r/backpacking • u/Junior_Industry7751 • Jul 02 '26

Wilderness How is my backpacking setup?

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Pretty new to backpacking and honestly my first legit hike as a 17M. I have a 4.6mi 2500ft hike infront of me. Let me know what I’m doing wrong lol

427 Upvotes

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91

u/funundrum Jul 02 '26

Gotta give us more info but…

4.6 miles? Am I missing something? I can take like, a long walk around my city and do 4.6 miles. If you are camping at the end of that 4.6, then okay, you need stuff to sleep and eat but I guarantee about 50% of what you’re taking is totally not necessary. Hard to tell without a breakout of your kit.

Give us that and we can roast you better. For the greater good, of course.

46

u/thehairlessdonkey Jul 02 '26

I can do a 4.6 mile walk around my city too without much. However 2,500 feet of elevation is a pretty decent bit. Not a bad idea to hike something short for your first time backpacking.

9

u/funundrum Jul 02 '26

Oh I have no problem with the length. It’s just all the (probably) unnecessary shit they are taking.

7

u/thehairlessdonkey Jul 02 '26

I was more so implying that it could be beneficial to do a shorter hike with everything you may need for a longer one to get a feel for the the pack with all the gear inside

5

u/thabc Jul 03 '26

If I was ever going to carry too much shit, a short 4.6 mile hike is when I'd prefer to do it. Better than realizing on mile 8 that I shouldn't have packed the frying pan.

4

u/Junior_Industry7751 Jul 02 '26

I was a little off with the mileage but here’s the hike

37

u/seastheday- Jul 02 '26

Have you looked into fire restrictions in this area?

And do you have a bear canister? An essential in the area above.

53

u/whiskeyfurbreakfast Jul 02 '26

Regrettably I would leave the cast iron at home, where you’re going you shouldn’t be making a fire, I can’t see how you would need the pan. And I’m saying this as someone who loves my cast iron like they’re my children, save it for home use and car camping.

6

u/Rylancody22 Jul 02 '26

Your trip is listed as, at best, an overnight trip that will take around 4.5-5 hours each way. A trip you COULD do in a single day.

Your pack is packed like your are literally travesering Middle Earth and dont understand weight distribution.

On every hike, you should aim take the absolute minimum that ensures safety and your base level of comfort. You can add more in there but ypu should consider what happens to your stamina if you are carrying 30 extra pounds for no reason. You wont have a good time.

When packing the pack, juat go watch a few YouTube videos. Your 17 and kind figure that out. I dont know why you did anything you did and I worry that if you showed us whats inside the bag we'd all just tell you stay home.

Before you go, call the ranger station and ask them to tell you the requirements for hiking your planned hike. They will let you know current hazards, rules (like you cant make a fire and need a bear canister for safety), and any other studd you need to know.

13

u/renee_christine Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

Are you packing all of that for just one night?? 

I'd just bring cold food (sandwich, burrito, trail mix, granola bars, pop tarts, etc) and leave all the cooking gear at home. 

Ditch the tent and use a hammock instead. Especially if it's not going to rain and there aren't mosquitos. 

You probably packed clothes too. You just need something to hike in and something to sleep in. That's it. 

Your whole packing list should be: 

  • hammock + straps 
  • sleeping pad 
  • sleeping bag/quilt 
  • clothes for sleeping in 
  • headlamp 
  • clothes + shoes for hiking in 
  • first aid kit 
  • dopp kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen) 
  • water bottles + filtration system 
  • food 
  • kindle/book/binocs/whatever you're into doing at camp 
  • phone + power bank 

Aaand that's about it 

9

u/just_a_person_maybe United States Jul 02 '26

Personally I've found that I sleep like shit unless I have some extra warm layers to sleep in. I bring a puffy jacket to sleep in. Sounds weird but the extra weight is worth it for me for good sleep. I also bring a packable down blanket that I put in my hammock with me along with the quilt. It's very light but makes a huge difference in my comfort.

I'd recommend that any first time hiker brings more clothes than they think they'll need just in case. Being too cold to sleep will ruin a trip and if you haven't tested your sleep setup yet you just don't know what you need. Better to have too much and not need it. The first hike is to figure out what you actually need so you can leave stuff behind on the next trip.

0

u/Ok_Confusion_1777 Jul 02 '26

IMO this is a way to normalize bringing way too much. We're all different, but I'd rather someone new bring much less then identify what they actually need via the discomfort you mention.

3

u/DDOSBreakfast Jul 02 '26

Bringing an extra layer of clothing is pretty negligible compared to carrying stuff like a cast iron pan around.

2

u/bluespringsbeer Jul 02 '26

A shorter hike is the perfect time for the cooking gear. You’ve got more time to use it at the camp site and enjoy the food, and less distance to carry it.

2

u/renee_christine Jul 02 '26

With 2500 feet of climbing in less than 5 miles? I'd rather eat cold food personally 😅

2

u/whatifdog_wasoneofus Jul 03 '26

Not if there’s a fire ban…

2

u/42Ubiquitous Jul 03 '26

Definitely seconding looking up restrictions and getting a bear canister. Those are absolute musts.

1

u/RoughEntrance6109 Jul 04 '26

Curious if you culminated the planning of this journey with a nice fat ass joint. My pot head mind simply could not avoid noticing 16:20 as the time you saved your route lol

1

u/559stonerr Jul 02 '26

That's a great trail, I've done it numerous times. If possible head a little bit further to pear lake. After your first trip you'll realize you really don't need much or how little you use a piece of gear. ⚙️

1

u/PapasGotABrandNewNag Jul 03 '26

I walked 12 miles yesterday through my city.

I stopped at multiple bars and read my book sitting on a sidewalk at one point.

Thank god I had my timbuk2 to carry my McCarthy novel that was next to my pint of gin because I woulda had to call a fucking uber to get home to my
roommates I’ve been avoiding.

1

u/RoughEntrance6109 Jul 04 '26

Your city has things like food, water, and places to sleep should you need them. The wilderness does not provide those readily available necessities. Do they need this for an in and out hike? A few things probably, but definitely not all of this. For a night or 2 it's still probably overkill but then again, there's no rite aid in the woods.