We, the Traveler team, were once beginners too and made many or even all of the mistakes mentioned here. Only those who were lucky enough to get into the world of hiking with an experienced mentor who told us - what not to do, prevented all of them.

In this article, we collected the 5 most common mistakes to make the beginning of your hiking career more pleasant!

1. Go on a hike that does not match your preparation

Regardless of whether you want to enjoy nature, find and test yourself or just do it for sport, choose a hike that suits your fitness!

So that the hike does not turn into physical torture and improves health instead of harming it, as well as becoming a satisfying activity that you will want to repeat again and again, start small !
Start with shorter hikes, where you will not only prepare physically, but also walk in your shoes and test other equipment - socks, backpack, clothing.

2. Blisters

Neglecting the first point most often results in painful blisters.

This failure happens even to experienced walkers, as many factors contribute to the formation of blisters. There are many folk methods for dealing with blisters, but it is more painless to prevent them from forming !

High-quality hiking socks and worn-in shoes are the most important prerequisites for a successful hike, but they alone do not guarantee that you will not develop blisters.
As soon as you feel something rubbing, stop immediately and fix the problem! Apply the special blister patch BEFORE the blister has formed, change your socks, tie your shoes differently - do everything possible to prevent the formation of a blister!

Read more about the importance of suitable hiking socks here . And before you buy shoes, read this article.

3. Painful, blue or even dead toenails

The reason is too small shoes.

This is one of the mistakes that almost every hiker who comes to the store to buy proper hiking shoes admits to making.

The dimensions given by each manufacturer are slightly different. For example, Mammut shoes are 0.7 sizes smaller than the average EU size shoe. Therefore, when buying shoes, look at the manufacturer's size guide , as well as measure the length of the foot.

In a hiking shoe, the toes must not touch the toe. Depending on the model and manufacturer, hiking shoes should be taken up to two sizes larger than everyday shoes .

When walking long distances, the legs swell , so the shoe should not be too tight.

It is very important to measure the shoes with hiking socks , which you will wear during the hike, because they may differ in thickness, as well as "steal" at least half the size.

4. Carrying even a small amount of weight is painful

The reason is an inappropriate/incorrectly adjusted backpack.

It is not enough just to have bought a hiking backpack. The back length of the backpack should be appropriate for the height, the bag should be folded correctly and the weight should be carried by the hips, not the shoulders.

5. Cold even with a warm sleeping bag

The reason is an inappropriate carpet.

You bought a proper sleeping bag, put a foil blanket under the mats, but it's still cold? How so? Where the body touches a cold surface (ground, sleeping net, cold mattress), heat is given off and the sleeping bag alone cannot insulate it. To sleep warm, use a mattress with a heat resistance rating, which is internationally denoted by the letter R. Read more about it here .

If you haven't bought a sleeping bag yet, read this article first.

Are you an experienced walker and can walk without blisters? Share in the comments how you manage it!