From Noob Camper / Backpacker to Pro - Vital Camping & Backpacking Tips To Get You Started

my friends welcome to this episode of the outdoor gear review I hope you all are doing well this is a backpacking Basics episode and in this episode you're going to find a ton of tips must know tips for camping and backpacking tips for beginners and also newbies don't worry about the terminology my friends because everyone begins at the same place at one point in time everyone's a beginner everyone's a noob it's okay when it comes to being calm cool and collective in the outdoor it's important to realize that it's time and experience that's going to help you achieve such confidence again everyone begins at the exact same place everyone's a beginner everyone's a noob everybody has questions everybody feels anxious nervous all of these feelings are completely natural and you will work through them as you spend more time in the outdoors the first thing that I want to talk about is selecting a location to go camping and backpacking at let's talk about getting your feet wet as the saying goes when you're deciding on where to go for the first time I personally believe that it's important to select an easy location to access a location where you could spend more time at Camp setting up your gear learning techniques rather than hiking potentially the longer backpacking and Hiking Adventures can come in the future to begin with start close to your vehicle that way you can focus on Camp chores setting up your gear staying out at nighttime that way you can work through the worries and concerns that you have those that are logical and those that are illogical those that are conscious and those that are subconscious you may be wondering what does Luke mean by conscious and subconscious worries and concerns you have to keep in mind that humans have vivid IM inations and because of this often times our concerns our worries our fears don't always make sense they're not always logical that's what I'm talking about so working through all of those issues the concerns that you have that make sense and those that don't that's what going out and getting your feet wet is all about plus you have that safety Factor you're not far from the car maybe the car is right next to you that's okay with time comes confidence and with time comes a clear head when it comes to your concerns and worries the benefits of these easier Adventures is that you get to spend more more time in Camp as I mentioned before you get to learn about your gear and trust me it will take some time to learn how your gear operates and as you continue to do this you'll get quicker and quicker and more proficient with your gear the very first time that you go about setting up your Camp it may take you hours and that's okay it's all about learning about your gear it's all about learning techniques setting up your tent setting up a tarp getting a fire going so on and so forth when it comes to these initial destinations to consider here are some tips to help you along the way first I highly recommend that you consult someone who's more experienced than you are get some ideas off of them find out about Trails or campgrounds that will work for you you can talk to friends you can go online social media Pages you can talk to people at Outfitters and don't be afraid to call Park offices as well talk to Ranger districts ask questions next folks I highly recommend that you pick a location that's close to home I would suggest this for your first couple of trips that way you could spend more time in Camp than driving and so on going back to what I said previously setting up camp can take a long time so you want to give yourself plenty of daylight hours to do so you don't want to be setting up your camp in the dark especially if you have little experience under your belt I would suggest trails that are close to home campgrounds that are close to home maybe Walkin campgrounds parks and so on I personally believe that campgrounds are a great place to start that way you can have the vehicle close by it could be Pack full of gear Pack full of food and it will lower the stresses that you have the concerns the worries that you have and also you can pack the vehicle full of everything that you think you're going to need you have to consider this folks as an inexperienced Backpacker camper you're not entirely sure what you're going to need so having your vehicle packed full of gear that's a great way to begin learning you'll see what's important and also what's not important if you plan to hike into a location again making the distance shorter is vital especially when it comes to carrying your heavy Loadout hiking with a heavy pack is going to slow you down and it's going to be more difficult so again it's important on focusing on shorter duration shorter distance hikes to begin with if you do plan to do a hiking trail make sure to learn all about it I would recommend a trail that has very little elevation gain especially if you haven't done much hiking with a heavy load out if you don't plan to go to a campground and you're doing a short distance hike pack that backpack full of everything that you think that you're going to need everything that you think that you're going to want bring those Comfort items again it's all about experience in the forest experience at the campground experience with your gear you may not know what's important but you will time and experience will teach you this to begin with you may want to select well-traveled and wellestablished campgrounds or campsites even if those sites will have other people around you that's okay you can build upon their experiences and even make some friends if you want to additionally having people nearby can be comforting that's especially true if you have worries and concerns when you're out alone next everybody I would highly recommend that you make sure that there's water near Camp or near your campsite if there's water nearby you don't have to worry about that aspect and you can focus more on camping learning techniques and so on next folks this is a big one I would highly recommend going out on only very calm Pleasant days go out when the weather is perfect and this only makes sense camping in storms and even in rain is an entirely different camping experience so do your best to camp in calm conditions to begin with build up to the more extreme stuff with that being said though you need to make sure to plan for the conditions that are possible even if the chance is low for rain you need to plan on it so make sure to check out the weather forecast and plan accordingly now everybody I'd like to go over some points that you need to consider when you're thinking about the location that you're going to select as far as a campground goes or a backpacking trip with a campsite you need to know the distance from the trail head to where you're going to camp at learn the conditions of the trail and what to expect what landmarks are present are there water sources present what are the forecasted weather conditions and also what about wind and rain or maybe snow this knowledge is going to assist you with the proper clothing that you're going to pack that you need to pack for this trip for the first handful of trips that you're going on make sure that you have good cell phone service wherever it is that you're going that way if you have any sort of issues you can call for help if you plan to do any sort of hiking trail make sure that you get yourself a good map or at least a good map on your phone do you need a Compass well the question is can you use one can you use a paper map if you have no idea how to use a paper map or a compass there's no point to bring one luckily we have excellent technology these days so download a map on your phone and learn how to use it it's not that difficult there's plenty of programs out there that really make this sort of thing easy there's an app called all Trails it is an excellent program for not only discovering campsites hiking trails and so on but you can see pictures of the trails you can learn of the weather conditions the conditions of the trail you can download Maps it will GPS track and a whole lot more now folks that's not a plug for the app it's just an excellent app I use it all the time and at the same time it's very user friendly it's not complex at all so anybody could use it I should mention that it does require a membership for many of the features but that's to be expected for any trail that you're planning to hike and camp on you need to know what is required from you is there a trail login do you have to get a permit these are things that you need to know before you even leave the house additionally my friends this is equally as important as all of the other points you need to know what sort of wad life is possible for you to encounter ranging from bugs the snakes the animals speaking of which if you're going into an area that has black bears do you need a bear canister always make sure to check what is required for the trail that you're considering also you need to make sure that you pack the proper gear clothing food and water for the adventure that you're going on and I'll talk more about this in just a second one point that I really really want to make here when it comes to like going out on backpacking Adventures let's say that you're not going to a campground for your first Adventure you're actually going to do some hiking and go to a campsite this is really important everybody and I want you all to pay attention Nature has a way of punishing mistakes and this is especially true when you're inexperienced that's why it's so important to plan plan plan and don't worry about overpacking right as you need to make sure that you have everything with you to cover all of your needs again as your experience grows you will be able to carry less and when emergencies pop up when things happen you'll know how to handle those situations with what you have as an inexperienced Backpacker and camper you're not expected to know everything you're not expected to be able to handle everything so if you have more Gear with you you will have more options you will be safer so don't worry about overpacking to begin with pack it bring it with you go on a short duration hike if you're doing a backpacking trip and you'll be in good shape now folks let's take a second here and let's talk about gear let's focus on gear this is part three of this tip episode for any Adventure that you're going on you need to make sure that you have the proper gear and that includes not only gear but I'm also talking about clothing I'm talking about your power needs personal hygiene and so on with that being said here are some of the most important items that you need to make sure that you have with you for any sort of Adventure if you're going out on a backpacking trip you will need a comfortable backpack a backpack that is capable of carrying everything that you plan to bring with you I highly recommend that you bring a tarp with you not only for sun protection but rain protection as well tarps offer incredible protection and they can be used in many different ways including as a backup if you have a faulty tent and if an accident happens and your tent shelter gets torn or maybe even a hole gets melted in it things happen so you need to make sure to be able to cover your bases and a tarp is an excellent piece of Kit that's lightweight and very versatile to carry with you next everybody you need a sleeping bag that's going to keep you warm at the forecasted temperatures this topic could be made into its own video but I need to say this there's a lot of budget gear out on the market a lot of it is good but when it comes to your sleeping bag this is an item that you should pay good money for a sleeping bag is not a product that you want to go cheap on you want to make sure that you're getting good quality with a realistic temperature rating there's plenty of bags out there that say like 0 degree that won't keep you warm at 40° so make sure that you're spending your money on a good product a product from a legit company with a good reputation next you will need a sleeping pad as this is going to keep you comfortable as you're sleeping you will need a stove you will need fuel for that stove you'll need a pot a cup or a pan you will definitely need Cutlery you'll need food snacks water speaking of water you're going to need bottles or a bladder and a way to replenish if you're going out for a backpacking trip you will need to know how to treat that water and there's many different ways that you can go about this and there's many pros and cons with each of those methods in addition to the gear that I've mentioned already you will also have some additional clo clothing with you extra socks maybe an extra shirt insulation layers rainwear and so on also you will have your emergency items and what I call the additionals I'm talking about a first aid kit with items that you know how to use there's no reason to carry a chest puncture kit if you have no idea how to use them I know that sounds ridiculous folks but I've seen people carry all sorts of stuff and that's especially true when it comes to First Aid some people just go crazy with it most people do not need a lung puncture kit that's ridiculous I have literally seen one of those out on the trail I kid you not you need a way to start a fire and I'm talking about a lighter you need some fire starter so you can get a fire going even in wet conditions you need a light source such as a headlamp you need some additional cordage to make repairs you can use this with your tent you can make a shoelace out of it the sky is the limit as far as uses go you need a way to clean up at the end of the day and this may be as simple as a washcloth or some paper towels or it could be expanded upon depending on what you want to carry with you bathroom supplies power for charging your devices sun block bug spray sunglasses paper towels for cleaning up your cookware tooth brush toothpaste so on and so forth for part four of this episode let's talk about food for a second if you're out for a car camping trip take anything that you want with you pop it in a cooler pop it in the fridge you're good to go you can cook until your heart is content if you're going out for a backpacking trip that's when you need to start thinking about space and weight with that being said the majority of Backpackers are going to have freeze-dried meals packaged meals and so on very rarely do you see someone hiking around in the forest with the makings for a stew or a three course meal or something like that yes are some videos on YouTube of that but that's not realistic a lot of what you see on YouTube is complete garbage so don't believe everything that you see every ounce counts when it comes to backpacking and that's why freeze-dried meals package meals are so popular you can still have a really good meal but at the same time it's not going to weigh a lot and you don't have to spend too much time cooking it making it something else that I highly recommend is that you bring some extra food with you that's especially true if you're out for a backpacking trip when you're carrying that heavy backpack you're burning calories you may burn more calories than you real realize so you might have dinner and realize you're still hungry so it's always a good idea to have extra snacks extra food with you also what happens if you get stuck outside in the outdoors for an additional day you lose the trail you get stuck you get lost having some additional food is always a good idea additionally everybody you need a way to store your garbage also you need to think about the animals and predators that are in your area what are you going to do to lower the chances of any sort of interaction these are things that you need to consider be Bear Aware be animal aware and be smart before you go out for any trip I highly recommend that you get physically and mentally prepared let's talk physically first if you're going out for a backpacking trip and you don't have a ton of experience under your belt I highly recommend that you take some time getting accustomed to your load out load up your backpack with everything that you're going to carry on your backpacking trip and head out for like a day hike go to a short Trail and do some hiking around with that load out on see what it feels like on your shoulders on your waist learn how your pack is going to handle that load out do this over and over and over before you head out for your adventure that way you can condition yourself your body for the adventure that's to come at the same time doing this is going to teach you a lot about your backpack how to make adjustments how to get it comfortable for you also you will learn whether or not you're carrying too much more than you're capable of carrying with that knowledge you can dial in your Loadout and make any corrections that you need to by the way folks don't worry about who is going to see you with this big heavy backpack on a day hiking trail if anybody asks you tell them what you're doing and you move on you're out there for you you're not out there for anybody else additionally it's a good idea to begin working out before your first Adventure think about cardio and think about strength you don't have to do anything crazy nothing extreme all you have to do is get your body moving you're going to feel better feel stronger and these two factors are going to help you greatly when it comes to your adventure you're going to feel good and you're going to have a good time I do not recommend to anyone that they do anything extreme when talking about working out anything extreme is bad a little goes a long way and so does repetition as that's important to build muscle memory and also stamina now everybody let's talk about being mentally prepared for your adventure this can actually be more difficult than the physical aspect to get you ready mentally here are a few tips for you all to consider first off planning ahead can help you feel more comfortable as you're going to be more prepared for your trip make a list of everything that you need to bring with you research your destination check the weather conditions plan accordingly make sure that you have plenty of gear with you and make sure to make a detailed itinery to share with friends or family be prepared bring a first aid kit know how to use the items inside of it bring extra food make sure you have a way to gather extra water and also make sure that you have a map a GPS app something like that make sure that you can find your way out of the location that you're going to pack all of the Comfort items that you think that you're going to need and want make sure you're in a location that you have cell phone service that way you can stay in touch with loved ones friends and family check in let people know how you're doing and where you're at as far as your adventure goes talking about staying touch make sure that you have a way to charge your cell phone if you're in a location where cell phone service is not a thing make sure that you have some sort of GPS Communicator having that safety blanket when gaining experience is a great way to feel more comfortable in the outdoors next make sure you get as much sleep as possible stay hydrated stay calm cool and Collective even if something crazy happens right let's say that you see a beer you back away you get out of that situation and then you take a second breathe think plan and then act don't let your adrenaline make decisions for you because that's always a bad idea when it comes to doing your adventures over and over and over create routines for yourself routines are comforting an example of a routine is this as soon as you get to your campsite you immediately set up your tent every single time you get your shelter ready it's comforting actions like this that are going to be comforting by creating these routines you're going to feel like you have control over the situation and it's going to be comforting for you mentally next everybody as you're going about these Adventures you're going to be stepping further and further out of your comfort zone and that alone is going to empower you that's going to help you tremendously as far as your mind goes as far as your concerns and worries and fears go stepping out of your comfort zone is super important as long as you're doing so safely additionally everybody I'd highly recommend that you never compare yourself to anybody else when you see somebody else out on the trail you see somebody on YouTube do not compare yourself to them you are your own person your experiences are different the issues that you have are different everybody's doing their own thing focus on you and no one else in summary folks when it comes to the anxiety and the nervousness that you feel when it comes to your adventures to get past those aspects it takes planning it takes being prepared and it also requires you to step outside of your comfort zone remember to start small and build up your confidence and your experiences do so gradually and it's not going to be a shock to your system with the proper planning and mindset you're going to go out and have an amazing adventure that's truly rewarding are you going to make mistakes absolutely everybody does that's how it goes often times you're not going to learn until you make a mistake somebody can tell you a million times do this don't do that it doesn't count you have to learn on your own making a mistake is what truly educates you in the outdoors that is what is going to teach you the most you will gain an understanding of why this or that happened what you can do next time to prevent that from happening and that information is going to be invaluable my advice is to do your best to prevent making mistakes but embrace the mistakes that you make learn from them you can laugh about it later to yourself or with your friends and family remember everybody makes mistakes I've made just about every mistake Under the Sun and I can tell you some stories folks seriously the mistakes that you make might make you super mad in the moment but you'll laugh about them later if you follow the tips that I've gone over in this episode you will be on your way to gaining confidence and experiences in the outdoor that are both rewarding and safe you're going to feel more comfortable not only with yourself but out in nature I've shared a lot of information in this episode and in the future I will have more tip episodes to assist inexperienced Backpackers and campers my friends I have only touched the surface if you have enjoyed this episode hit the thumbs up it helps the channel a lot if you want to join the wolf pack you can do so on patreon or you can become a member here on YouTube additionally make sure to check out my second YouTube channel a quiet place Adventures you will find new adventures on that channel every single week just like Adventures that you find on this channel every single week but with one exception with a quiet place Adventures there's no talking it's a completely different sort of experience anyways folks I am done for now everybody take care be well strength and honor also be safe out there take care [Music] yeah [Music] [Music] sh [Music] [Music] w [Music] yeah

Channel: TheOutdoorGearReview

Views: 57,906

Keywords: backpacking tips, hiking tips, camping tips, Hiking and Backpacking Tips, backpacking skills, advanced backpacking, learning how to backpack, how to go camping, how to go backpacking, cold weather hiking tips, cold weather backpacking tips, winter camping tips, winter backpacking tips, winter hiking tips, how to stay warm in the winter camping, how to stay warm, how to fold a tarp, how to pack a sleeping bag, pro camping tips, how to camp, how to backpack

Id: KM3XucOMhK8

Length: 20min 26sec (1226 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 22 2023