50 Tips Every Beginner Backpacker Needs To Know!

[@elishameeks1726]

After 30 plus backpacking this is the best short video I have seen. If you are new to backpacking listen to this guy! Excellent!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks!

[@brycewalburn3926]

While watching this video, I kept a tally of all the tips that I already knew before I started backpacking, and I only got 9! This is such a solid list of tips, most of which usually come with years of experience. I sincerely hope a lot of beginners can find this video and avoid some of the headaches and mistakes that often come with being new at something like backpacking.

[@sebi2395]

Uploaded 1 minute ago. When the algorith works on your favor. Gotta send this to my friends. They never listen :))

[@nathanbailey1593]

Use insulbright (cheap from fabric store) on top of a sleep pad to add some cheap, lightweight insulation if you can't afford an expensive insulated pad.

[@MrGusOrlando]

The cooler in the car is one of the few ideas that I have never heard. I love it! Will have to do next time

[@BackcountryExposure]

Right on!

[@MrGusOrlando]

What's your favorite LMNT flavor? I tried the sample pack and I liked a couple (which of course I can't recall) and the rest were pretty bad in my opinion. Considering getting a pack b/c it seems solid but want to get a good flavor@@BackcountryExposure

[@BackcountryExposure]

My personal favorite is the Raspberry Salt. I also like the citrus salt. Those are what I have in my pack most often. The Mango chili is nice for a little kick and different flavor. But yeah raspberry salt is my fav.

[@GarryCollins-ec8yo]

Knowing I have a cold orange juice waiting for me is great. Also I keep it cold by using frozen water bottles. For some reason I find bottles of melting frozen water taste better than cold water.

[@mattstratts]

Always! I ride mtb and always have a cooler with some cold beer, my protein shake, and extra water (I like options 😂) along with at least a cliff bar and some trail mix (if not something more) it's a great hit with my buddies too

[@bewhiskeredjuarez6851]

These 50 tips are very helpful! The most useful for me and the one I learned the hard way was, keep clean clothes, clean shoes, water and snacks in the car for when you get back.😁👍

[@panhandlejake6200]

GREAT list ! Thanks for putting this together. Some adds & supporting thoughts- ADDS: Expect to get wet & plan accordingly. Seriously consider taking a Wilderness First Aid course if you will be a day or more away from help. Have backup navigation methods - don't rely on just electronic nav aids. Know how to read maps & use a compass. Test new gear BEFORE your trip. Test your food menu before your trip. Know your physical limits in the back country so that you aren't overly optimistic with your hiking schedule -- and BE FLEXIBLE. Be VERY CAREFUL when making stream crossings with fast or high water. Don't be afraid to take alternate routes rather than make a dangerous crossing. Look for and avoid "widow makers" when pitching your tent - before you lay down to test the slope of the potential site. Afternoon storms are frequent and can be severe and sudden - plan to be off of exposed ridges and peaks before Noon. SUPPORT: Yes - electrolytes ! Sipping on electrolytes (& snacking) while hiking has actually helped me drink much more water.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Wilderness First Aid Classes are so valuable! It's just good everyday education as well. I use my Wilderness First Responder skills at home with my kids all the time when something happens. The patient assessment system is a huge value asset to have in your skillset.

[@memathews]

Excellent additions 👍 Thanks for listing. These are many of the same suggestions I relay on trail as a Forest Service backcountry volunteer, often while assisting hikers in trouble or confused about a situation they've encountered.

[@1024Pete]

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Best wishes. Happy Trails!

[@ManivanAdventures]

Man, those Decathlon jackets were only like $70 a few months ago it seems. They were so cheap and effective that I bought 3 at least 😂 Still, $100 is a great price for these jackets! Great tips!

[@brycewalburn3926]

I got the synthetic fill Decathlon jacket for $55 a couple years back, and I love it. I think it's actually better than the down fill jacket in a few ways. That one has gone up in price a bit less in the same time, and it's still a great deal at $70.

[@ManivanAdventures]

@@brycewalburn3926 I’m sure it’s great! I thought about getting a synthetic version too, but just never pulled the trigger for some reason. Some day lol

[@drytool]

Jampacked list, bro! You know how to provide value!

[@SuperdutyExplorer]

Watched a ton of these but always like hearing it again! 😂 im slowly working on lighter gear... however id rather spend money on travel vs gear whenever possible...

[@RequiosWoW]

I have never camped before but I am a big tenkara angler and am looking to get into backpacking for streams in the Uintas and Wasatch mountains. Watching lots of vids and building a list, looking to start lighter, but comfortable so I enjoy it and want to go back out again lol

[@memathews]

Tip 49.5 - Know the security conditions at the trailhead parking lot and set up you car to avoid being an obvious target (call and ask the local ranger station or other land manager office). Make extra clothes or coolers look like junk strewn about, remove all valuables no metter how minimal, leave the glovebox empty and open, and let other vehicles look like more fun or profitable targets.

[@countrygirl63baker64]

❤😂🎉🎉🎉Great refresher!! I needed to hear that! Thanks 😊

[@BackcountryExposure]

So glad!

[@thomaass2]

Don’t leave food out in your car at a trailhead unless you like cleaning mouse poop out of your car. I had a ranch cup from a fast food place in my center console last time I hiked in Washington and came back to it on my floormat with a little hole chewed into the foil and half the ranch gone. Nothing else was touched though thank goodness

[@memathews]

YES! I had a similar experience last year and my son had the same happen this year in two vehicles. Turns out these rodents can jump 30+ inches high over the door sill/tailgate with only a few inches of running start, so close all doors or liftgates if you are not actively standing/sitting in the opening! tl;dr I starved my mouse out by removing all interior items for two weeks and leaving the doors open on dry winter days (the mouse must have left for food and water, I tested with open food treats). My son tried my method and snap traps with no success, then successfully used a glue sheet (with gruesome, but effective, results). Lessons learned!

[@MyLifeOutdoors]

Wow 50! Now go catch your breath. Great video!

[@BackcountryExposure]

:)

[@WolfPackM98c]

I was hesitant to try LMNT for a while because I thought they were just getting hype from buying out ad promos. They have among the highest electrolyte content of a lot of the sport drink mixes, the flavors are great, they aren’t loaded with sugar and the packets themselves are half the size of a lot of other brands I’ve tried. They are my new favorite electrolyte supplement by far.

[@BackcountryExposure]

It's good stuff!

[@davidshirley6850]

Great tips, what would you recommend for ellectroylights if you are prone to kidney stones which can be triggered by sodium?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Honestly, I'd recommend asking a registered dietician about that. Since I know sodium is a key to balancing your hydration.

[@Andy-x3i8y]

And don’t forget your Powersauce!

[@GoodkatNW]

Lol, I've been calling LMNT "L - M - N - T" for the past year. Never thought about combining it into a word

[@BackcountryExposure]

ha ha! Nice!

[@shawnr6117]

I think they must have grown up watching a certain show about a group of hard backed martial artists 🥷🐢 lol

[@neemancallender9092]

nice! lots of good tips

[@recentskepticism122]

Rescue insurance in case you hit the sos button and you don't owe 50k for a helicopter ride

[@BackcountryExposure]

Honestly, not a bad idea. :)

[@needtokeepwalking]

I swear LMNT is stalking me. It's everywhere I watch. I'm holding out for now out of pure stubbornness. Will I break, maybe.

[@BackcountryExposure]

DO it!! ha ha :)

[@ElToro36]

LMNT contains stevia, a diuretic that can cause bloating, nausea, dizziness, and other side effects - not a pleasant experience out in the wild.

[@GassyWookie]

Some people have a reaction to peanuts so I wouldn’t eat those.

[@ElToro36]

And while we’re on the topic of nutrition in the backcountry, let’s learn from this lesson and stay away from beans:

[@ElToro36]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZfci3ubj711pposi=Ayc0OoesMjO2B2x-

[@NotYou9311]

Correction: 1 big commercial for LMNT...plus 50 quick tips for better backpacking.

[@GassyWookie]

You really focused on the 30 or 40 seconds of sponsored content out of a ten minute video?

[@NotYou9311]

@@GassyWookie Simply tired of seeing LMNT ads on every backpacker channel...ad nauseum. Evidently, LMNT has bought off most of the backpacker - content youtubers. Not to get into a debate about it, but electrolyte additives in drinking water are quite unneccessary. The vast majority of people get all the important salts they need in their food. The ONLY advantage to using an additive like LMNT is rapid replacement of electrolytes. But, to get that you need to consume an EXTRA approximately 1 GRAM of salts...in EACH packet. That is definitely not healthy.

[@brycewalburn3926]

@@NotYou9311 Dude, do a tiny bit of research before you comment. "People working in moderately hot conditions for 10 hrs on average will lose between 4.8 and 6 g of sodium (Na) equivalent to 12-15 g of salt (NaCl)". 1 gram of salt in an electrolyte package is not only not unhealthy, it definitely IS healthy.

[@NotYou9311]

@@brycewalburn3926 ...and you....and everyone else who has jumped on the LMNT train like a bunch of sycophants simply conveniently ignore the fact that, as I said before, most everyone gets all the salts they need from their FOOD. But, then again, I am probably arguing with someone that thinks pepperoni pizza is a "healthy" food. So go figure.

[@brycewalburn3926]

@@NotYou9311 Get over yourself. Not everyone who drinks LMNT is a backpacker. Quick electrolytes are vital for endurance athletes who don't have the space nor the time for a handful of nuts and some pieces of jerky. But even for a backpacker, who is hiking 8+ hours, replacing ~10g of salt with food is not as easy as you want it to be. There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting a gram in beverage form. But by all means, keep yelling at the clouds if that makes you feel better.

[@andrewhadd6616]

Great video and dense information covered. You may have this in other videos or I missed it in this one but dealing with rain, securing food at night, tying basic knots, going to the bathroom and practicing packing and setting up your tent before you leave might be helpful to discuss. Having snacks and drinks in the car is an awesome tip. It also works well for going to events with children and being stuck in traffic on the way home. Almost all of your tips apply to visiting Washington D.C in the summer.

[@rungavagairun]

My filter failed this weekend. I thought boiling would be an adequate backup. While it probably would have kept me alive, boiling takes way too long. Takes time and fuel to boil it and it takes even longer to cool enough to drink. After an hour, I had produced about 700 ml of drinkable water by boiling. Fortunately, I was on a trail where there were other hikers, one of whom who loaned me his filter so I could refill my bottles and camel up enough to get back to my car. But I had to bail on a trip I have been looking forward to for months. Backup iodine tablets were on my filing cabinet when I left home for this trip. SMH

[@GassyWookie]

Your last tip was my favorite. Nothing worse than a gatekeeper.

[@Senki207]

A word about sleeping bags: for serious inclement weather hiking, simply don't buy a sleeping bag that only has one rating. High quality sleeping bag manufacturers always provide three temperature ratings: COMFORT (the lowest temperature an average human will be comfortable in with minimal clothing), LIMIT (lowest temperature an average human will not experience hypothermia with minimal clothing) and EXTREME / SURVIVAL (lowest temperature an average human is likely to survive the night in the bag). Yes, quality sleeping bags are expensive, and so are sleeping mats but in my opinion, these are the only two items you should absolutely not cheap out on. You can suffer through carrying a heavier pack, you can manage condensation in a poorly ventilated tent, you can even manage a night if your tent fails completely. But a sleeping bag and pad are what keep you alive. Even your footwear isn't as important as those two: yes, blisters are painful but exposure (especially hypothermia) are efficient and often silent killers.

[@rodoutdoors]

All great tips. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@bucky716]

I always forget to lay down before fully setting up when i use a tent. Maybe this reminder will remind me for the next time! Good video!

[@philo8035]

Electrolytes, its what the plants crave!

[@shawnr6117]

I got an even better deal on a down jacket, $55 cad. It's slightly heavier than the decathlon I think but the savings are worth it. It sounds cliche but "hike your own hike" is the way to go, especially when so many channels that push ultralight come off as sounding like "hike my hike not your hike loser" .

[@BackcountryExposure]

That's a nice deal! That's essentially what tip 50 was trying to convey. Backpack how you want to backpack. :)

[@JarradShaw]

❤

[@vagabondwildernesswanderings]

Excellent!!!!

[@smellybearc7411]

Wow, it’s like lmnt is sponsoring every backpacking KZbinr

[@BackcountryExposure]

Ha! I didn't realize a few others had started working with them also when I agreed to share them on my channel. Been enjoying LMNT though for a decent amount of time before sharing them on my channel. Thanks!

[@generaladventure9519]

Hey man you got the tent stake tip wrong. A while back ASTM engineers tested staking for the commercial tent industry and found that straight up was the stron 5:29 gest.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Do you have a link or info for that? I'd like to see that.

[@memathews]

I'd like to know more! In my experience a tent stake used vertically is prone to pull out in moderate surface winds (20-30mph) depending on ground conditions. I usually deadman anchor in snow or sand.

[@jaymarie1282]

Thank you for this list

[@BackcountryExposure]

No problem 😊