You may carry a few days of food with you or a few cooking supplies, but usually, there are places to restock food along the way.
Heavier sleeping bag and more physical comforts, Possibly additional clothing, such as robust, Entertainment equipment, such as a stereo. Your email address will not be published. Have you successfully completed a thru-hike or section hike? While a single day out is a hike, anything with an overnight stop in the middle is going to be classed as either trekking or backpacking. The Outdoor Authority is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Check out our guide to the 7 Best Cold Weather Sleeping Bags for Sub-Zero Survival. This is The Outdoor Authority’s guide to Backpacking vs Hiking. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has guides on their website for some of the most popular PCT sections: The Pacific Northwest is absolutely stunning. That map shows the length of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which stretches from Canada to Mexico. Thru-hiking sounds pretty intense, doesn’t it? Only 5,368 people been recognized as have completed it since 1952. Only 87 people have done it more than once.
As is usually the case, there’s a trade-off between weight, comfort, and insulation. A light, durable water bottle and some form of water purification, either tablets or a device, such as the LifeStraw, are necessary. Backpacking // I’d recommend a boot over a trail shoe. Basically you’ll just have a light pack of some kind to carry your water. Comfort and convenience carry more weight, pun 100% intended. Backpacking can also be a great compromise between avid adventurers and those just starting out. Section hiking is the light version of thru-hiking. These thru-hikers must feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day with how little progress it feels they’re making. As mentioned above, a good rule of thumb when hiking is that longer distances require less gear, so be as minimalist as possible. Mummy bags, which I recommended for hiking, often are less comfortable due to how restrictive they are.
Backpacking // Depending on the length of your backpacking trip, you may be able to get away with bringing all of the drinking water you need versus collecting and purifying from the environment. One time I stayed at a cabin high up in the Cascades and I promised myself I would come back and do some serious hiking in that region. Thru-hiking is completing a long hike hike over the course of 4+ months. Backpacking // I still bring a guidebook but more so to maximize my entertainment rather than for survival purposes. I’d also suggest a good solar powered charger. For example, consider these gear differences for backpacking vs hiking: Related: Synthetic vs Down Sleeping Bag: Which Is Right for You? Learn how your comment data is processed. Decide what temperature rating you’ll need and consider how comfortable you want to be.
The ground will really wear you down in short order and a sleeping pad can help keep you warm. However, remember the constant trade-off between utility and weight. Consider these stats about the PCT (as of this writing): Of course, you can still hike long portions of beautiful trails like the PCT without doing the whole thing — particularly the boring parts. Consider the conditions you’ll be sleeping in before springing for a sleeping pad with more weight and a higher R value.
But I quickly learned that “backpacking” and “hiking” are two different forms of outdoor traveling. That said, you can definitely afford to bring a good stove and maybe a few other kitchen “luxuries.”. What defines it from the two is it often entails traveling on foot where there are no means of transportation available. Let’s look at what you should consider packing when backpacking vs hiking. About 10 minutes into my first Google search, I started to come across terms I wasn’t familiar with. It may seem like I’m nitpicking here, but if you take this conservative approach with all of your gear and shave off a few ounces here and there, that could add up to several pounds you aren’t lugging up a wet mountainside after 400 miles of hiking. However, the specific tent you go with depends on your top priority: size, weight, durability, or comfort. They’ll swell. Hiking // Get one for whatever trail you’ll be doing so you know sites and (more importantly) where to re-supply. Sometimes you just want to go day hiking!
Just like with thru-hiking and section hiking, day hiking is characterized by minimalism. Hiking // Your goal is to maximize protection from wind and rain while minimizing weight, which generally that means a 1 person tent. Thru-Hiking. I’d be misleading you if I made all forms of hiking seem like long, arduous excursions. I’ll be honest with you: I have never attempted a thru-hike. Hiking // Your smartphone is a necessity, and it’s actually one of the most valuable pieces of gear you have.