Mistakes Backpackers Make | Backpacking Mistakes

hey Rev here and welcome back I want to talk today about some mistakes that Backpackers make so listen up pay attention and uh hopefully you'll avoid these mistakes when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail I'd been preparing for this hike for oh my goodness at least three years but even though I felt like I was very prepared as I went on my PCT Journey uh there were still some mistakes that I made and not only that but there was a lot of mistakes that I saw other Backpackers make and so today I want to talk about some of those mistakes and uh hopefully again that you'll avoid making those same mistakes when you go out on your through hike or section hike or just a A Day hike now if you're preparing for a through hike hopefully these things will help you out but even if you're not preparing for through hike uh these things will help you out on a section hike or whatever hike you do and so hopefully uh everything that I'll cover will be applicable to you and so let's get started one of the main mistakes that I see many uh through hikers and section hikers just hikers in general make is they're not physically prepared as they get out on the trail K had been doing a lot of uh uh section hikes and a lot of uh Shakedown hikes and just preparing for uh the hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and uh I'd also been going to the gym and working out at the gym not only with cardio but also weights as well but I saw a lot of hikers start off on the trail and uh had not done any preparation whatsoever and uh many of them could not even get to the first stop on the uh Pacific Crest Trail and so again if you're going to do any kind of hike whatsoever uh be prepared do some cardio uh uh do some walks up a hill go up uh stairs but prepare yourself before you go out and you'll eliminate a lot of uh physical problems uh like blisters uh pulled muscles uh stress fractures all kinds of things and so be physically prepared as you go out on your through hun another mistake that I see a lot of uh hikers make is they don't have their uh gear dialed in now again uh I had done a lot of preparation hikes uh with my gear and had tested it out but still when I went on uh the Pacific Crest Trail I found out quickly that uh food weighs a lot and water weighs a lot and when you carry those on your back uh it really does a number on your back and your shoulder muscles and things like that and uh so again make sure that you have your uh gear dialed in and so that you're not constantly uh swapping out gear for lighter gear and things like that now this next mistake I see a lot of uh hikers make and that is starting out too quickly uh it's not a marathon I'm sorry it's not a uh a dash a 100 yard dash uh to the Canadian border if you going northbound but it's a it's a marathon it's a longdistance hike it's a longdistance trail uh and even if you're uh doing a u a section hike uh you need to not push yourself so much on the first day just take it easy a lot of people just come right off the couch onto the trail and uh they have a hard time uh as they go hiking and and so take it easy uh and you can build build up to it you'll feel your muscles getting used to it and you'll get what's called your hiker legs and uh when you do then you can do more miles I didn't good night uh I didn't do you know 20 uh 25 26 28 miles a day uh at the very first you know I started off slow and then built my way up uh to those uh numbers and so again uh take your time at the very first don't start off very quickly or you're going to have some problem problems another mistake that I see uh hikers make in general is carrying too much stuff uh it seems like that uh uh hikers uh you know if they're back if they have a 62 liter bag they want to fill it up uh full of stuff uh but you don't have to do that uh you try to be as minimalistic as you can and that way again you'll avoid stress fract fractures uh uh rolled ankles pulled muscles and things like that and so don't carry the I was going to say don't carry the kitchen sink uh there was a guy that I hike with on the Pacific Crest Trail towards the end and his name was kitchen sink and oh my goodness he had a tremendous bag but he was a young guy and he could handle it and uh so again uh if you're an old dude like me you're gonna have to not carry the kitchen sink okay another mistake and that is to underestimate practice hikes again that is so important uh again when when I started out on the Pacific Crest Trail there was a guy that had never even put up his tent uh he he was out this was his first hike now again I know uh many people uh are successful in their first hike from what I understand Dixie uh did the at uh complete uh from one end to the other uh end of the trail and that was her first first through hike that was her first hike period And I I realized that that there's exceptions to every rule but but don't underestimate practice hikes get out there test your equipment out get used to being out in the wilderness and get used to uh being by yourself and being dark at night and eating and cooking your food and all that kind of stuff and so don't underestimate uh practice hikes and what they call Shakedown hikes and things like that now this next mistake I saw a lot of people uh make that was doing the uh PCT when I did it and that is uh not taking zeros now again if you get a late start uh in May or June whatever uh then of course you're going to have to really rush to get to Canada on time before uh the Snows come uh uh in Washington Northern Washington uh but if you're if you've got a normal uh start time and you're not rushed to finish uh then take some zeros and uh enjoy the trail towns that uh that you pass through a lot of those Trail towns are dependent upon uh the Commerce that comes from the hikers and so again uh you're a good Ambassador on the trail when you go into a trail town and take a zero and uh besides that uh when you get Rec recuperated your muscles get uh uh mended and healed and stuff like that then you can go ahead and get back on the trail and uh and take it uh then uh not have to rush so so quickly and so take zeros now don't take a lot of zeros and because you'll never make it to where you're going uh but uh take some zeros take easy uh take time to smell the coffee right or smell the flowers whatever smell something another mistake I see a lot of hikers make is uh not willing to adapt now what do I mean by that I mean that if a particular uh gear doesn't work for you uh then swap it out uh when you go into town and they have an Outfitter there uh buy another one ship ship the other uh gear back uh uh adapt uh to a better way of perhaps maybe uh cooking your food or adapt to a better way of hiking you can always learn don't be so uh bullheaded that you say well it's my way of the highway uh no you can always learn something uh man I I learned so much there at the end of my PCT through hike and I changed a lot of stuff out towards the end but again I was willing to adap apt a lot of Backpackers a lot of hikers are not willing to adapt and admit that hey there is a better way and so don't be like that and don't make that mistake another mistake that I see a lot of uh Backpackers make and and I I made this mistake and uh it almost really cost me my life uh but the mistake of not staying hydrated um when you're out in the uh wilderness and especially if it's hot and dry like the first part of the desert or the the desert and the first part of the PCT uh you're really thirsty and more thirsty than you think you are and uh I I got so thirsty on that uh oh it was the section uh past to hatch from to hatp to uh kenned Meadows it's it it was the Mojave Desert uh section and uh one time it got up to 114° and uh I had ran out of water I mean I just had just this much in the bottom of my one lit uh bottle and uh I I I I felt myself uh going into uh heat ex heat exhaustion and dehydration and I was wobbling on the trail and uh becoming very lightheaded all the classical uh symptoms of dehydration and uh heat exhaustion and uh as I was walking in I still had about 8 miles to go before a water source and as I was going down the trail and I turned a corner I looked to my left and underneath a Bush was a one gallon bottle of water now I I I couldn't believe it I Me Now call what you want call it coincidence or whatever I believe it was a miracle I really do because I would not have made it if I hadn't have gotten that that bottle of water underneath the bush it was there in the middle of nowhere and uh so so take this thing of being hydrated very very seriously especially if you're in the desert and even if you're not in the desert uh really make sure that you have enough water and that you stay hydrated now this next mistake that I see a lot of uh hikers make and I call it romanticizing the trail and uh what I mean by that is you need to realize that the trail is not all uh uh rainbows and unicorns as they say uh I mean you see these uh these YouTube videos of these hikers that uh do these longdistance trails and uh of course they only show you the good parts they never show you the parts where they slip down in the mud or almost fall off the mountain uh of course we don't show you those things you see but but they do happen and uh so when you get on the trail realize that it's not all uh fun in games sometimes you just have to uh as Darwin would say you have to embrace the suck I mean sometimes uh the rain uh oh my goodness when I was uh uh at the end of my PCT hike uh in Washington in the Cascades uh it rained constantly and not only that but it was a wet rain and everything was wet can you imagine getting up in the morning putting on wet clothes and then putting in your wet tent and then hiking for you know 10 11 13 hours and then getting into Camp setting up your wet tent getting out of your wet clothes and then doing that all over again and it it was it was exhausting really and and so don't romanticize the trail now again the the sights are just absolutely beautiful unless there's a lot of smoke because of the fires and uh even though you were looking forward to seeing Crater Lake and all you saw was just white smoke or or brown smoke in front of you and you couldn't even see the lake uh those are the things that I'm talking about and so again uh it's it's it's a beautiful Trail it's God's creation is is just unbelievable when you go out there but realize that it's not all going to be fun and games and so don't romanticize the trail and realize that uh uh that there's going to be some bad times as well as good times and then this last mistake that uh I see a lot of uh Backpackers make and I did it at the very first and that is spending too much time in Camp instead of on the trail uh you're out there to hike uh you're not out there to spend time uh you know in your in your tent half the day you're never going to uh get to Canada or you're never going to get to Maine or uh uh Canada on the CDT or wherever you go you're never going to get to the end of your Trail uh if you don't get out and start hiking and so uh again I used to get up at 4:00 in the morning pack everything up get on the the road or get on the trail at 5:00 and then I would hike for uh about 13 hours till about 6:00 and then I would get in Camp and uh eat and then get to bed by 8:00 he said man that is early yeah I know but I wanted to see the sun rise uh in the morning and so that's why I was out there early uh but get out on the trail uh do more hiking than you do fellowshipping uh in the campsite and spending time in the campsite you'll have all the time of the world to rest when you get home and so don't make the mistake of spending too much time uh in Camp and uh not enough time on the trail if you're doing a hike uh soon hopefully these ideas will help you out uh as you go on your hike and uh leave me a comment uh about perhaps maybe some other mistakes that you can think of down in the comment section below give me a thumbs up and if you're not subscribed to my channel yet be sure and do that uh as well now also if you'd like to learn a little bit more about the things that I've learned out hiking over my 25 years of backpacking uh be sure and check out the video uh that's up here click on it and uh perhaps maybe it'll be a help to you as well and so and until then I'll see you next time see you on the trail

Channel: The Hiking Rev

Views: 43,161

Keywords: AT, CDT, Pacific Crest Trail, backpacking, backpacking for beginners, backpacking gear, backpacking mistakes, backpacking tips, beginner backpacking mistakes, hike, hiking, hiking gear, pct 2022, the hiking rev, thruhike, ultralight backpacking

Id: 8HOwNC9lcbY

Length: 16min 42sec (1002 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 19 2022