How To Ford A River Part 1 - Backpacking 101

Now that your backpack is tight and you have great footwear on, how do you actually ford a river?
In this video, we'll cover everything you need to know about how to ford a river while backpacking. Learn essential tips and techniques to safely cross rivers during your outdoor adventures. Don't let a river stand in your way - watch this video and become a pro at river fording!
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[@markusvogelsanger6011]

Hi Stu, good stuff as always! I found it much easier to move your legs throug the water if you're not wearing (long)pants, especially if the water is deep and/or swift.

[@HowestheHike]

Good tip! I never go in shorts, so I don't have any point of reference. But certainly there would be extra resistance in pants. I suppose as a compromise you could roll up your pants or use convertibles.

[@markusvogelsanger6011]

@@HowestheHike I don't like shorts for hiking neither but I wear zip off trousers. I noticed the water kind of grabs your pants and pulls on them. For your average crossing removing the legs is not worth the effort but for an especially hairy ford it helps.

[@HowestheHike]

GREAT tip!

[@tangenttrails]

Thanks for the information. Any thoughts about keeping your body slightly facing upstream as you move across?

[@HowestheHike]

Thanks! Yes I'm going to talk about that in another installment on this. (It's a large topic to try to do in one video especially in the age of TikTok. 😂 ) There are certainly times you're going to want to be angled upstream absolutely. As you know, it really does depend on where you are, water flow and things like that. I will likely wait for a couple of months to finish this part of the series, when I can actually get into some water and demonstrate properly. Probably the best way to show everybody when I'm rambling on about! Thanks again!!

[@tangenttrails]

@@HowestheHike That’s great! Important information you’re sharing.

[@HowestheHike]

Thank you!!