Your first backpacking trip is an adventure you'll never forget. Mine was to Turquoise Lake, just outside of Vail, CO about fifteen years ago and I can still remember every detail of preparing, hiking in and camping in the beautiful bowl of Mount Jackson. If you’ve been hiking for a while now and you know you love the outdoors, there’s no reason why you’re not going to love it. Perhaps you did some car camping as a kid and you remember that lovely feeling of drifting off to sleep swaddled in your sleeping bag, and the feeling of the sun streaming through the tent walls in the morning. But paired together, hiking and camping means a lot more planning and skill, and without a little help in the beginning, it can be disastrous. Read on for 10 tips for your first backpacking trip to make sure you avoid common backpacking fails, and learn to love overnight adventure for life.
