Four Attributes of Awesome Backpacking Trip Partners

When you're preparing for an extended backpacking trip, or even for an overnight outing, heading out with the right trip partners can be as important as choosing your gear. The right mix of people, even if there are only two of you, can make a huge difference in the enjoyability of any outing. We can all use help making sure we're not only looking for the best trip partners, but we're acting like the best trip partners, too! 

Backpacking in Yosemite with some amazing new friends!

Here’s what I look for:

A Partner with a Sense of Adventure

This person understands that most trips are about the journey, not the destination, and they are adept at going with the flow. They aren’t fazed by unforeseen obstacles and are the first to laugh about how it rained the whole trip. For this person, it's about being outside and having fun. If you're on a trip that has an objective and the objective isn't realized, this person is always quick to remind the group of other positive aspects of the outing. This type of partner is my favorite, and given going with the flow isn’t my strongest talent, it’s the type of partner I try to be.

A Prepared Partner

Though I always advocate for doing your own research and planning even if you’re not the group leader, look for trip partners who are as prepared or more prepared than you are. They will know the route, know how to get to the trailhead, know how to read the maps you’re using, be familiar with the weather forecast, and bring any essentials you may forget. If you choose wisely, they will be able to help you plan group gear, explain why they're wearing one pair of boots versus another, and give you ideas for how to be even more prepared for your next outing. This type of partner knows their stuff and might teach you a thing or two.

The coolest thing I recently learned from a backpacking trip buddy? How to build a tower of dishes on top of your bear cannister; someone toppling it in the middle of the night will keep you alert!

A Partner Who Plans

Though this attribute doesn’t always line up with the “Sense of Adventure” attribute, the ideal partner knows that planning is key. It’s especially important if achieving a summit or other objective hinges sticking to a schedule. If you know a given portion of the trail you need to complete will take a full day and one of your partners isn’t ready to go in time, you could find yourself falling short of your objective, or even wandering around in the dark. If you're on a summit push that involves a turnaround time for safety reasons, a late start can cost you your objective. This type of partner isn’t afraid to speak up if the plan needs to change.

A Partner Who Pitches In

After spending an entire day hiking with a giant pack, most of us don’t feel like doing dishes after dinner, or much of anything aside from crawling into the tent. If you’re traveling with a group, odds are you’re cooking and cleaning as a group, or at least setting up camp as a group. Backpacking with a partner who will help out can make all the difference. But it’s about more than chores with this partner. It's easy for us to giggle at the newbie who can’t set up their tent, and it's even easier for someone in superior physical condition to run ahead, but it's not productive. I love having someone in the group who is willing to reach out and can recognize the limits of the group.

What attributes did I miss? I’d love to hear what your ideal trip mate looks like!