Mistakes Backpackers Make | Backpacking Mistakes

That bottle of water under the bush was a miracle. You were meant to keep living to motivate and help everyone through you tube.

I find hiking in the rain very peaceful, of course it helps knowing I have a dry vehicle to get into when I’m done. Your candid honesty is how us beginners learn so thank you for that!

Excellent. Thanks. 20 years in Army Special Forces - I know about carrying large rucks - but that was decades ago… I plan on hiking the Ozark Highlands Trail this fall - as a “60 year old civilian”. I have some stuff to learn and you are helping. Thanks.

Goodness! I had at least 11 hours sleep a night and did 8 hour days on a traverse of Fiordland. We hiked from 10am to 6pm and never needed to take a day off to rest.

Excllent advice, well done. When with the Scouts at Philmont, we would wake at 05:30, break camp, stand in a circle and "Camel Up" (drink) a half litre of water then hit the trail by 06:00. Half hour later we'd stop for a quick breakfast (15-20 min). It is all too easy to be lazy getting out of camp and breakfast in camp is the biggest time waster. Staying hydrated was paramount and we drilled that into the Scouts during the 8 month crew training. Watch the color of your pee, if it's yellowish you are already dehydrated. At breaks when Scouts went off to pee, everyone would chuckle when we were regailed with "Clear and Copious!" from beyond the bushes.

best shakeout trip is in your back yard. take everything you are going to hike with including water and food. set up camp and prepare to spend the night! set up tent insert pad and place sleeping. start lunch! you get the idea. if you have to go inside for anything - you need to either go buy you one for your pack, make a list cause you are going to concider this as true shaker trip. many hikers do this just to be sure fuel for stove, was the food ok did, it require a spatula, paper plate or paper bowls; salt, baby whips, napkins? make that a true list. be sure you carried 1 extra meal: crackers and soup.

Thank you for this video. You offer some very good advice. On the subject of training, I would offer the following: When training for endurance, one may add one mile per week to one's longest run or hike. Be careful not to overtrain.

In my case being 66 Years Old, my hike is to enjoy the hike and if I do not make it to the end that's OK. If your goal is to do the entire hike then do not spend a lot of time in camp. But if your goal is like mine then do not worry about finishing the entire hike and just enjoy the hike your way. As you said in another video Hike your hike. I normally do winter hiking and only do about 5 miles a day. More like moving while I camp. It allows me to bring more stuff for comfort and cooking hot meals.

Nice to see you back Rev! Here are some of my thoughts and advice, for what they are worth: 1) Develop a routine before you start. When you are tired and exhausted, a simple routine will save time and prevent mistakes. For example, when you stop for a snack or drink, develop a routine of turning round and glancing at where you were sat. 8 miles down the road when you realise you need that waterproof you left on the ground, My how you will laugh! 2) Be aware of height. Check out the height you will be walking at. It will effect your speed and weather conditions. As a rule of thumb add half an hour for every 300 metres (1000 ft) of altitude gain. Plus, walking 10 miles at 300 metres might mean a dry weather day. 10 miles at 600 metres might mean gale force winds. Here in the U.K. the weather service has a mountain weather report, for various altitudes. Don’t rely on a local saying “oh it’s very sunny here” yeah inside your shop by the phone on your desk! 3) Every campsite has an idiot. Don’t let it be you. Be polite, be quiet, be considerate. Oh and if you’re not that idiot consider ear plugs. Because he (and it’s usually a he) will decide to put his tent next to yours and drink beer and chat all night. Finally, 4) There is nothing wrong with wanting to quit if you realise have bit off more than you can chew. Just wait until you have had a rest, some food and perhaps a sleep before you do . Also, often logistically it’s easier to carry on than get back from where you are. It’s meant to be hard, break it down into small chunks and don’t think too much about the whole.

Good to see you are back in the saddle again, Rev! Helpful video for those willing to be helped. Old Man and the AT just released a video regarding the benefits of training and his training regiment. The two of you have similar ideas about the benefits of training pre hike. I would add, that as you age your need to train increases. Be open minded and flexible about your gear. Best thing you can do is analyze, adjust, and then repeat. An old saw I heard once: "Smart person learns from their mistakes, wise person learns from the mistakes of others". I don't think I will ever make it to wise, I struggle to be just smart enough to see my own mistakes and learn from them. That said, once I learn from my mistake it sticks. So for any new hikers out there, practice hikes are your learning tool. Make your mistakes on day trips, or car camping and then on weekend trips and you will do much better on the longer trips after that.

When my brother and I hunt, hike or fish in the back country, we make a special trip prior to the big event to seed the area with 1 gallon vessels of fresh water. We transport it in a “Neet Cart” which is an inline two wheeled push/pull cart. A very cool contraption. We do this about ten days to two weeks prior to our actual trek. We also leave fresh water in the back of our truck which is parked at the trailhead. When a person hikes or hunts in arid places this strategy has been a godsend. Now I know we are not the only ones practicing it. Water is life.

I went on a short 3-hour walk in Scotland. It was overcast and cool when I started (with my dog). About 60 mins later, the sun came out, and the wind dropped. It was snifling! I shared my water with my dog, but we had to turn back when we got down to the last half litre. It was a good job we did, the day just got hotter. Excellent advice about water and knowing your limits.

What's the odds's ? The water had to be a miracle. Thanks for the vid Pastor

Greetings and salutations Rev, great vid and you look frosty for the day. I have been training and preparing for my PCT trek this May, my motto is PCT at 63, doing all you spoke about with gear, health, overnights to get that gear dialed in and expectations before I head to Walker Pass to finish what started over 30 years ago. One thing I absolutely agree with is pace, it isn't a dash or marathon, it's supposed to be walking (thank you Colin Fletcher) and enjoying the scenery, not blasting through it. Peace and good tidings from the Conejo and see ya on the trail. “But why think about that when all the golden lands ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad, you're alive to see?” Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Thank you! Appreciate your knowledge.

This was an excellent list of mistakes. Over on my channel, I go out of my way to show the trail, conditions, and injuries. But my channel is comedic, so if I fall down a hill and happen to catch it on camera, I consider it excellent content.

Just found your channel and SO GLAD I did - you're so inspiring and so kind to give us older hikers your wisdom! Thank you so much! And thanks for the smiles and laughs!

embrace the suck! i love it. 114 is sucky! i needed water on that same section of the pct. getting worried i ask a young man if he had any water. he shared with me.

When I was young, everything was fast— hiking, riding, driving, etc. Now that I’m older, I actually want to experience the path rather than reaching the destination.

Thank you for the good tips! Very helpful reminders.