What’s the first thing you should do after a backpacking trip?

When you get home after a backpacking trip, what’s the first thing you should do?

Hot shower?

Drink your favorite beverage? (Mine’s an Old Fashioned. What’s yours?) 

A nap?

These are all good things to do after a backpacking trip (and all things I have done upon returning home), but these are not the *first* thing you should do.

The first thing you should do when you get home is unpack.

“But, Hiker Chick, I’m tired. I’ve been carrying 30 pounds on my back for X days and I’m sick of messing with my gear. I just want to leave it in the garage and deal with it later.”

Totally fair. After all, though backpacking is fun, it’s also hard work.

However, you know that gear we talked about in the “17 Essential Items” post? All the gear that, in the aggregate, added up to $$$$.

If you want that gear to last, please consider what I’m about to explain.

Moisture is the enemy of your backpacking gear. If your tent (or sleeping bag or sleeping pad) was damp when you packed it up, and you left it in the bag for days after your trip, there’s a strong likelihood the tent will grow mold or mildew, which will ruin it. As far as I know, there’s no easy way to remedy that.

So, even though you don’t want to, when you get home, take everything out of your bag. Once you grab a hold of your tent, pull it out of its sack, and take it to the backyard, or some other well ventilated area, and open it up. Hang up the footprint, the tent, and the rainfly separately. Allow them to get completely dry. You can also take note of any repairs that need to be made to your tent or other gear.

Did you use a water reservoir (i.e. Camelbak with a hose, or similar dromedary)? Those need to be emptied and hung up where they can finish drying, both inside and out.

Did you use a water filter while on the trail? Take the filter out of its housing, rinse it off, and set it aside to dry.

Did you use a mess kit or other utensils on the trail? Put your mug(s), spoon(s), bowl(s), fork(s), etc., next to the kitchen sink so they’ll be cleaned.

Did you use a JetBoil or other backpacking stove? Take out the fuel canister and measure how much fuel is left in it to determine if you’ll need to take an extra one on the next trip.

During this process, I usually do a full strip down in the laundry room. I remove the clothes I’m wearing and leave them in a pile next to the washing machine. I’ll also dump the extra clothes that I brought in the compression sack on top of that pile, as well as the compression sack. Why do I do this? It’s how I mitigate the possibility that any tiny bugs or allergens I picked up on the trail get tracked all over my house. 

Unpack your sleeping bag(s) and the compression sacks they were stored in. Those also need to be in or near the laundry room, ready to be put in the washing machine next.

After that’s done, it’s all downhill (i.e. easy, not tragic) to get the rest of your gear put away. I have several plastic totes that I have labeled for specific categories of things, so putting gear away is a cinch; I don’t really have to think much about it anymore.

Once this is all finished, you’ll be steps ahead with being ready for your next backpacking trip. And then you can go take a hot shower, enjoy that adult beverage, and lay down for a nap.

Is there anything I forgot? Leave a comment below or shoot me an email at Astrid@IndieAuthorAstrid.com.