I WISH I KNEW SOONER - Backpacking Tips for Hiking

Three Backpacking Tips I wish I Knew sooner as a beginner and a seasoned backpacker. It took me years to learn these things about backpacking, and I wish someone had told me a lot sooner. Whether you are a beginner backpacker or if you have been doing it for years, I believe these hiking tips can help you be a better backpacker.

0:50 How Much Weight You Carry Is Important
2:00 Don't Obsess Over Weight
2:47 Tailor Your Gear to Your Hike (Not Your Hike to Your Gear)

Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Subscribe to my Channel:

Subscribe to my Blog:

Connect on Social:

Camera Equipment I use:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no addition cost to you.

[RJKYEG]

I only wish that I had started earlier in my life, but I am happy I started.

[fearsomefawkes]

A thing that I don't think gets talked about enough is long-term health in relation to pack weight. If you backpack a lot, and want to do it for a long time, you're going to want a lighter baseweight. As a fat guy, trust me, the more weight you carry the harder it is on your body. If you want your knees to still let you backpack when you're 50+ you're going to want to find places to cut weight. You don't have to go ultralight, but you also don't want a 50lbs baseweight.

[flowerconstancy]

Lifelong hiker. Recently began using hiking poles. They help in lots of ways. I find I hike faster. Great for rocky and tricky descents.

[Smartskaft]

Getting a pair of quality boots.

I was outdoor and hiked a lot in my youth, but my parents did not have that much money for gear. So I grabbed what I had; cotton shirts, jeans and more importantly, sneakers. When it was wet, I just put on a pair of plastic bags over my socks. It got me through years of happy days and nights outdoors.

When I became 18-19 I bought my first pair of boots. It changed my life. It's still my main boots after more than a decade. They are my most beloved possession, and I always smile wholeheartedly when I push down my feet into them.

Nothing will stop you, if you keep your feet dry!

[MyLifeOutdoors]

What (about backpacking) do you wish you knew sooner?

[DoseofDirt]

Love these 3 tips from the future! The video was awesome! I thought that was the flux capacitor in the thumbnail!!
I would tell myself to bring a hammock (nothing better than an afternoon nap in the hammock after a big day hiking) and also to use trail runners! Two things I wish I would have started doing sooner!

[renaecummings]

I watch alot of backpacking videos. Your channel is very well produced and I can’t wait to see even more content.👍

[paulreineck]

I've learned these lessons the hard way. More recently, I'm finding that water, then food are the heaviest components in my pack. How do you determine the RIGHT amount of food and water to take? In some of my climbs, there's no access to water until we return. And food is energy required to get yourself from a to b and back to a. Sweat management is obviously a big component of water, but so is breathing hard. If you're working hard, you're also burning more calories. That means more food. I feel like I've got a good system, but that can get easily messed up. And I can get nervous about running out of water and food.

[GIRLplusDOGAdventures]

Loved point # 3! Best way to defend why I have 7 pairs of different hiking or backpacking shoes or boots.

[KirstenBayes]

My advice to old me would be carry a personal shelter. Even on sunny fun days. A tent down in the valley, I discovered, won't do much for you up a mountain.

[DaveOffGrid]

Great b-roll, great analogy, great jokes, great video! Really enjoyed it! I totally agree weight isn't everything and you shouldn't change up your hike to fit your gear but the other way around. I wish I knew everything about the more experienced gear that I now own and wasn't sure I was going to purchase when I first started out. It's almost like a right of passage going through multiple pieces of the same type of gear before settling on what you really like.

[ShortGuysBetaWorks]

Nice quick one. I like your point about weight. I like to think of weight like currency, just like the money I spend to buy the gear in the first place. Am I willing to spend the weight to have the functionality with me? To your point #3, sometimes, yes, if it is right for my objective.

[tameraa.]

Great tips for future trips. Thank you

[nedanother]

truth be told what I wish I knew sooner had to do with sleep pads. As I sit here and look into my gear closet I see a "reactor" sleeping bag liner next to about 3 different sleeping pads. The original "self inflating" thermarest. I got zero sleep. So I moved to the 4" thick insulated Big Agnes Double Z...It was like a jumphouse, and I got no sleep. Then I moved on to the Nemo Tensor insulated. It did get holes and is now a shorty but I'd still say its great...and I got SOME sleep. I got some sleep because I was into maybe my forth season and just got used to sleeping outside. I wish I had remembered that even at home in my comfy bed, sleep is hard to come by....so yeah, in the beginning get one of the front runners in sleeping pads and just stick with until you get used to it. Save the money to buy a cuban fiber something or other.
PS I have no excuse for the liner...I was young. Cheers all

[dovinsveto]

Advise: Have fun .. bring what makes you happy .. Youtube has this thing that makes creators force content .. good or bad .. 5 days with the wrong stuff isnt going to kill you ..

[TheNotLostNomad]

Great tips! I haven’t weighed my stuff in years...it may be time to reevaluate!

[ALIVE-Company]

I’ve been reading Bushcraft 101 by Dave Canterbury! You should go over the five Cs of backpacking

[gregmortonoutdoors]

The one thing I wish I would have done is watched videos before buying a single piece of gear. I could have saved so much money over the years.

[ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Great video! Loved the back to the future reference. Nice tips. New follower here. Crow✌️

[FNHot]

Easy solve, upgrade from a car, to a truck. I deadlift 495, squat 405, bench 315, and bicep curl 135. For personal fitness, but what keeps me going, is knowing Im outdoors all summer. A 40 lb pack is what I give my mother. Mine is 90lbs, and I travel 6-10 hours a day.