini series. If you’ve missed part #1, it’s right HERE.
The backpacking tips included here are strictly basic and targeted at a backpacker that has little to no experience. We’ll define each one on a more detailed level later in additional posts, but let’s just give you an overview of the most important backpacking tips for your safe venture.
Choose proper clothing
Let’s start our backpacking tips with the tips on clothing needed.
One of the most important things you really should not forget is choosign the proper clothing for backpacking. Depending on your chosen backpacking style, carefully consider the type of clothes to add to your survival bag. Don’t make any assumptions and strictly pack for specific weather conditions.
Remember, you don’t know when the situation will occur or how long you’d have to survive in the outdoors. You also don’t know how the temperatures will change during backpacking, nor how much rain you will have to sustain. So, always pack clothes for different kinds of weather.
Also, make sure you add some warm clothing to survive the possible cold and also the right boots to get through the rain or move around rocky or moist terrains.
If possible, pack clothes that are easy to wash and dry, such as polyester and nylon fabrics. In the outdoor, it’s not very likely that you’ll have the possibility to wash your clothes very often, so durability and good feeling are also very important.
In your bag you should try to include at least
nylon pants,
t-shirts,
a sun hat,
underwear,
sandals,
a breathable jacket,
a puffy vest,
gloves,
synthetic socks,
a warm hat,
rain pants,
hiking boots or running shoes.
Then, add important equipment for backpacking such as multi-purpose tools, a manual can opener, a compass, local maps, a survival knife, a whistle, a signal mirror, and some duct tape.
You see, the backpack you’ve chosen has to carry all that, which is why it’s important to choose wisely.
Remember that backpacking to survive the outdoors involves ensuring safety for yourself and your loved ones. So it’s probably a very good idea to learn some basic self-defense skills and how to protect yourself from all manner of attacks, including human and animal attacks. Self-defense also builds confidence, helps you work on your balance, and improves your physical health. It’s important to identify the best self-defense weapons and get comfortable using them, then, carry at least one such tool in your backpack.
Some of the weapons to consider are steel batons, tasers, a tactical pen, a tactical whip, pepper spray, self-defense knives, a biker whip, or even a twenty-gauge shotgun (mind the laws, please…).
The right kind of food for backpacking
One of the backpacking tips we have most to do with regards food. Since you don’t know how long the emergency backpacking will last, you better pack enough food to cover several weeks. Even months, if possible. The next few lines should give you a few backpacking tips that will point your thinking in the right direction.
While choosing, you must focus on non-perishable food that will last you longer. Make sure you have enough to cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the chosen number of days. You must be careful to ensure you get all the important nutrients even during survival situations. So, add variety and always have a combination of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Add ready-to-eat and easy-to-open foods in small packages. This makes it easy for you to prepare your meals without worrying too much about gathering firewood for cooking. Small packages also make sure you’re not opening too much, having to throw it away later.
As an idea, some of the items to include are noodles, dried fruit, granola bars, pancake mix, dehydrated meals, and beef jerky.
Canned foods can last longer but they also add considerable weight. So, try to avoid them or only pack enough to cover a few days. That way, your pack won’t be too heavy and it will be much easier for you to carry around.
Create a meal plan to make it easy for you to determine what foods to buy and what foods to avoid. Your meal plan should cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every day planned.
Or, if you are worried about too much weight, you can plan for two meals and have only healthy snacks for lunch. You can have hot oatmeal or a cooked entrée for breakfast, joining it with instant coffee or tea. So, include dried cereal, tea bags, or an instant coffee mix.
Healthy snacks to have for lunch are – for instance – nuts, bagels, dried fruit, and chocolate bars. Always focus on high-calorie, high-protein foods to boost your energy levels, because you will need it for backpacking in the wild.
When thinking about dinner, focus on all-in-one meals that simplify cooking, but ensure you get all the nutrients you need. For example, rice entrees and packaged noodles.
Remember that it’s mandatory for you to have access to clean water during survival situations. Because of the sheer weight of packed water that is not really suitable for backpacking in larger quantities, the chances of running out of packed water are high. You will probably have problems carying enough water to last, and you simply can’t know how long you have to stay in the wild. So, you should rather buy a quality water filter and add it to your pack. It will enable you to use any small creek you find in the outdoor to refill your stock quickly.
A quality filter will remove all impurities from your water, such as parasites and disease-causing bacteria. The taste of water and odor will also be improved, resulting in better quality water and making your backpacking trip much easier alltogether. Don’t ever use water as-is, because you risk contracting illnesses if you don’t use a filter.
The main things to consider when buying a water filter suitable for backpacking are weight, size, filtration speed, ease of use, and flow rate. You can also add water purification tablets to boost your immune system, prevent diseases, ensure hydration, and resist organic spoilage.
Medical and First Aid Kit
During survival situations and backpacking through the wilderness, various medical emergencies are more likely to happen then during normal times. You or your loved one may suffer injuries or get infections. If there’s someone with a severe medical condition, you’ll have to know how to offer help before a health professional arrives.
That is why it’s important to learn basic first-aid and have a first-aid kit included with your backpacking plans. You can easily prevent severe injuries, treat infections, and possibly save a life.
Add the essentials in your kit that will help you offer the help that’s needed. Some of the supplies to include are
4 adhesive bandages,
3 antiseptic wipes,
½ roll of medical tape,
safety pins,
scissors,
tweezers,
antibiotic treatment,
eye shield,
gloves,
pain relievers,
and prescription medicines.
It’s also very welcome to learn CPR to avoid panicking during an emergency backpacking. If you know what you are supposed to do, it will be much easier for you to offer the help that’s urgently needed and prevent the situation from worsening. This way you can avoid brain damage, help maintain blood flow to the heart, and save a life.
During backpacking, prioritize sanitation and add toiletries and trash bags to your survival backpack. Carry a toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen, soap, bathing towel, cotton swabs, shampoo, and other personal hygiene products.
Remember to always consider weight when choosing your supplies and only carry the most essential items. Don’t include any supplies that you won’t use or ones you don’t need because they will take up space and make it difficult for you to carry the backpack.
Communication
While discussing backpacking tips, either for emergency cases or simple sport, one thing is equally important to mention: a working communication device that will not let you down when needed.
During times when emergency situations drive you backpacking in the wild, possibility of communication is extremely important. You have to remain in touch with your loved ones that are not with you, as well as stay up-to-date with current situation.
If natural disasters forced you to leave your home and escape in the wild, you have to keep up with the latest news. This way, you’ll know what the situation is like, where to turn and when it’s safe to go back home. When you have communication devices and a medical emergency happens, you’ll be able to look for assistance or call for help.
So, include communication equipment in your backpacking gear, such as satellite phones, a portable solar panel, a charger, a hand-cranked radio, extra batteries, walkie-talkies, a ham radio, and a weather radio. Get comfortable using the communication devices so that when an emergency comes, you’ll be able to operate them. That is especially true for your ham radio, because you probably don’t know it yet.
Make sure it’s all functional and won’t give you problems when you need to use it.
Additional tools and gadgets
Add at least one power source for your backpacking lighting and communication needs. You can use it to keep predators away, provide light while cooking dinner, and cater to your various needs. You can buy a LED flashlight, a headlamp, or a solar lantern and extra batteries to keep your device powered up. When choosing, choose a flashlight that’s lightweight and fits in your backpack effortlessly. Make sure it’s waterproof, durable, and provides lighting for longer periods without getting recharged. Think about the recharging methods, because in the wild there will be no wall doses anywhere.
Add also a headlamp to carry out different tasks at night. It makes it very easy for you to perform tasks with both hands that require a moveable light. Make sure you have a solar-powered lighting source, because it’s easy to recharge and ensures lighting at night. Plus, you don’t have to worry about keeping the device powered up because it can easily generate power from the sun so you can recharge it during the day and use it throughout the night.
Of course, add matches for making a fire for cooking, heating water, and staying warm. You can also add a pack of candles to provide lighting in case your lighting devices run out of power. It may just save you in the situations you can’t possibly know right now.
Conclusion – Backpacking Tips For Beginners
You’ve come to the end of our post about backpacking tips for beginners. If you’ve found something that we missed, or even present in a wrong way, please let us know. We’re on a lookout for mistakes all the time, but they happen.
The basic backpacking tips as described in this mini-series can serve as a beginner’s info when deciding to put together an escape plan. Many things are missing, at least for an experienced backpacker or hiker, but it’s not targeted to them anyway. The main point is to give a newbie some backpacking tips that can help him/her to start thinking in the right direction. If we’ve acomplished that, we’re very happy. And we’re immediately throwing in the last tip, suitable for every occasion.
Whatever you do, don’t start panicking just yet. Rather than that think about what you might need in a case of emergency and think about how to carry all of it if you have to move through the wild, alone, in the dark. It will all be much clearer if you start thinking this way. In no way should you underestimate the nature. Once you’re in the wild, there are rules that you’ve probably never even heard about in it’s entirety. But there’s really not much need to fear it and panic in advance, because by using info above, you’re well equiped to start planning and avoid the most common mistakes people often make.
By that alone, you’re in the top 10% of people that have the best chances of survival in critical situations.
Need more backpacking tips?
We’ll certainly come across more backpacking tips you can use, and we’ll promptly add them here or in new posts if needed. Check regularly so you don’t miss it.