Leaving for your first outdoor adventure is an exciting experience full of promise and possibilities. But before you leave home, it is crucial to make sure you are bringing all the essentials for backpacking with you. A well-prepared trip with all the necessary equipment is vital if you are going to remain happy, safe and comfortable while facing the wonders and challenges of the great outdoors. Our beginner’s backpacking equipment list below will help you choose the three core basics you need before you embark on your first trip.

When researching for a camping or backpacking trip, you may have come across The Ten Essentials. These are a series of items that together offer a complete safety net for outdoor adventures. In this post, we’ll take a look at what The Ten Essentials are, why they’re important, and how you can use them to stay safe in the backcountry. But first, a bit of history! The system was first pioneered in Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills , a book published by The Mountaineers in 1974.

An early view on the Fryatt Valley hike, located along where there used to be a cable car from the trail to the highway on the other side! The Fryatt Valley is a lesser known area of Jasper National Park, and is a great place to get away from the crowds. The trail is a 44 km out and back trail that takes you through the valley and up to the Fryatt Hut.

Car camping stoves are a different breed than backpacking stoves. They are generally larger, heavier, and more powerful than their backpacking counterparts. They are also more versatile, and can be used for a wider range of cooking styles and dishes. Here is my guide to all the different types of car camping stove out there: What type is good for which trip, pros and cons, and relevant links. Happy searching!

A portable stove is one of the most important components of a camping kit. So, if you’re not one of those intense backpackers who only bring cold rations on a hike, or even if you just like your coffee hot, here is my guide to all the different types of camping stove out there: What type is good for which trip, pros and cons, and relevant links. Happy searching! What makes a good stove?

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is one of the most beautiful mountain parks on earth! Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, this pristine wilderness promises awe-inspiring vistas, serene alpine lakes, and the majestic presence of Mount Assiniboine itself. This guide includes details about the park, how to book accomodations, where to stay, and how to get in and out! One of the things that makes Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in Canada so amazing is its exclusivity.

For any hiker, one of the critical components of a trip is what you are going to eat. As always, planning and preparation are essential parts of a backpacking trip, and meal planning is no exception. There is a large variety of advice when it comes to what to eat and what to bring, but here are some rules of thumb when preparing for your next trip. Planning: When planning for a trip, don’t forget to spend time figuring out what you want to eat on the trail.

So, you’ve seen pictures like this on social media, or read a blog, or seen Into the Wild and you’re thinking “huh, I want to do that”. Great! You’ve completed the first step to making your backcountry camping dreams a reality. The benefits of backcountry camping are numerous, with increasing numbers of people trying it out for the first time. Post-Covid, folks are clambering for more ways to enjoy their outdoor life in the fullest way they can.

An integral part of any successful hiking excursion is pre-trip research. With websites (like this one) making resource-hunting easier than ever before, less and less frequently do you see prospective hikers turning to the printed page for advice. Despite a large amount of advice around, websites will rarely have the space to dig as deep as a good book does. When it comes to comprehensive topics, a good hiking book will provide everything you need inside of it.

Backcountry camping can become an expensive habit pretty quickly. As a beginner hiker or even an experienced backcountry sportsperson, you start to look at what you are going to spend for the best gear and you start cutting corners. Believe me, this happens to everyone. Eventually as you get into the habit more and more, you can invest a bit each adventure to build up your roster of good equipment. In the meantime, you might be looking for essentials that enhance your backcountry experience.

Writing a trip itinerary is a critical component of any trip preparation, and not something people should neglect doing. A trip itinerary is designed to provide both your friend and the authorities adequate information about where you are, and how to find you in case something goes wrong. When embarking on a trail, someone else who is not with you should know where you are. An accurate trip itinerary can save your life if you are put in a bad situation.

As a newcomer to any sport, you might be enthusiastic to get out there and enjoy your first backpacking trip. It’s easy for a new hiker to get overwhelmed by the amount of information out there, and end up making typical mistakes in preparing and doing your first few multi-day journeys. Here are 10 mistakes that new backpackers make, and how to avoid them: 1. Overpacking One of the most common first-timer mistakes when it comes to backpacking is overpacking their bag.

An early view on the Fryatt Valley hike, located along where there used to be a cable car from the trail to the highway on the other side! The Fryatt Valley is a lesser known area of Jasper National Park, and is a great place to get away from the crowds. The trail is a 44 km out and back trail that takes you through the valley and up to the Fryatt Hut.

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is one of the most beautiful mountain parks on earth! Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, this pristine wilderness promises awe-inspiring vistas, serene alpine lakes, and the majestic presence of Mount Assiniboine itself. This guide includes details about the park, how to book accomodations, where to stay, and how to get in and out! One of the things that makes Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in Canada so amazing is its exclusivity.

Banff National Park is one of the most beautiful parks on earth. A massive 6600+ square kilometres of area, Banff National Park is full of a variety of attractions that draw in massive crowds every year. With a charming town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, local museums, nature centres, and restaurants, there’s no shortage of things to do. For those tempted to explore the scenery up close, Banff National Park offers so many outdoor recreation opportunities it will make your head spin!

Car camping stoves are a different breed than backpacking stoves. They are generally larger, heavier, and more powerful than their backpacking counterparts. They are also more versatile, and can be used for a wider range of cooking styles and dishes. Here is my guide to all the different types of car camping stove out there: What type is good for which trip, pros and cons, and relevant links. Happy searching!

A portable stove is one of the most important components of a camping kit. So, if you’re not one of those intense backpackers who only bring cold rations on a hike, or even if you just like your coffee hot, here is my guide to all the different types of camping stove out there: What type is good for which trip, pros and cons, and relevant links. Happy searching! What makes a good stove?

As an experienced camper, I have my eyes on the most interesting and exciting gear in our sport. What surprised me is how long it took me to discover this type of sleeping bag, and why I didn’t think to get one sooner: If you have ever been in a hiking or camping with a partner, you know the struggle. You’ve just had a hard day of hiking or a romantic day at camp, and it’s time to settle in.

One of the worst situations you can find yourself in is being stranded or lost without a sense of direction in the backcountry. When backcountry camping or hiking, having a GPS is key. So why are so many hikers turning towards a wearable GPS Watch rather than just a regular GPS Tracker? What is the GPS, and why is it so important? The Global Positioning System (or GPS as we call it) is a network of satellites and ground stations that coordinate with each other to pinpoint your location at any time.

An integral part of any successful hiking excursion is pre-trip research. With websites (like this one) making resource-hunting easier than ever before, less and less frequently do you see prospective hikers turning to the printed page for advice. Despite a large amount of advice around, websites will rarely have the space to dig as deep as a good book does. When it comes to comprehensive topics, a good hiking book will provide everything you need inside of it.

Backcountry camping can become an expensive habit pretty quickly. As a beginner hiker or even an experienced backcountry sportsperson, you start to look at what you are going to spend for the best gear and you start cutting corners. Believe me, this happens to everyone. Eventually as you get into the habit more and more, you can invest a bit each adventure to build up your roster of good equipment. In the meantime, you might be looking for essentials that enhance your backcountry experience.