Volumen 68: 12 Smart Backpacking Hacks for an Enjoyable Adventure
- Lenny Burch
- Dec 24, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 12
Backpack camping might seem straightforward. You pack your bag with your tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, food, and extra clothes. Then, you head to a campsite and set up a home away from home. Not much to it, right? Well, there are helpful tips and hacks that can make your experience more comfortable, safe, and enjoyable. We connected with Lynn Hall, an avid backpacker and salesperson at Leadville Outdoors and Mountain Market in Leadville, Colorado, to get these smart backpacking hacks.
1. Repackage Your Food Before You Pack It
Food can be one of the heaviest things you carry. It’s wise to take appropriate portions and avoid unnecessary packaging. Plan your meals and snacks, then pack what you can into sealable plastic baggies. If you can vacuum seal those bags, it will optimize your packing abilities. This will make it easier to fit them into your pack and help you pack food more efficiently. For example, instead of bringing five carrots and apples, and a dozen cookies, consider taking three carrots and apples and six cookies.
2. Download Offline Maps to Your Phone
You’ll use your smartphone to take pictures, but it can also be a safety device. Even without cell service, you can access offline maps if you download them ahead of time as .gpx files or a similar format. This way, you can read the maps and find your location using GPS. We all take the wrong trail or get lost sometimes, but having maps on your phone is a handy backpacking hack that can tell you precisely where you are at all times. Also, make sure to study maps and guidebooks of the area before you head out. If you desperately need service, you might find intermittent service at high points in the area, such as a mountain pass or hill.
(NAC NOTE: While smartphones are becoming more popular in the backcountry, they are not designed for this purpose. NAC always recommends using a proper GPS device. Always carry a compass, notepad, pencil, a topo map of the area, and know how to use it!)
3. Pack the Right Clothing
Cotton clothes and socks absorb moisture and can chill you. Instead, opt for apparel made from soft, moisture-wicking synthetic materials or a blend of natural wool and synthetic materials. These fabrics pull moisture away from your skin and speed up evaporation. Plus, wool tends to stink less than synthetics after several days of wear. Some synthetic fabrics have antimicrobial properties that reduce bacteria in sweaty clothing. Always pack a warm pair of gloves, a knit hat, and a down- or synthetic-insulated puffy jacket. A thoroughly waterproof shell jacket is also essential.
4. Combat Mosquitoes
Few things can disrupt a fun backpacking trip like mosquitoes. They can force you into your tent and torment you even there. Cover your skin and clothes with a DEET-based chemical repellent. You can also keep them at bay by burning sage leaves in your campfire, pitching your tent with the door flap facing the wind, and avoiding camping near swampy areas. Consider natural repellents like lemon eucalyptus oil, crushed lavender flowers, cinnamon oil, and thyme oil.
5. Keep Your Gear Dry
Most backpacks aren’t waterproof by nature, though many have a stowable rain cover. To keep your gear dry in rainy weather, insert a waterproof liner bag into your large backpack storage compartment. Put gear and apparel susceptible to getting wet inside it. You can also buy an inexpensive waterproof rain cover for your pack. Pack smaller items in sealable plastic bags or smaller dry bags. Lastly, waterproofing sprays can seal the fabric of your pack, but be aware they aren’t an infallible solution due to seams and openings.
6. Always Bring Duct Tape
Stuff can get damaged while backpacking. You might rip a tent panel or break a zipper pull. Duct tape can help repair many things, even blisters on your feet. Don’t take a full roll; wrap enough around a plastic water bottle or each of your trekking poles. Consider taking a tiny tube of super glue for scenarios that duct tape can’t fix, along with a few cable ties.
7. Predict the Sunset
Setting up your campsite before dark is easier. Complete your hike with at least 30-45 minutes to spare. Extend your arm fully and horizontally, lining up your fingers between the sun and the horizon. Each finger width represents about 15 minutes. If you can fit three fingers, that’s 45 minutes. If you can fit eight fingers, that’s two hours. This is just an estimate, but using it to your advantage will help you set up before dark.
8. Make a Clothes Line
If your clothes get wet, hang them in the sun or next to a campfire to dry. Carry a few clothespins or binder clips to hang your stuff on your tent, tree branches, or even off your backpack as you hike. Even if they don’t fully dry, partially dry clothes are much better than soaking wet ones.
9. Make Sure You Can Start a Fire
A campfire is an amazing resource. It warms you, cooks your food, dries your clothes, and allows you to relax after a long day of hiking. If you can’t start a fire because the kindling is damp, life can be miserable. If campfires are allowed, carry fire starter sticks or a fire starter steel striker kit. You can make a DIY version by soaking cotton balls in Vaseline and carrying them in a sealable plastic bag. If you find yourself without those items, tightly wound toilet paper or tortilla chips can work as kindling in a pinch. Always carry a cigarette lighter or waterproof, strike-anywhere matches.
10. Pack Baby Wipes
Baby wipes are versatile. When you’re outdoors, you get dirty and don’t have the opportunity to get fully clean. A packet of baby wipes can help you freshen up before bed by removing dust and grime. They can add extra weight, but you can reduce packaging by carrying only two for each day in a sealable plastic bag.
11. Create Your Own Lantern
A headlamp is great for walking around your campsite, but a lantern can create ambient light in your tent. If you don’t have a lantern, remove your headlamp and wrap the band around a transparent water bottle with the light facing inward. The water and translucent texture will diffuse the light, creating a glow in your tent. Use the lowest light setting to avoid draining the battery too quickly.
12. Keep Your Sleeping Bag Warm at Night
On cold nights, boil water just before bed. Pour it into a water bottle and place it in your sleeping bag. To prevent burns, stuff it in a sock or wrap it with a bandana. The heat from the bottle will warm you and the inside of your bag after you zip up. The bottle will cool off, but your body heat will keep your bag warm. In the morning, you’ll have pre-boiled water ready to drink.
N.A.C. NEWS
(Sunday, September 19, 2021)
Good Morning,
Well, it's that time again, Sunday morning. There is no hike this week, but next Sunday we will be hiking at the absolutely gorgeous Elora Gorge. Utilizing the Grand Valley Trail to hike along the gorge, it will be a beautiful and amazing hike. I hope you can all attend.
We are only 3 days away from the end of Summer 2021. With the new season comes shorter days. The hikes for the next two seasons will be kept within an hour of home base (Niagara Falls). The end of summer also brings the rainy season, so make sure your rain gear is out, clean, and waterproofed.
Planning for the 2022 Iceland trip has begun and will be posted sometime in November. There will be 12 to 15 spaces on this trip. Those who purchased a space on the canceled 2020 Iceland Trip will have priority, and then remaining spots will be open to everyone else.
That's all the news for this week. As always, stay safe, and happy hiking!
Lenny Burch
Niagara Adventure Club
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