When I first started hiking and backpacking I didn't have a good mentor, so I made TONS of mistakes. Horrible, painful, dangerous mistakes. I'm a firm believer that making mistakes is the best way to learn, but there were some times where it would have been better if someone had just told me what to do.
Here I've come up with a list of the top mistakes beginner backpackers make (speaking as someone who has made all of them at one point or another). I've also broken it down into the dangerous ones and the uncomfortable ones, so you know what kind of risks you're dealing with. You'll probably still make some of them, but at least you'll be aware of the things you just wouldn't know you're doing wrong until they bite you in the butt (possibly literally).
The Dangerous Ones
I'm starting with the dangerous ones, because if for some reason you only get halfway through this post these are the ones you need to know. People make these kinds of mistakes all the time and often don't know it until they become really dangerous.
1. Storing Food Improperly
This one depends on where you hike, but in areas with a lot of bears, it can be very dangerous. A bear's sense of smell is 2100 times greater than a humans, and they can 'smell in color,' meaning that they can distinguish smells in the air similarly to how we distinguish colors in our vision.
This means that they can smell exposed food from miles away, and if they smell it they will come. Not only is that a bad thing for you in the moment, but it can also create a bear who is habituated to human food. These bears are much more likely to hang around humans in the future and are often more aggressive. Letting a bear get to your food is a bad thing all the way around (except maybe for the bear).
There are various ways to store food properly, but the most surefire way is to put food (and other smelly stuff) in a bear-proof container. Depending on where you are you may be required to use an approved bear canister, but outside of those areas an Ursack (bear-proof bag) works well. Combine this with an odor-proof bag Ziploc style bag like an OPSAK and store it 100 feet or so away from camp, and you'll be pretty safe.
*Note on bear hangs*: Bear hangs have time and again been shown to be ineffective. People often don't know how or aren't in a good enough location to do it properly, so they shouldn't be relied on. There are much better options for food storage.
2. Pitching Your Tent Under a Dead Tree/ Hanging Branch
It's well-known that when you pick a campsite you need to look down; at the slope of the ground, at rocks and roots, and possibly for animals. But a lot of people forget you also need to look up. Branches and trees falling right on top of you may seem unlikely, but every year people die from big things falling on poorly placed campsites.
Luckily, this is pretty easy to avoid. When I get to an area I'd like to camp, I find my ideal spot first. Then I'll check for the kinds of trees that are dangerous. These could be standing dead trees, weak-looking trees angled towards my campsite, or any nearby overhanging dead branches. More often than not the site is fine, but if something looks sketchy I'll just move on to my next best location.
3. Not Bringing Paper Maps and Not Knowing How to Use Them
With phone mapping apps and GPS units being so good now, it can be easy to overlook the need for paper maps. But it's easy to find stories of people who got lost and required rescue in areas they were sure they couldn't get lost in.
Always bring a paper map and a compass wherever you go, just in case. They aren't hard to use, but they do take some practice so make sure you're familiar with orienteering before you go out.
4. Being Too Quiet
Many of us go into the woods for quiet and solitude, and that's totally fine. But it is possible to be too quiet, especially while hiking in bear country.
A surprised bear is much more likely to react violently than one who knows you're coming. They may feel threatened or cornered, and that's a bad way to make anyone feel, let alone a several-hundred pound animal with claws. More often than not if a bear hears you, it'll run away long before you see it. So to stay safe, make sure you make noise from time to time.
When hiking with a partner (or a few if possible) just talking back and forth should be enough. If you're by yourself, talk or sing to yourself. You may have heard of 'bear bells,' but I wouldn't rely on them. On top of being really annoying, studies have shown them to be relatively ineffective when compared to breaking twigs or talking.
The Uncomfortable Ones
Making these mistakes won't kill you, but it might feel like they're going to. At the very least they can make you very uncomfortable, and they can definitely ruin a trip.
5. Wearing Improper Shoes
Improper can mean two things; the wrong type of footwear for the activity, or the right type of footwear before it's broken in. Either one will end up sucking. More than likely it'll end up sucking a lot.
There are different shoe types for different occasions, so do your research before you go. No matter what type of shoe you choose, make sure you've taken the time to walk around in them and break them in a little. Ideally you should get a few short hikes in them to identify any potential problems before they become real problems.
6. Ignoring Hot Spots
You know when you're walking for a while and you start to feel friction somewhere on your foot (or anywhere else for that matter)? That's a hot spot, and if you let it go long enough, it'll start to hurt. Let it go a little longer and you've got a blister, which I probably don't have to tell you hurts really bad.
The only solution to a blister is to prevent it, so if you feel a hot spot, stop and take care of it right away. People have different ways of doing this, but my go-to method is just to cover the spot in Leukotape (read my full post on it here). It's a lightweight, ultra-sticky athletic tape that provides a protective barrier between your foot and whatever is causing the friction. I haven't been able to test it's limits, but that's only because I've worn it for days on end through hot and wet conditions and it hasn't failed me yet.
Some more general advice on preventing blisters; wear wool. When you think wool you might think itchy, but the high quality Merino Wool that most socks are made of is extremely comfortable (to the point that I wear them exclusively, even in the summer). The reason it's good for preventing blisters is that it's naturally breathable and moisture-wicking, so it keeps your skin drier than just about any other fabric. Wet skin is more susceptible to irritation and friction, so keeping your skin dry and preventing blisters go hand-in-hand.
7. Picking A Bad Campsite
A bad campsite could be the kind that's dangerous (as described above), but usually a bad campsite will just be uncomfortable. A bad site could be a mosquito infested, wet, chilly nightmare.
To avoid these issues, pick sites that are:
- On south facing slopes, for warmth in the morning
- Not too close to standing water, because mosquitos congregate around swamps/ponds
- Open with a slight breeze, to keep mosquitos from hanging around
- Not in a depression in the landscape, because water and cold air both pool in low areas
A lot of established backcountry campsites already have these qualities, but it's good to know what they are so you don't accidentally wake up in a pool of water or a cloud of mosquitos (been there).
8. Taking Too Much (Or The Wrong Kind Of) Food
On my first big backpacking trip, I brought more than double the amount of food I actually needed. It's not a huge deal, but my beginner self also carried a heavy pack, and leaving out the 3 or 4 pounds of excess food I had would have made a big difference. It can be tough to estimate how much food you need, but especially on short trips you probably need way less than you think. I wrote a post on hiking and backpacking nutrition that should help you get a better of idea of what and how much food to take.
Another common mistake I was lucky enough not to make (though I know Alyssa did) is carrying canned food. Cans are crazy heavy, so while they're a great option for car camping, they make terrible food items to put in your backpack. Stick to plastic containers and foods that contain less moisture, because all that extra water will really weigh you down.
9. Letting Your Water Filter Freeze
This is a weird one because even if you're told you shouldn't do it, you still might not know why. Basically, the filter is made of tons of tiny, fragile, mesh screens, and if water gets in and freezes it'll destroy the delicate material. That'll render your filter (and all that painstaking filtering) useless.
My solution to this problem is to always sleep with my filter, even when I'm pretty sure it'll be fine outside. I just put it in a ziploc to keep from getting wet and boom, that's it. You might accidentally roll over on it a time or two, but that's a small price to pay for not getting Giardia (the famous 'beaver fever').
The Rest
10. Not Following Leave No Trace
Most people are aware of this already, but I had to put it in here. When you go to the wilderness you don't want to see trash or toilet paper around, and you definitely don't want to see it burned down. So make sure you pack out your own trash and douse your campfires before leaving. Always leave a place like you found it (unless it was trashed, then leave it better).
11. Not Hiking Your Own Hike
And last but not least, always hike your own hike. The phrase has actually gained kind of a negative connotation thanks to social media squabbling, but I think it should be a really positive thing.
Basically, know why you're hiking. Feel free to set weird goals and do what you feel is best. Don't let anyone tell you how or why to hike and don't tell anyone else how to do it either. We're all out there for self-fulfillment and exploration and it's way more fun if you do things the way you want to do them. That isn't to say that hiking with other people isn't great, because it is, but make sure you know why you're out there first and stay true to that.
Did I miss anything? Have a good backcountry mistake story? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Light EQ like tents & cooking EQ is a must. I used to hike the wilderness areas of Idaho in the mid 70’s with 4 others for weeks at a time. We learned to get together & decide what we needed as a team like one set of cooking gear, food, ECT. Then we would weigh those things out & divide them between the team members. Anything else you wanted to take was yours to carry. After a few trips we were pretty good at taking less & less.
Definitely agree. With 4 people I’m sure you can end up saving a ton of weight, as those shareables are often some of the heaviest (non-“big 4”) things in your pack. Might sacrifice a little efficiency at dinner time, but that’s usually not a big deal for me at least. As a side note, Idaho’s wilderness areas are phenomenal. Some of the wildest places left in the lower 48 and tons of room to choose your own adventure. We’re from Coeur d’Alene and have spent some time in the Selway and it’s one of those places I just can’t get enough of.