WORST beginner mistakes -Hiking & Backpacking DONT’S 

Don't "just wing it." I was going to go on an evening hike last week, only about four miles, but I knew by the time I was going to get back to the car it was going to be dark. I usually bring my whole pack, tent and everything, even on short day hikes just in case something happens. Well, I got out, checked through my bag, and forgot my headlight at the house. Ended up having to cancel that little hike. A checklist can sound excessive for a hiking/backpacking trip, but they are an absolute life saver.

Understanding elevation gain. Being able to run 10 miles on a flat track at your local high school is way different than strapping a 15Ib pack on and climbing over 3K feet for 10 miles. Whole different muscle group at work.

I like how you focus on the solutions and not the mistakes, but this is almost intermediate stuff in a sense... Common mistakes I've made: Wearing jeans up a 4000 footer in mid-summer Carrying borderline less than 2 liters for that same hike Running shoes on a mountain trail = no good Safety (steel toed) running shoes on a mountain trail in a light drizzle = really not good Forgetting mosquito repellent at home in mosquito and fly country while wearing safety shoes up a mountain after a light drizzle = bad! Coming across a Grouse during brooding season in said conditions, but the middle of a 30 inch per step boulder staircase for 100 yards = heart attack bad! I've learned a lot since...

A smarter person than me said it was a good idea to always keep my filter in my sleeping bag. That way it's a habit and I'm less likely to forget;) Looking forward to learning how you pack your gear!

Mistake: there weren’t any mosquitoes last time I was here. Mistake: I’ve never tried Kathmandu curry, I think I’ll try it on trail. Mistake: I’ll be ok with my tent on this incline. Mistake: this damp moss is like nature’s extra padding, I’ll set up here. Mistake: following trail cairns to nowhere or to camp sites, not trail. People, don’t erect just because they are cool looking. I have more, but my thumbs are tired.

Ignoring or neglecting your feet is probably number 1. My feet got a little wet on dewy grass once, and like a fool I kept going. I ended up with blisters the size of quarters. I don't think they could even be called blisters at that point.

As usual, another excellent video. Your river-fording tips are new to me, so thanks for potentially saving my life. Two things I would like to address: 1) If you sweat a lot, as I do, Leukotape will not last the day. Between the sweat attacking the glue and the friction of the tape against my mid-boots, the tape is more likely than not to fail within eight miles. However, Justin Outdoors recommends duct tape, because it sticks well, and there is very little friction between it and the boot, so it does not get pulled off/down. Doubling my socks is not effective enough to remedy the issue, though it helps...if you have room in your boot. I will try to combine the two tapes on my next trip - Leukotape first, with duct tape over it. My own tip? Pre-cut elliptical patches and stick them to your Nuun tablets container or some such, but not on your trekking poles, lest they carry bacteria from splashing mud, etc. and introduce an infection into your feet should you develop a blister anyway. Pre-cut them with rounded corners so that no edge is likely to catch and be the beginning of the tape peeling away from the hotspot. Additionally, I recommend starting your hike wearing these protections in any of the places you are historically prone to get blisters. For me, it is the back of my foot about an inch and two above my heel. I have gotten blisters in that spot all of my life when hiking, so I know I need to protect them from the start. 2) Vargo makes the very best poop trowel. It is titanium, so light; it has teeth to saw through roots; it has folded edges so that your palm is not pushing a thin sliver of metal; it doubles as a tent stake in emergencies. One more tip from Justin - add a synthetic-fill or no-fill outer blanket or ultra-ultralight quilt atop of your down bag or down quilt in winter conditions so that the inevitable condensation soaks it instead of your down bag or quilt.

We already had ok entry level hiking gear. Small packs. Poles. And our first week camping we had walmart gear. Cheap walmart tent. Walmart bags. I already had a good wool blanket. It was great. Taught us a lot. And we had a blast with a very minimal investment. Then we got nicer more expensive stuff. Better tent. Better bags. Better gear all around. Now we car camp n hike through the day so being ultra-light isnt as important with our sleep/cooking gear but you can take the same approach. I have always liked hiking so the stuff we actually walk around with is decent but my fiance has always been a hotel, motel person growing up. That first camping trip she was like.. we're never spending money on a motel again. Once I knew she was as invested as I was bam off to the races.

Good vlog! I would love to see a vlog of how you pack your pack. As a newbie, I need all the help I can get!

Re: coffee… Learned to make cowboy coffee from my grandfather. Haven’t used a filter in the woods … well … pretty much ever 😂. If You do it right, you get a low acid, super smooth cup of coffee with zero grains in your cup. Full disclosure: I do use a percolator once in a while when we’re car camping, though.

Never too many good tips! Thank you for sharing!

My man! Excellent video, great advice start with the short hikes to get your 'hiking legs' built up. I'm old, my dog is getting there, we do many five milers with and with out gear, some at a fast pace and others its just an amble. I would really like to see how you pack your pack, always looking to improve on anything i can. Bury that poop, even your dog's and take care of those feet! Cheers and stay safe.

I love that you say your mission is to "improve quality of life". The real issue at hand!

Biggest beginner mistake I made was taking the wrong type of tent on trail. When I first did the WHW in the 90s I took a stereotypical triangular shaped tent. It did well until I got to an exposed area for camping and was hit by gale force winds that collapsed the tent on top of me and my partner. Had to bail out as it was so unsafe. So yeah, always take the right type of tent or shelter system for the most exposed places you are likely to stop at during your trip.

mistakenly read the title as hiking donuts.. got so excited

For sure don't over hike on your first day. I hiked a bit to much on day 1 on a AT hike which ultimately hurt my feet, and sent me home 2 days early.

Yes, would love to see how you pack your pack! Thanks for these tips!

On some of these trails you dont always get the site you want. If there's only a few check the mileage on the farthest. Another one is terain. I've been caught by both of these. 4 mile trip turned into a 10 and a 200 foot climb almost straight up a canyon wall at a state park another time. Didn't know I could still do that at the time!

The worst part about your filter freezing and failing is that there is no indication that it has happened. Water will continue to flow through the device, but it won’t be filtered. Your first indication of a problem is that rumble in your gut that has you running for trailside cover…

HEY MR. STRINGER totally useful information will use

Foothills trail is no joke. Just thru hiked it last week. Only managed 12 miles a day although my goal was much higher.

Hey it’s Dorothy Waff, I changed my RU-vid name! Still always waiting for a new video to get me motivated and make my day better 👍👍

Thanks for all you do! Would definitely watch a vid of how you pack your backpack and tips/considerations

Thanks for uploading, Jeremiah. Yes, a How I Pack My Backpack video would be very useful. Cheers :)

I always thought that the proper stream crossing technique, in addition to the side shuffle, was to move diagonally across the stream, not straight across the stream bed. Of course, sometimes the geography of one bank or the other does not allow for diagonal movement.......

Jeremiah thank you for sharing this vital information. You are a wealth of information for all things Outdoors. The best of good health and safety to you and your Family. 🤗

Life saving tips.

When going #2 in the woods, “leaves of three, leave it be”

I definitely bit off more than we could chew on one trip and it was actually Rugged Mountain Momma that didn't have enough mileage experience and we had to cut our trip short. I had heard the advice about feet before and put it to good use when Rugged Mountain Mister said his toe was feeling weird on a hike. Idk if taking too much food is a mistake per se' but with 2 kids going with it can be tough to dial that in!! I've put most of these tips into practice so they are super helpful. A loading video would be great!

Thanks for the good info! I learned a lot for my AT thru-hike!

I had a twitch in the eye that was caused by anti-plasmolysis which is a variant of Lyme disease you might want to have that looked at

Good tips brother. Especially about the filter and digging holes 👊🏻

What do you think about starting out by renting REI equipment - to try it out, before buying expensive stuff?

“5-Star Poop,” you had me rolling 😂🤣 Thanks for the tips! You forgot to tell people about hauling their own trash and TP, leave no trace theory. One hiker that just began the PCT found someone’s trash on the the trail and had to haul their trash out because lazy people littered last year and left it.

Worst backpacking mistake I ever made was watching Jeremiah Stringer videos! (Just kidding - love your stuff, man!) 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

Hope your eye gets better man so you can enjoy caffeine again!! Nomadik looks awesome but I'm trying to take a buying break! Great pro tips Jeremiah! 😀

I use the grayl geopress awesome filter best system out there for clean water even filters out heavy metals virusses protozoa cysts etc

Your Rumpl Puffy blanket is 350.00 you could have mention this, damn that is pretty expensive.

Good job

Good tips !! Starting out low miles on easy trails close to home with 20 lbs and you’ll be good to go in a few months !!

Mistake: not making sure you have a tarp for under your tent. Also not tucking the tarp under the rainfall Mistake: setting up tent on perfectly flat spot, if it rains it'll become a puddle. Either find a spot on a slight incline or dig a trench under the edge of your fly Mistake: relying on electronics too much, have a hard copy of your map I case batteries or battery packs fail. Mistake: setting up tent under widow maker (dead branch that's hung up above your spot). Mistake: not packing away anything that smells like food (even toothpaste) before you sleep. Mice will chew a hole through your sleeping bag to get at trail mix in your pocket, especially in winter. Mistake: packing too much first aid for trip. At most you'll only need an emergency blanket, band-aids, Luko tape, duct tape and a few loose pills like aspirin or benadryl, maybe a ace bandage. There are so many more, but trial and error are the best ways to learn on trail.

Love the video! I would like to see how you load your backpack. Thanks

When you started with "Crossing Streams", I thought you were going a TOTAL different direction!! lol

.. Can never have too much information ... Good tips ,, Thanks Jeremiah ..

Some really good tips and suggestions.

“5 star poop” Classic!!!

I can’t wait to take my first poop with the deuce of spades 🚽

Yeah my full pack will be worth about 2 grand, I will likely be going down with my pack if it comes to that.

Never seen a dude who is more appropriately named Jeremiah, damn sure you look like it... 😂

hey, thanks for sharing so much experience with us, I emailed you to recommend the Golabs power station for outdoor, and I look forward to hearing from you. thank you so much

I'm a beginner backpacker, what is your opinion or do you have a video on people disappearing in the woods, never to be seen again? some real scary situations.

Great tips

Love it!

POOP POOP POOP good info thanks for sharing stay safe 👍

"Diarrhea... It's the worst." - Jeremiah Stringer

Hey where the heck was that second tip this past weekend? Please retell Jason that tip LOL…Great tips though I have made these mistakes for sure

Love out!! Hey from Florida😁

What’s the name of the 600 lumens headlamp you mentioned?

Insert poop here ->U 😂

Wiping my feet with baby wipes is a good idea. I'm old and my feet are already hideous.

Side shuffle facing up stream seems dangerous to me ..

I just had an idea for preventing a freezing water filter but am not sure if it would work out so if anyone who knows more than me could help me out that would be awesome. My idea is that I'm going to have scrap apex 7.5 insulation from a project I'm about to be starting and was thinking maybe I could make an insulated cozy for my filter? Or does the apex insulate with body heat? I'm not sure how the stuff works it was just an idea I had when I heard that tip. I know making a specific thing for the filter isn't nearly as easy as just sleeping with it but would it work?

Sir, let’s quite kidding around…that NEEDS to B U’r next video, lol!!

LOL.. "Don't cross the streams... it would be bad"

Imagine actually having so many subscribers

that was a really long ad

drive in theeater 5:34

Some great tips here! Thank you! Hit me up if you’re ever able to make it to Japan :)

Stringer??? That headlight is huge lmfao

This is gross - My beginner advice - wipe your boogers on a tree. They will dry and harden in your handkerchief after you blow your nose. The boogers will REHYDRATE when you rinse out this handkerchief!!! And if you don't notice... you will be wiping your rehydrated boogers on your face! But then, maybe I'm the only person carries a multi tasking handkerchief. lol!

Yeah ditch your pack with all your survival gear now your on the bank of a river wet cold hypothermia is closing in fast. You have no dry clothes no way to start a fire get dry the sun's going down and no way to cal for rescue. yeah no thanks. I rather not put myself in a worse situation thank you very much.