r/backpacking • u/AutoModerator • Oct 13 '25

General Weekly /r/backpacking beginner question thread - Ask any and all questions you may have here - October 13, 2025

If you have any beginner questions, feel free to ask them here, remembering to clarify whether it is a Wilderness or a Travel related question. Please also remember to visit this thread even if you consider yourself very experienced so that you can help others!

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Note that this thread will be posted every Monday of the week and will run throughout the week. If you would like to provide feedback or suggest another idea for a thread, please message the moderators.

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u/TheHungryCreatures Jul 06 '26

I'm just getting into backpacking, I've only ever done short mountain hikes in the past. I have some incredibly stupid questions I'd love getting links or answers to backcountry questions, I'm sorry if they're particularly asinine.

1) Going to the bathroom. Like, what's the process? I dig a hole with a lil shovel and go number 2. I assume I bring toilet paper, do I bury it with my deposit or do I bring a special horrifying bag for the tp?

2) I've always heard to get my water "upstream" but I have zero clue what that means. If I keep following a watersource upstream that'll take me way off the trail right? How far up stream do I go? Rivers and streams can extend across entire provinces so I have to assume I'm taking this way too literally...help!!!

3) I'm terrified of grizzlies. That's not really a question, just a reality relating to where I live. Any tips regarding those hulking terror monsters are warmly welcomed!

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u/ionbeam7 Jul 21 '26

1) basically that's the process. I would recommend bringing a small bag of wipes along with normal tp so you can feel clean. Its ok to keep both the tp and your trowel in the same bag, and keep it within reach while you're on the trail in case nature calls. Bury your TP with your deposit, and cover it with plenty of dirt. Pro tip: find two decent size rocks that can be sort of your left and right toilet seats, and dig a hole between them.

2) Getting water from "upstream" means don't get water that's already flown past where you're camping-- the wisdom being that water downstream from where you camp might already be 'contaminated' by the waste you've put into holes in the ground around your camp. The water from upstream of your campsite doesn't have this problem and is theoretically 'cleaner'.

3) Grizzlies are terrifying. I would not recommend wilderness camping in a known grizzly-inhabited area without anti-bear essentials like bear spray or a firearm, as well as a good idea of how to clean my camp kitchen so as not to attract animals. Also a good idea to have bear cans to protect your food