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Trip-planning tips, gear lists, safety advice, and other essential wisdom ever hiker should know.
Maybe you're ready to try backcountry camping after an inspiring visit to a national park. Maybe you want to introduce your kids to the great outdoors. Or maybe you're a longtime hiker who just needs a refresher after too much time away from the trails. Whatever your goal, this guide to getting started as a backpacker will help you enjoy a lifetime of safe, scenic, and satisfying adventures. With more than 100 smart tips, it answers all the questions: what to eat, where to go, how to read a compass, and much more.
 NEW SERIES: Professor Hike - The author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking, Jason Stevenson, answers all of your camping, hiking, cooking, training, you-name-it questions.
PLANNING
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Backpacking Basics - Take these 21 trail tips to heart, and you're virtually guaranteed a good hike. |
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Pretrip Planning - Do the research, here's how. |
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Hikes - Not sure where to go? Find a hike here. |
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Gear Lists - Packing lists for all conditions. |
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Kitchen Kit- When cooking in the backcountry, don't leave home without... |
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Repair Kit- Don't let a busted strap or a deflating tent ruin your trip. |
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Survival Kit- Be prepared for adversity with these pieces of gear. |
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Toilet Kit- For your travel companion's sake, pack what's on this list. |
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Personal Kit- For your travel companion's sake, pack what's on this list. |
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First Aid Kit- A homemade ensemble of the most essential elements for pretty much any hike.
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Organize a Backpack- Become a bona fide pack rat with these essential tips. |
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GEAR
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Getting the Right Gear - We've made it easy to find great gear for great getaways. |
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Boots - No question, boots are a hiker's most critical gear. |
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Clothing - When dressing for a wilderness trip, you can't take your apparel decisions lightly. |
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Packs - When shopping for a new pack, do what any savvy home buyer would—analyze your situation, then prioritize your needs. |
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Tents - Carrying a tent is necessary insurance against crowded lean-tos, wild weather, and bugs. |
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Accessories - Don't be be caught without these essentials.
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Waterproof Your Wilderness World - A complete guide to buying gear that will keep you dry—no matter what. |
FOOD
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Pack More Power - A nutritionist explains why hikers need protein.
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Eating Well - Easy ways to improve nutrition and flavor on the trail |
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Gorp Recipes - Winning entries from BACKPACKER Readers |
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Menu Maker -Your guide to eating right on the trail. |
FITNESS
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Hike Farther, Hike Stronger - The latest, greatest strategies for building strength, endurance, speed, and flexibility. |
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Climb Like Ed - The sky’s the limit with a fitness plan and
climbing tips from world-class mountaineer Ed Viesturs. |
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Get Trail-Fit Indoors - 4 indoor workouts that'll keep you outdoor-ready. |
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Four Week Fitness Plan - 30 days to a killer trail body. |
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Multi-Day Fitness - Train for a long trip with these great endurance tips. |
SKILLS
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Stay On Course - Six simple tips for backcountry navigation |
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Align Your Compass - If you only learn one navigation skill, this is the one that will unlock the wilderness. |
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Compass in Action - How to raise your navigation skills from novice to master. |
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Map Contour Lines - Understanding topos: Part 1. |
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Map Symbols and Colors - Understanding topos: Part 2 |
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Map Care - Trail tested advice for using and protecting paper topos. |
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Act Fast - Smart (and stupid) responses to 18 sudden threats. |
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Using GPS - Become a GPS guru. |
SURVIVAL
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The First 30 Seconds - What you can do to thwart a panic attack in five common crisis situations. |
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Don't Guess–Calculate - When close won't cut it, use these trail-tested tips to hit the mark.. |
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Survive a Night Without Gear -When a day hike turns into an overnight, learn how to take care of yourself. |
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Build A Never-Fail Campfire -Where campfires are allowed, it's important to know how to build–and put out–flames properly. |
LEAVE NO TRACE
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Leave No Trace Principles - Guidelines for leaving your campsite as pristine as you found it. |
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The Low-Impact Hiker - 7 strategies for keeping the backcountry beautiful. |
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FIRST AID
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Hypothermia 101 - Advice for preventing and treating this deadly condition |
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Snake Bite First-Aid - Folk remedies only make the victim's condition worse, know the facts |
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Rash Poison Ivy - How to keep the rash at bay |
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How to Treat a Blister - Take care of a common ailment in four easy steps |
STAYING WARM AND DRY
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Stay Dry Anywhere - Tricks on how to stay dry and keep your gear dry |
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Sleep Warmer - Eight easy ways to stay warm at night
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BUGS, BEARS AND POISON IVY
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Escape From Unfriendly Natives - Tips for avioding bears, skunks, snakes, and ticks. |
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How to Keep Bears Away
Learn your black bears from your brown bears then figure out how to keep them away from your camp. |
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Thwart Mosquitoes - Take a cue from the locals, who fight back on multiple fronts. |
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Hang a Bear Bag - How to stop bears from robbing you blind. |
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READERS COMMENTS
The other night when I was camping in the sierra's, I'm sure i heard a lion VERY close by. I grabbed my headlight and found real hungry yellow-orange eyes looking back at me. Do you happen to know the different colors of animals eyes at night when they are relected back at you with light? Mountain lions,bob-cats,and bears.
Posted: May 06, 2011 Tim Hardy
Never forget your Walking Stick. It's great for balance on the trail, safety from critters, clearing the way, resting your pack, getting your food bag above the bears, etc. And now to take great photos with as a monopod: http://conta.cc/hXYy1K
Posted: Dec 18, 2010 BrazosSticks
lots of good fundamentals for any backpacker to have under their belt.
Posted: Dec 16, 2010 Terry Rich
Bonified? Seriously? Bona fide. Look it up. A worrisome error for a magazine.
Posted: Jul 31, 2010 SpellKing
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