Upon returning home from a backpacking trip, I’m often asked if I had fun. Maybe you’ve been asked a similar question and found it similarly difficult to answer: is backpacking ever fun?

Satisfying? Sure. Fulfilling in a deep, soul-cleansing way? Absolutely. But fun? Nothing that causes this many blisters should ever be called fun. 

My point is, backpacking is hard work, and even those of us who love it to our very core will freely admit that most of the time, it’s no picnic. That’s why, when you offer a backpacker any trick or tip to make their trek simpler, easier, or less arduous, they’ll almost certainly take it. 

The backpacking hacks listed below are intended to do just that. If you have a lot of experience on the trail, then you may have heard some of these before. Others may surprise you. 

In any case, I hope that some of these tricks make your hike simpler and – even just a little bit – more fun.

1. Bring Duct Tape

Good old reliable duct tape! Is there anything it can’t do? Well, yeah… actually there are a lot of things it can’t do, but let’s focus on the things it can do. For example, you can use it to quickly patch a leaky tarp, cushion your toes against blisters, or fashion a makeshift zipper pull if one breaks. 

Long story short, you should bring some duct tape on every backpacking trip. You don’t need a whole roll, of course – that would be way too heavy and take up valuable pack space – but you can wrap some around your trekking poles or water bottles so it’s always within reach when you need it. 

2. Get a Floating Key Chain

It’s easy to lose track of your keys while you’re wading or jumping across a stream. If they fall out of your pocket, the last thing you need is to see them sink to the bottom like a stone. 

There’s a simple solution: get a floating key chain! You can buy one (they’re commonly used for boat keys) or fashion one yourself using the cork from a wine bottle. Either way, your keys will be much easier to retrieve if they fall out of your pocket and into a body of water.