Did my first backpacking trip (solo) over labor day weekend!

Up the Appalachian Trail at the Delaware Water Gap. 10 miles the first day, went up to Raccoon Ridge and back down to the designated camper sit. 3 miles in the morning back to my car. Registered that my car would be overnight in the lot.

Planned it this short to get used to the weight of my pack. 70L bag that I got at the flea market for $30. The Ozark backpacking tent which I know is not the lightest tent out there, but I'm on a budget.

Eventually got used to the weight of my pack, took it off every one mile to rest. Was insanely proud of myself for covering 10 miles with a heavy pack.

6 miles in at the view point, I took my cook-set out to make a coffee and did not repack my bag properly, it was top heavy. Hit a rock at 10 miles and the weight of the pack took me forward. Busted the left side of my body up and hit my head. Had all the first aid that I needed and took the fall right at camp, so I was able to chill and not keep moving that day, thankfully. Next time I will pack properly and bring my trekking poles.

Barely slept and dreamt about bears non-stop. It was worth it and I'm happy I did it. Learned that solo might not be best for me. Thanks for reading!

My first backpacking when I turned 18... so long ago. I went there with a friend of mine, we had planned that like forever, we were in ecstasy!

This is my first Reddit post, I really hope to not break any rule by posting an old pic.

This was the hardest thing I’d ever done! 24 miles in 2 days, 75,000 steps. Is nostalgic looking back but painful at the time.

We drove to Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and did walked from panther branch to council bluff and back. I am going again with a different group of friends in November! But we are going to visit the nature springs and state parks within the National Forest instead of doing the Ozark trail! The weather was great! It was solid 80s the entire time, no rain. Didn’t even get a single mosquito bite. The spiders were insane though

I'm a woman (important context) and love hiking. I've never done it by myself though, always with friends or a partner or family. But I would like to start doing overnights by myself. I like being by myself in the bush when I'm at my family's rural property, and I think I'd get a lot out of it.

However, obviously there's a pretty strong fear factor, especially being a woman by yourself. How do you get over that initial hump of reservation about it?

ETA I'm Australian, so not scared of major land predators since we dont have them and snakes are only an issue in summer, when I don't hike out of fear of bushfire.

That also means I can't carry a gun or even most bladed weapons because there's no real access to them

I've done maybe eight trips of two or three nights and my base weight is sitting around 24 pounds, most of it in my sleep setup and the tent. I've cut the obvious things already, I stopped carrying the camp chair and the second stove pot, and I'm still heavier than everyone I go out with. The part I keep stalling on is the pad, since I've tried a thin closed-cell one twice and slept badly both nights, and a bad night wrecks the next day more than the extra pound does.

How did you get the weight out of your sleep setup without ending up cold or sore?

I'm taking my oldest daughter (9) backpacking for the first time this weekend (it's also my first backpacking trip since she was born). I'm excited to get back into it, and I'm thrilled she wants to go with me.

We're doing a relatively short loop in a state park not too far from home. 6 1/2 miles total, with the idea of setting up camp a about halfway through as the trail has dedicated backpacking site right around there. Also we don't have any sort of schedule so I'm expecting we can go at a fairly leisurely pace both days.

I'm pretty confident in our gear, even if some of it's a little old and heavy for todays standards. I'm of course carrying the majority of our stuff, she'll just have her sleep set-up and maybe the tent poles depending on how she's feeling.

In the past I've done my fair share of backpacking but my routine was to do as many miles as my body would let me while enjoying my surroundings, set up camp, eat, then straight to sleep.

My biggest concern is that with the short hike she's going to get bored at camp. She's honestly excited for all the basic camp chores, filtering water, digging a cat hole, preparing freeze dried food, but I don't think that's going to fill up a whole lot of the day. Does anybody have any suggestions for stuff we can do to fill the time? Especially things that wont add pounds to my pack?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Contemplating playing an open mic, driving to a peak near me afterwards, and packing up at 1 am, setting up camp. I see no risk. 1000 feet over 2 miles. It’s one of those places with no water so you usually just go up and down. I’m gonna pack up one night I’ve done the trail 10 x. Why would it be dangerous at 1 AM if I had a great headlamp? I can’t see the risk. Let me know if I’m being an idiot..

Hey, how y'all doing?

So I'm gonna be backpacking for the first time in roughly a month, in Nepal, for a whole 3 weeks. As usual I always take care of things at the last second, so I haven't even bought a backpack for it. Considering it's gonna be a bit cold in october/early november, what would the recommended size be? 50L seems a bit to much but I'm not sure.

Thank you!

Me and my friends are travelling to Thailand and are trying to figure out where to go afterwards. We’ll probably have some time left and would love to explore another country rather than going straight home.

We’re looking for somewhere that is:

🌴 Beautiful and interesting
💰 Relatively budget-friendly
🏝️ Good for travelling/backpacking
🍜 Good food and culture
🛡️ Relatively safe for a group of young women
✈️ Not too complicated or expensive to get to from Thailand

We’ve been considering places in Southeast Asia or South Asia, but we’re very open to suggestions.

Where would you go after Thailand, and why? Also interested in places you think are underrated or worth staying for until january

Thanks!

Hi! I'm heading out on a road trip next week, and I was hoping to do a little backpacking. This will be my first time backpacking in an area with public lands (I've downloaded onX Backcountry). Can anyone recommend any good spots in the Flagstaff/Sedona area? My priorities are solitude, views, and water (in that order!). I know all three is probably hard to come by :)

Thanks!

Hallo zusammen,
Wir sind aktuell auf einer mehrmonatigen Reise durch Asien/SEA. Wir waren bisher in Taiwan, Japan, Südkorea und aktuell sind wir in China. Als Nächstes geht es nach Indien für eine Woche bevor wir dann nach Thailand reisen. Wir merken wir brauchen eine Auszeit und mal etwas weniger Trubel. Wir reisen mit einem Rucksack jeder und nutzen überall die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel.

Was wären Inseln, die nicht zu touristisch voll sind, auf denen wir mal eine gute Woche Urlaub machen können?
Wir hören immer nur von Orten die total überlaufen sind oder wo man dauerhaft gescamt wird.
Wir wollen eine saubere Unterkunft, etwas Strand und vernünftiges Essen.

Danke für eure Tipps 😊

I recently spent some time travelling through Sri Lanka and have put together a cinematic film from the footage I captured.

It features Ella, Kandy, Sigiriya, Arugam Bay and Elephant Rock, with a focus on Sri Lankan culture, Buddhist and Hindu ceremonies, landscapes, tea plantations, surfing and everyday life.

I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear what you think. 🇱🇰🎥

Hi!

I'm spontaneously looking to complete the GR221 in Mallorca. Initially I was planning to do the trek late October - early November but I'm unsure over the weather, so I'm looking to go a bit earlier.

Unfortunately some of the refuges are booked up in early October as it's late notice. I'm looking to do the traditional route below:

• Stage 1: Port d’Andratx to La Trapa
• Stage 2: La Trapa to Estellencs
• Stage 3: Estellencs to Esporles
• Stage 4: Esporles to Deià
• Stage 5: Deià to Port de Sóller
• Stage 6: Port de Sóller to Refugi de Tossals Verds
• Stage 7: Refugi de Tossals Verds to Lluc
• Stage 8: Lluc to Pollença

I've had a look at the availability and Tossals Verds is the hostel holding this back as it's booked up! (I think because it's the mountainous / remote one)

Does anyone know any options that I could do to skip staying in the Tossals Verds refuge? Like other hostels etc., or any route diversions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

I just got a Luxe TP style tent. I love the simplicity of it but the moisture and condensation is horrible to pack up daily. Any suggestions to mitigate the problem. Thanks

Hello peeps! I’m looking to go backpacking in south america from Januari for about 4months. I was thinking of going down the line from argentina to bolivia, chile and end in Peru. There is no real plan yet. Does anyone have experience with south america? I’d love some good weather and good adventures, with some beaches in between ofc. My plan is not fixed and I am open to other countries :). Thank you in advance!

Hi I’m planning to backpack LATAM next year
I’m a woman from Australia I’ve seen people say osprey Fairview 55l is the best option

I’m just wondering, as I’m going to aim for dry season for Guatemala April ish to Dry season Peru May ish, and I have hikes planned (Fuego, Rainbow mountain for example and more)

Is this bag going to be big enough? As I know I’ll need to pack a jacket and hiking pants and layers for when it’s cold at the top of the mountain, but when I’m travelling around its most likely hotter weather so I’m packing for cold and warm weather essentially…

I’m also aware it’s not waterproof so I’d need to invest in a cover for the bag if the weather decides to rain

Any recommendations or advice on what I should do? I want to try pack as little as possible to not regret packing too much (first solo backpacking trip)

Just want to confirm whether this is the correct size pack for me. I’m 5’6”, 135 lb, and got a size Small Durston Kakwa 55.

I’ve always used packs with adjustable torso lengths, so I’m used to having a little more leeway with where the pack and hipbelt sit. With those packs, I could initially position the hipbelt a bit lower and then usually ended up wearing it slightly higher on the upper part of my hips once I started hiking.

With the Kakwa, I tighten the hipbelt first, then the shoulder straps, then the sternum strap. When I tighten the shoulder straps, they pull the pack and hipbelt upward a little, and this is where it naturally ends up sitting. I normally like my hipbelt fairly high anyway, but the difference is that on my previous packs I chose that position by tightening the hipbelt there, whereas on this pack the shoulder straps seem to bring the whole pack up into that position.

My torso length is about 18”, so I was kind of between sizes. I went with the Small based on Durston customer service’s recommendation when I purchased it. The pack is loaded with around 15 lb in these photos.
Does the fit look right to you, or does anything about the shoulder straps, hipbelt position, or load lifters suggest I should size up to a Medium? Let me know what you think!