How to Prepare for a Multi Day Hike: Planning, Training, Gear and Safety
To prepare for a multi day hike, plan a realistic route and check permits, train for 8 to 12 weeks with a loaded pack, pack the Ten Essentials plus sleeping, cooking and water-treatment gear, plan food and water, share your itinerary, and do a shakedown trip before you go.
How to Prepare for a Multi Day Hike: The Big Picture
To prepare for a multi day hike, work through five areas in order: route, fitness, gear, food and water, and safety.
A multi day hike is a different job from a day hike.
You carry your shelter, food and water treatment with you, and you cannot turn around and be home by dinner. That is why good preparation matters more than fitness alone.
This guide shows you how to prepare for a multi day hike step by step.
Use the sections in order, and use the timeline near the end to schedule how you prepare for a multi day hike.
We compiled it from public sources such as The Mountaineers, REI, the CDC and the US National Park Service, and we link to them throughout.
Plan Your Route to Prepare for a Multi Day Hike
To prepare for a multi day hike, pick a route that fits your fitness and the season, check permits and water sources, and leave time to spare.
How do you choose a realistic route?
Start with the number of days, the daily distance and the height you will climb each day.
Be honest about your experience: a first multi day hike should be shorter and easier than your best day hike suggests, because you will be carrying more weight and sleeping outdoors.
Choose a route with an easy way out if the weather or an injury changes your plans.
What permits and rules apply?
Many parks and wilderness areas require permits, set camping rules or limit group size. Check the land manager’s website early, because popular routes can fill up.
Note where you can camp, where you can get water, and whether fires and stoves are allowed.
How do you plan for weather and daylight?
Check the forecast for the whole route, not just the trailhead, and plan for the worst reasonable conditions.
Work out your daylight hours and set a turnaround time for each day. Short days in spring and autumn leave less margin than long summer days.
Train to Prepare for a Multi Day Hike
To prepare for a multi day hike, train for 8 to 12 weeks, add pack weight gradually, and finish with a shakedown hike using your full kit.
What does a training plan look like?
Preparing your body for a heavy pack takes time. One guide recommends 8 to 12 weeks, adding weight a little at a time until you reach your goal pack weight.
See the Great Walks guide to carrying a heavy pack. The plan below is a sample, so adjust it to your fitness and check with a doctor before heavy training.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 2 | Walk 3 days a week and add hills or stairs | Build a base without a pack |
| Weeks 3 to 4 | Add short hikes with a light daypack | Start breaking in boots and socks |
| Weeks 5 to 6 | Raise pack weight gradually and hike longer once a week | Aim to carry your real trip weight |
| Week 7 | Do a shakedown hike or overnight with full kit and food | Find what does not work |
| Week 8 | Cut the load and rest | Arrive recovered, not tired |
How heavy should your pack be?
REI gives a general guideline that a loaded backpacking pack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight.
Treat it as a ceiling, not a target, and aim lower where you can.
Some experts call the percentage rule outdated, so use it as a starting point and read the full REI pack weight guide.
| Your body weight | Pack weight ceiling (20%) |
|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | About 10 kg (22 lb) |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | About 12 kg (26 lb) |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | About 14 kg (31 lb) |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | About 16 kg (35 lb) |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | About 18 kg (40 lb) |
Why do a shakedown hike?
A shakedown hike is an overnight or short trip with your full kit and food.
It shows you which gear fails, which items you never use and whether your pack fits. Do it at least a week before you leave, and fix what goes wrong.
Break in your boots as part of training. Our guide on how to prevent blisters when hiking explains boot fit, socks and foot care for long days.
Gear to Pack When You Prepare for a Multi Day Hike
To prepare for a multi day hike, start with the Ten Essential Systems, then add a sleep system, a stove, water treatment and spare clothing.
What are the Ten Essentials?
The Mountaineers list ten systems rather than ten items: navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first aid, fire, repair kit and tools, nutrition, hydration, and emergency shelter.
Read their Ten Essentials guide. Their advice is to carry enough to cope if a delay or an injury keeps you out longer than planned.
What else do you need for overnight trips?
The photo above shows a typical kit: a backpack, trekking poles, a stove with fuel, a sleeping bag and pad, a tent or shelter, a headlamp, a map, a compass, a handheld GPS and a first-aid pouch.
It also shows spare socks, a hat and beanie, a fleece, camp sandals, a trowel and hand sanitiser.
Not every trip needs every item, so match your list to your route and season.
- Backpack that fits you, with a rain cover or liner
- Shelter, sleeping bag and sleeping pad
- Stove, fuel, pot and lighter
- Water bottles or a reservoir, plus a filter or purifier
- Map, compass and a charged phone or GPS
- Headlamp with spare batteries
- First-aid kit, including blister care
- Insulating layers, rain jacket and spare socks
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Repair kit, knife, whistle and tape
- Trowel, hand sanitiser and a bag for rubbish
Food and Water: Prepare for a Multi Day Hike Without Running Short
To prepare for a multi day hike, plan food meal by meal with a spare day, and always treat water from natural sources before you drink it.
How do you plan food?
Write down every meal and snack for each day, then pack a little more than you need.
The Mountaineers note that a one-day supply of extra food is a reasonable emergency stockpile for shorter trips.
Choose food you enjoy, because you will eat less of food you dislike. Repack it into light bags to cut weight and rubbish.
How much water should you carry?
Water is heavy, at about 2.2 pounds per litre according to Backpacker. Plan your water stops from the map and carry only what you need between sources.
Where water may be scarce, ask local rangers or guides before you set out.
How do you make water safe?
The CDC says boiling is the most reliable method: bring clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet.
The next best option is to filter and then disinfect. Check what your filter removes, since many filters do not remove viruses.
See the CDC water treatment guide and the National Park Service backcountry health advice.
Safety and Navigation: Prepare for a Multi Day Hike Like a Pro
To prepare for a multi day hike safely, share your plan, know how to use your map and compass, and agree a turnaround time and an emergency plan.
Who should know your plan?
Leave your route, group size, vehicle details and expected return time with someone reliable. Tell them when to raise the alarm if you do not check in. Update the plan if your route changes.
How do you navigate safely?
Carry a paper map and compass as a backup to any phone or GPS, and practise using them before you go.
Navigation tools are useless without the skills to use them. Download offline maps, and never rely on a single battery-powered device.
What if something goes wrong?
Carry a first-aid kit and know how to use it, and consider a wilderness first-aid course. Pack an emergency shelter and extra insulation in case you must stop.
Where there is no phone signal, think about a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon, and check that it works before you leave.
Turn back if the weather worsens, someone is injured or you are running late. Reaching the summit or campsite is optional, but getting home safely is not.
This guide is general information, not medical or rescue advice.
Leave No Trace When You Prepare for a Multi Day Hike
Plan ahead, camp on durable ground, pack out rubbish, and leave places as you found them.
The seven Leave No Trace principles are to plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimise campfire impacts, respect wildlife, and be considerate of other visitors.
Following them is part of how you prepare for a multi day hike responsibly.
The CDC advises burying human waste in a hole about 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from lakes, rivers and other water.
Pack out toilet paper if local rules require it, and wash your hands with soap or sanitiser before handling food.
Pre-Trip Timeline to Prepare for a Multi Day Hike
Work backwards from your start date so permits, training and gear checks all land in the right week.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 8 weeks before | Choose the route, check permits and book transport or guides | Permits and bookings can run out |
| 3 to 4 weeks before | Start loaded training and break in boots | Fixes fit problems early |
| 1 to 2 weeks before | Shakedown trip, replace worn gear, plan meals | Time to swap gear that fails |
| 2 to 3 days before | Check the forecast, pack the bag and weigh it | Confirms the load is workable |
| The day before | Share your itinerary, charge devices, download maps | Someone knows where you are |
| At the trailhead | Check straps, water and layers, and note your turnaround time | Prevents avoidable mistakes |
Use this as a template and adapt it to your route. For a longer or more remote trip, start earlier.
If Your Multi Day Hike Goes High or Remote
To prepare for a multi day hike that goes high or remote, plan for cold, strong sun, altitude and longer rescue times, and consider a guide.
At height, sun protection matters more and nights are colder, so check your layers and sleeping gear. Boil water for 3 minutes above 6,500 feet.
Ascend gradually, and tell your group at once if you develop a headache, nausea or unusual tiredness.
Remote areas add longer response times and fewer services. Tormik Valley Tours, based in Skardu, can help you plan guided treks in Gilgit-Baltistan.
See the Baltoro Glacier trek itinerary, or read our hidden hiking trails in Washington State for quieter routes to practise on.
Want a guided multi day trek with the planning handled? Tormik Valley Tours can arrange guides, logistics and timing around your dates.
Good preparation turns a hard trip into a good one.
Start early, train with your real kit, and use the checklists here to prepare for a multi day hike with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to what hikers ask most about how to prepare for a multi day hike.
How long should you train to prepare for a multi day hike?
Allow about 8 to 12 weeks if you can.
Guides suggest building from regular walks to loaded hikes, adding pack weight gradually, finishing with a full-kit shakedown trip, and easing off in the final week so your body recovers before you start.
How much should your pack weigh on a multi day hike?
REI offers a general guideline of no more than about 20 percent of your body weight for a loaded backpacking pack.
Lighter is better, and some experts call the percentage rule outdated. Weigh your fully loaded pack, including food and water, and train with that load.
What are the Ten Essentials for a multi day hike?
The Mountaineers list ten systems: navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first aid, fire, repair kit and tools, nutrition, hydration, and emergency shelter.
Pack each system, then add sleeping gear, a stove, and water treatment for overnight trips, adjusting everything for your route and season.
How do you treat water on a multi day hike?
The CDC says boiling is the most reliable method: boil clear water for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet.
The next best option is to filter the water and then disinfect it. Check that your filter or purifier suits the germs you may face.
How do you prepare for a multi day hike in the final week?
Share your route and return time with someone, check the forecast and permit rules, test your gear on a shakedown trip, and pack the Ten Essentials.
Download offline maps, carry a paper map and compass, and agree a turnaround time with your group.