A backpacking trip is different from anything your Club has done before. At a fixed campout, you pitch the tent and it stays in the same spot all week. On a day hike, you walk in the morning and go home in the afternoon. On a backpacking trip, you carry your home on your back and sleep at a different point every night, advancing in stages along a planned route.
That changes everything. Every gram weighs more with each kilometer. A wrong decision about water or pace cannot be fixed by walking back to the car in ten minutes. That is why a multi-day expedition begins long before the trail: it begins with planning.
This guide shows how to prepare a safe and memorable trek, from calculating pack weight to the emergency plan. It is written for Pathfinders aged 10 to 15, but read it with your Counselor, Director, or guardian beside you. Real adventure is built with preparation, not with luck.
What a backpacking trip is and why it is different
There are three formats of outdoor outing, and confusing them is the first trap. The fixed campout has a base: you arrive, set everything up, and explore from there. The day hike is an out-and-back walk in a single day, with no overnight. The backpacking trip, also called a trek or expedition, is a sequence: you leave from point A, sleep along the way, and reach point B days later, carrying food, tent, clothing, and water on your back the whole time.
That difference shapes all your choices. Because you carry everything, weight becomes enemy number one. Because you sleep in different places, you need to know where to find water and where it is safe to set up camp at each stage. And because you get farther and farther from the starting point, a simple problem demands a plan, not a dash back to the car.
The backpacking trip is one of the Club's most formative events. It builds independence, care for the group, and endurance. But precisely because it is more demanding, it is not for beginners. A Club that has never done a long day hike should not take on a four-day trek. Climb the ladder one rung at a time.
Plan the route in stages, not by total distance
The classic mistake is to look at the map and say: it is 40 kilometers in four days, so ten a day. The real route does not work that way. What matters is not the distance on paper, but the effort of each stage: climbs, terrain type, altitude, and above all where there is water and where you can sleep.
Divide the trek into daily stages that always end at a known, safe campsite, preferably near a reliable water source. A good stage for a group of teenagers usually falls between four and six hours of actual walking, leaving plenty of margin for stops, the unexpected, and arriving in daylight. Arriving in the dark is dangerous and tires the group twice over.
Before finalizing the itinerary, look for people who have already done that trail. Check with the administration of the park or conservation area, confirm whether a permit or booking is required, and check the weather forecast for the days of the outing. Always have a plan B: an early exit point at each stage, in case someone falls ill or the weather turns. A planned route always has a way out.
Mark the water and resupply points on the map well in advance. If the route passes through a village where you can buy more food on the third day, that eases the weight of the first two. If it passes nothing, every meal has to come off someone's back.
Pack weight: the 20% rule
Here is the most important number in backpacking. The well-established recommendation among practitioners is that a full pack should not exceed about 20% of the carrier's body weight on multi-day treks — some allow up to 25% for well-conditioned people, but 20% or less is the safe target, and lighter is always better. Going beyond that greatly increases fatigue and the risk of injury to knees, ankles, and spine.
Do the math per Pathfinder. A teenager weighing 40 kg should carry at most about 8 kg. One weighing 50 kg, about 10 kg. That completely changes the planning: the group's weight, not the desire to bring comfort, decides what goes into the pack. Weigh each loaded pack on a scale before leaving home. Whatever exceeds the limit stays behind.
Because the lighter members carry less, the group's shared weight — tents, pots, stove, first-aid kit — has to be distributed among the stronger members and the adults. No one carries beyond their own limit just because it is the item left over. The Counselor settles this distribution together with the Unit.
Cutting weight is an art. Dehydrated food instead of canned. One less change of clothes. No duplicate items when the group can share. And water, which is heavy, you do not carry all of it: you collect and treat it along the route, which brings us to the next point.
Read alsoClub outing: how to organize a one-day tripWater and resupply: the fuel of the trek
Water is the heaviest and most vital item of an expedition. One liter weighs one kilogram. Carrying four days of water would be impossible — that is why planning revolves around collection points along the route. You carry only enough between one source and the next.
Before the outing, find out where the sources are: rivers, streams, springs, support taps. Confirm they actually have water at the time of year of your trip, because many dry up. If a stage is long and dry, you will need to carry more water there, and that counts toward the day's weight.
Never trust that water in nature is drinkable just because it looks clean. It can carry microorganisms that cause diarrhea and vomiting — the nightmare of a trek. Treat all water before drinking: by boiling, with an appropriate filter, or with purifying tablets. Learning to cross watercourses safely is also part of it, and it is worth reading about water safety before tackling rivers on the route.
Link hydration to food. In prolonged effort, the body loses water and salts constantly. Drink in regular sips before thirst sets in and eat steadily to keep energy up. A dehydrated or unfed Pathfinder becomes slow, irritable, and more prone to accidents.
Pace, stops, and the roles in the group
On a trek, the group moves at the pace of the slowest, not the fastest. That is not weakness, it is safety: a Pathfinder left behind alone is a Pathfinder at risk. The goal is not to arrive first, it is to arrive whole, all together.
The classic formation has two fixed roles. The front leader — usually an adult or experienced Pathfinder — sets the pace, reads the map, and decides the way. The sweeper stays at the end of the line and makes sure no one falls behind; they are the last to pass each point. Between the two, the group walks united, and no one passes the leader or drops behind the sweeper.
Establish a rhythm of stops. A short break every 50 minutes to an hour, to drink water, adjust the pack, and check that everyone is okay, works better than walking for hours straight and collapsing. Breaks that are too long cool the body and drain morale; too few exhaust the group. Find the balance and stick to it.
Agree on simple signals before setting out: one whistle to regroup, a gesture for an immediate stop. And talk openly: anyone with a blister, dizziness, or a pinching pack should say so right away, not at the end of the day. A small problem treated early does not become a nighttime emergency.
Emergency plan and communication
Every serious expedition sets out with a written emergency plan, not just one in the Director's head. It lists the full route stage by stage, the early exit points, the emergency contacts, the nearest hospital for each section, and the estimated arrival time at the final destination. One copy stays with the group and another with a trusted person who is not going on the trail.
That person at home is your safety net. They know where you should be each day and at what time you should check in. If the agreed contact does not happen within a reasonable margin, they know whom to call. Arrange this in detail before departing.
Carry redundant communication, because cell signal fails in the wilderness. A charged phone with a spare battery is the minimum; in isolated areas, a two-way radio or a satellite emergency device makes a real difference. Know the rescue number by heart: use your local emergency number (in Brazil, SAMU answers at 192 and the Fire Department at 193).
The first-aid kit goes in an easily accessible pack, and at least one adult in the group should have basic training. Knowing how to stop a bleed, care for a blister, or recognize signs of heat exhaustion can save the outing — or a life. It is worth reinforcing the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with whoever is responsible. This is awareness; it does not replace a hands-on course or professional care.
Prior conditioning and minimum impact
No one wakes up ready for a multi-day trek. The body needs to be prepared in the preceding weeks. Take progressive hikes with the Club: start with short trails without a load, then increase the distance and, finally, train with the loaded pack on your back. That conditions the legs, tests the footwear, and reveals problems — like a boot that rubs — while there is still time to fix them.
Footwear is decisive. Hiking boots or trail shoes must be broken in, never worn for the first time on the expedition. A new pair on the trek is an almost certain recipe for blisters that can stop a Pathfinder. Proper socks and trimmed nails complete the care for your feet, which are your means of transport.
Prepare the mind too. A trek has hard moments: a tiring climb, rain, a heavy pack at the end of the day. The group that agrees beforehand to encourage whoever is at their limit, share the load of whoever tires, and celebrate each stage completed arrives stronger. Perseverance is trained.
Finally, care for the place. The principle of minimum impact is simple: carry back everything you brought, including trash; leave no trace. Relieve yourself far from water sources, do not cut living plants, respect the animals, and follow the conservation area's rules. The Pathfinder cares for the creation they cross. You want the next Unit to find the trail as beautiful as you found it.