10 Hiking Tips Nobody Talks About
10 Hiking Tips Nobody Talks About
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Discover 10 uncommon hiking tips that will transform your outdoor adventures! From mastering short breaks to efficient camp setups, we’re going beyond the basics to help you hike smarter, not harder. Learn how to choose trails that inspire you, multitask on the move, and navigate tricky terrain. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned hiker, these unique insights will elevate your hiking game. We’ll cover energy management, gear optimization, and trail etiquette that most guides overlook. Get ready to make your next hike your best one yet!
*⏱ TIMESTAMPS:*
00:00 – Intro
00:23 – Welcome
00:58 – Secret tips
01:17 – Keep the momentum going
03:12 – Efficiency in camp
04:32 – Hike where your heart is
05:47 – Master the walking workshop
07:06 – Walk through the mud
08:35 – Check your pack!
09:10 – Look back and survey the area
09:59 – Dress 15 minutes in advance
11:09 – Pacing yourself on the trail
12:07 – Snack Smart
Added Tip. Something I learned for navigation. Turn around and look back from where you just came. This is important in complex terrain with limited visibility (forests, multiple trails in the area, faint trails). By looking back from where you came, things will look familiar if you need to backtrack.
GREAT as always. When hiking and camping in pairs, an Oppo and I got into a great routine. He always knew where and how I packed my sleep system and my parts of the tent. I always knew where and how he packed his food and cook kit. So when we arrived at camp, he would set up the tent and I would start cooking up food. In the morning, he’d be packing us up while I made breakfast. This worked really well, especially when you’re tired on multi day hikes 😊
57 seconds in- “Let’s get straight into the video.”
Just a really great and straight forward video. Time well spent watching. Thanks for the tips. There are defnitely places that have a special place and no matter how many times you walk them it fills you with joy. Sometimes we lose sight of those places when we are trying to push boundaries and travel further afield.
https://youtu.be/BXFcEdVw9j8?si=pBGL2mK0zz2mdXmi
#7 double check…. in filmmaking we called it the "idiot" check😊 so many times it’s a saving grace 😊
I never take a proper break. I do take pauses but I never sit. Even on a 40 mile hike I do not stop much. I eat and drink as I walk.
Re mud, waterproof socks – once tried you will never go back.
All of the squishy sound but with warm dry feet.
I’m so with you about Tasmania and I live in North Queensland! I hike in my local area, but am always planning and thinking about my next Tassie trip. Your footage of the Western Arthurs really took me back 👌
Yes micro breaks i call them,dont think ive ever sat longer than 30 minutes on a hike,but im in freezing scotland doing munros,so micro breaks it is !
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I’m going on a couple of 12 hour day hikes in Norway with almost no prior experience. Definitely following my heart, walking to the northernmost point of Europe 😊
I prefer walking during the hot months in NSW. 40 degrees C is ideal. Break camp at first light. Plan to be near a creek by 10. Have a five or six hour lunch and relax. Finish walking and set up camp around 8pm.
Thanks!
Trekking polls are a must. I swear they have saved me numerous times from falling on my ars.
A tent is not a necessity unless you don’t have a sleeping bag or your out in extremely cold weather. If you need to cut weight your tent should be the first thing you ditch.
You can always use a tarp or bevy to protect you from the rain. Tents are the most overrated piece of gear.
Ditch the water filters and use purification tabs like Aquatabs instead.
In the winter:
wear a mesh shirt and wool sweater and puffy jacket.
down booty’s and hand warmers in your sleeping bag.
Look at the comfort rating not the survival rating, and choose a sleeping bag and mat that is 10 degree’s below it.
Great tips 👌 👍
Part of the fun hiking is an hour’s lunch break. Any shorter, and it wouldn’t be the same! I wouldn’t bother to go!
Pre preparation is just preparation 🤫
I think your accent automatically multiplies your outdoorsmanship credibility in the estimation of my fellow Americans
#1: take your time. You came out to nature to have fun and relax. To be zen. Not to be as effective and as efficient as humanly possible
Great tip about walking through the water. I learned to leave my boots on crossing streams in the High Sierra. This way I didn’t cut my feet on a sharp rock, or slip on a slick one. On the other side, I would change out my wet socks and continue on.
Tip two is a good idea whenever you travel. I always pack up everything I won’t need in morning the evening before. Not only do you get out faster but you are less likely to leave something behind.
I try to remember to loosen my pack straps before removing my pack,this makes it easier to get the pack back on,and readjusting is automatic! ✌🏼
This second point of packing things the night before. This was a game changer for me on my trips, exactly as guy says, especially for those rainy mornings. ❤ You’ve you a subscriber in me and Pabs 🐶🐾
Outstanding
Nice tips. Gonna take my daughter out for her first overnight this week. Looking forward to it.
As for breaks, I agree short breaks are good, however…
When you get to that pinnacle/overlook, cold mountain stream or waterfall, whatever takes your breath away and stirs your soul. That is the time to stop, enjoy, and soak it in. The mental health benefits outweigh everything else.
It is chicken soup for the soul to embrace God’s creation and beauty.
I have trouble chewing and swallowing while hiking. So I carry Gu energy gels to sustain me in long hikes… For the quick moving snacks.
Especially for new hikers but also a good one for the more experienced one:
After walking the first 10 minutes of the day take a 5 min quick stop to adjust gear. Backpack, boots, remove or add clothing, all the little things that are annoying and make yourself comfortable with the gear for the day.
It’s really hard to get it all dialed in perfectly without testing how the pack feels today.
#7 is useful even when packing at home or leaving a hotel… It’s just good practice to view your whole world from different perspectives 👍❤️👍
Just get on with your tips ffs
I live in the northeastern US, I love hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. There’s many other places to hike in our area that have amazing views but I spent years and years having snowboarding adventures up there, and I love exploring the mountains id sit on the ski lift and admire for days.
Thank you for talking about the mud thing! It always frustrates me when my friends are worried about getting their hiking boots dirty, whatya think we’re out there for? 😭
Just the tip
as soon as i wake up, i stretch out, lay there a minute, then start boiling water for coffee, and any item i see near me that i can grab one by one, i start placing them where they go or ready to go in organized piles or rows, i do this out of habit. i pull out each tent stake real quick, maybe detach a couple things and hang up the rainfly, real casual as i’m waking up, first 10 mins, coffee is ready, pour it thru, let it cool as i grab my pack and start looking through it, doing the same. eliminating items i won’t need, drying things etc. instead of relaxing a while, then going 100% into packing up and leaving, i take my time, gradually getting ready as the time to leave approaches, leaving myself at least an hour or so to do nothing. usually everyone is packing up last things, tidying, i am 100% done, sitting on a folding chair that connects to my pack, sipping my coffee. i love doing it this way. takes a lot of pressure off, and lets you flow back into motion easier.
wow these were bad
You’re right. These are unusual, but spot-on tips. Here is another one to consider:
Consider a Hudson Bay start, time permitting. Basically, you go just a short distance into the wilderness on your first day and set up camp. The idea is to make sure everything works and you did not forget something. After 500+ backpacking days, I am embarrassed to say all things I left behind in a hidden spot in the car. In many cases, I was close enough to retrieve them before dark.
I learned about the Hudson Bay start in the journals of Lewis and Clark. When they started their journey from St. Louis, they only went a short distance on the first day. They learned they did not have enough axes. But they were close enough to St. Louis to buy more axes without serious delay.
Perhaps the excellent advice about looking back should apply the moment you leave the car. Often when we are behind schedule, we rush to hit the trail and immediately screw up.
My main rule is not to walk too far on the first day. About 10ks; it gives your body time to adapt to the weight, you sleep a little better because you’re feet and body aren’t sore, and you start the next days walk in better condition.
Also agree with pacing, 3.5-4K an hour with no stops works well. The other benefit I’ve found with slower pace is the prevention of blisters.
I recognise some of that Tasmanian Terrain 🙂 Good tips !
Call them "taking a photo pause" rather than a photo stop – sneak in the ‘nudge words’ – don’t use "stop" 😉
Scotland has the same variety of walks, hikes, climbs, expeditions. Maybe need to add Tasmania to the list of special places.
For the cold start problem, plan that the first stop in 15 mins is quick if you aren’t willing to start frozen.
Adjusting the straps, tighten and slacken carrying straps to adjust body confort, esp slacken both shoulder straps before re-tightening if it feels unbalanced (often the unbalance is one is too tight, rather than the other being too slack).
Great tips.
When hiking mountains, we do one pitch at a time with about one minute stops between pitches and never sit down.
As a new hiker, who has thus far only completed Kungsleden🇸🇪, these are all true but easy to piece together yourself tips. I am no genius, and I was following these principles on said hike.
IMHO, given your experience and proficiency, advanced and unintuitive tips would be a beneficial and distinct contribution you could provide to the hiking community on YouTube.
when you do your inventory make note of items you have either not used or used sparingly
My favorite tip is don’t worry to much about how far you get. I don’t mind doing a shorter hike if i find something intresting along the way, i might loose an entire day exploring some rock formations or fishing some small stream I saw something jump in during brekfast. I’m not out hiking to aet some record, if i don’t do the full planned hike it doesn’t really matter to me.
Great list mate, I got to get myself down to Tassie one of these days, that looks rough.
Tomorrow I’m off to Sarek National Park for a multi day tramp and I know I’ll be using every single one of these true and tested tips.
Thanks for the quality refresh mate..
Rather than eat breakfast before you start, pack everything up and leave, have your breakfast ready, your first break after 30 -60 mins have your beakfast. This gives you time to stop and think, am I in the right direction, did I leave anything behind it wiill give you a break in or adjustment period for that particular day
Tomato juice and fig cookies are my go to for hiking snacks…electrolytes and carbs to keep going!
Great to see some real world , common sense, comments. Here are two of my own, gleaned from over 50 years of outdoor activity.
No 1. If stopping for a short break/breather/tea break, try to engineer your break to be at the TOP of any gradient/incline/hill.
That way you will not lose any benefit from the short break within 5 steps.
Psychologically, this is a great morale booster, more than anything else.
No 2. If setting up camp in the evening, near a water feature that will have to be crossed, always cross the water feature before putting up your camp.
That way you start the day with, relatively, dry socks and clothing. If you fall in the water at the start of your day you are not going to be a happy chappy !
Your video posts are very informative , Happy Trails .
Thanks
What Arc’teryx hoody are you wearing here? Just subscribed love your channel !
Yeah that pacing one gets me a lot. I can put in 30 mile days… and i find myself cruising along the first 5 miles faster than i should 😅 currently working on a steady 3mph speed 🤞not 4.3mph starting out, and 2.5mph by the end 😂