There are some things to consider before you start backpacking for the first time. Beginners need to know about backpacking equipment, supplies and essentials.

Backpacking can turn into a horrifying experience if you’re not prepared with the essentials.

Backpacking can be done in either urban areas or in the wilderness or a mixture of both and the requirements of hiking and camping gear are different as well as the planning.

Common tips for Beginners

There are some backpacking tips that apply to both the wilderness and civilization.

Here they are:

Break in your hiking boots by taking them for short hikes.

Try out your hiking back pack and clothing to check if they’ll be comfortable for you by using them on short hikes. Fully load your hiking pack with all you need for the backpacking trip and take them on short hikes to test for comfort and to find out which of the straps does a better job in distributing the load.

Test and learn how to use your backpacking equipment including camping stove, water filter, camping tents, GPS, altimeter and headlamps.

Get your body in shape because backpacking can get very nasty if you’re not fit.

Travelling light is oftentimes much more enjoyable than having too much on your hiking pack.

Backpacking in Urban Areas for Beginners

Traditionally, backpacking is a cheap way to get from one place to another. It involves more than just walking and hiking.

Historically it’s a cheap form of travel. Though it is an enjoyable experience, it’s more of an education than a vacation.

You’re likely to experience a lot more of the important stuff when you’re backpacking than when you’re just using some kind of modern transportation.

An hours’ travel by car can mean a whole day or like 2 or more if you’re backpacking but a backpacker also experiences a lot more. Backpackers see a whole lot more than the normal tourist. They mingle with local people and witness what real life is really like at a certain place. It’s like you’re living there for some time.

There is a sense of community as you stay in a backpacker’s hostel or lodge where you’ll meet other like-minded individuals sharing the rooms, kitchen, toilet, lounge are, etc.

Backpacking is about traveling with a small budget and to avoid the risk of theft backpackers don’t usually carry expensive electronic equipment.

The rising trend is backpacking with a big budget, staying in lavish accommodations and carrying expensive equipment other than their backpacking equipment such as laptops and PDAs especially for young generations to satisfy their need to stay connected.

Backpacking in Rural Areas or the Wild

In some places, having a big budget doesn’t help. Small villages and towns may not be able to offer lavish accommodations other than the backpacker’s hostel and sometimes not even that equipment such as laptops and blackberries may be rendered useless especially in you are backpacking in the wilderness.

Camping Equipment

The initial cost can be quite high if you are backpacking in the wild especially you are hiking and camping as backpacking equipment like mummy bag and camping tents can get quite expensive.

Backpacking, for beginners, also requires a lot more preparation and research. Care should be taken in preparing equipment and you need to test it out and learn how to use them.

The most important backpacking equipment is your hiking boots. It’s important that your hiking boots are comfortable so having a perfect fit in the first place and breaking them in later is crucial.

The best way to break in your hiking boots is to take on short hikes with a full load. At the same time it’s a good time to test your backpacking equipment including your hiking pack.

See if your clothing is too hot or too cold for you or if they pose any other problems like ‘riding up’ and rubbing against your skin.

Test your hiking pack whether they’re comfortable or not. Try all the straps and identify which ones help distribute the load better.

Take your backpacking equipment testing not just on smooth walkways but also on uneven ground going uphill and downhill to maximize testing. This will also toughen up your feet and reduce the chances of blistering when you go for the real trip and at same time improves your strength and fitness which is crucial for a good backpacking trip.

Learn and practice how to use all of your hiking and camping equipment so that you are more prepared for less than ideal situations.

Use a camping list or camping checklist and pack your backpacking equipment early so that you can make sure that you don’t miss any backpacking equipment including the first aid kit, personal medicine and safety and emergency equipment.

Pack heavier equipment close to your body so as to avoid your load from pulling away and make the hiking pack feel heavier than it is. Rain gear and a waterproof enclosure containing extra layers, gloves and hat should be kept at the top of your hiking pack where it is easily accessible.

Your clothing and down bag should also be in a waterproof enclosure so that it stays dry even when your backpack is underwater.

Other things that need to dry include electronic equipment like laptops, cameras and camcorders, personal essentials such as toilet paper and daily essentials like snacks, compass, pocket knife, maps and guidebooks, sunscreen and insect repellents. Pack these in the outer pocket of your backpack as you are likely to use them more.

Water bottles should be kept upright and should be easily accessible as well. Your camping tent can strapped to the outside of your backpack including the tent poles.

The first aid kit should be kept where the contents can be secure yet is still easily accessible.

For beginners, choosing which camping food to bring could be a problem. Unfortunately the best way to determine which kinds of food is right for you to bring camping or backpacking is by trial and error. Take some advice here and there and see if it works for you.

To be safe, base your decisions on taste, nutritional value, weight, ease of preparation and packaging. A favorite among hikers and backpackers are dehydrated food which are light, have good nutritional value and also taste good.

Hiking has been long considered as one of the most effective ways to increase your fitness and it can be grueling.

Good preparation of backpacking equipment and researching the place where you’re going to explore as well as keeping yourself in shape will help you go through the expedition with minimal problems.

At the same time backpacking can be highly satisfying so if you’re thinking of going backpacking, do it, it can be the most memorable days of your life.

Are you tired of the modern day hustle and bustle? A vacation to a tourist spot may just as well be a trip to the mall. There are too many people around you to feel relaxed. When you are ready to completely disengage from modern life, nothing is better than backpacking.

Backpacking allows you to truly get in touch with nature. There is nothing more awe inspiring than a night out in the hills with the stars and moon shinning in the sky. You can actually sleep outside have fun a lot of fun. However, you may also find terrible weather and see the need for a tent.

Not only is it a good idea to carry a tent it is also wise to choose a good quality tent. You can do with a 3 season tent that is not too heavy to carry such as the kelty teton 2. Even if you decide to carry a simple tent, you should make sure that you choose a tent that is study enough to save you from the bad weather.

After spending the whole day walking and carrying your tent, the least you can expect from it is to have adequate space. Though you wish to reduce the weight of what you carry, you also need to have a tent that is spacious enough for your tired body. Try out the tent at the store and find out how spacious it is.

We are usually tempted to buy the cheapest products we can get. The wisdom of which is tested when you are on your own in bad weather. Instead of cheap tents, you should look for a tent that gives you value for money. Kelty are a great source for value tents. Being a miser whilst choosing a tent, will probably lead to long nights and tired days in the wild.

Backpacking is fun. However, how you prepare for one and the quality of tent that you carry can let you down. Spend the right amount of time selecting a tent that is easy for you to carry, easy to set up and good for your pocket and you will have the best time you can dream of.

When you think of camping out for one or more nights, then most people think of snuggling up in a sleeping bag inside a camping tent.

Few people think who have actually gone camping outdoors seriously imagine camping out without a tent. But those who have never tried it may daydream about it. Certainly we have Hollywood to thank for hundreds of romanticized Westerns and adventure movies where the heroes lie down next to a camp fire and pull a blanket over themselves.

The reality is that one blanket wouldn’t be anywhere near enough, and with nothing underneath them as a barrier to the cold and damp from below, they’d be lucky to get any sleep at all.

John Wayne only had to lie down for the cameras. But you need to get a proper eight hours of shut-eye… warm and dry.

So yes, you can enjoy camping without having to carry a tent along with you… As long as you know what you’re doing.

You have to take care of several things that a camping tent would have normally done for you…

(1) Shelter. Mainly this is keeping off the rain from above, and in windy weather, from the side as well.

(2) Insect Proofing. This can be by having a mosquito net of some kind, or else smearing yourself with insect repellent. (Better than nothing, but not particularly effective.)

(3) Keep your Sleeping Bag Dry. Even if it isn’t raining overnight. Your sleeping bag can be soaked from above with dew and with moisture sucked up from below by your body heat. The cold ground also leaches away your body’s warmth, which is why experienced campers like to have more insulation beneath them than above them! (A mattress or foam sleeping pad normally provides this.)

Three popular ways of camping without a tent are to make use of a camping tarp, a camping hammock or a bivvies. All of these have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. But most of them are lighter and quicker to set up than a camping tent. And that’s just what the hiker or lightweight camper needs.

A camping tarp won’t keep away any insects, but it will keep the rain and dew off you overnight. It doesn’t weigh as much as most tents but it does take some skill to set up right.

A camping hammock is a bit like a one-man tent without poles. String it between two stout trees or supports and you’ve got it made - in the shade. These babies even have rain protection and insect mesh. So no mosquitoes.

A bivvies is the smallest, lightest system of keeping your sleep sack dry, you warm and the insects away from your skin. It’s also very low-profile and works as an emergency survival bag for hikers out in the wild as well.

David Harvey has enjoyed recreational camping for more than 40 years, sleeping alone or with friends in tents large and small, summer and winter. He has been both a Boy Scout and a Scout Leader, and still makes use of his camping gear whenever he needs a break from his Internet Publishing pursuits. David is a the publisher of several web sites, including http://www.1campingtent.com/camping-without-a-tent.htm

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Camping can a ton of fun if you have the right equipment to make it an enjoyable time rather than wishing you had reserved a cabin instead. Among your camping supplies, a camping stove should be considered a must - especially if you camp often - because it just makes cooking more convenient and easy for your family and friends.

Although most campsites have a fire pit that you can cook on, that approach to your “outdoor cuisine” is difficult for someone who is not familiar cooking over an open flame. Bringing along a camping stove makes meal preparation quicker and more efficient.

A camping stove is not very expensive, and really does add a nice benefit to your camping trip. There are a few tips, however, you should be aware of before buying one. You ought not buy a camping stove at just any store.

Rather, make the effort to specifically visit a sporting goods store or a reputable camping dealer who specializes in such items. Staffs that are familiar with camping products are important because they can provide you helpful hints on how to use them and, in the case of a stove, how much food it typically holds.

More specifically they can explain how to assemble the product, or instead do the work for you for a small fee. Depending on the limits of your prior knowledge, that could save you several hours figuring out how to put it together.

You should also buy the stove from a merchant that accepts returns in case you find that you do not like the particular camping stove purchased.

The best camping stove option is one that comes complete with two burners. This allows your “chef” to cook one item of food while another person prepares something else.

Simply, it is just more convenient and time efficient to cook a full meal with two burners. Once out in the woods, you will not regret the additional cost of the extra burner!

When it comes to fuel, various camping stoves work with different fuels. For an environmentally friendly product, you should consider a stove that uses white gas. It is also the least expensive of all your fuel options. Always use refillable containers so you reuse them repeatedly rather than purchasing a new one for each trip.

Finally, if you plan to camp in a location at an altitude over 10,000 feet, ask whether the stove you are interested in will actually function there. Some models are made specifically for this.

Camping can be very enjoyable if you have the right equipment. A simple, but fully functional outdoor stove should be included as part of your essential gear.

Twenty-eight years ago, 3 people came up with the idea that what the world wanted was superior shoes for the outdoorsman and sportsperson, and Merrell shoes were born in Waitsfield, Vermont. The people who had the idea were Clark Matis, Randy Merrell and J. Schweitzer. Since ‘81 this brand has continued its commitment to excellence and high quality footwear for hikers, runners and other outdoorsmen. The initial product that the company conceived was a hiking boot that was suited to the feet of Americans rather than Europeans, with a much broader toe and a narrower heel shape. For men and women, the options from Merrell shoes for casual shoes include boots, slip ons, lace ups and sandals. For active wear, choose from winter, running, hiking, and multi-sport shoes.

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Merrell sandals have continued to push the boundaries of outdoor recreational footwear and outerwear and has a promise to the people that it serves, to provide the best fitting, most comfortable, highest quality product that can be delivered, for the most reasonable price. And purchasers have rewarded the company for its loyalty to them by keeping loyal to Merrell! Merrell shoes are known the world over for their great manufacture, craftsmanship and design. The company has extended its focus from shoes to a clothing line which incorporates materials that are literally on the bleeding edge of outdoor technologies.

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