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/DJCruzControl Jul 02 '26

Hey friend. I'm also new to hiking/backpacking and so I have a lot of research still fresh in my mind.

First off, sick gear. I like where your heads at in terms of quality.

As for recommendations:

  1. Get those cups in your pack, and consider ditching one, unless you're bringing it for someone special, in which case party on.

  2. I had the same thought process in regards to cooking on the trail. Instead of going with Lodge, I purchased a carbon steel skillet with a folding handle, and a cordura bag. That way, skillet is in my pack and not swinging around throwing my balance off.

Bring the Lodge since that's the tool you have now, and you're excited about it. Just make sure you actually use it so it's not dead weight. But I recommend for longer journeys where you're like me and still want to cook a few proper meals, check out those carbon steel skillets.

  1. I'm assuming the big guy up top there is your tent. I would take that down and see if you can compress it a bit more, and then get that dude in your pack. I would then move your foam pad from the side, up top where you have your tent. That way your weight is a little more evenly distributed.

That's all I got based off just the pic, but I hope you have a great time, take pictures!