15 All-Too Common Beginner Backpacking Mistakes

We all start somewhere. We all begin as beginners, as novices. And even for experienced hikers, new gear constantly demands we play catch-up. An experienced backpacker in the early ‘90s might not know all the tricks of the trade in this new decade. I like to think I worked out my beginner kinks during my thru-hike, but I am still learning new hiking hacks. Whenever I hike now, I notice many people making the same beginner mistakes I (and many others) did when first starting out.

The Appalachian Trail community encourages you to hike your own hike, as do I. If you choose to do the things below with the knowledge that there is an easier way, then I applaud you for hiking your own hike. If you do them out of a lack of knowledge, however, then this resource is here to help. Note that this is far from a comprehensive list. Not all beginners make these missteps, and the mistakes listed are far from the only ones I’ve seen on the trail. The beginner backpacking mistakes I’ve chosen to highlight seem to be among the most common and the most easily fixable.

Find Madison Dragna's full list of backpacking mistakes here.

Mwandishi wa Blogu ya Picha
Maelezo ya vyombo vya habari kutoka Trek
Trek ya

Njia ya Appalachian, Njia ya Divide ya Bara, Njia ya Crest ya Pasifiki, na kila kitu katikati. Tumejitolea kutumikia backpackers ya umbali mrefu.

Sisi sote ni vitu vya nyuma vya umbali mrefu.

Njia ya Appalachian, Njia ya Divide ya Bara, Njia ya Crest ya Pasifiki, na kila kitu katikati. Tumejitolea kutumikia jamii ya thru-hiking na umbali mrefu wa backpacking.

KUMBUKA: Mjadala wa Cordial unaruhusiwa na kuhimizwa. Ikiwa wewe ni mkatili, hata hivyo, maoni yako yatafutwa. Ikiwa unafanya mashambulizi ya kibinafsi kwa mtoa maoni mwingine au Blogger ya Trek au Mwandishi, utapigwa marufuku kutoka ukurasa huu.

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

Sawyer’s spray offers an impressive 12 hours of protection against mosquitoes and ticks, and a little less (eight hours) against flies, gnats, and chiggers.

Korin Miller
Health, Lifestyle and Commerce Writer

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

Sawyer’s Permethrin spray has also worked as promised.

Mark Melotik
Freelance Writer

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

Sawyer, for example, checks to ensure that no pore size exceeds 0.01 microns, stating that “the filters are then checked four more times at crucial points of assembly for filter integrity before they make their way onto the shelf.”

Dan Hu
Mwandishi