10 things first-time backpackers always get wrong

There are dozens of common beginner backpacking mistakes that we ALL make. Look, I’ve hiked thousands of miles of long trails to this point. Therefore, I have made all the mistakes for you. If you want your first trip to be smoother than mine, don’t do these ten things.

These are mistakes that I made myself when I first started backpacking or that I have seen other people make. Don’t do this. Let’s jump right into the topic.

1) Bring too much food

The food is heavy, so it is not advisable to bring too much. I think people make this mistake for two reasons.

First, you really aren’t (what’s the word I’m looking for) aware of how much food you eat on a daily basis because you’re just not even thinking about it. You’re just jumping in the refrigerator and whatever.

And/or you’re not used to eating these types of foods, like packaged foods, or you think you’re going to be much hungrier than you are because you’re doing all this physical activity. Or you are afraid; that’s probably the number one reason. You are afraid, afraid of running out of food.

So, it’s hard to achieve on your first backpacking trip, but keep in mind that this is something people often do: carrying too much food, which is too heavy, will make your trip less fun.

2) Do not use trekking poles

I know that when I first started hiking, I was very critical of people who used poles. I think we are literally walking. Why do we need sticks to help us do that?

But now, having had a lot of experience, I can confidently say that trekking poles are very useful and efficient for many reasons, especially when you are carrying more weight.

When you go uphill, it makes you much faster. It disperses the, I don’t know, activity level throughout the body, so it’s not just limited to the legs.

When you go downhill, you protect your knees and joints from the impact of the descent.

When you cross rivers, it helps you maintain balance to jump off rocks.

It also doubles as a weapon if you run into a predator.

Many tents use trekking poles to set them up, so you’ll save weight on your back by not carrying tent poles.

What else? I feel like there’s even more to it than that, but those are some of the first ones that come to mind. Only use trekking poles. You won’t regret it.

3) Not packing correctly

There is no right or wrong way to pack. Everyone can do what they want, but I think when you start, you try to pack, I don’t know, in the way that best fits or is most organized, and you’re not necessarily thinking about the order in which you might need to use the items that you’ve packed.

For example, on the Appalachian Trail, it rains a lot. I think it’s smart to always have the tent on top of your backpack. Kunjungi hgtgdfgdtr13. That way, if it’s raining and you arrive at camp, you can open your backpack and voila: your tent comes first.

You can set it up without having to dig out all your other stuff, and everything gets wet while you set up your tent.

It’s always good to have a rain jacket outside (same thing) so other things don’t get wet while you’re trying to get your rain jacket out.

I like to keep my daily snacks and food on the outside of my backpack so I don’t have to search there every time.

So you’ll find the system that works for you, but when packing keep in mind when you’ll need certain things and how accessible those things are.

4) Not layering correctly

Again, it’s not necessarily the right or wrong way to do it, but when you start backpacking, the things you don’t think about are having a layering system where you can wear certain individual things at different times and/or layer them together for warmth or whatever.

So, just like when you ski, you want a jacket that’s warm and also waterproof and all those other things all in one. But when you’re hiking, that’s really limiting. You can only use it in one scenario.

So you want a padded jacket and a rain jacket separately. You can use one or the other. If it’s hot and rainy, you can wear your raincoat. If it’s cold and not raining, you can use your inflatable. Or if it’s cold and rainy, you can wear them together.

Or I like pants that go over my shorts and slide over my shoes. That way I can start with my shorts and pants on in the morning when it’s cold, and then when it’s warm I can take my pants off and already be in shorts.

So think of all these separate layers that can be worn together for maximum warmth and dryness, or individually for other scenarios.

Carry what you need to stay warm.

5) Buy cheap equipment

It stands to reason that if you’re just starting out with backpacking and aren’t really sure how interested you are in it (if you’re going to love it), you should buy more affordable gear so you can go out and try it.

But what often happens is that people buy cheaper and more affordable equipment that is usually heavier or not as durable. And then as they get more involved in this and decide that they need better quality equipment, they go back to buying all that stuff.

So not only are you buying expensive things, but you also bought the cheap version. Now you are spending even more money that was unnecessary.

So I’m not saying that you have to start from the beginning buying everything super high quality and very expensive, but maybe when you start buying your first equipment keep in mind that things like your backpack (your big three: your backpack, your shelter, your sleeping bag) if you really see yourself getting into this, it might be worth investing in good equipment from the beginning.

6) Bring too much shit

I mean, I feel like that’s the classic number one mistake that everyone makes in the beginning: just bringing more stuff than you really need.

And I understand that it’s hard to know exactly what you’re going to need when you haven’t really done it before. But if you’re going out for three days, do you need 18 strips? Probably not.

I feel like the first aid kit is really where people overpack because you think about all the possible scenarios that could happen and you want to be prepared for everything, which is a good thing.

I’m not saying don’t bring first aid supplies, but try to minimize it to what you would actually use. Do you have a tourniquet? Do you even know how to use that? A full first aid kit with all those things you don’t even know what they are?

Everything you bring should have a purpose.

And if you can have multipurpose items, even better. The classic example of that is a benefit. You can use a sponge to cover your face to keep it warm, and you can also use it as a kitchen cloth or to wipe down the tent if it’s wet before putting it away.

I can’t think of any other multipurpose items that I can think of, but the more you can strip your stuff down to the basics and have multipurpose things, again, the less weight you’ll be carrying and the better experience you’ll have.

Backpacks don’t have to weigh 40 pounds.

7) Plan too many miles

This is something that’s hard to know if you’re a beginner (what mileage is appropriate for you), but I guess most people start with a day hike.

Just know that when you are backpacking and have a lot more weight on your back, you may not be able to cover as many miles as comfortably.

So I think it’s better to start with fewer miles and give yourself more time to cover those miles in a fun way rather than planning too many miles and having a miserable time or not reaching your destination.

And now what?

So: realistic mileage expectations.

Don’t overdo it – you may miss views like this!

8) Shoes Too Small

I experienced this with a friend on the PCT this year.

I think what people don’t realize when they’re into hiking and backpacking is whatever shoe size they’re comfortable with in their daily life at home, at work, whatever; You’ll probably want to go at least a half size, if not a size larger, for backpacking because it just fits your feet much more.

You have all that weight on your back. You don’t want the front of your toe rubbing against the shoe all day long. You’re just going to get blisters. The tighter your shoes are, the worse it will be.

I think it’s better to have them a little too loose than too tight.

And then, especially if you go hiking, as they say, your foot size actually grows half a size or a full size over the course of a hike because you have so much impact on your feet. Your feet almost flatten or something. I don’t know. I’m not a scientist.

Just saying: get bigger shoes to avoid blisters.

9) Carry too much water

Most people coming from a day hike are used to packing as much water as they’re going to need for their day hike and just carrying all that weight, compared to people who backpack or hike, who typically carry a water filter and then find water sources, filter it, and carry smaller amounts of water throughout the day.

That’s something that when you transition to backpacking, you definitely don’t want to be carrying water for three days like that.

Water, I believe, weighs about two and a half pounds per liter. You will need, depending on the environment, two to eight liters of water per day. And that is so, so heavy.

So, being able to have a water filter system (most people use a Sawyer Squeeze, but there are many different options), have some type of filter system, and then just carry what you need at a time.

So learn to determine where your water source options are on the road you are on and calculate how much water you need to get to that water source.

10) Expect everything to be perfect

The last mistake not to make would be: not expecting everything to go perfectly as planned. It never does. Bad things always happen.

So whether it’s planning a Plan B route, like a trail you can go out on if the weather turns bad, or having a paper map and compass as a backup (which I never do) in case your GPS navigation breaks down, or just being prepared that things will happen on the trail and you’ll have to adapt and improvise.

No matter how much experience you have, it is not realistic that everything will always turn out perfect.

Many things can go wrong from point A to point B.

So those were my 10 mistakes to avoid as a beginner backpacker. I hope it was useful.

If you have others you think would be included on this list, please write them in the comments below. I hope you’re having an amazing start to 2026. Good luck and I’ll see you on the road.

The above is a transcript. Minor edits have been made for clarity and readability, while preserving the original message and intent. This video is part of a new series about Youtube of the trip. Be sure to check the full video and subscribe to our YouTube channel.