One skill that no one talks about is just how to walk the trail. Most hikers I observe are frequently tripping over common obstacles (tree roots, rocks, etc) - which do often lead to potentially harmful falls and it saps energy. First, learn to just pick up your feet and be a little careful with foot placement on each step. Second, I use trekking poles and I place them near those obstacles as I walk so that the pole acts as a bit of a fence. I rarely stumble or trip. In addition, I see people stepping on top of many of these objects which neeedlesly raises their full body + pack weight - like climbing an extra set of stairs every quarter to half mile. Save energy by just stepping over low rises or troughs. And please practice leave no trace by STAYING on trail even if it looks a little difficult - keeps our precious lands more natural.

Safety pin :-) that's what we call that thing you use to prick the blister with. Great video

Hey Eric, those are great tips! You probably don’t remember, but you are the one that got me into backpacking a little over a year ago. I wanted to Thank You for draining THOUSANDS of dollars out of my account! Lol I chose to buy good gear from the start and it has been great! You also talked me into Mystery Ranch packs. I actually bought the Sphinx, which you showed on this video. It’s been a great pack! Some people will go on and on about how heavy it is, but I think it’s worth the weight to have a bombproof pack. They also say the same thing about the Grayl purifier, but I Love mine as well. I’m getting ready to spend a week doing the Capitol Creek to Haystack Mountain Loop in Colorado Rockies at the end of August. I figured I better learn how to use a compass and read a topo map. I will feel much more comfortable knowing how to do this…just in case. I am carrying a huge Anker charger, but you just never know what will happen. It will be my first backpacking trip in the high mountains, and I can’t wait! Thanks again for all of your helpful videos and once again, this is a great video that every new backpacker should watch!

Shout out to my Grade 10 geography teacher, Mr. Sweatman. He taught me how to properly use a compass to navigate precisely as well as how to read maps, as you mentioned. He’s a military guy and was really passionate about it all and even took us on adventures outside to learn

Good video Eric, I would also recommend BSA Merit Badge pamphlets for learning new skills especially for beginner backpackers. I use them as handouts in my classes, they are written to be easily understood and have great pictures and photos. Backpacking, navigation, first aid, survival, knot tying, etc. are just a few examples!

A recommendation for blisters - use StrengthTape or Leukotape to cover hotspots. Benzoin tincture painted on the blister area will keep the tape from pulling off for a couple days. Round off the corners to help keep your sock from peeling the tape up. If you’re blister prone you might want to apply tape before you head out. If you already have a blister, cut a piece of something for padding - gauze pad, piece of CCF sleeping pad, etc - and tape it TIGHTLY over the blister. The foam is also handy to make that protective donut around the blister, which you can then cover with gauze and tape. Then use the StrengthTape and benzoin tincture to hold it in place. Use 2 or more pieces of tape if you have to.

Great show very informative and key points

Awesome video. Thanks

I love your videos and how you explain things. Thank you!!!

Eric, I am an experienced backpacker but I still watch your videos because you explain things so well! I sure wish you were available when I started out. Very good tips and very well covered! Experience is the best reference honestly. Just get out there and figure out what works and doesn’t. Take care!

Grst tips, crystal clear!! Great work! Cheers from Chile

Ever since I started wearing Darn Tough I’ve never had a blister. Before I would preemptively place leukotape on my heels. Sometimes I don’t feel hotspots, like I said, I don’t get blisters, and I end up with a lot worse. Hence, prophylactic leukotape. Safety pins are best used to hold an airway open. But I carry at least four.

Great content and channel - thank you!

Outstanding!

Great advice, and on a positive the skills and lessons weigh nothing and take up no space in your pack!

10l collapsible sink and a usb powered aquaruim bubbler makes a nice footspa for those achy foot days, drop of teatree oil in some warmed water and you're living the dream 🤘

Great content as usual !!!

Fantastic video!

Very good tips!

I love backpacking thanks 😊 dude

I love my new Grayl! Very inconvenient to get water quickly. I also carry a Sawyer Squeeze as a backup, plus tablets.

The coat is amazing !!!! I think it’s important to mention the temp of the water … don’t take cold or icy water in your pack… carry room temp . It’s not good for your back or the things along side the bottle in the bag… you also hydrate a lot faster with warm water .

New Sub. Getting caught up on back content. Man am I glad that I’ve stumbled across your channel!

Wow the video is so good !!

I'm gradually getting things together and getting out hiking with a backpack in tow and your videos have been very useful to me. So, thank you. I definitely have to get an actual backpacking backpack soon, because the rigged up ways I'm making regular bags work is going to be the death of my already bad back, but it hasn't been a terrible overall experience, and has helped me to be able to test the waters on if backpacking is for me or not before investing too much more money. Thanks again for all the great, educational, and useful content you put out on this channel.

Essential spare socks 3pairs stop a lot of blisters if changed couple of times a day especially in Australia great vid

I still think the ability to light a fire when everything goes south is still the one key skill. You can argue that’s bushcraft and not hiking but it’s in the level of having a blister kit ready.

Excellent introduction. For the first few times, go with what you have, consider staying within an easy walk of your car, and see how it goes. We all learn through doing, so go put the knowledge to use in a safe and easy way and see how it goes. Then, learn, adapt, and try again.

I got a blister on one big toe, finding it at end of trip. Whew! Got a blister starting on other big toe on my next trip. Grit in socks also started an abrasion on another toe. I put a silicone toe cap on each "owie" toe for daytime fun and removed/washed at bedtime. Also brought blister bandaids, but the y weren't needed. Toe caps also provided some cushioning at some of my toenails.

I think the implied 6th skill is get gradual experience once youve done the planning. Like any new thing there is a wealth of knowledge to learn about yourself in the environment. Learning what yourself needs is only really understood "out there". Start small to mitigate fears and risks and go with at least one other person. All that will hopefully maximize the rewards. Ideally the other person will come with experience. You'll learn what you need to take care of better the next time, you'll learn what excites you about backpacking. You'll gain investment and hopefully motivation for the next one.

Eric thank you for all the tips and tricks. Next week doing my first backpack trip. Maybe a good idea is have a small tube off tigerbalm and footcream. Greetings from the Netherlands ;-)

Hi there totally love your videos…could you please do a video on how to choose hiking shoes please…thanks and namaste from india🙌

I use a pre wrap with medical tape that has worked well for me with blisters in the past.

It's called a safety pin and thank you for the tips. :)

How good is the grayl if hiking in an agricultural area? I've always been perfectly happy using normal filters or chemical treatment when in unimproved hilly and mountainous areas, but I worry about fertilisers, pesticides etc when on or near farmland.

Great tips, except for some of the information on water treatment. The video suggests that you can bring water to the boil and let it cool. The water should be boiled for a few minutes to kill all the the pathogens. I have seen 2 or even 3 minutes suggested, and for altitudes over 6000 ft (because the boiling point is lower) I have even seen 5 minutes suggested. One more small thing, the Grayl is not a water filter, it is a water purifier which is a more sophisticated bit of kit than a filter. The Grayl also filters out most viruses and heavy metals too.

Foot care is so vital

All excellent points Eric!.. I hereby make you an honorary Canadian for all the effort you put into these videos to promote the great outdoors!⛺🏔🗻🌲 Cheers bud!

11:10 In Poland, we call it Agrafka

do you have a video of what should be in a backpack left in the trunk of your car in case SHTF while driving or you break down in the middle of no where?

To deal with blisters, If I've already got them, I use Compeed blister plasters. Compeed is a lifesaver, and works incredible well. Try it, you will not be disappointed. If you don't have a dedicated water filtration system, and depends on boiling water, you should as a general rule get rid of sediments in the water before drinking it. Sediments can upset your stomack, or cause irritation. Dependent on what the sediments consists of, sediments could also be harmful in a number of ways, so best get rid of it. One of the ways to do that is with a "Brown filter bag" or "Millbank bag". You can use this bag to filter out sediments before you boil the water, or use a steripen, and get rid of the sediments all together. And of course it's also much more pleasant to drink clear water. My choice though, would be the Guardian filter that you're using. From what I understand, it's a pretty bomb proof system. Only thing it's extremely expensive in Norway ($ 665), and I haven't been willing to spend that kind of money on a filter yet. Hopefully I will get a good deal in the future.

I’m looking for a really good backpack. style is also something I’m interested in I’d like the Terraframe 50 and one of your other videos on how to pack a backpack. I’m not sure if that’s going to be big enough the black one. i’m looking for one for survival. Worst case scenario like a bug out bag. World is coming to an end, how many cubic inches or liters should I look into? 20:29

10:16 In my area an item like that would be referred to as a “chingaletta”.

Great advice except for the 'boiling water' bit - water should be kept at a rolling boil for at least 5 minutes at sea level and even longer at altitude.

What if I need to carry approximately 15 Liters of water in one trip ? Yes approximately 4 gallons for a 2 night trip out to Big Bend National Park ? What ia the best way to carry such a large quantity of water along with all the backpacking essentials ?

I see you're going to the Escalante.

That’s a safety pin 🧷 Sir 😊

I tend to get dehydrated even though I carry 5L of water. Can you give any tips on staying hydrated? Should I carry water or add electrolytes?

Don't see any links to the videos mentioned 😐

Add 2 Tbs spoons of baking soda to your medical kit … instant disinfectant with or without water ;)

Safety pin

... Good video ... what is it ?? ... it's hell to get old .....lol.. ... Don't rely on high tech 100% in the backcountry ... Always have a compass and quality topo map of the are you will be in ..... Most newer Nat. Geo. maps and similar designs are current and well marked i.e.,, elevations ,structures of interest .. unless you are bushwacking an area with NO trail ... you really don't need a compass ,, but after stopping and setting up camp gives something to do just to get oriented with your location ,, and a great time to teach new hikers ,,young and old ,, the how-tos' of map and compass ..

Thanks for the tips. What's the guideline weight for a 72 kg woman to carry comfortably?

Can you spell safety pin?

safety pin!

LOL - "Safety pin" ;P🙃

It’s called a safety pin

Its a safety pin.

It's called a safety pin

Hi mate sorry to comment on your video just wondering how you did your channel art and profile photo As I am a new Vlog channel just started out on KZfaq I would like to make my channel a bit more attractive to my viewers

Dhoes

*shouts to screen* Safety Pin!! ( should probably reevaluate how i spend my Saturday evenings..)

What is the name of that place in the thumbnail?

Safety pin. :)

11:20 a pin?

Never use mole skin..luco and slick runners tape. White paper medical tape

Saftey Pin!

Safety pin.

these are "products" more then skills as said in title

Lol packing an art form. Lol

Diaper pin

Halluzinogenia Magic Mushrooms

I thought only women have alot of shoes.

Americans are so strange about measurements. They refuse to go metric yet will tell you that water weighs over 2lbs per liter. Pounds and liters in the same sentence, it just doesn't make sense.