When gearing up for a long distance thru-hike, there is a ton of planning involved. You need to get the right gear, plan for food, do some physical training, and understand how you’re going to map your route. All of those things are important, but none of them really prepare you for what it’s like to actually backpack long-distance. That’s where the shakedown hike comes in.
What Is A Shakedown Hike?
A shakedown hike is, put simply, a long-ish backpacking trip. But more specifically, it’s one where the express goal is to simulate whatever hike is your actual goal (whether that be the 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail, or the 272 mile Long Trail). You want to simulate the conditions of the longer hike so that you can get used to your gear, figure out how to use it, and hopefully improve on it before you’re fully committed.
Aside from just testing gear, the other goal is to gain confidence in using it. When you go on your goal hike, you want to feel like you know your stuff inside and out, and that you’re prepared for whatever situations may arise. There is really no way to gain that confidence but to go on a trip and practice.
How To Do A Shakedown
Doing a shakedown is fairly simple; find the closest conditions you can to your goal trip, and take the exact kit you plan to take on that trip. The length of the trip will be relative to your goal trip; if you’re planning to do the PCT, your shakedown should be 3-4 nights, or about 50 miles. If you just want to spend 7-10 days backpacking, two nights might be sufficient.
Over the course of the hike, test everything. Here are some things you should do (disclaimer: it's a long list):
- Set up and take down your tent. If you think you might use a fly-only shelter option, practice that as well.
- Use your stove and cook the kind of meal you have planned for your trip. Make sure you like the food.
- Test your water filtration system and make sure it’s not going to end up being annoying on trail.
- Try different ways of packing your backpack and see which one feels best. Also make sure you have access to things you end up wanting during the day.
- Test your shoes on various terrain. Take note of any hot spots or irritation.
- Test your sleep system at its limits. If you expect some cold nights on trail, test your sleeping bag in cold weather.
- Practice your navigation technique. Get comfortable with a map and compass in case you need to use them (whether you plan on using them or not).
- Take note any time you wish you had something you don’t have.
- Take note of any items you didn’t use or didn’t find need for.
- Hike with your planned clothing systems in the situations you plan on using them. If you want to hike with a fleece in the morning, make sure that it feels good while doing it.
- Test your sunscreen, bug spray, soap, toothpaste/toothbrush, or any other toiletry type items. These things are all about personal preference.
- Test battery life of chargeable items and make sure your battery pack or solar charger is adequate to power them.
- Take the maximum amount of food and water you plan on carrying and make sure your backpack can handle the load.
There are probably a lot of other things you can test, but these are just some ideas. The overarching goal is to test anything you aren’t familiar with, and practice using the things you are. The gear you use and the way you use it are completely intertwined, so just because something sounded good online doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll love it in practice.
I would also highly advise you bring a journal and take notes, even if you don’t plan on journaling on trail. This is because you’re trying to pack as many experiences and situations as you can into a short hike, and it can be hard to remember it all. When you write it down, you have a hard record when you get home of the things you knew you wanted to change while you were out there.
My last advice here is to do all of your shakedowns solo. This will give you the freedom to test what you want to test and not be distracted by others. It will also remove any social pressure so you can really decide for yourself whether you like your kit or not. Lastly, it will force you to be responsible for yourself and not rely on others to help you out.
Why Shakedowns Aren't Just For Beginners
Shakedowns are sort of marketed as a thing for beginners to do, but they can be of value to experienced hikers as well. Whenever you want to test out a new piece of gear or gear system (such as switching from a canister stove to an alcohol stove) a shakedown hike is the best way to do that.
Many experienced hikers (myself included) can make the mistake of thinking that they’ll like a new system without actually giving it a hard test. That can cause problems, because although you’ll probably be able to get by with a piece of gear you don’t like, you don’t want to be stuck in that situation on one of your bucket list hikes. It’s therefore still important for everyone to do shakedowns whenever you make a big gear change.
Some things I’ve learned from shakedowns include:
- The shoes I thought were comfortable actually give me blisters after high-mileage days
- I can’t carry as much as weight as I thought in my backpack of choice
- The food I was excited about at home isn’t actually very good on trail
- My go-to insect defense doesn’t work in a particular area (this is a big one)
- My tent stakes are inadequate for a certain type of ground
- That I actually hate going stoveless
- The cheap instant coffee I picked was entirely undrinkable (I've since found much better instant coffee options)
These are just some examples of the kinds of things you can continually learn from shakedowns. And these are also the kinds of things that would hurt bigtime to find out on a hike that you’ve planned a long time for. There’s always room for improvement, and a true shakedown will give you the space to do that.
Final Thoughts
Shakedowns are a great way to learn skills, test gear, and make sure you’re good to go before it’s too late to make a change. I think they’re important for everyone, and I still do them all the time. And at the end of the day, a shakedown is still a backpacking trip, so make it fun and make sure you enjoy yourself while you’re out there!
