40 Questions Before Your First Trip Outdoors

Your first trip does not need to be complicated. Get the route, the weather, the water, the power and the time you get home right, and the rest can wait.

Before you go

Q1. What do I wear on a first hike?

A synthetic base layer, an insulating midlayer, and a windproof or waterproof shell. No cotton base layer. Break in your boots beforehand; do not take new boots on a long route.

Q2. How big a pack do I need?

15–25 L for a day, 30–45 L for a night out, 50–65 L for a multi-day load. Borrow or rent first, and buy once you know you will keep doing it.

Q3. How much water for a day?

It depends on weather, effort and available sources — not a fixed litre figure. Add more in heat and on big climbs, and confirm where you can refill and how you will treat it.

Q4. What should I eat?

Food you know, that keeps, and that is calorie-dense: nuts, bread, energy bars, dehydrated meals. Never try a new food for the first time on the mountain.

Q5. Do I need trekking poles?

They help on descents, with heavy loads and with sore knees; shorten them for climbs. Not essential, but worth learning to set correctly.

Q6. What if there is no phone signal?

Download offline maps and tracks in advance, leave your itinerary and check-in with someone at home, and consider a satellite messenger or PLB on long or remote routes.

Q7. Can I take a power bank on a plane?

On China domestic flights, power banks without a 3C mark or under recall are prohibited. Carry on only, never checked. Watt-hour limits follow current CAAC and airline rules. 20,000 mAh is about 74 Wh, but that does not automatically make it allowed. See Outdoor power.

Q8. How do I carry a camera or drone?

Batteries on your person and out of the cold; back up cards every day; check no-fly zones and permits before flying. Never leave a camera in a hot car. See Outdoor photography.

Q9. Which weather app?

Official warnings first — CMA in China, NWS and the Met Office abroad — then model apps such as Windy or Meteoblue for trend. See Weather services.

Q10. How do I research a route?

Offline map plus contours plus a track. 2bulu, Gaia, CalTopo and OsmAnd are all fine, but someone else's track is only a reference. Learn to read contours and take a bearing. See Terrain and navigation apps.

Q11. How do I download offline maps?

Download the region on Wi-Fi before you leave, then test it in airplane mode. Screenshots are not an offline map.

Q12. Do I need a permit?

Parks, reserves, fire bans, camping and drones may all require one. Check the current local official source, not an old article.

Q13. Do I need insurance?

Yes, ideally. Confirm it covers hiking, mountaineering, altitude and helicopter evacuation. Ordinary travel insurance often excludes all four.

Q14. Can I go alone?

On established routes, short distances and stable weather, yes. Remote areas, technical terrain and long routes: not recommended. If you go, leave a trip plan, a communication plan and a retreat plan.

On the trail

Q15. What if I get lost?

Stop. Do not keep cutting across country. Return to the last certain point and re-fix your position from map, track and contours. If darkness comes, insulate and call for help rather than walking blind. See Compass and map.

Q16. What if there is thunder?

Change the plan the moment you hear it. Leave ridges, summits, water and isolated trees; prefer a building or a hard-topped vehicle. Last resort is crouching with feet together, not lying flat. See Lightning.

Q17. How do I cross a river?

If it is above your knee, fast, or has a waterfall downstream, do not cross. Unbuckle hip and sternum straps, keep two points of contact, face upstream and shuffle sideways. There is no river you have to cross. See River crossings.

Q18. What about heat stroke and hypothermia?

Heat stroke: call for help, cool immediately, do not give fluids. Hypothermia: dry layers, insulation, warm drinks if alert, medical care. No alcohol for warmth. See Heat illness and Hypothermia.

Q19. What about altitude sickness?

Mild AMS can be watched, but do not ascend to sleep higher. Unsteady walking, confusion or breathlessness at rest means descend now. No prescription doses without a clinician. See Altitude sickness and Daily monitoring.

Q20. Blisters or knee pain?

Blisters: reduce friction, do not casually pop them. Knees: lighten the load, use poles, shorten the day. If it keeps worsening, turn around rather than masking it with painkillers.

Q21. What about my period?

Carry enough products and a sealed bag to take them out; keep clean and warm; do not drink less because it is inconvenient. Severe pain or unusual bleeding: seek care. See Backcountry hygiene.

Q22. Snakes, bears, ticks?

Keep distance, do not feed or chase. Store food per local bear rules. Handle tick bites per local guidance and seek care if needed. Do not treat "play dead" as a universal rule. See LNT in fragile places.

Q23. Walking in the dark?

Avoid it. If you must: headlamp and spare batteries, slow pace, established route, and tell someone. Never solo on technical terrain at night.

Camp, hygiene, LNT

Q24. How do I choose a campsite?

Shelter from wind, away from rockfall, dry creek beds, dead trees and avalanche runout, on an existing site, at least 200 ft (60 m) from water and from where you go to the toilet. Do not camp on a pass or a ridge. See LNT in fragile places.

Q25. How do I go to the toilet?

Use a toilet if there is one. Otherwise go at least 200 ft (60 m) from water, camp and trail, and dig a cat hole 6–8 in (15–20 cm) deep. Paper, wipes and sanitary products all leave with you.

Q26. What about rubbish?

Carry it all out. Do not bury it, do not burn it. Food scraps count. At altitude, in desert and on snow, this matters more, not less.

Q27. Can I have a fire?

Check the fire ban first. Never use a flame inside a tent or vehicle for warmth. Put it out completely before leaving. Many places prohibit open fires entirely.

Q28. How do I keep bears away?

Food, rubbish and scented items go in a canister, bear box or hard-sided vehicle as local rules require. Never store food in the tent. Do not run, and do not apply one script to every encounter.

Electronics and services

Q29. Offline maps, weather, navigation — what do I use?

Official warnings for weather, offline map plus contours plus track for navigation, and paper map, compass and spare power behind the phone.

Q30. How do I allocate power?

Phone, headlamp and satellite communicator first; camera and drone after. Keep batteries warm. Never use a swollen or hot power bank, and follow the 3C and watt-hour rules in the air. See Outdoor power.

Team, rescue, progression

Q31. How do I put a team together?

Agree the route, the effort, the retreat points and who sweeps. Do not add difficulty at the last minute. Move at the pace of the slowest. Exchange emergency contacts before departure.

Q32. When should we turn around?

Weather turning, a teammate clearly deteriorating, running out of daylight, terrain harder than expected, gear failing — any one is enough. Retreating is not failure.

Q33. What is the emergency number?

In China: 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire and rescue. Mountain rescue numbers vary by region — look them up before you go. Abroad, find the local emergency and mountain rescue numbers, plus your insurer's assistance line. See Wilderness medicine first steps.

Q34. What is different about hiking abroad?

Insurance, rescue systems, communication, permits, language and local rules. Confirm your policy covers hiking and altitude, leave a trip plan, and do not apply assumptions from home. See Hiking abroad.

Q35. How do I move from day hikes to multi-day?

Two consecutive day hikes, then one night out, then several. Add load, distance and altitude one variable at a time. Learn navigation, weather judgement, camping and first aid first.

Q36. How should I train?

Aerobic work, hills and walking with a pack; back-to-back days before a long trip; strength for legs, core and ankles. Do not cram a crash block and arrive injured.

Q37. How do I go lighter?

Weigh everything, list it, remove duplicates and things you never used. The big three — sleep, shelter, pack — carry most of the weight. Never trade safety or warmth for grams.

Q38. What if gear breaks?

Carry a repair kit: tape, cord, buckles, a patch for the pad. Check zips, canisters, poles and headlamps before you go. Warranty work goes through official channels only, with receipts and serial numbers. See Cleaning gear.

Q39. How do I learn navigation, first aid, avalanche skills?

Course plus practice. Short videos are not instruction. Practise navigation on familiar ground, recertify first aid, and take a course or a guide for avalanche and technical terrain.

Q40. Where should I go first?

An established trail, short distance, stable weather, phone signal and an easy retreat. Not a wilderness area and not a technical route. Build your own baseline for how far you can walk and how much you can carry.