5 STUPID but Common Beginner Backpacking Mistakes (learn from them)

More beginner backpacking mistakes, plus some of my audience makes fun of YouTubers and we probably deserve it.

👉 MY FAVORITE GEAR 👈

📷MY CAMERA GEAR📷

This video and description contains affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the product links, I'll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!

[kegotalbot]

a mistake I made once: not paying attention to elevation changes when planning a route. ie, that shortcut that took 3 miles off the route and wound up making it 10 times harder. those topo lines matter.

[freeheel]

Bring gear that has multiple uses to save weight. Cast iron skillet is also a water vessel, a hammer, self protection, a pillow and even a frisbee.

[happyfuntimereviews]

“You can only learn so much from YouTube.”
Best quote ever.
I watch hundreds of backpacking YouTube videos. However, I learn more about what actually works for me by getting out there and doing it.

[angustrek]

One thing I realised from my mini adventures trekking solo / and with others in Nepal, is how quickly things can go south. This happened to me as a beginner and also when much more experienced. There's definitely a high value in always maintaining a healthy respect for the environment and always keeping a small part of your mind on safety. I've been in idyllic situations and switched off a bit, took a few off the cuff chances with route finding (going for an interesting short cut or path) and found myself in situations that escalated into risky territory (very cold weather or chances of being seriously injured). One moment it's sunshine and complete peace, the next you're battling exhaustion, cold or off the path, lost in a tricky place. I live for being on the trail but never forget that things can turn in a moment.

[Gowalkabout]

The epiphany I came to understand is this: it doesn't matter how much a piece of gear costs, it only matters that it works (especially when you really need it)

[anthonyjohnson]

Not being prepared for the mental ups and downs of a long hike was my biggest beginner mistake. Tips and observations are still fun and useful though. They can definitely alleviate the mental stuff. Plus I can say that Bigfoot taught me how to use trekking poles.

[Templar]

My best piece of gear camping/hiking: a small notebook to write down during, all the crap I should have left at home and what I really wish I'd brought. Went back thru a few years of notes and kinda shocking now what I once thought useful and other things "how did I not know that was important to have?"

[michaelw]

The pole strap thing has another benefit… you can easily and quickly shift your grip so that the palm of your hand is resting on the top, allowing you to easily apply a lot more downward pressure than you can with the “pistol” grip. It’s a small thing but it’s super useful at times.

[collinmc]

When I look back at my first set up its hilarious. Nobody introduced me to backpacking I just always had the itch to do it. when I was 18 I went to a sporting goods store and bought everything I thought I needed. I left with mostly good gear that I still use now 14 years later. That said... I bought a back pack that was sized for children and spent three years hiking with this until I finally went on a hike with a friend and he was looking at my pack and was like.. you are aware you are using a childs back pack right? lol I gotta say it taught me how to pack my bag well. It only ever carried the essentials.

[spotsandstripes]

The reason you put hands up through the strap is so if you fall and let go of the strap the hiking pole drops away instead of breaking your thumb or ripping its ligaments ( skier’s thumb ).. it’s incidental that it provides more support when walking with it this way 😊

[kennethandrews]

I have been hiking now for 4 years and as odd as it may sound only learned the proper way to use poles last year by watching a video like yours. Thinking you can not learn something is a huge mistake when it comes to anything you do. I learned the hard way on a hike when I I was out on the Dockery lake trail going up to Preachers rock. I made it to where the Dockery lake end at the AT and took a break. I started to not feel well and thought I better turn back rather than continue on. 11 miles in, 14 round trip, I started getting sick and and lightheaded. Another mile and I was on the ground with severe leg cramps and a massive headache. I could not hold any water down. I learned from a video about electrolytes. I had never heard of needing to not just drink water. With the help of my wife I made it back to the car but was in so much pain she had to keep pulling over so I could lay down and cry and try to stretch my legs because they would not unbend. So I do believe they are helpful but also must be taken with a grain of salt as there are people putting out bad advice to unsuspecting people. One other thing I learned is to always take all your gear even on a day hike because accidents can happen, bad storms roll in you were not expecting and time can run out on you if your not paying attention and find yourself in darkness. So I say thanks to you and others that take time to help others that may not be all knowing whan it comes to hiking. Will try LMNT.

[anone]

Be prepared to make mistakes. Alot of the fun is in realising you have an issue, like blistering or a piece of gear you've forgotten, and figuring out a way to fix the problem on the fly. I once used oak tree bark in my boots to lessen the rubbing causing me blisters. I learned the hard way why you should set up your tent on a hill rather than in a dell. I was trying to avoid wind in a dell and ended up getting swamped by the rain and puddles.

[raezasan]

big problem over here (in Australia) is misjudging how much water you need. Out west you need at least 6L in summer, whereas over on the East cost you can get away with 2L. so you can literally screw yourself by carrying way too much weight, or get crazy dehydrated because there's no water source for another 50km. so I guess the mistake would be not finding out about the conditions before you go.

[oldunion]

+1 on the straps "up-from-the-bottom" method. The Cross-country ski method. uses your arms for propulsion with grip only for balance and control. I barely grip the pole in fact because you dont have to. Poles angle behind you like the Hiker Crossing street signs and generally don't wander out in front of you, the tips plant near your feet as you use your arms to push you along uphill. It's also why there's padding on some wrist straps placed for this method. Also when you fall you are less likely to sustain an injury with this method because the poles easily falls away and can move about if you let go, hence why downhill skiers use the same method. For downhills and navigating terrain downward or stream crossings. While it's safest to remove your wrists from the straps, the "up-from-the-bottom" method lets you quickly rotate your hands up and place your palms on the top of the grip as you navigate downward for better control and a more natural stance. If you havent tried this do it, it's a game changer. Lastly, "up-from-the-bottom" method makes briefly using your hands for other things then returning to the grips easier.

RE: alltrails, the hikers I help most commonly either have no map at all, or have alltrails and say they are on something like "Rob's Cool Loop" or whatever in the app. A user created loop that connects many different trails and doesnt actually exist on any map or in actuality. "Can you help me get to the parking lot? I am on Rob's Cool Loop"

[acidbubblebath]

"Not bringing a tent..."
Carrying a tent is a lot of extra weight but I did have to use it once when a shelter I planned on staying at was full. So yeah, you should kind of bring one with you.

Have a little story to tell...

This one group showed up at a shelter that me, my friend, and his father were staying at in the middle of what was a torrential rainstorm. All of their gear was soaking wet, none of them had any ponchos. None of them brought anything to cook their food with either because they were going to rely on campfires. Well, you can see the obvious discrepancy with this particular plan, not to mention that they brought bulky, heavy canned foods with no can openers either and only one of them brought a canteen. None of them had any water tablets or charcoal filters.

Anyway, we didn't go anywhere that day, no sense in getting soaking wet boots for obvious reasons. We did offer them to stay with us but for some reason they decided to press on. I hope they decided to go back home, they were clearly miserable. Anyway, this happened 30 years ago somewhere on the AT south of the Shenandoah National Park but north of Roanoke, VA. I unfortunately do not remember the precise location or shelter.

[katebender]

I've watched a lot of different backpacking YouTube videos over the past year and a half, and it did really help me get my first set of gear. After my first trip I only needed to swap out like 2 things, but other that than I was pretty happy with my stuff. Youtube is a great resource to get started, but I'm looking forward to Spring to get out there more!

[AEfernal]

As someone who bit the bullet and did my first trail this summer, I learned sooo much from that trip compared to watching videos. It rained the first 3 hours of our hike and soaked the back half of the trail(The trail was not brushed well at the final stretch and got our shoes soaked. Definitely be prepared for worst case scenarios but getting out there even if you think are fully prepared, you will still learn a lot. Our trail said the estimate was 7 hours both ways when in reality it took us about 5-6 hours ONE way and we got to our campsite with only 2 hours of sunlight left. The first 4 km were about 1- 1.5 hours then the next 3 KM were 3 hours. The elevation changes influence time a LOT, so do your research on the trail, bring extra socks and have fun!

[InOurElement]

Trekking pole straps...the struggle is real watching people use them wrong. 😂

[ketv]

1. I use poles "correctly." Use them how you like, but I'm more comfortable with hands-up-from-the-bottom, lean into the straps, just steer the poles with the fingers.
2. We're coming into the time of year when I've got a bunch of stuff outside my pack. Whatever traction gear (ice axe, crampons, poles, snowshoes, spikes) isn't in use, the shovel if I'm carrying one, and the second sleeping pad. (In deep winter a ground dweller needs two pads, and one of them has to be foam. You don't want a leak to be a survival situation). Oh, and the little flashing red light, against the possibility of a nighttime roadwalk. Of course, my pack has all the little doodads to rack that gear securely.
3. One of my pet peeves, too! I'm an old-school bushwhacko - I don't trust any navigational instrument that can have a dead battery.
4. One of my pet peeves, too! They can have my space in the lean-to. I don't like sleeping on rodent scat.
5. Definitely, listening to Kyle's videos is a common beginner mistake.

[SalmondOutdoors]

I love how Kyle while recording is usually trying to be semi serious, but post production Kyle looks up "ur mum's house", cracks me up 😂