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! As of August 14, 2024, the condition of the Fryatt Valley Trail is unknown. A massive wildfire has destroyed a large portion of the park, including the area along the Fryatt Valley Trailhead. Please consult with the Parks Canada website to check current trail conditions.

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.

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!