10 Tips To Prepare For Your First Multi-Day Hike

Looking to embark on your first multi-day hike? You’re in the right place! If you’re already a comfortable day hiker and are looking to start going long-distance, an overnight hike is an easy first step. This way, you can get comfortable with carrying camping gear and pitching your tent at the end of the day. Once you have some overnight and day hikes under your belt, a multi-day hike should be well within your comfort zone.

These actionable multi-day hiking tips will help you plan and prepare, so you can set off feeling confident.

1. Choose the right trail

Decide what it is that you’d like to get out of your multi-day hike, and spend some time finding a trail that’s right for you. Perhaps you’re looking for coastal scenery, or the opportunity to spot lots of wildlife. Maybe you want an easy-going, flat trail or something a little more challenging. Decide what’s important to you and go from there.

I recommend you choose a route within your experience, skill and fitness level, as choosing something too challenging may cause you to lose confidence. Make your first multi-day hike achievable and enjoyable. It doesn’t need to be a two-week trek through the mountains — a 3-day hike over a long weekend is a good length for your first time. Well-known, long-distance trails are a good place to start as you can simply pick a short section to dip into for a few days.

2. Test your gear beforehand

A multi-day hike is not the time to try out new gear. You want to bring tried-and-tested equipment that you know is reliable and works well for you. There’s nothing worse than realising on the first day that your stove doesn’t light or that your backpack doesn’t sit comfortably on your shoulders. Issues like this can really put a damper on the whole experience.

If you’ll be needing to buy new equipment before your multi-day hike, why not go for an overnight test run in your local area? This way, you can make sure that all your gear is sound and iron out any issues ahead of your big hike.

3. Pack for all weathers

No matter what the forecast says or how ‘reliable’ the weather usually is, pack for all weathers. I say this from experience. Always bring warm clothing and waterproofs with you — hiking in the rain can become demoralising very quickly. Be sure to also bring a waterproof cover for your backpack, so that all your gear is protected if it does start to downpour.

4. Keep your gear light

When going on a multi-day hike, you’ll need to bring a lot more gear with you than if you were going hiking for just one day. You’ll need to pack camping gear, outdoor cooking equipment and more clothing. This extra gear will add more weight and this can really take its toll as the days pass.

Be mindful of the weight of your backpack and bring only the essentials that you truly need to keep yourself safe and comfortable. Now might be the time to invest in lighter gear, such as a smaller tent, a sleeping bag made from lighter material, or a more compact stove. If you’ll be hiking in a pair or a group, think about whether you can share some kit. Perhaps you can split up parts of the tent or cooking equipment.

5. Look after your feet

Your feet are the most important body part when it comes to hiking, so you need to take good care of them. This could mean the difference between completing your hike or giving up due to painful blisters and sore feet.

Here are a few tips for taking care of your feet while on the trail:

• Invest in a few pairs of really good hiking socks
• Clean your feet at the end of each day
• Change into flip-flops when you arrive at camp
• Deal with hot spots as soon as you feel them
• Carry blister plasters in your backpack

If you haven’t already, I recommend that you invest in a decent pair of hiking boots that fit you properly. A good pair will keep your feet dry, support your ankles and protect your feet against hard surfaces. That being said, now is not the time to try out brand-new boots. New hiking boots will need to be broken in, so make sure to wear them regularly before your multi-day hike.

6. Make sure your navigation tools are reliable

Most hikers like to use GPS to navigate the trails. This is great, but electronics can always fail in some way, and you don’t want to be caught out. I advise that you always bring a compass and an up-to-date map of the area. This way, you’ve got a backup navigational tool if your GPS does stop working.

That being said, a map and compass are useless if you don’t know how to use them properly. Make sure to brush up on this important skill before heading off on your multi-day hike.

7. Make a plan for staying hydrated

When preparing for a multi-day hike, it’s essential to plan how you’ll stay hydrated. You won’t be able to carry several days’ worth of water — water is heavy!

• Will there be towns or villages on the route where you can fill up?
• Will there be running water sources, from where it’s safe to drink?
• Does the trail have built-in taps with drinking water available?

Map out the places where you’ll be able to replenish your water supply and make sure to utilise them. Running out of water and becoming dehydrated when you’re far from civilisation can become dangerous very quickly.

If you think you might run out of water, I’d advise packing something that will enable you to safely drink from streams. Purifying tablets, a UV pen or a LifeStraw are all good methods of purifying water.

8. Bring some treats for the evening

Keep your spirits high by bringing some treats that you can enjoy in the evening. This could be some chocolate bars or other sweet treats, or perhaps even a good book you can lose yourself in. If there’s space, I like to bring a pair of flip-flops. They don’t weigh much, and the feeling of switching from hiking boots to flip-flops after walking all day is wonderful. After a long day on the trail, you’ll be grateful for the little things that bring comfort!

9. Be mindful of the 7 Leave No Trace principles

If we’re not careful, our presence in the outdoors can have a negative impact on native wildlife, the environment and other people. The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace provide a framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors. Be sure to use these principles to guide you into making responsible decisions while out on the trail:

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors

10. Prepare for emergencies

While we never want to contemplate an emergency, things can and do happen. Always let someone know where you’re going and how long you expect your trip to take. That way, they can alert the authorities if you’re not back.

You should also consider packing the following so that you are prepared for injuries or emergencies:

• First aid kit: A small first aid kit containing blister plasters, regular plasters, pain relief tablets, antiseptic wipes and bandages is an essential piece of kit in any hiker’s backpack.

• Personal Locator Beacon (PLB): PLBs are GPS tracking devices that will let people know where you are. Some even come with an SOS button, so you can call out a rescue team if you really need help. PLBs tend to be expensive and require a subscription, but they’re a worthy investment for peace of mind.

• Bear spray: If you’ll be hiking through bear country, or somewhere with potentially dangerous animals, consider bringing bear spray for protection. Bears typically leave people alone unless they feel threatened, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Note that bear sprays (essentially pepper sprays) are illegal to carry in the UK.

---

Thank you for reading! If you found this post useful, I’d be grateful if you would consider using the affiliate links below when planning your travels. I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This will help me to keep this blog running. Thanks for your support – Lauren.

Hotels – Booking.com
Hostels – Hostelworld
Cheap flights – Skyscanner
Travel insurance – World Nomads
Outdoor gear – Decathlon / GO Outdoors
Cycling gear – Chain Reaction Cycles

Alternatively, you could buy me a coffee to say thanks!