Trip Planning Tools Every Backpacker Should Know
Trip Planning Tools Every Backpacker Should Know
Tips On How To Plan, Route, & Navigate Your First Backpacking Trip!
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Thanks for this video. Looking at doing the Ouachita trail this coming spring and that app will be great.
We are heading to Flagstaff for the GeoWoodStock…any recommendations for a day hike locally?
$82 for 3 people for 2 nights? Geez. Hopefully that’s inflated by Grand Canyon tax.
Hmmm…OnX eh? Might have to give it a try.
How apropos! I’ve been wanting to d/l OnX since I saw it on Eric’s channel & then tonight I saw Dan’s Moab give-away & the OnX sale. Hell yeah! Then when I was trying to figure out how to use it for my upcoming trip I couldn’t figure it out. I beg to differ that it is user intuitive. 😂 I decided to route my hikes on my laptop so I can see better, but I like that I’ll be able to d/l the maps for offline use when I’m in the mtns. Thanks for the help!
Weather and water supply also important to plan for. Gaia GPS has been excellent for my trip planning and navigation.
Thank you SO much for this thorough tutorial! As a newer backpacker, the logistics part always stresses me out. Nicely done! 👍
A little unrelated, but as a glasses wearer, how do you prevent them from fogging while wearing a balaclava or ski goggles?
Dude!!!!! This was the most down to earth teaching on potentially complicated stuff. Bravo to your presentation and pointing us in the right direction. This video is the baseline for this subject. onX really needs to throw some dollars your way to teach this app!!!!
Thank you!
Great helpful info.
I saw you in the Grand Canyon last February, that was some wild weather.
Great vid for people new to this! I end up doing a lot of trip selection by perusing satellite imagery and finding natural features to explore that are in the direction of where I would like to hike. I end up finding a ton of things of the beaten path and sometimes forging my own routes while avoiding crowds with this method. It definitely takes longer, but that’s just one method. A second method is word of mouth, or talking to locals. I’ve been given tips to all sorts of cool trails just by talking to people as I’m travelling.
Somewhat irrelevant to the topic of the video but I noticed that you removed the straps from your hiking poles, may I ask why?
Hey Darwin. Awesome information for this rookie hiker. Question: Any guidance on finding a place for your car and securing it while out on the trail?
With so many ads, I was confused which was the actual content and which was an advertisement. 😮 I’ve never seen so many ads on a single video
Super helpful- thank you
Darwin does it again! Everyone has made a load out video; everyone has done product reviews; but few have divulged the details on how to organize a long hike.
Dude didn’t say anything about planning water
So does the permit system allow for any changes in plans? Say you sprain an ankle and need a rest day in camp instead of hiking to the next campsight? Say there’s a lake where the fishing is great and you decide to stay for one extra day to do some more fishing?
Love this!! You shared very valuable information which will make all of our hiking adventures more safe and enjoyable.
Thank you, good informative video, I will be going to Shenandoah NP next week and hike sections of the AT but I will not be camping on the trail, I will be a established campgrounds. I just want to confirm that I do not need a permit for what is essentially day hiking in the NP.
great info, thanks Darwin!
Hey Darwin, just wanted to give you a heads up that your address and phone number info isn’t blocked out correctly. At least on my TV the black boxes are offset
Hey Darwin, thanks for the tips, bought onx yesterday. Thanks for the discount code. Figured it was time to retire the etrek 20.
woah i just did the same thing a mont ago!
What about planning water. Especially in desert or alpine regions where it’s not simply identifying a stream on a map? Also, how much water do you carry over a given distance and how does elevation (ascent or descent) and weather impact how much you carry? What else do you need to think about carrying water? I get worried if I don’t know a trail and don’t have enough info about water and this leads me to carry 2 liters most of the time. Water is the heaviest thing I am carrying on many trips because I am always worried about finding it and often carry more than I need out of an abundance of caution.
Great ínfo Darwin, I love using this app
Love OnX app! Thanks the recommendation!!
Great video! Very informative. I would love to hear more about selecting camp sites out side of a national park, how to find if they allow dispersed, camping, etc
Good info. Happy to see you back.
Thank you! Very much appreciated! I would like to know how to locate water sources on trail. Are they indicated? What if they are seasonal?
I feel anxious about leaving my car at a trailhead where it’s known by locals to be in a vulnerable position.
You alluded to planning a thru hike being different than this and I am working out the details for the JMT would love a link. Great video though (and it helped me find very local places to hike that I didn’t even know were here where ai live…
Good Discussion.
Novices may not fully appreciate the value of noting elevation changes along all parts of the planned route – largely defines the difficulty of the trail. Be sure to include physical training well in advance even if moderate difficulty is expected.
Other planning elements that can offer some challenge: water sources on route at the time of the hike; weather conditions to expect, particularly at higher elevations. You may want to call a Ranger station (if available) a week or so in advance.
Meal planning is a particular difficulty for me – finding food that is actually appetizing on trail.
Is there such a thing as navigating on your phone without a signal
What was the weather like? We are thinking about going in April. But we aren’t sure if our 20 f sleeping bags will be good enough . Sounds like it can get well below freezing?
Great tutorial on On X BC to get me started planning some hikes in Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness this summer. A few more On X BC tutorials would be nice.
When using without service, like in the Bob Marshall wilderness area where the trails are not marked well, will it show my orientation (which direction I am heading)?
I need a how to plan trail meals video! I just did my first 2 night/3 day backpacking trip and packed back out about half my food. How much do I need?? I know this is somewhat individual but what food to bring is my most stressful point.
Darwin, at 17:16 you bring up a booking page for your Grand Canyon hike. I hope that’s an address and phone number you don’t mind sharing! Cheers.
How much does the on X app cost?
Hey Darwin, I came across this video in wicked convenient timing as I’m planning my first backpacking trip for me and my brothers in the Smokey’s in a few weeks. You said it best that planning the route is a barrier to entry. I’m a pretty experienced hiker and have a good grasp on gear but picking a route in unfamiliar terrain is kind of tough (I’m from New England). You answered a lot of my questions, including gathering permits. How did you know that 8 miles per day was a good distance? Do you typically have a range you like to stay in or do you let the trail lengths determine your trip? Thanks for the tips!
OnX is amazing. I also use it multiple times-day river trips
Too many commercials in your videos
I plan my hikes something like this: Choose a area and then I go… 😆
I feel like I may be fairly up on the planning process. Maybe too much so – I’m already looking into a trip about 1 year away… And am reasonably lucky at getting a reservation at the appropriate millisecond, sometimes at the 6 months in advance. I have subscriptions to both OnX and AllTrails, and crate "custom" trails using each’s tools. I get somewhat conflicting information for planning purposes. Both show similar mileage, but Onx tends to have larger elevation gain. May not be an issue for you younger folk, but for us that qualify to receive social security it may make a difference. Do you have a handle on which may be more realistic?
Great to see Dan out in the Grand Canyon again! One topic I’d like to see that’s related to this one … what info do you leave behind in an email or document for a loved one/significant other/emergency contact? I have a template document that I customize for each trip and send to my wife and kids. It has my route plan, dates, alternate routes, a link to my Garmin tracking page, phone numbers for local sheriff/S&R, and pictures of my car, tent, and backpack, and importantly — when to call for help. Lately I’ve added a writeup about what happens if I press my SOS button on the Garmin, and how they will be contacted (thanks to Dixie at Homemade Wanderlust). What would you suggest?
I always bring a paper map with the route and area of my hike. Weigh next to nothing. Phones die or break, redundancy with navigation saves lives. I also took additional training to know how to read it and keep practice orientating to get better at tracking distance and finding where I am at on my map w/o GPS.
I really appreciate this walk-through, especially dealing with planning for trips with the NPS, because I solo hike and do all the planning on my own. It’s been rough at times and I’ve had to push through the stress of figuring out how the system works 1) trusting I haven’t set myself up for something ridiculous, and 2) each park has its own quirks for their permit rules. So, watching you go through the same sort of process I go through was nice reassurance that I’m doing it alright. 🙂