Resources
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What Do You Need Help With Today?
Whether you’re just getting started or looking for help with a specific trail skill, these resources are here to help you build your knowledge one step at a time. Choose what you need today—and keep learning as your adventures grow.
Your Backpacking Starter Guide
10 Things to Think About Before Your First Backpacking Trip
Not sure where to begin? This free guide walks you through the most important questions to consider before your first backpacking trip—from permits and route planning to gear, safety, navigation, and emergency preparation.
You don’t need to know everything before you begin. You just need to know what questions to ask.
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Packing & Gear
The right gear can make a big difference—but more gear isn’t always better. These resources will help you think through what you actually need, organize it with intention, and pack it in a way that supports the adventure you’re planning.
Backpacking Checklist
Take the guesswork out of packing.
Use this checklist to think through the essentials for shelter, sleep, clothing, food, water, navigation, safety, and the personal items that make your trip work for you.
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How to Pack a Backpack
Where you put your gear matters.
Learn the basic principles of load placement, balance, accessibility, and organization so your backpack carries more comfortably and the items you need most are easier to reach on the trail.
Safety & Preparedness
You can’t predict everything that may happen on the trail—but you can prepare for the unexpected. These resources are designed to help you think ahead, carry what you may need, and make more informed decisions when conditions change.
10 Essentials Checklist
Be ready for the “what ifs.”
The 10 Essentials are the items that help support you when a simple day on the trail doesn’t go exactly as planned—whether that means changing weather, an injury, a delay, or an unexpected night out.
Use this checklist as a starting point, then adjust what you carry based on the specific adventure, conditions, terrain, and distance from help.
Trail Skills & Stewardship
Being a confident backpacker also means knowing how to care for the places you travel through. Trail skills aren’t only about moving safely and efficiently—they’re also about understanding your impact and making choices that help protect the outdoors for everyone who comes after you.
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Leave No Trace Ethics
Learn how to adventure with less impact.
This guide introduces the Leave No Trace principles and the everyday choices that help protect trails, campsites, wildlife, water sources, and the overall outdoor experience.
Use it as a simple reminder that good trail habits are part of being a capable, responsible outdoor traveler.
Ready to Go a Little Deeper?
If the free resources have helped you start asking better questions, this guide helps you begin finding some of the answers.
Becoming a BackpackHER: Your Trail Map to Success
A practical starter guide for women ready to build a stronger backpacking foundation.
Inside, you’ll explore the basics of trip planning and permits, Leave No Trace, trail etiquette, the 10 Essentials, backpacking checklists, footwear, packing your backpack, periods on the trail, and introductory map-and-compass skills.
Inside, you’ll explore the basics of trip planning and permits, Leave No Trace, trail etiquette, the 10 Essentials, backpacking checklists, footwear, packing your backpack, periods on the trail, and introductory map-and-compass skills.
You’ll also find Pamela’s Pro Tips with QR-linked videos that let you go a little deeper on selected topics and learn directly from me along the way.
Most importantly, this guide is designed to help you begin building the knowledge to make better decisions for yourself—both while planning and in those moment-by-moment decisions on the trail. Â
$20
Take AdventurHER With You
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AdventurHER: Backpacking Handbook & Journal
Part backpacking handbook. Part trail journal. One place to learn, plan, reflect, and remember the adventures that are changing you along the way.
Inside, you’ll find practical backpacking information, checklists, Leave No Trace principles, the 10 Essentials, helpful outdoor references, and dedicated space to record your trips, lessons learned, favorite moments, and the evidence you’re building with every adventure.
Because sometimes the most valuable thing you bring home from the trail isn’t a photo.
It’s the reminder of what you discovered you were capable of.
A thoughtful resource for new backpackers, experienced adventurers, or anyone who wants to document the journey—not just the miles.
Explore the Handbook & Journal
