5 Viral Backpacking Tips That Suck and 5 That Don’t

Stop listening to viral backpacking tricks.

There are a lot of backpacking tips you can find on the internet, some of them suck and some of them don’t. And I’ll give you five that do and five that don’t.

Hi, I’m Jabba, the real hiker, cyclist, triple crown, yada yada, I’ve done them all, okay?

So I’m the expert here. You’re going to pay attention.

This does not help the person who feels depressed, mentally exhausted, or physically exhausted.

Sometimes you have to listen to your body and not just, quote, «embrace the shit.» Sometimes you have to accept what your body tells you.

The machismo is too much. Let’s get away from that.

Look, there have been one or two times where I, quote, “took the shit.” And many times that only leads me to hurt myself even more. I have very serious tendinitis. I have had stress fractures. I mean, the list goes on.

Any hiker who’s been through serious pain will tell you that’s a recipe for disaster. And you may have to agree to come home early if that’s the case.

Tip that doesn’t suck: get comfortable being uncomfortable

Most of the discomfort passes.

Your body is resistant. Your mind is resilient. So maybe we’ll approach it from a different direction.

Whether it’s getting off the path, slowing down, or telling the group of friends you’re walking with, «Maybe I shouldn’t walk at the pace you guys are going because I’m just not able to maintain that pace to keep my body healthy.»

So don’t be a hero. Listen to your body.

What’s it like to package your fears?

It seems like you carry too many electronic devices. It seems to have too much water. It seems like too many clothes. He seems to be carrying luxury items that you don’t use on a daily basis.

What you really need to do is go on a hike (maybe a couple of days) and really look at what you’re using on a day-to-day basis.

Because once you’re on the road, you’ll probably realize, «Oh, I don’t need half of this,» and you’ll send it home. If you can mitigate how much you’re bringing on the road, you can mitigate a lot of disasters like pain, injuries, and going off the road early because of those things.

On my first hike, I was carrying a 65 liter backpack that probably weighed over 55 pounds. And it wasn’t until halfway through my second hike, which was on the Continental Divide Trail, that I started to realize how smarter it was to get rid of half the stuff I had in my backpack.

That would probably be the first piece of advice I would give myself if I could get back on the Appalachian Trail for the first time: get rid of half of this crap.

Tip that doesn’t suck: Learn first aid and self-rescue

When packing a first aid kit, it is not necessary to pack a first aid kit that is good enough for 10 people. You are talking only about yourself.

Every hiker should be self-sufficient and take care of themselves.

Whether it’s Leukotape, duct tape, sports tape, some Neosporin, a little thread and needle, those things are very useful in the field. Sometimes an Ace bandage is helpful. You need to treat your sprains. You need to treat your small wounds.

And what you really shouldn’t do is depend on other hikers to help you.

That is why it is important to have the skills and not just the equipment to be self-sufficient.

It is important to know what your day will be like so you can plan it properly. Going into a day blindly is not helpful.

Some people say that ignorance is bliss. I say that ignorance is ignorant.

Knowledge helps you not only pace yourself, but also manage your expectations.

All that to say: proper planning prevents poor performance.

And speaking of urinating…

Photo via Jabba, The Real Hiking Viking.

Tip that doesn’t suck: Master your water strategy

Just like knowing your elevation profile, it can be smart to know when to hydrate and how much to hydrate.

Do you have water on your rise? How much water do you have to carry for the climb? Or can you wait and not carry much weight uphill?

Being strategic about water helps you carry a minimal amount of water at times. And knowing where the water is at the end of the day can help you know if you need to camp with water or if you’re going to camp next to the water.

Being strategic about water directly affects your comfort and is a skill that is developed.

So plan ahead, don’t be ignorant, and your hike will be better.

So what is a zero? A zero means walking no miles in a day and taking a full day off.

And this is a rule of thumb for a lot of people because it helps break up the week, but that doesn’t necessarily take into account what the actual mileage is doing and what your body is telling you.

Getting a zero every week is not practical and does not represent flexibility. You may have trail towns one after the other. You might have four trail towns in a week.

You have to strategically decide what makes sense for you, not only taking into account what you want to do, but also what your body tells you to do. If your body says, «Hey, I need another day to do my homework.» Or maybe it’s, «Hey, I need another day because the weather sucks.» Or: «Hey, if it’s going to snow on top of this mountain in two days, maybe I should wait and let time pass so I don’t feel so miserable on the trail.»

Sometimes reaching an unplanned zero can make all the difference in the world.

Photo via Jabba, The Real Hiking Viking.

Tip that doesn’t suck: Build in flexibility

Don’t over-plan every aspect of your hike. Hiking should be flexible.

You can’t account for the weather. You can’t account for the injuries. You can’t notice side quests that could be really fun. I can’t tell you how many times I came across spontaneous magical trails that weren’t part of my daily plan, but I stuck with it anyway. And those are some of my funniest moments along the way.

The butterfly effect of being rigid has far-reaching consequences on the amount of fun you could have on your hike. So make your own decisions in the moment and adapt… or suffer.

What is it like to eat only ultralight foods?

You start talking about counting grams, counting calories per ounce, dehydrating your own foods.

And I’m not saying you can’t do that and have fun, but it will take a lot of time. Obsessing over some of these statistics within your food will consume a lot of your brain power. And to a large extent it doesn’t even taste that good.

The obsession with dehydrated meals and bars means you’re eating expensive, sad foods for months on end, when the reality is that food is fuel and moral.

Ultimately, the obsession with dehydrated meals and bars simply sucks the joy out of your life down the road. And honestly, sometimes I just want to make a meatball sandwich when I go out of town. That’s what I want.

I don’t want to eat a dehydrated this and a pemmican that.

Photo via Jabba, The Real Hiking Viking.

Tip that doesn’t suck: Mark your trail food before you start

Try your food at home and know what you can handle day after day.

Because if you don’t like eating something at home, you won’t enjoy eating it on the road. In my case, I’m done with Clif Bars.

Having food that you really enjoy makes all the difference in the world. Don’t wait until day 30 to find out you can’t handle another protein bar.

I packed resupply boxes that had all the nutritious foods and covered all the food groups: bars, meat, potatoes, you name it. And many times, when the fourth, fifth, or sixth refill box arrives, I look to trade up or even just give away my food and go straight to the grocery store to buy the things I’m craving.

Don’t pack to be the hiker you think you’re going to be. Just pack for the hiker that you are.

Alright, thanks for sticking with me about what sucks and what doesn’t suck when it comes to advice along the way.

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Do you have others that you like more than others? Let us know.

Make sure you like it and subscribe to The Trek.

My name is Jabba and I am the real Viking hiker.

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.