-
Step 1
When you start getting your backpack and supplies together, remember it is all about the weight of your backpack. You will carry this backpack and everything in it for the entire hiking trip. When you have packed it up, take it for a walk about one mile in distance. This will make your hiking trip a much better experience.
-
Step 2
First get rid of any kind of packing materials you can. When on a hike, if no trash is taken, then no trash will be left in the woods. Take food out of the box and bag and pack it in sandwich bags that zip. This gives you a lot more control over how much to take of one food. Also make sure nothing new is left in the package. It will be lighter if unpackaged and the packaging will not have to be carried out on the hiking trip.
-
Step 3
Water is probably the heaviest thing to carry in a backpack. How much to carry depends on the length of you hike and where you will hike. If water is available, one 32 ounce bottle and a water filter system may be the best choice. If no water will available in the hiking area a platypus backpack is a good choice. This style backpack distributes the weight very well and allows you to carry more water.
-
Step 4
The material from which tools are made is one more area to think about before the hike. Instead of carrying you fathers World War II steel indestructible entrenching tool choose a small plastic garden trowel for your trip. You only need to dig a small waste hole and maybe scratch up a few worms for fish bait on your hike. Choose tools that will suite your needs and not be heavy on your trip.
