Five Things I’d Tell My First-Year Backpacking Self

Most of what makes a first backpacking trip miserable is stuff nobody bothers to say out loud, because once you know it you forget you ever didn’t. Here are the five that come up most.

Your pack is probably 15 pounds too heavy

Almost everyone overpacks the first time. A decent rule: if you haven’t used it by noon on day one, it doesn’t come next time. Leave it in the car and see whether you miss it.

Cotton really does kill

The saying is a cliche because it’s true. A wet cotton base layer on a 50F night is how a trip that was never supposed to be dangerous turns into hypothermia. Merino or synthetic, every time.

Water sources are everywhere until they aren’t

Study your water before you go rather than on the trail. Running out is miserable. Running out six miles from the next source in afternoon heat is a different category of problem.

The first mile is the worst mile

Your pack feels unbearable for the first twenty minutes, then your hips take the load and you stop thinking about it. Don’t make decisions about your kit during that twenty minutes.

Afternoon storms don’t care about your plans

If you’re going above treeline, be there in the morning. Aim to be at camp by early afternoon in summer. The mountain will still be there tomorrow.