Some people have either seen movies, shows and documentaries about backpacking, and others have actually experienced it, but what’s the true effort put into making it a good, enjoyable trip?

Lots of people have grown up hearing about going both camping and hiking, they are two very popular hobbies for people of the young and old age. But did you know that there is something that involves both? Backpacking is an experience that involves carrying everything that you need on your trip on your own back. 

Some may say hiking is better than camping, maybe because there’s more to see or maybe because it seems like a lot more exercise. Others say that camping is better than hiking maybe because it seems more relaxing, maybe because people of all ages are able to do it. Regardless, backpacking is the go-to activity for people who like both because it allows you to reach locations not many other travelers have access to through hiking on a normal trail, after hiking for so long you can settle down and camp there for either the day or the night and you'll get to experience the unique natural area.

Imagine getting ready to go backpacking and trekking up the mountain with confidence to your destination, imagine after hiking what seems like many miles, sitting down, setting up camp and watching the beautiful sunset and seeing lots of nocturnal animals come out to hunt or to frolic around.

 There's nothing like the feeling of experiencing a night under the stars with no city lights around, watching an animal in their natural habitat or seeing a morning sunrise without another person around for miles to see the same thing as you. In the list below, it’ll tell you about how backpacking originated, how to plan for a backpacking trip and lots more.

Backpacking simply explained
Backpacking means everything you need on your trip is in a pack carried on your back. That includes clothes, food, personal hygiene and camping gear. Backpacking also means that there is at least one overnight stay in the plan, but that stay can end up stretching from days to weeks. Backpacking adventures seldomly follow local trails and are more off the path, rough routes.

Originally, in the early 20th century, the purpose of backpacking in the wilderness was to reach areas non-accessible by car or by an average short hike. Backpacking demands physical conditioning, mental conditioning and practice. On the other hand, it’s also demanded to have knowledge of camping and survival techniques.

No matter what you do, you have to be careful with the selection of items for a minimum weight with safety and comfort on your back. A full backpacking pack shouldn’t exceed 20 percent of your body weight. For example: if you weigh 150 pounds, your pack shouldn’t be more than 30 pounds for backpacking. Before planning a trip, people should also research the terrain, climate, and weather during the time they’re backpacking.

Preparations
When people are introduced to backpacking, their curiosity can get the best of them and they want to try it out for themselves. What they don’t know or what they may not know is that the preparation is more complicated than the average person would think. 

First off,  according to the national park service, they state that “As of 2021, there are no longer self-registration or trailhead permits available. All permits are created through Recreation.gov via the Olympic National Park Wilderness Permit page and must be obtained in advance ” This shows that if you would like to go backpacking, you must get a permit beforehand to continue planning your trip.

Second, you may want to get your hands on a checklist for what to bring on your trip to make sure you have everything you need. The basic backpacking checklist includes items such as:

BACKPACKING EQUIPMENT
FOOTWEAR AND CLOTHING
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
PERSONAL ITEMS
❒ Backpacking tent

❒ Backpack

❒ Sleeping bag

❒ Sleeping pad

❒ Backpacking stove and fuel

❒ Backpacking food

❒ Cookware and utensils

❒ Water filter or purifier

❒ Water bottles or reservoir

❒ Headlamp

❒ Navigation

❒ First aid kit

❒ Repair kit

❒ Hiking boots or shoes

❒ Hiking socks

❒ Hiking pants

❒ Hiking shirt(s)

❒ Rain jacket

❒ Down or synthetic jacket

❒ Baselayers

❒ Trekking poles

❒ Camera

❒ Sunglasses

❒ Beanie and gloves

❒ Backpacking chair

❒ Camp shoes

❒ Personal hygiene items

❒ Pack towel or handkerchief

❒ Sunscreen and lip balm

❒ Insect repellant

❒ Book or kindle

❒ Bear canister/spray (if necessary)

❒ Whistle

❒ Ziploc bags

❒ Gaiters

❒ Personal tracking device

Last but not least, we all know trips can be really fun, but it’s always good to stay safe no matter where you're going or what you're doing, here are some things to keep in mind for staying safe in the wild:

pack a real first-aid kit,a few pain killers and a gauze pad isn't going to help you if something really goes wrong in the wilderness
Wildlife-proof your food
Pack a map of the area you’re trekking in
Stay on the trail
Be wary of strangers
Pack extra layers
Carry bear spray 
Have an emergency plan incase anything goes wrong

Where to go
Have you ever had the sudden thought or urge to go backpacking and wanted to leave the country, but didn’t know where to go? There are many places that have amazing views, but depending on your experience, you should research the difficulty of the trek. 

If you don’t want to go across the world, have just started backpacking and want to keep it simple, the following trips are for you: 

Point of Arches, Olympic National
 Park (8 miles out-and-back)

Shining Rock Wilderness,
North Carolina (22 miles roundtrip)

Golden Cathedral, Grand-Staircase, 
Utah (10 miles roundtrip)
Tuolumne Meadows area, Yosemite
 (20 miles roundtrip) 

Havasupai Garden, Grand Canyon (15 miles roundtrip) 
White Mountain Hut to Hut, New Hampshire (15 miles point-to-point)

Nevertheless, if you are very adventurous, have had lots of experience, are ready for extreme conditions and want to try something out out the country, the following backpacking trails are for you:

Inca Trail, Peru (26 miles) 
Torres del Paine W Trek, Chile (43 miles) 
Tour du Mont Blanc, Switzerland
 Italy, and France (105 mile loop)

Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, 
United States (24 miles)
Panorama Ridge, Canada (19 miles)
El Camino de Santiago, Spain 
(500 miles) 

Kepler Track, New Zealand (37 miles) 
Mount Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route, Tanzania (41 miles) 

When to go
After looking into where you want to go, revising safety tips and tricks and learning what you need to pack, you next need to find out when to go on this trip because without proper planning, it could ruin the whole trip. For example, you could’ve planned to go to glacier national park and backpack there, but 2 days into your trip, it started snowing and you had to turn back because the trail got icy, making it more dangerous to continue on.

The four seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, are all amazing times to see nature in the wild, but backpacking is most commonly known to commence during summer and spring not just because it’s warmer and the days are longer, but because the conditions and weather during fall and winter are more dangerous.

Unless your destination is one where dangerous heat temperatures and fire hazards can be a problem, go in mid-summer to maximize daylight hours and cooler weather.

How to find a good spot to lay down camp
Once you’ve started your trek and reached your walking limit, you want to find a place to camp out for the night. But you should make sure to camp in a good space or else it could harm you or your gear, for example you could camp out on the beach during low tide, fall asleep, wake up and half your gear is gone and your tent is flooded because it’s high tide

In the following list, it’ll show you tips on how to set up camp in an ideal spot away from most risks and dangers:

Set up camp near a water source
Find an area that’s mostly flat
Look for potential risks
Make sure the area has no rocks and roots
Avoid compact ground
Camp at least 200 feet away from water
Try to find a location with a breeze.