Top 11 Worst YouTube Backpacking Advice Given | Worst Backpacking Ideas Advice

[@markjones127]

The thing that scares me about influencers and KZbinrs in general is you get some who are actually still novices in the field they're making videos about, but once they get in front of the camera they start talking like they're experts, now experienced people can spot them a mile off, but people new to a particular hobby or pastime aren't to know, and I've seen with hiking and camping videos especially some god awful advice out there, but I'm also a mountain runner and some of the trail running channels give scarily bad advice, shockingly bad at times too!

[@ALinsdau]

Pretty crazy for sure.

[@lukebrown3390]

I watched this "100 ultralight backpacking tips" video a while back, but he was yapping about not even bringing half of the ten essentials and I quickly started wondering what kind of crack he was smoking. I just clicked away when he said you don't need a first aid kit.

[@ALinsdau]

No first aid kit isn't a good idea. Stay safe!

[@bushcraftbasics2036]

Great video. Other bad advice, don't bring rain gear of any kind just look at the forecast. Had to help a family from the UK in the Canadian Rockies who went on a 20 km day hike. Weather started perfect but it changed quickly in the mountains and with the rain and temperature drop they were in pretty bad shape. Don't bring a method to start a fire. Even if fires are not allowed or your stove has a push button starter, in case of problems have the ability to start a fire. Hold your poop in on multi day trips. Eat lots of cheese before to plug you up. This was from Scouts. This can be very problematic. Carry a survival kit in your pack. This was also from Scouts (made me realize that leaders were selected because of their willingness to work with youth and not because of their skills). Even as a kid this sounded stupid. If you have your pack, you have your tent, stove, sleeping bag and everything else. Survival supplies should be on the person if you get separated from your pack (from stream crossing gone wrong to you wandered away from camp trying to get a photo of that rare butterfly and when you turn around you realize you have no idea where camp is).

[@mikeb5664]

I never look at the weather forecast. Just bring the appropriate clothing for anything you might encounter.

[@bushcraftbasics2036]

@@mikeb5664 That is the best way, you are never caught unprepared.

[@travisbard4670]

Agreed. I always carry some form of rain gear. And ALWAYS line your pack with something like a trash compactor bag. ALWAYS!!!!! If you do wet out all day and arrive at camp soaked, you will have a dry change of clothes and dry sleep system to keep you toasty and warm at night.

[@ALinsdau]

I had to stop filming last week due to a fully unexpected crazy mountain storm. The weather forecast called for partly cloudy. This storm turned the sky black.

[@ALinsdau]

Too true.

[@gen_li7725]

This is great advice. The only one I don’t personally abide by (I even have a similar situation pad and I love it) is that I do personally backpack in trail runners. The caveat is that I wear light footwear all the time, everywhere, so my feet are used to it. I would never tell someone else to do exactly the footwear setup that I do though because it’s very specific. It’s an option but not the best for everyone. The need for the rest of the advice you gave is kinda wild, I didn’t even know people were recommending leaving first aid kits behind.. what if you fall and slash your head or your leg in the backcountry? You need something sterile to pack the wound and stop the bleeding! It’s wild that people think they don’t need those kinds of safety essentials. I do carry a multitool, but it’s the super tiny Swiss Army knife. I like having the tweezers, scissors and screwdriver on hand in case I need to adjust a trekking pole, trim flappers or pull out a splinter. But that thing is crazy light, I keep it on my keys all the time

[@ALinsdau]

Stay safe out there.

[@preparedforoutdoors]

I've toyed with the idea of trading out my multitool for a single blade but I keep using the various other tools on the multitool, including often using the pliers for dealing with my titanium cooking set while hot. For footwear, I've haven't really had much in the way of injuries with either boots or trail runners, but my feet feel so much better at the end of the day with trail runners and I seem to recover more quickly. Perhaps experience will bear your footwear advice out for me at some point, but for now I remain on team trail runner.

[@ALinsdau]

Excellent!

[@GH0ST369]

The shoe laces advice is ABSOLUTE GOLD! Having done mountainieering this is the most important advice for doing climbs especially over three hours. Vice grips for teeth Aaron. I disagree with glass, I have personally broke glass bottels on rocks, Titanium is expensive ( buy once cry once ) Try instead of sanitizer for pits and groin use zinc cream (applied just before the trip) and make sure to rub it in. Most bacteria and fungus hate zinc and it will not chafe if you adaquatly rub it in. Some people confuse backpacking with remote expeditions with, Camping, some stuff crosses over but (not much of it)...

[@ALinsdau]

Very true...

[@GH0ST369]

What part?​@@ALinsdau

[@53nd4k]

I enjoyed the video, but (as with others) don't think all of the issues you presented fall into the "worst advice" category. I used to wear boots and still do for snow-bound trips. But now I am an avowed trail runner wearer. However, I think the advice to just use trail runners is poor. Each person is different and should consider all the options. Trail runners, boots, and crossover shoes spanning those two endpoints can all be viable. Thank you at least for not claiming that boots protect from sprained/strained ankles. Camp chairs are indeed a great debate point, but far far from the worst advice one can give. Instead, I wish people would just classify them as "luxury items" which is a category I think most of us can understand and work with. Sometimes I bring my chair, sometimes not. My personal opinion is that hand sanitizer for anything other than emergency fire starter is pretty useless (and there are better options for emergency fire starter). That should be on your list of worst backpacking ideas. It really does nothing unless your hands are already clean of contaminants so what's the point? Soap and water and scrubbing is the best. Make sure to use outdoor soap that minimizes impact on the environment and keep washing well away from waterways. Would love to watch the video where any person recommended a steel insulated cup for backpacking. Never seen/heard any such advice.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks for the thoughts!

[@tonesmith909]

All the people that advocate for not bringing bear spray into the wild that encounter and get charged by bears , still to this day advocate not bringing bear spray along…they actually dont say anything at all bc theyre dead.

[@ALinsdau]

Follow the local ranger recommendation for sure.

[@peterjohnson6273]

Always like your videos.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@davyhaynes6716]

I hear you and agree (although I have been know to sneak a chair in for time when the distances were short, and planned to spend some peaceful time in camp reading). Not too long ago, a thru-hiker on the Pinhoti sent out "SOS" messages on FB asking to get "rescued" at a trailhead as their uber-lightweight sneakers had pulled apart. I merely commented that I didn't understand why people for go on multi-day hikes with such marginal equipment, particularly something as crucial as footwear, particularly when very good and relatively low-cost lightweight hikers are available. Oh my God, the internet ultra-lightweight hikers' collective heads exploded! I was made to be the bad guy when all I did was indirectly point out that a poor footwear choice resulted in one of their brethren having to appeal to strangers to come rescue their butt when their footwear failed catastrophically only a few days into a thru hike. But I guess it was okay that someone had to take time out of their day, and use their gas to come rescue some stranger due to a poor gear choice by that guy.

[@ALinsdau]

I've seen some super UL folks in a world of hurt from shoe failure & other too-light gear failure. I saw 2 guys have to turn back in the Eastern Sierra because their UL shoes couldn't handle the rocks. They had flown in from the east coast to do this trip. They were done in 3 hours. Ouch.

[@backpackingcapebreton]

I feel like the type of trip a person is taking is relevant, and also the location. Climbing Denali or going to the South Pole is A LOT different than thru-hiking or long-distance backpacking. I’ve been long-distance backpacking for nearly 20 years. For non-mountaineering backpacking I agree with all of your advice except bear vaults and boots. Bear vaults if I was in Grizzly territory only. I only wear boots in the winter, trail runners for everything else. I actually find the opposite is true for me; wearing big boots for 25-30km day after day after day in hot weather would destroy my feet. Wearing my Hoka’s my feet are singing at the end of the day. Solid advice, otherwise!!

[@ALinsdau]

I used to use heavy boots, now my Moab Ventilators get the job done. Stay safe!

[@rannxerox3970]

I have a bad back from the military. Carrying a pack and hiking does not bother it but I moved from tents to hammocks. But along with hammocks, I take a backpacking chair. In fact I just did an over night and wanted to see if I really needed it since I can sorta sit in my hammock sideways so left it home. By the end, my back really missed that chair. I even staked straps to my backpack to make it sorta like a chair. So every list is personal.

[@ALinsdau]

Thank you for your service!

[@umaiar]

Definitely this, my back absolutely prefers a hammock. I tend to take one piece of furniture, usually a light table to cook on, or a chair if I'm not camping alone. It seems the ground is just too far away sometimes 😂

[@miconn69]

I agree with most of this, although I do carry a Helinox Zero L chair when hiking and now the Grayl Geopress Titanium purifyer. Its a vessel, filter, and boil pot so it serves three purposes. The Grayl goes everywhere with me in addition to my necknife with firesteel and a poncho. That's a dayhike, backpack, or just every day carry item.

[@ALinsdau]

Sounds like a great purifier.

[@RannonSi]

I've never heard any of the first advices (the exact opposite, in fact) I've noticed that bear- spray and cans, not always being mentioned, (I'm guessing they live in places where bears usually don't reside), I've heard people talk bout slimming down their 1st aid kit to basically nothing, and I've seen Camp chair being recommended (but only in the context of 'yes this extra weight but it's worth it to me'). Personally I'm not going to being bear stuff with me, but I'm in a country with brown bears, who attack about one person a year (mostly hunters) and with the last death being around 20 years ago.

[@ALinsdau]

Stay safe out there.

[@colvinscorner]

Personally I think you should carry bear spray in black bear territory too. While black bear attacks are even more uncommon than grizzly attacks, they still happen and can be fatal. And if you decide you don't feel the need to carry bear spray for black bears for your own personal safety, it protects bears too. A black bear that gets too comfortable around people on trail will be deemed a problem bear and is highly likely to be put down. Giving a nosey black bear a quick spray of bear spray will reinforce to the bear to stay away from humans which helps protects bears and yourself. If you can afford outdoor gear and gas to hike and backpack, you can afford one can of bear spray to help protect them as well as yourself. It also ways very very little

[@ALinsdau]

Too true. Last I checked, bear spray is still banned in SEKI. Check with local authorities.

[@Lands_Solo]

One man's bad advice is another man's gold, I strongly disagree about camp chairs. I carry a 650 gram camp chair which is great for a number of reasons. When taking breaks and rests it's excellent for morale, not everyone is hiking through forests and has nice surfaces to sit on, here in the UK a chair can be the only option apart from wet ground. I can also turn my chair backrest down and use it as a seat in my tent, which makes it very comfortable to cook in the vestibule in bad weather and generally just rest rather than laying down. I'm happy to carry the bit of extra weight, so are others, so telling us it's a really bad idea isn't our reality. Also, on the subject of multi-tools, I carry a Leatherman wave, it would take too long to give you all the examples of how useful the tools are on it and how they can be used to save weight in other areas (Gripping hot pans with the pliers is a classic example, small sharp scissors for repairs etc etc). You have to understand that you have an international audience and what applies in your terrain and conditions doesn't apply everywhere else. For instance the really bad advice of not caring about getting your feet wet using trail runners might be ok in warmer conditions, but in the UK where rain is always a possibility, it's a recipe for disaster in terms of foot health on through hikes. That's advice that's come from the US and people are following here and it's terrible advice for the UK climate, though I accept this particular example didn't come from you.

[@ALinsdau]

Nice!

[@fire7side]

I'm not a map person, but always try to bring a compass. I know what general direction I'm going and that's pretty much enough. The main thing is you don't start circling. If I go off trail, I check my compass first thing. Every so often you read someone went off a trail to go to the bathroom and never came back.

[@ALinsdau]

Stay safe out there.

[@prospector14]

I agree with almost everything you said. Footwear is always a personal choice. As for a camp chair - at the age of 60, my back is very grateful for a proper, lightweight chair with a backrest. 30-40 years ago a Z pad was fine. Granted I canoe trip so weight is not quite the issue it is for a backpacker, by portages are not cakewalk either. Overall, a good sensible approach to the issue of those who do versus those who think they can. Cheers.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@tonesmith909]

30k now 😲🥳

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@browsman2328]

Greetings from Northern California. If you are in the Gros Ventre Wilderness you are near Grand Teton Park. I worked for the Park Service In Grand Teton four summers on the Death Canyon trail crew while I was going to college. As you probably know Gros Ventre means big nose in French and Teton means breast in French from the early French trappers in the area. What a beautiful area.

[@ALinsdau]

It's a wonderful place.

[@thomasmusso1147]

👍👍👍 .. good tips. Actually, one does not have to take anything with when going out .. until you need it.

[@ALinsdau]

Very true!

[@thomasmusso1147]

​@@ALinsdau 👍

[@Rando-user-zm1fx]

Agree with everything but the bear can. Never in my life have I witnessed or even heard about someone getting their food bag stuck. Of course you have to use bear cans where they are required. But I only ran across one person who used a bear can where it wasn't required. And they admitted that it was because they were too lazy to hang a bag.

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

I have hung food bags and more recently started using bear vaults. This is in Southern and central Ontario, Canada, where black bears can be a big problem in some areas. Some have learned how to get food bags that have been hung, but the challenge can be to find an appropriate spot to hang a food bag. Often the trees are not the best to hang from, hanging branches are too low or too many other trees close to the hang allowing a bear to reach the bag. For hanging I use a weighted sack that stores the hoisting line and never had the line get caught on a branch. The vault eliminates the search process, however, it is heavier and much more bulky, but for 3-4 day trips it is ok.

[@ALinsdau]

I've had friends get their socks stuck as their weight for a toss line for the bear hang. I've seen food sacks in trees. Wish I'd taken a picture. Stay safe out there.

[@craigshelton5903]

Excellent advice!

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@craigiedema1707]

I can't agree with the chair comment, the comfort it provides on a multi-day hike make it some much more pleasurable.

[@ALinsdau]

It sure does make the sitting more enjoyable.

[@standingbear998]

what used to be outdoors things have become people setting on the couch watching videos and shopping. they know nothing else or have done very little outdoors themselves. phone crazy will not save u.

[@ALinsdau]

Very true.

[@TheRichtaber]

KZbin videos are not vetted, meaning anyone can post whatever they want. Whenever I suggest that someone look up something on KZbin, look up and watch several different people’s versions so as to get “the preponderance of evidence”. Oh, and about that map and compass thing; if you don’t carry both, and know how to use them, not too smart. If you get lost, you can die and put search and rescue at risk too!

[@ALinsdau]

Too true.

[@travisbard4670]

Most of your advice is, in my opinion, very sound. I am not in agreement with the lightweight boots advice. I am not a through hiker. I get in a good three day trip each spring and fall. I am totally sold on trail runners. I use a altra zero drop show coupled with darn tough socks. I never worry about water crossings. I just wade right through. My feet dry quickly and I have never had any wet foot problems. My feet stay comfortable. I used to have lightweight hiking boots. Hot, sweaty, nasty, heavy feet. Now my feet are lightweight, dry, comfortable, and not tired at the end of the day. Boots may work well for you. That is awesome. They don't for me. I always carry a decent compass. Very necessary if your phone GPS and apps like Farout fail you. A headlamp is an absolute must, non-negotiable. I carry a home assembled first aid kit. Always good to have gauze, tape, band aids, needle, thread, tweezers, nail clippers, some neosporine or other antibiotic, some anti-diarhia pills, etc. Enjoyed the video.

[@ALinsdau]

Great tips.

[@Colorado18]

would you rely on windows in the wilderness

[@ALinsdau]

Good question...

[@inso80]

"cuts trough _almost_ everything I _need_ to cut through" :D

[@ALinsdau]

Stay safe out there.

[@inso80]

@@ALinsdau I will try, no promises.

[@daven.7685]

I have so much useless crap that I will never use because I was gullible enough to listen to some of these shills. Staying off of KZbin has saved me a lot of money! Present channel excepted!

[@ALinsdau]

Thank you - stay safe out there.

[@TheGreatCharlie123]

Amazing video, trust the experience

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@CoolTurtleCreations]

Bring a chair, it is definitely worth it. You can get them down to one pound if you are worried about the weight. After a day of hiking nothing feels better than sitting in a chair.

[@ALinsdau]

Too true.

[@unprejudice567]

Just wanna say a headlamp is optional in the context of where you're at. For example its bright day and night in high parts of scandinavia during summer. Same with bringing a knife; unless youre doing some serious backpacking and need bushcraft tools to maintain a hike (for example rely on a fireplace for cooking/warmth). Personally, a minimalistic scissor is all I've ever needed in my many alpine hikes and backpacking trips.

[@TheNighthawk00]

The thing is, a knife and a headlamp doesn't take much space, doesn't weigh much and doesn't cost much. But both can be super useful. I think they are very much worth it.

[@ALinsdau]

It's super nice not to need a headlamp during summer in high latitudes.

[@jamesking4225]

Hand sanitizer has been proven useless , use backcountry soap like wilderness wash especially after a poo.

[@ALinsdau]

Good to note.

[@Casual_BackPacking]

Blister use a lighter to disinfect your swiss army knife , then use luco tape , jobs done , you really dont need a huge first aid kit

[@ALinsdau]

Be careful about overheating the blade - it could ruin the tempering.

[@tonesmith909]

Boots > trail shoes

[@ALinsdau]

Stay safe out there.

[@dominikkoc2165]

Lightweight boots. Mid high boot sneakers. LaSportiva raptor ultra 2 or something like that is good. Balances stability, safety, etc etc

[@Colorado18]

is that bear can rat proof

[@ALinsdau]

Haven't had rats get in yet.

[@karlkeating2803]

I disagree on three items: (1) In the Sierra Nevada, where I will be going on seven backpacking trips this year, bear spray is unnecessary (we don't have grizzlies, except on the state flag), and in many places, such as the national parks, it's actually forbidden. (2) I bring a Swiss army (combo) knife. I sometimes use the scissors but never the knife itself. In more than two decades of backpacking I never have had need for a knife. I never have heard of a situation in which, where I hike, a knife larger than the Swiss army knife would be needed. (3) You talk about "tennis shoes." Certainly no one should hike in actual tennis shoes, since they have no tread, but it seems you actually mean trail runners, given that you advocate wearing boots instead. There's a reason nearly every Sierra hiker wears trail runners rather than boots: they just work better, in part because they're lighter and so conserve energy and in part because they dry more quickly. If you have to ford a stream, trail runners will dry within an hour or so, on an average summer day at altitude, but boots, being thicker, may stay wet for the rest of the day.

[@ALinsdau]

Great points!

[@KenHicksJr]

Lol, people need to reset their youtube algorithm 😂😂

[@ALinsdau]

Looking around was quite educational.

[@Colorado18]

you think that's a big chair you should see mine

[@ALinsdau]

Nice.

[@paulconnelly640]

Don't listen to advice on footwear. Find what works for you. Never seen anyone hiking with tennis shoes (although Emma Gatewood did) or was that your way of disparaging trail runners? Chair is a maybe. I didn't take it one on the AT but am seriously considering taking it this summer for the TRT and CT. Being able to lean back is so much more comfortable that a sit pad on a rock.

[@ALinsdau]

I used "tennis shoes" as a generic. Trail runners can be nice assuming they protect your feet well enough.