- Leave no trace
- Be prepared
- Be comfortable
- Travel light
Be prepared is the mantra of the Boy Scouts. They do this more than I do, so I think they should know something about it. The basic idea is to go over every aspect of the trip and figure out what you should and shouldn't bring. If you are in doubt, bring it and make the final determination at the trailhead (this is especially true of things like rain gear). You should have a plan, contact information, a backup plan, a first aid kit, and a contingency plan. This gets easier as you do it more.
Be comfortable means taking gear that fits well and operates effectively. The most important pieces of gear are your boots/shoes, socks, backpack, and sleeping bag. Everything else is personal preference. A final note: AVOID COTTON! There are many alternatives, wool, silk, and synthetics, that can be bought for very reasonable prices. The goal is to wick sweat and moisture away from the body. That means you will be warmer, drier, and chafe less or not at all.
Travel light means taking only what you need for the trip. Just enough food, only enough clothes, no unnecessary gear. Feel free to bring more than you need to the trailhead, but do a final packing before heading off. And feel free to keep a final change of clothes in the car, it cuts down on stinky rides home.
Lastly, here are some packing lists that I have found. Feel free to follow them as closely as you want, I will gladly go over them with you to make sure you are prepared and not spending more than you should.
That's the brain dump. I'll be talking more later on specific topics (e.g., backpacks, sleeping bags, foot care, etc.) later.
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