30 Tips for First Time Thru Hikers (After 17,000 miles)
My best pieces of advice for new thru hikers. Regardless of whether it’s the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or any other long distance hike out there this video is for you.
I personally have thru hiked 15 different trails totaling around 17,000 miles. After all that hiking, what would my advice be to new thru hikers? With these tips I hope you have a successful trip and a more fun time while out there!
100 Tips for an Ultralight Backpack:
My Favorite Thru Hiking Gear:
Tent –
Quilt –
Backpack –
Pack Liner –
Rain Jacket –
Fleece –
Puffy –
Socks –
Bug Head Net –
Smart Watch –
Stove –
Pot –
Battery Bank –
Flashlight –
Camera –
Lens –
Here’s some of the most important tips from the video:
– Test and dial in your gear on short trails near home, Practice in rain, in cold!
– Start your hike out slow, the beginning is when most injuries happen
– Set small goals and celebrate the small stuff. This will keep you going!
– Don’t be married to your plans, be ready to change and adapt. Be flexible!
– When you start is very important. March vs April and you’ll want very different gear!
– Can you do a 3-5 day section hike? Cool! You can do a thru hike, as it is just doing that over and over again.
– This isn’t a camping trip, this is a walking trip! You need to pack light to facilitate that, and make the walking most comfortable.
– Pay attention to your body, and take extra good care of your feet.
– Shorter trails are MUCH less of a commitment, but just as awesome! Do a shorter trail instead to see if you even like thru hiking.
– More money saved = higher chance of success
In this video you’ll see clips from my thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, International Appalachian Trail, Uinta Highline Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, Arizona Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, Long Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Great Divide Trail, Superior Hiking Trail, and a handful of others! I hope you enjoyed
00:00 – 30 Best Tips for Thru Hiking
00:32 – Training
00:54 – Gear
01:36 – Shoes
02:07 – Pace
02:31 – Goals
02:45 – Strength
03:07 – Sections
03:42 – Planning
04:14 – Start Date
04:57 – Alone
05:28 – Marathon
06:00 – Have Fun!
06:23 – Bad Days
06:40 – Pack Light
07:07 – Take Notes
07:30 – Your Body
07:56 – Your Feet
08:13 – Food
08:49 – Electrolytes
09:11 – Stretching
09:36 – Shorter Trails
10:15 – Resupply
10:53 – Your Happy
11:20 – HYOH
11:51 – Expectations
12:22 – Zeros
12:47 – Money
13:27 – LNT
13:47 – Skepticism
14:10 – Final Tip
14:24 – Thank You!
Hiking Essentials Shirt!
THE BACKPACKING GEAR I USE:
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Hope this is helpful 🙂 let me know your best piece of advice for new thru hikers in the comments!
Do you think the PCT is doable for a first time thru hike. I don’t have any experience in the Sierra . I’ve done small 5-7 day trips and day hikes. I was in the Marine Corps 30 years ago. I live and work in Michigan ( snow but not snow pack) . Thank you
Dude, you are way to casual on that ridge.
My main advise is chug some water at each water source, and if you’re not 100% certain of the next water source, carry enough water to make it to the next certain one. If the next water source is only 5 miles away, then you carry less water weight after hydrating at your water source.
I’ve never done a long trail (yet), but I have done a 55 mile loop near my hometown and even that trip taught me so much. The two most important tips I learned:
Pack LIGHT. I started my hike with about 50lbs and it wrecked me. I was carrying way more clothes than I needed, way too much water given the availability of it along the trail, and very weight-inefficient foods, among other things which I didn’t need. If you pack light to begin with you actually save yourself room for luxury items later, but first it’s a good idea to separate essential items from non-essential and go from there.
The second tip was about boots; don’t. Those big waterproof hiking boots with the reinforced toes sound great on paper, but they actually suck to do long hikes in. They’re really heavy, which is a lot harder on your feet, ankles, and calves, all of which can lead to shin splints and other injuries. For me personally, the weight of the boots meant I had to constantly tighten them throughout the day or they would start actually flaying the skin from off the back of my heels. On top of that they’re super expensive, often more than $200. Some good running shoes work much better.