In a sense, backpacking is the most basic form of camping. You have just what you can carry, and you can go places not accessible in other ways.

Yet backpacking is probably the most demanding on your stamina as well as your ingenuity. You must be in halfway good physical shape to simply walk with your whole camp on your back. You must use your head to conserve space in your pack and keep the weight down.

Any backpacking is rewarding in itself and well worth the effort, but bare-packing (backpacking naked), or "freehiking" as it is sometimes called, is even more rewarding. The feeling of freedom hiking without clothing is comparable to the pleasure of skinny-dipping. In both cases, the body is getting a physical workout without the restraint of clothing, while experiencing the unhampered feeling of wind, sun, etc.

A virtual plethora of books have been written about backpacking over the years - from the very basic and practical, to the trendy and eccentric. (Of course, many would consider barepacking itself to be eccentric.)

Because of the abundance of books on the subject, I will not reinvent the wheel here and try to teach you everything about backpacking, but will try to point you in the right direction.

The older, long established books tend to offer the common sense and down to earth advice, while some of the newer books tend to address new materials and equipment not available when the older books were written.

I have observed over the years that the more seasoned backpackers tend to develop their own techniques after reading the books and/or talking with other hikers, rather than faithfully following any one book's approach. (We tend to be an independent lot.)

If you're just getting started, I would suggest you begin with a book like "THE COMPLETE WALKER III" by Colin Fletcher. (Colin Fletcher has barepacked himself!) Then I would suggest going to one of the newer books with emphasis on new equipment and materials, such as "THE BACKPACKER'S HANDBOOK" by Chris Townsend.

1. While hiking bare, keep a towel or pair of elastic shorts in easy reach on the outside of your pack.

2. Keep up your fluid intake. Hiking bare allows your sweat to evaporate more effectively, and since you will not have sweaty clothes as a reference, you may not realize how much liquid you have been losing to evaporation.

3. Don't buy prepackaged backpacking meals unless you have a lot of spare money you need to get rid of. These meals are convenient, but you can eat just about as well buying dry goods from your grocery store (pastas, noodle dishes, rice, etc.)

4. Assume backpacking tents are undersized. If you buy a "two man" tent, you will be quite crowded trying to fit two people inside. If you routinely camp with another person, consider a "4 man" tent.

5. Don't be afraid to barepack in the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall. Most backpackers avoid the warmer months. Barepacking gives you a warm weather advantage. Being naked, you will handle the heat the way your body was designed to. Also, there are likely to be less people out there to offend, and any hikers you do encounter will understand your wanting to hike bare.