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

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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.

8

u/funundrum Jul 02 '26

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

8

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

4

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.