SKILLS ›HOW TO:
HILL
6 TIPS FOR BEGINNER BACKPACKERS
What’s better than a day in the hills? Easy – several days or more. Here are a few tips for walkers looking to take their fi rst step into walking far and sleeping wild.
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ackpacking – not to be confused with what drunken twentysomethings do in India – is defi ned by the Backpacker’s Club as “the art of being self-contained, carrying everything you need to survive in the outdoors such as a tent, sleeping bag and food, whilst walking/ cycling from one location to another on a multi-day journey through a natural landscape.” Phew. At the heart of that rather exhaustive defi nition is the act of sleeping in the wild, away from the trappings of civilisation. This is the essential thrill and challenge of backpacking, but it can be a daunting prospect for beginners. Here are a few general tips to get you started.
Start small It’s a good idea to not bite off more than you can chew at fi rst. Start with small one or two night trips at weekends to get a feel for the pack, your gear and the experience of sleeping in the wild – and whether or not you actually like it!
Choose your gear carefully Planning is often just as big a part of backpacking as the execution, and working out what gear you need to take is one of the most important things to get right. Honing your setup is something that takes time and you can’t expect to get everything perfect at fi rst, but when
starting out you can avoid some of the most common equipment-related pitfalls by thinking things through beforehand. How will I keep my gear dry? What items do I need backups for in case they fail? What if I have no phone signal? Try and strike a balance between leaving non-essential items behind and having enough to ensure comfort and safety. You can tweak this balance with experience.
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Choose your route wisely Another vital component of planning is your choice of route. When starting
out it’s wise to keep things manageable; don’t choose some epic backcountry
66 | 70TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR | FOR BRITISH CLIMBING AND WALKING SINCE 1944
expedition with huge daily distances for your fi rst trip. Remember what looks straightforward on a map in the comfort of your home may seem very different when you’re out there. Choose a route with civilisation close at hand as a backup and have plenty of ‘Plan Bs’ and escape routes to allow for a change in the weather, kit failures, emergencies or other unforeseen problems.
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Don’t go it alone
When attempting something new in the outdoors, it’s often best to it attempt it with others, at least at fi rst. Backpacking is no exception – companions give you company, moral support and backup kit in case yours fails.
Use blogs and expert advice Backpacking, particularly of the lightweight and ultralight variety, has a cult following, and there are hundreds of blogs and websites out there run by people who live and breathe it. The depth
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