As the title says, one of my friends wants to go on a backpacking trip with me. Usually I like to be very spontaneous and sorta “rough it”, which would definitely not be good for the guy. I planned out a nice flat-ish 30 km route for us where we can watch the sunrise and the sunset from an overlook. What are some things that I should do in order to make his first trip a little better?
Make sure they have appropriate gear and aren’t carrying too much weight. Inexperienced people often have odd ideas about what they need and end up over or under packing. An insulated inflatable sleeping pad is a good idea if they don’t have experience with foam pads. Let them set the pace so they don’t exhaust themselves trying to keep up with you, that’s a common mistake people make.
My dad (we are both broke uni students so most of the gear is being borrowed) is super into camping and backpacking and had a lot of gear that we are free to use. I’m gonna be making his pack for him to keep the weight down. Thanks for the tips on setting the pace, I didn’t think about that and I have a bad habit of going ahead and trying to speed the group up.
Shoes or boots … ask them before the trip what kind of footwear they have and if they’ve tested them out yet.
I’ve gone rough camping lots with my family … we’re Indigenous in northern Ontario and one of the worst things when you get out there is bad footwear. I’ve also traveled to Europe and gone on lots of walking tours. I once took a trip with brand new shoes that I thought were a great idea and never wore them much before the trip … bad idea as I discovered I didn’t like the shoes during the trip.
Ask them about footwear and if they have new gear, tell them to try their stuff out first before heading out.
Also toilet paper … always remind everyone about toilet paper.
Also extra socks, rain poncho for when you discover your waterproofing sucks.