Know before you go! 5 Hiking Insider Tips

There are a lot of tips and tricks one can use during  their backpacking adventure and sometimes it’s hard to take a grasp on all of that. Because of that today I would like to share my top 5 favorite insider tips I think are really cool and useful. The order of appearance is accidental.

1. Swelling hands

This is happening to everyone who is hiking for a longer period of time. The natural walking position leaves our arms swinging and our hands stay down most of the time. After a while they swell and the feeling is not nice. The remedy for this is to lift your arms from time to time and wiggle your fingers. You can also hold your shoulder straps and move your fingers to increase blood circulation and decrease swelling.

Note that hand swelling doesn’t happen when hiking with trekking poles. When using poles your arms and hands are in constant movement and your blood is circulating properly mitigating this unpleasant feeling.

2. Dry gear

Forget backpack covers attached to almost every widely available backpack out there - they suck and don’t protect your gear at all. Instead use a big compactor bag as your backpack liner. Put it inside your bag and adjust its shape to a shape of a bag. After that pack your gear in lined backpack and seal the top of the liner. Compactor bags are cheap, light and they last long. You can take another one with you just in case the first one will get damage. This way your bag becomes weather proof and you don't have to be afraid of hiking in wet weather.

3. Sunset estimation

If you didn’t check the sunset time before you left for a hike you can always check in the outdoors provided you’re able to see the sun. By measuring the distance between the horizon and the bottom of the sun you can estimate how much daylight you have left. Place your palm between the horizon and the sun and count the fingers. Each finger is 15 minutes. When you can place both hands it’s high time you start looking for a place to set your camp and prepare for end of day chores.

4. Small steps

Going uphill is tiring. There is however a small technique you can use to make this battle bit easier. When ascending don't take long strides it will tire your muscles and your energy will deplete fast. Instead take smaller steps more often, this way you’re reducing a single energy output per step and slowly but surely getting where you want.

5. Double duty

Try packing items that serve more than one purpose. Many pieces of your gear can be used in many different situations and perform as something else. It only takes couple of minutes to think about “what else I can this piece of gear for?”.

Taking double duty items reduces the amount of gear you need to carry which leads to a lighter load which in the end makes for a more enjoyable hike. Some double duty ideas you can consider: 

hiking poles - are good not only for walking but also as a support for a certain tents or tarps, they can serve as a monopod as well they're invaluable during river crossing 

bandana - is probably the most versatile piece of your hiking clothing, you can use it as a towel, to dry your tent, to filter your water, to protect your neck, you can use it a a gaiter or to clean your pot

There we have it - my personal 5 insider hiking tips just for you. I hope you find at least one of those tips useful and share it with your friends or use it during your next trip.

I'm curious -  what is your personal, favorite, maybe even secret, hiking tip?
Let me know by writing a comment!