10 Common Hiking Mistakes Most Beginners Make
10 Common Hiking Mistakes Most Beginners Make
✅ Join thousands of hikers mastering the outdoors with my best hiking tips and tricks
https://www.mowser.com.au/subscribe/?video=x5Uo-Vk2yLI
Gear Lists: https://geni.us/BKBQ
Avoid common beginner hiking mistakes! Watch this video for essential hiking advice and tips on what not to do when starting out on the trails.
*🔗 VIDEO LINKS:*
Gear I’m embarassed to have taken hiking: https://youtu.be/HObooVIb8Vc?si=1EnV0-cg-oKhaYOe
Meal planning video: https://youtu.be/qdqXg51wlNM?si=SvRFoS-52JVHu35k
How I layer clothing: https://youtu.be/J8nB94GR-mY?si=Nrt7EgEPQlQ7VavP
People strapping items on the outside of backpacks probably got this behavior from cartoons or movies growing up, thought this was how it’s done.
A major issue to address is whether it is a solo hike or with a companion. Solo hikes are inherently risky and require more forethought. In general it also entails more gear and a heavier load.
Where is the best place to get physical maps?
Thank you once again.
I like the last point. Have always set up a new tent in the backyard before camping or hiking. Same with portable stove and even sleeping mats and inflating pillows. These last items often have expanding cores and need time to fully expand before first use.
Just a quick tip for carrying paper maps, which are always too big and tear along the folds with too much use. I photocopy the sections I need, which means you are only handling A4 pages. Particularly useful if your hike covers multiple maps.
I absolutely hate stuff swinging on my pack , if I can’t get it into the pack , it stays home
Great videos. I have been watching a few. I like the advice and truly appreciate the free templates. Which I will start using on my next hiking trail. Today i just brought water and some kind bars for a 1.5 hour day hike.
The heaviest things I have is my sleeping bag, water and clothes, that’s about 50% of my weight 😅 I packed like I did in the military so it’s not that I’m not used to it, but I’m looking for even lighter stuff that is equivalent in quality, but I’m a big guy so I won’t find much lighter winter clothing tbh
Stuff on outside of pack drives me nuts. Thinking of getting a hmg bag that will fit everything inside but can’t believe the amount of gear people strap to the outside
When I was doing the OT back in 2022 I met this guy from melb who had brought his food in a Tupperware container it was huge, I was like damn man it’s taking up half your pack 😂😂bloody tourist lol 😂🤣
#3 I recently came across an empty shelter…except for the animals living in it. I was glad to have my tent that night lol
I live in a hilly coastal area. When training for an upcoming backpacking trip, I train for the terrain and elevation changes I will be hiking. Closer to the date of my trip, I add my pack on my training hikes and gradually increase the load I carry. What’s harder to train for where I live is the altitude level for my planned hike. If I’m going to be hiking at altitude, I compensate by planning shorter hiking days on my trip.
The secret to enjoy it is do your own thing and ignore all the YouTube videos giving a million contradicting essential tips
My mum is Tasmanian and we live in colorado now. Great video!
I have a 75-litres backpack but feel like it is very small. I cannot put my tent and my sleeping back into my pack if they are in theiw own bags. Should I put them without their bags rather than carrying them outside my bag?
The only thing I overpack is food. Its saved my backside quite a few times. 2nd thing I’ll never compromise on is a portable water filter, camping knife and fire starter (I have redundancy for all 3 items)
@mowsertas Thanks for sharing great tips for packing efficiently, and providing your essential gear list. Many first-time packers/hikers carry too much gear or choose an improperly fitted backpack (giving them back pain). Kudos on mentioning proper nutrition and hydration before starting! 👍🎒 -Alex@Vanquest
I believe we should beware of absolute statements such as "cotton kills". I wear cotton shorts, hats and shirts in the summer, synthetics stink and feel like I am wearing plastic. We all wore cotton socks working in a sweltering factory in the summer, we needed the absorption. I wear wool socks while hiking.
I always have a sleeping bag strapped to the pack, in a waterproof bag. It is like a "modular" system. In the Canadian Army, we had all our sleeping gear in a "valise" (French?) on the top of our old C2 rucksacks. When we stopped and put the winter tent up, 1 guy would take all the valises out and blow up all the air mattresses. He would arrange them in the tent. Another guy started the stove, 2 guys may be on sentry, one finishing the tent guy lines or collecting boughs. We did not want to bother with looking through larger packs. Our packs remained outside the tents, only the valises were inside – no room.
Packs with the ability to strap on a valise have less fabric on them and are lighter and more versatile. (I note the "hotel" packs some armies are using and chuckle) Most packs are not waterproof and don’t have to be. Some articles such as packaged food can get wet, others can be in a plastic bag, like clothing. The sleeping bag is in a waterproof bag. I can strap on an axe, saw, machete, poncho, sleeping pad or a mug on the outside of a pack since it can get wet.
Great advice! A little fresh food for day one or two can be good. Maybe some bell pepper or something added to the freeze dried stuff.
A cotton T-shirt drenched wet is wonderful in our desert southwest. That cooling that is so dangerous in the winter is great on a dry scorching day! Just don’t use up too much water!
Cheers. Great video.
i agree with all of this 100% test your gear beforehand even your trusty old gear it might be rusty old gear!
Hello, I am doing my first 6 day hike this year. I have been very conflicted of what to pack and what not to pack for my first 6 day hike. I find so many different options of what to bring and what not to bring on the internet. The list you posted would that be appropriate for a 6 day hike?
I do change my socks daily. I’ll get my feet dry at night and sleep in fresh socks fot the next day. Worth the weight for me.
I actually disagree with one comment here, although in 95% of situations it’s true, but up in the top end we hike in cotton long sleeves, synthetics in heat and sweat get muggy and horrible, a durable cotton long sleeve station shirt when sweaty keeps you cool and is very refreshing if you wet it
Absolutely agree, after doing the OLT briefings in the visitor centre last year I have the same bug bears, everyone should just watch this before attempting it 😂 29kg was the heaviest pack I saw. Someone tried to go out with no sleeping pad or sleeping bag 🙅🏼♀️
biggest mistake; pack weight > 3kg
I’ve seen a lot of backpacking videos and yours are underrated. Great job and keep up the great work!
I’m not mad or ticked off with you but I have to say I don’t agree with this video or all the ones like it that people are posting.
Just like you, I have my own way of doing things too.
I don’t tell everyone that their way is wrong though.
Almost everyone posting videos these days just talk about NOOB hikers and how they do everything the way you’re not doing it.
I’ve been hiking 40 years and love my 2.5 pound air mattress and clip stuff to the outside of my pack because that’s how I like it.
If you want to help new hikers, give them tips! Stop telling them they are making mistakes just because that’s not how you do it.
Life is about learning so tell people what works for you but let them decide what works for them.
It’s always 10. Not 9 and not 11.
I love all this useful info!! Thank you.
NEW subscriber 🙏💙
Though I am a simple dayhiker, your tips will definitely make my next trip easier. With love dear ❤️
Great video! Ive definitely have done a few of these (the massive first aid kit for one!).
While it is not an issue for everyone, blisters can really cause issues on the track.Think hard about your footwear and socks, strap your feet and field test everything if considering a multiday hike, as suggested.
I personally also have a good think about contingencies (what ifs) for innocuous but critical things eg you lose your glasses.
Been bushwalking in Tas for 30 years and I have made many of those mistakes (learning experiences 😊) – not all – and agree with all of your 10 points. I think there is a difference between developing your own style of walking, and doing things as a beginner that might get you in deep trouble when you haven’t yet learned enough to get yourself out of trouble.
The other reason I don’t like foam mats on the outside of packs is all the little pieces of mat left scattered on scrubby trails.
One of my biggest mistakes was going on a long off track walk with a person i hadn’t ‘tested out’ (as opposed to gear i hadn’t tested) – not good. The other was a friend and I putting our packs down and wandering off – took a long time to find them again! That was over 20 years ago- still remember the feeling 😅
Am I wrong in thinking storing stuff in a dry bag outside your bag would be okay? Like a tent or sleeping bag.
Great video, Matthew! 😃Your tips on avoiding common beginner hiking mistakes are super helpful. I appreciate how you break everything down in a way that’s easy to understand. Looking forward to more of your content – really great content!
Cheers,
Simon – Tales From Abroad
Just found your channel and enjoying the videos! I agree with 9 of the 10 mistakes. I belive the mistake of not eating enough food depends on context. For a hiker eating a standard diet getting most of their calories from carbohydrates it is true. If they don’t keeping putting carbs in, they will start to feel poorly. But, I hike keto and consume very low carbs and rely on fat for energy. The amount I eat on a multiday walk doesn’t matter so much because my body happily dips into body fat stores without effecting how energetic I feel. I do just a black coffee for breafast, then some pork scratchings, beef jerky and/or fatty salami for lunch and then a simple dinner made from freeze dried beef/chicken and freeze dried peas/mushrooms plus some spices. Just did a 6 day walk on K’gari and it worked really well.
So what’s the weight of your pack for say for a 3 day hike.
Where’s the upside? lol Recreation? This is like a survival game. I’ll take the golf course.
With an external frame pack, I’d stuff my sleeping bag in an oven bag tied off with rubber bands, stuffed in a stuff sack, lashed to the frame with nylon web. Dry as a bone and secure. Never counted on my pack to keep anything dry anyway. Anything i wanted dry went into mylar oven bags, squished all the air out and tied off. You could sink em for a week and everything inside would be dry. 🤷♂️
I’ve hiked up a mountain and to get there and one person brought the wrong tent poles .
Actually cotton t-shirt can be fun if you go in hot summer in Spain. You soak it in cold water put it on and walk. Just make sure you can repeat that often and also that it won’t dry 😀
Regarding to overpacking… if you do that consistently… you will end up with really strong legs 😀 But it won’t be easy and maybe not a fun as well.
Make sure you won’t trade of weight for your own safety. Rescue service is not a taxi service. But otherwise yes… finding balance is not easy.
Ive got a number 11
I was doing a 40 mile traverse of the Wallowa mountains
Climbed up 2500 ft to the first lake on my first night
Ready early setting up camp, tent up , sleeping bag and pad set up comfy, ready for grup….
Whoops, forgot a cookpot
Went 8 miles back to the trailhead
Here in California, the low temperature overnight is going to be 80 degrees with 20 mile per hour winds. A tent is gonna help you keep cool in the heat overnight.
I walk in Tassie a bit. Will do the Overland Track again this year in November, correctly. I love your vids and the great tips. Thankyou.
500 likes! (Commented on wrong video before). Thanks for the great advice
Over estimating your walking abilities leads to feeling like your failing everday, rather than enjoying it. Unrealistic targets lead to feeling useless and weak.
I just went on a 3 day solo camp up in some nearby mountains. I carried 70 pounds of gear and food 8 miles into the mountain and it was grueling, but overall I learned a lot about what I don’t need so I am grateful to have had such a minor bad experience. Loved the video.
1. tip: overpacking, shows clip sitting on chair–> closes video
I am in my sixties snd I have been climbing, bushwalking etc. for fifty years, including professionally.
Your tips provided are spot on, as are your videos.
Keep up the great work.
He doesn’t specifically mention walking boots !!! – Which is absolutely crucial !!! – Buying good ones that fit, trying to ‘break them in’ before a long walk, and carrying plasters with you the first few times you go on a long walk in case despite your precautions you seem to be in danger of developing a blister. You can use a plaster to protect an already-formed blister or, better still, realise that you’re getting rubbed and then put a plaster or/any piece of sheep wool etc in place as a preventative.
#7 I skipped a chance to fill up on water because the creek was difficult to get to. I started cramping up before I could get to the next creek and I had to get rescued.