Mistakes in fastpacking: the most common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Hardly anyone abandons a fastpacking route for lack of desire.
It is abandoned by small errors, The accumulated, accumulated, energy draining, mentally draining and confidence draining until moving forward no longer makes sense.

Most of them are not seen on Instagram.
They are not epic.
But are the ones that make the difference between enjoying the route or suffering it unnecessarily.

This guide is not to point fingers, but to save you time, money and frustration. If you're just starting out - or if you've been at it for a while and something doesn't quite fit, here are the most common fastpacking mistakes... and how to avoid them with some judgement.

What you will get out of this guide

• Identify the mistakes that rob you of the most energy and rhythm.
• Avoid typical beginner (and many not-so-beginner) mistakes.
• Save weight, unnecessary stops and bad decisions on the fly.
• Adjust your approach without changing everything.
• Go out with more confidence and less mental noise.
• Enjoying more of the fastpacking from the next departure.

The most common mistakes in fastpacking (and why they happen)

They do not come from a lack of form.
They come from copy wrongly, The result of extrapolating classic hiking or trail running without adapting, and of not yet understanding the balance of fastpacking.

1️⃣ Going out too heavily laden “just in case”.”

This is the number one mistake.

More clothes, more food, more water, more material...
Result:

• more weight
• worst fit
• more fatigue
• less enjoyment

In fastpacking, everything you wear must have a clear motive.

2️⃣ Underdressing for continuous movement

Too warm on the way out, sweating on the way up, getting cold on the way down, repeat.

Typical error:

• use the mackintosh as a thermal layer
• do not wear a windbreaker
• thinking about static cold, not about movement

Poorly chosen clothing breaks the rhythm faster than any unevenness.

3️⃣ Eating late or poorly

To wait until you are hungry is to wait too long.

Frequent errors:

• eating little and all at once
• overuse of sugar
• do not eat on foot

Fastpacking needs constant energy, not patches or binge eating.

4️⃣ Copying routes without adapting them to your level or to the activity

A track pretty is not a track adequate.

Common failures:

• underestimating the gap
• disregarding the terrain
• copying unreal rhythms

Planning well is part of moving fast.

5️⃣ Failure to manage water well

Or over-loading... or under-loading.

Classic mistakes:

• do not check water points
• loading litres out of fear
• not carrying a filter when it can save you a lot of weight
• do not replenish salts

Poorly managed water weighs on the backpack and on the head.

6️⃣ Relying only on cardio and forgetting about strength

Fastpacking is not just about endurance.

No strength:

• downturns punish
• knees suffer
• core fatigue
• the pace degrades

Functional strength is long-term insurance.

7️⃣ Improvising too much “because it's cool”.”

Improvisation sounds romantic... until you run out of water, electricity or margin.

Typical errors:

• do not plan for escapes
• do not check weather
• do not calculate times

Planning doesn't take away from the adventure. It protects it.

What I would do to avoid them (in brief)

• Check everything that goes into the backpack.
• Dress with movement in mind, not stops.
• Eat little and often from the start.
• Plan realistic, not aspirational routes.
• Adjust water with information, not fear.
• Consistently train minimum strength.
• Leave room to decide... but with a basic plan.

Small adjustments.
Major differences.

⭐ What it's like inside Outsiders

Inside we share real configurations, real questions and real solutions.

No theory.
Just distilled experience.

🔗 Keep building your ultralight system

👉 Fastpacking: the complete guide to getting around lightly
👉 What to eat in fastpacking (no cooking)
👉 How to choose an ultralight backpack
👉 How to plan your first route
👉 Fastpacking on the GR11

Fastpacking Quick Guide (Free)

The guide is designed to give you a start without chaos, without doubts and without buying things you don't need.

It includes:

• What to check before leaving
• How to choose your first route
• Which material matters (and which doesn't)
• Typical 90% errors on start-up
• How to move lightly without losing safety

It's free... but it's part of something bigger.

The guide is just the beginning, within the trial you also have the checklist, recommended equipment, resources and the challenge modules to get you up to speed quickly.

📥 Download it here (access with the free trial):
👉 https://www.skool.com/outsiders/about