How to properly pack your backpack for a hike?

During the hike there is no comfortable bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, but a person needs to sleep, eat and brush his teeth. All household items have to be carried with you. With them on your shoulders, you need to walk a maximum of kilometers and try to get tired as little as possible. How to do it? The secret lies in the correct packing of the backpack.

The question of what things are necessary cannot be answered unequivocally. It all depends on the time of year, the duration of the hike, the route chosen and the goal (conquering the top, rafting down the river, traveling through the forest).

We propose to consider the average version of the correct completing of the backpack with the necessary things, it remains only to supplement it with special-purpose items.

First you need to choose the backpack itself.

Having this data, it is easy to determine the size.

Even in the store, tourist equipment should be tried on, to check if it fits comfortably. And at home, it would not hurt to fill a backpack with something, weigh it and walk with it in a local park in order to find out the degree of load and understand whether it is possible to go to the mountains with such a load for a week. No one will help on the hike, everyone has their own maximum load behind their backs, you will have to get rid of the overload right on the go and forever.

When choosing a backpack, you should pay attention to the width of the straps (at least 7 cm) and the possibility of their adjustment... Convenient if waist belts are present. For long transitions, the backrest needs a fixed, the bottom is rigid, not sagging.

When you have decided on the model of the backpack, you can proceed to collecting things and filling them with a hiking bag. Start with a well thought out list.

You need to make a list a few days before the hike, so that there is time to remember and add something. Writing is easier with topics: food, dishes, clothes, sleep items, hygiene items, etc.

People rarely go on a solo campaign, usually they go in groups: with family, with friends. It is important to add public things to your personal things, which are agreed upon and shared between the group members in advance. These include a tent, food, a supply of water, possibly an inflatable boat.

Let's start with the items needed for sleep.

We include the tent itself to this topic. Older versions were made from tarpaulin and were robust but heavy. Whoever has such a model lingered, it is better to leave it for traveling with a car. It is easier to wear a modern product made of lightweight and durable materials. By the way, the more expensive the model, the more reliable.

A good tent has double strong seams, a mosquito net, ventilation windows with the same mesh, convenient zippers, Velcro, pockets and other extras. The product includes lightweight frame tubes, pegs for fixing on the ground. The tent and accessories can be distributed among several people for carrying.

Moving on to the sleeping bags. They are of two types - blanket and cocoon. It is more practical to choose the first option: if necessary, the zipper that forms the sleeping place opens, and the bag turns into a full-fledged blanket. By the way, 2-3 blankets are enough for a group of 2-5 people living in a tent. One sleeping bag is laid under sleeping tourists, and one or two blankets are covered from above. For a group of five people, three sleeping bags are enough.

The topic of sleeping bags includes karematas - small individual rugs that are rolled up and attached to the outside of the backpack... They can be used during the day to relax in the fresh air or at night to make up a mat out of karemats for sleeping in a tent.

Raincoats include not only clothes that protect from the rain, but also waterproof covers for hiking equipment. For tourists, special lightweight poncho-type capes are provided that can hide the traveler along with the backpack.

It is better to pack electronics and documents in sealed bags in case the backpack falls into the water. Those traveling by car provide material for covering the tent - a heavy downpour can always find a vulnerable spot in it. But backpackers will not load themselves up with tent raincoats.

Before purchasing products, you should make an approximate calculation: summarize the amount of food you need for one person, multiply by the number of tourists in the group and the duration of the trip (in days). Divide the entire food set by weight among travelers.

Food should be chosen hearty (protein and carbohydrate), not perishable, instant. Sweets should not melt in the sun.

We will continue the topic of nutrition with a complete set of dishes. Choose lightweight but durable options with reliable covers.... If something remains in the plate, you can close it and save the product until the next rest. You will need a pot and kettle for cooking.

The set of clothes depends on the season. But even in the summer heat, you should take some warm clothes, as the nights can be cold and the rains are lingering. In places with a lot of mites, clothing that completely hides the body, that is, long-sleeved shirts and pants, is required. There is always a chance of getting wet on a hike; a set of dry changeable clothes must be provided. In addition to T-shirts and shorts, you will need a hat, bathing suit, underwear and socks.

You should take antihistamines, antiviral drugs that can stop the symptoms of a cold in the initial stage. You will need an ointment like "Rescuer", sorbents or activated carbon, hydrogen peroxide, bandages. Those who suffer from chronic diseases know what should be added to the general medicine cabinet.

In addition to the above things, you will need a number of items that are necessary in a camping life:

• flashlight, knife, compass;
• matches, lighter, fire-starting liquid;
• mosquito and tick repellent;
• hygiene kit (towel, soap, toothbrush, paste, toilet paper);
• camera, musical equipment (optional);
• phone, power bank, money.

The list of the most necessary things turned out to be quite long, now we will tell you how to put them correctly in the limited space of the backpack.

Getting your backpack right for a hike is not an easy task. Many things should be packed in bags for leaks that occur in the field of life. Fragile items should be put in pockets so as not to crush them in the general mass of things.

The above diagram will help you understand where the main weight of the backpack should be and where to pack light items. To make the journey not too tiring, things should be packed in the backpack in the following order.

• Not too heavy, but voluminous objects are placed at the very bottom - sleeping bag or warm clothing. They must be rolled up as tightly as possible.
• The central part of the backpack from the back a tourist is occupied with the heaviest load: canned food, cereals, a kettle, a kettle.
• The central part, far from the back, filled with light things: summer clothes, shoes, campfire equipment.
• Above lay the essentials and fragile things: a first-aid kit, a raincoat, hygiene items, mosquito repellent.
• In side pockets you can put a flashlight and drinking water. The mat, rolled into a roll, clings to the top, bottom or side of the backpack, depending on the model.

In addition to properly loading the backpack with a rational distribution of weight, there are many more important points that can make your camping life easier.

• The assembled backpack should be critically examined: it should be symmetrical, without distortions in any direction. If there are any, it is better to correct the situation before the hike.
• The weight of the backpack can be 25-30% of the weight of the tourist himself... You need to get rid of overload without leaving your home, review everything and think about what you can leave - there will always be items that will not be needed on the trip.
• In a backpack ready for a hike, there should be nothing dangling or knocking, all things are packed as tightly as possible. Each empty container is filled with something, for example, you can put packs of cereals, potatoes, onions in a pot or kettle.
• The tourist's hands should always be free, they may be needed during a difficult transition, in extreme situations.
• When choosing things for a hike, preference should be given light products: plastic dishes, a foam mat, a sleeping bag with a weightless filler.
• In order not to turn the contents of the backpack from top to bottom at each halt, the most necessary things need to be placed on top of the luggage or in pockets.
• Long or too bulky items fixed from the outside of the backpack (mat, tent frame tubes). In this case, it is necessary to observe symmetry so that a roll does not form.
• Assembled Hiking Bag should not stick out over the tourist's head or be wider than his shoulders, such volumes will affect the stability and maneuverability of passage in narrow places.
• As comfortable as possible adjust the straps and lumbar belt of the backpack... The nose should be tightly pressed against the body, merging with it into a single whole.

A properly assembled and fitted backpack is the key to a happy journey. Otherwise, you will be tired, whining and irritated.

You will learn how to properly pack things in your backpack for a hike in the next video.