Backpacking Trip Planner Workbook

Stop wondering if you forgot something before a backpacking trip.

A beginner-friendly, structured planning workbook for backpackers who want to feel confident they’ve thought through the important details — without last-minute stress or endless re-checking.

You have a trip in mind — maybe even a destination picked — but the plan lives everywhere. A few notes on your phone, saved Instagram posts, half-read blog posts, and a mental checklist you keep replaying because you’re afraid you’ll forget something.

Permits. Parking. Daily mileage. Food. Water. Gear. Backup plans.

Even short backpacking trips can start to feel overwhelming when there’s no system to hold all the details.This workbook gives you one place to think through everything that matters — so the trip stops living in your head and starts feeling fully planned.

The Backpacking Trip Planning Workbook

the backpacking trip planner workbook. from adventure idea to trail ready. A clear system for planning backpacking trips with confidence. images show template screenshots and woman backpacking with a topo map background.

$29 – Instant Download

Why planning a backpacking trip feels harder than it should

Planning a backpacking trip often feels overwhelming not because you can’t do it — but because there are too many moving pieces and no clear way to organize them.

❌ Your trip plan is scattered everywhere.

A few notes in your phone, saved Instagram posts, half-read blog posts, browser tabs you swear you’ll come back to — but nothing lives in one clear place.

❌ You’re constantly second-guessing whether you’ve missed something important.

Permits, parking, water sources, daily mileage, food, gear, backup options. Even when you’ve done a lot of research, it still doesn’t feel finished.

❌ The mental load makes even simple trips feel bigger than they need to be.

A one-night or weekend backpacking trip shouldn’t feel this stressful — but without a system, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even leave.

Here’s a better way to plan your backpacking trip

With the Backpacking Trip Planner Workbook, you turn a vague trip idea into a complete, written plan — covering the details that actually matter so your trip feels manageable, organized, and ready to go.

Create a clear plan for your next backpacking trip

author Emily in red rain jacket standing with arms outstretch at the top of John Gardner pass with glacier grey in background

author Emily standing on the summit of mt Whitney holding a sign reading mt Whitney 14,505 feet

What planning with the workbook actually looks like

This is a 10-page template designed for Google Docs that you will fill in as you do your trip planning research. It walks you through each step of the trip planning process to build a comprehensive trip plan. It’s a place to fully consolidate all maps, trip report links, and other notes and help you build a day-by-day itinerary for your own backpacking trip.

💡 Turn a vague idea into a clear trip overview

You’ll define the core details of your trip — where you’re going, when, permits required, and who’s going — so the foundation is set before you get into the details.

📝 Organize trail research in one place

You’ll gather trailheads, routes, maps, notes, and condition checks into a single, organized plan instead of bouncing between browser tabs and saved links.

🗺️ Build a realistic daily itinerary

You’ll plan mileage, elevation, camps, and water sources day by day — giving you a clear sense of how the trip will actually unfold.

🌮 Plan food to actually match your day on trail

You’ll map out meals and snacks by day – adjacent to your daily itinerary – so you know what you’re bringing and that it makes sense with how hard your day is.

🛟 Think through backup plans ahead of time

You’ll identify your Plan B and bail-out options so unexpected changes don’t feel like an “oh S***!” moment on trail.

Plus, a couple of bonus templates!

✅ A comprehensive gear checklist

You’ll work through a detailed, catch-all packing list that covers the major gear categories — giving you a solid starting point and a way to check what you’re bringing.

🆘 A dedicated, shareable trip plan for emergencies and peace of mind

The workbook includes a separate Emergency Contact Summary you can fill out and share before you leave — with key trip details, routes, dates, and check-in information all in one place.

By the time you’re finished filling out this workbook, your trip isn’t just planned — it’s documented, organized, and ready to go.

Start planning your Dream backpacking trip

From adventure idea to trail-ready

Before

Your trip idea lives across browser tabs, notes app lists, Pinterest boards, and half-finished messages.
You’ve done some research, but it still doesn’t feel complete.
You keep mentally running through permits, camping spots, food, water, gear, and logistics — worried you’ll forget something important.
Even short backpacking trips feel bigger and more stressful than they should.

After

Your entire trip is organized in one clear, written plan.
You know where you’re going, how you’re getting there, what each day looks like, and what you’re bringing.
You’ve thought through permits, conditions, water, food, gear, and backup options ahead of time.
You can leave knowing your trip is planned — not just in your head, but on paper.

author Emily wearing a yellow top stands on granite in front of half dome in the distance — *Feel prepared and confident in your trip plans to make the backpacking feel FUN!*

Who the Backpacking Trip Planner Workbook is made for

This workbook is for:

Hikers and backpackers who want a clear, organized way to plan a trip from start to finish.
People who feel anxious not because they can’t backpack — but because there are a lot of details to keep track of.
Backpackers planning solo trips or small group trips, from one night to multi-day.
Hikers wanting to own their trip and not just copy trip reports from others.
Anyone who prefers checklists, structure, and having things written down instead of relying on memory.
People who do the majority of their trip planning on a computer.

You don’t need to be an expert — but you should be willing to think through your trip intentionally.

This workbook is NOT for:

People looking for a quick checklist with no planning or research involved.
Anyone who wants exact gear recommendations or a done-for-you itinerary.
Backpackers who prefer to wing it entirely without documenting plans.
People expecting a course, videos, or step-by-step instruction on how to backpack.
Backpackers who already feel 100% comfortable with their current trip planning set-up.
People who can’t or won’t use Google Docs.

This is a planning tool — not a tutorial.

What You’ll Get

After purchase, you’ll receive instant access to:

The Backpacking Trip Planner Workbook as a Google Doc. You’ll click a link and make your own copy to edit and reuse for future trips.
A 5-minute walkthrough video. A short, practical video showing how to use the workbook to plan a trip.

Plan your next backpacking trip with confidence

Download once, reuse for every trip.

Woman hiking in a mountain lake with backpack and trekking poles, scenic outdoor adventure colchuck lake washington.

Hey – I’m Emily!

I’m a long-distance backpacker, photographer, and outdoor trip planner who learned how to backpack as an adult and whose first trip was just following a friend up a trail and hoping for the best.

Being the control freak that I am, I quickly realized that if I wanted to backpack on my own — and confidently bring friends along — I needed a system. Something that helped me think through the details instead of keeping everything in my head.

When I was preparing to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail solo, I mapped out over 150 nights of potential camping spots. A little excessive? Definitely. But it was also how I managed anxiety and turned a huge, intimidating goal into something concrete and doable.

Thru-hiking taught me how to adapt and go with the flow in the mountains. But I still rely on structure when planning backpacking trips — especially trips with limited time, shared responsibilities, or more complicated travel logistics.

The Backpacking Trip Planner Workbook is the planning system I built for myself and still use today. It’s designed to help you plan thoughtfully, realistically, and confidently — so when you head out on trail, you can focus on the experience and trust the plan you’ve already thought through.

Plan your trip with a system built from real experience

Frequently Asked Questions

No — but this workbook assumes you’re a hiker who is interested in backpacking and willing to do some basic research as you plan.
It doesn’t teach you how to backpack. Instead, it gives you a clear structure so you can think through the details that matter for your specific trip.

Both.
You can use this planner for solo backpacking trips or small group trips. The structure works whether you’re planning on your own or coordinating with others.

You certainly could, and it works great for shorter thru-hikes under 1 month in length like the High Sierra Trail, Wonderland Trail, Sierra High Route, John Muir Trail, Superior Hiking Trail, The Long Trail, and the Colorado Trail, but speaking from experience as a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker – your plans are guaranteed to change on long thru-hikes, and you probably won’t stick to your plan from this workbook.

No.
This workbook doesn’t provide a done-for-you itinerary or tell you exactly what gear to bring. It gives you a comprehensive planning framework so you can build a trip that fits your destination, experience level, and comfort preferences.

If what you’re using works and you feel confident you’ve thought through everything, you might not need this.
This planner is for people who want a single, organized system — instead of scattered notes and mental checklists — so planning feels complete rather than ongoing.

That depends on the trip, your planning style, and how easy it is to find out pertinent information.

Short trips can often be planned in a few hours. Longer or more complex trips – like international hut hiking or multi-week thru-hikes – may take place over multiple sessions as you research permits, conditions, and logistics. You don’t need to fill everything out at once.

Yes. You download it once and can reuse it for as many backpacking trips as you want.

This is a digital download that you can use in Google Docs. It’s designed to be filled out digitally, and then you can make it available for offline use to have on your phone while you’re in the backcountry!

The emergency contact summary page is meant to be printed or downloaded and sent to your trusted contact.

You can share your completed trip plan — especially the Emergency Contact Summary — with a trusted contact before your trip.
Please don’t redistribute the workbook itself.

Due to the immediate availability of digital downloads, we do not provide refunds for any purchases of digital downloadable content. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact our customer care team at support [at] backcountryemily.com.

Planning the backpacking trip you’ve been dreaming of is in reach.

Get the planner and feel prepared on trail