A Backpacker’s Guide to the Universe: How to Plan

Post 1 of 6 – Getting the Basics Out of the Way.

I often adhere to the saying “Done is better than perfect,” and while there is no “perfect” camping trip, you will want to make sure you’ve done all of your due diligence so that you aren’t plagued with “what ifs” out on trail.

Whether you are coordinating a trip for a group, or heading into the backcountry by yourself you’ll first want to determine on which dates you’ll be traveling. Obviously you may need to request off work or clear these dates with your partner. I have a “standing reservation” for the first weekend in Nov, that’s one of my weekends to backpack. It’s usually only days after my birthday and days before our anniversary and serves as one of the last free weekends prior to the holidays.

Usually I camp every month, but backpacking trips occur only 2-4x’s a year. Because of this I like to make sure it’s a memorable experience. Plus, as I mentioned in my previous post this time of year is perfect to get out in nature in the mountains of North Carolina. Part of determining whether or not your trip will be a success is understanding what challenges the specific date may have. For this trip I am targeting the first week or weekend in November for 2024. So I’m considering the following questions.

I’ll go over my answers to these in Part 2 of this blog series.

Initial Planning Questions:

What date am I targeting?
What is the weather typically like at that time of year?
Are there chances for precipitation?
Is this a location where you are comfortable hiking and camping in non-stop rain.
Is this an active time for wildlife, and if so which types?
What is the purpose of this trip?
Am I inviting others to join?
How many people would I want to have on this trip (this may impact where you can go)?
Do I anticipate needing any new or additional gear for this outing?

A lot of the answers to these questions may change between now and your adventure, that’s ok. You just need to be cognizant of these topics while planning.

Also a lot of these answers may change based on the location of your trip, I like to always make a list of 3 locations even if I already have my heart set on a particular spot. I’ve had to pivot last minute several times, changing our trip route or camping location as late as the day of departure!

Having well researched options allows you to pivot and not waste the weekend. Nothing is more depressing than spending time on the couch when you could be curled up in a sleeping bag or sitting by a campfire.

In our next post we’ll discuss the tools and techniques I use to select a backpacking experience along with my answers to the questions listed above. As with most research each answer typically provides an additional question to consider, we’ll discuss these questions too.

What else should we discuss? Ask it below!

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