Solo Backpacking Tips

What do you get from solo backpacking? Peace and quiet. Nobody to talk to means no words are put between you and the beauty around you. The miles just flow by. It's totally up to you to say when you eat or take a break. Do you want to jump in that alpine lake? It's your decision alone. Backpacking alone is a unique experience.

A solo backpacker is vulnerable, of course. Twist an ankle, and there's nobody there to help you. Have you ever been stuck alone in the wilderness without food for days? How can you make your solo backpacking trip risk-free? You can't. It's just inherently more dangerous to go into the wilderness alone. What you can do though, is make it safer.

Solo Backpacking Tips

1. Tell someone where you're going, and when you expect to return. It's best if you leave a map with them, and let them know who to call if you don't return on time.

2. Bring a cell phone. Many lives have now been saved by cell phones. Turn it off and put it in the bottom of your pack so it won't ruin the experience.

3. Carry the usual safety items (matches, 1st aid, iodine tablets, etc), but double-check to see if they're in working order, as you'll have nobody elses supplies to back you up.

4. If you aren't sure of your abilities, have a bad knee or other potential problem, stick to well-traveled trails. On many routes, backpackers will be by every hour. Good to know if you're in trouble.

5. Learn how to read a map and use a compass. If you're two miles off route and can't get a signal on your phone when your knee gives out, you're in deep trouble. If you like to wander, you should be able to know where you are on the map for safety.

6. Know your abilities well. Don't plan twenty-mile days if you haven't done them before.

7. Learn to lighten the load. When you're alone, you lose the efficiency of sharing the load for stoves, tents and other items. It's easy - and dangerous - to be overloaded when yours is the only backpack. You may want to read up on ultralight backpacking.

Of course solo backpacking is riskier, but for some of us, it's well worth the risk. Try it once, and you might agree. Just be sure to take all the necessary precautions.