Blog

Backpacking and travelling are one of the best outdoor adventures. Every backpacker should be prepared with the essential equipment as they are not going for a formal visit or a casual stay in a hotel. It is an adventure and we never know what lies ahead. This is the thrill that every adventurer yearns for. Before you start packing for your backpacking journey, consider these 3 crucial factors to help you in your adventure.

Consider the volume of water you carry before going on a backpacking adventure

Water is part of the travel pack list, but it deserves a special mention. On a regular vacation, there would be at least a dozen sources of water. Civilization comes to the rescue and drinking water is never a problem. While backpacking, there is no source of drinking water, other than what is stored in the backpack. Unlike when at home, a backpacker would drink at least twice the amount of water while backpacking. The solution to this would be bring lots of water bottles. That brings us to a new problem. Weight.

A liter of water is worth a kilogram in weight. Six liters would mean six kilograms. Ten liters would mean ten kilograms. Unlike other equipment in the backpack, there is no magic trick to make the water weight to become less. Water has to be carried, one way or the other. The solution is to reduce other equipment in the backpack and make room for water. Water cannot get gotten rid of. Other equipment can be.

Types of food that you must pack for before going on a backpacking adventure

Food is also part of the equipment, since it goes in the backpack. Just like water, it deserves a special mention. In terms of consumption, the behavior with food is similar to water. An average person eats more when they are walking all day than when they are at home or office. That means, sufficient amount of food has to be carried to last the entire trip.

Fortunately, the problem that faces water does not exist with food. It is possible to get food that has been compressed in size and weight. Yet, it is equally nutritious and provides just enough energy to last the trip. There is another decision, with respect to respect to food that has to be made here. That of preparing food and carrying ready to consume food.

If the back grouping is just one or two in number, it does not make any sense to prepare food. That would consume a lot of time, and the effort is just not worth it. On the other hand, if it is a traveling party, then it is in the interest of the group to prepare food. The food preparation equipment can be distributed among different members of the group. Then, it is also possible to save a lot of money by doing so.

Consider your personal fitness and pet animals while going backpacking

Personal fitness is perhaps an all-encompassing feature that affects every other aspect of backpacking and backpack safety. Instead of going on for pages explaining why fitness is important, here is a simple example. Consider a party of four who are on a two day backpacking trip. Three of them are in good shape, and the fourth one is not. Half through the day, the fourth person gets tired. He is no longer able to walk. The rest of them decide to take on some of his load. They resume walking and the fourth person eventually breaks down, complaining of back pain. By now, the others who are forced to carry additional load are also complaining of back pain. Two hours later, all of them have returned to their hotel rooms reminiscing about a failed backpacking trip.

The story above is imaginary but incidents like this happen on all the time. Backpacking is a physically strenuous activity. There are two parts of the body that are put under a lot of strain – the back and the legs. This brings us to the important question? Should fitness be an important criteria to decide on a backpacking trip and those who will part of it? The answer is a solid yes. This would automatically mean that anybody who is not fit should be left out.

The reality is that, nobody needs to be left behind.

Nobody just gets up and decides to go backpacking. Just like vacations, backpacking is also planned in advance by at least a month. A month is just enough time for anybody to get themselves into shape that allows them to walk and carry a backpack. This also does not mean that the person should hit the gym and start lifting iron. There are dozens of ways to get fit. The interested backpacker could go for an hour walk every day, half an hour in the morning and the other half in the evening. For practice, they can start wearing the backpack. It may look odd but it sure is practice. Practice can make anybody perfect and that includes eager backpackers who want to backpack at any cost.

Being fit also includes any health conditions, most importantly heart condition. Even completely fit individuals are known to develop heart complications when they are subjected to nonstop physical activity. A two trip can be a strain for anybody. That is why, it is not a bad idea to have a word with the family doctor. Get the heart checked along with other essentials. See if everything is ticking the way it should.

If the fitness topics are taken care of, the last thing to worry about is pets. Backpackers, especially those who go in small numbers of one to three, will find it beneficial to tag along their pet, especially dogs. Dogs really enjoy the outdoors and for many, they are the best friends. Dogs consume a lot less water and food, but can carry supplies. As long as this is not construed as animal abuse, taking the family dog for the backpacking trip will be a fun thing to do.