Backpacking lets you carry everything you need and head deep into the backcountry. This badge builds your skills step by step, from packing light to planning your own multi-day trek. It's challenging, but the views and the sense of accomplishment are worth every mile.
Why it's worth it
Backpacking is the moment you realize you can carry your home, kitchen, and bed on your back and walk somewhere most people never see. This badge builds you up from packing light and treating water to planning a five-day trek with your crew. It's the training ground for high adventure bases like Philmont, long trails, and trips you'll lead yourself someday, and it teaches you to stay calm and make good decisions when you're tired, wet, and far from a road.
Start this week
- Weigh your current pack and gear on a bathroom scale, write down the total, and circle the three heaviest items.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Backpacking counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Look at the troop calendar for multi-day treks this year and talk with your Scoutmaster about which could count toward requirement 10.
- Go on a two- or three-mile hike this weekend with your family or patrol, carrying a loaded daypack, to start building your legs and back.
Plan ahead: Requirements 10 and 11 take the most planning: three treks of at least three days and 15 miles each, then a five-day trek. They often depend on troop trips and the seasons, so map them out with your Scoutmaster early and work on the other requirements along the way.
Stay safe
- Treat all water from streams and lakes before drinking, and know the signs of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and hypothermia.
- Always hike with your crew and trained adult leaders, leave a trip plan with someone at home, and agree in advance on when you'll turn back for weather.
Requirements · 11
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Discuss how to prevent and treat health problems on a backpacking trip: blisters, dehydration, hypothermia, frostbite, heat reactions, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite
Tip: Learn how to prevent and treat blisters, dehydration, and heat or cold problems. A first aid class makes this easier.
- Requirement 2
Essentials and pack weight
Tips for this section: Weigh your gear on a bathroom scale and look for items you can leave behind or share with your crew.
Example for this section: Cut weight with real swaps: repackage food into zip bags, bring one pot your crew shares instead of one each, swap a heavy cotton hoodie for a light fleece, and split the tent so one person carries the body and another the poles and fly.
- Requirement 2a
List the 10 Scout Basic Essentials for any backpacking trek and explain why you need each one
- Requirement 2b
Describe 10 ways to cut the weight and bulk of your pack without risking your health or safety
- Requirement 3
Trek crews and safety
Tips for this section: Talk through what your crew would do if someone got hurt or lost. Leave a trip plan with someone at home.
Example for this section: An emergency plan could say: a crew of eight with two trained adults, a written route and return time left with someone at home, a designated bail-out trail at the halfway point, and a plan for who stays with an injured hiker and who goes for help.
- Requirement 3a
Explain how many backpackers make a good trek crew, including limits on crew size
- Requirement 3b
Describe how to organize a trek crew
- Requirement 3c
Tell how you would reduce risk on a backpacking trek
- Requirement 3d
Explain why a trek needs an emergency response plan
- Requirement 4
Leave No Trace and campsites
Tips for this section: Practice Leave No Trace on every outing. Choose durable campsites away from water and trails.
- Requirement 4a
Describe why following Leave No Trace's Seven Principles and the Outdoor Code matters on a trek, and give at least 5 ways your crew can reduce its impact
- Requirement 4b
Describe how to handle human and other waste on a trek, and why and how to keep yourself clean
- Requirement 4c
Tell what matters most when picking a campsite
- Requirement 5
Water
Tips for this section: Practice your water treatment method at home before the trip. Drink often, not just when you're thirsty.
- Requirement 5a
Show 2 ways to treat water and tell why treating water is essential
- Requirement 5b
Explain to your counselor why staying well hydrated on a trek is important
- Requirement 6
Navigation
Tips for this section: Practice with a map and compass in a park before going on trail. Keep track of where you are as you hike.
Example for this section: Before a trek, mark your route on a topographic map, note the steepest climbs where contour lines bunch together, and take bearings to two landmarks. On trail, check the map at every junction and say out loud where you are.
- Requirement 6a
Show that you can read a topographic map
- Requirement 6b
On a trek, find your position at 3 different places with a map and compass, or with a GPS receiver, locating yourself both on the map and on the ground
- Requirement 6c
Explain how to avoid getting lost and what to do if you do get lost
- Requirement 7
Tell how to get ready for and handle bad weather
Tip: Check the forecast before you go and pack rain gear and layers for the worst likely weather.
For example: Pack for the worst likely weather: a rain jacket and pack cover, a warm layer that works wet, and dry socks in a bag. Talk through what your crew does if thunder starts while you're on an open ridge.
- Requirement 8
Stoves and trail cooking
Tips for this section: Practice lighting and using your stove at home with an adult. Plan simple, light meals that cook fast.
Example for this section: A trail menu for a day: oatmeal with dried fruit, tortillas with peanut butter and jerky for lunch, and a one-pot pasta with dehydrated vegetables for dinner. Practice cooking it at home with an adult on the same stove you'll carry.
- Requirement 8a
Explain the pros and cons of different backpacking stoves that use at least 3 different fuels
- Requirement 8b
Show that you can run a backpacking stove and handle liquid fuel safely
- Requirement 8c
Cook 3 meals on a stove, using fuel light enough to carry in your pack
- Requirement 8d
Show you can keep your cook kit and eating gear clean and germ-free, and that you store food properly on a trek
- Requirement 9
Plan and hike a 2-mile trek
Tips for this section: Lay out everyone's gear on a tarp to inspect it together. Put heavy items close to your back.
- Requirement 9a
Write a plan, including a schedule, for a patrol or crew backpacking hike of 2 miles or more
- Requirement 9b
Inspect the patrol and its gear before the hike
- Requirement 9c
Show how to pack your own gear plus your part of the crew's shared gear and food
- Requirement 9d
Show you can put on your pack and adjust it to fit correctly
- Requirement 9e
Using your plan from 9a, carry your fully loaded pack on a hike of at least 2 miles
- Requirement 10
Take at least 3 backpacking treks, each at least 3 days and 15 miles with at least 2 campsites, carrying all you need and following Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code
Tip: Start with shorter hikes to build up strength. Keep notes on each trek so you can share them with your counselor.
- Requirement 11
Plan and take a 5-day trek
Tips for this section: Plan your route, food, and gear with your crew. Write in your journal each night while it's fresh.
Example for this section: Keep a nightly journal on your five-day trek: miles hiked, weather, what went well, what you'd change, and one moment you want to remember. These notes make your counselor conversation easy.
- Requirement 11a
Plan in writing a trek of at least 5 days, 30 miles, and 3 campsites, covering the area and route, daily schedule, food and gear lists, safety and emergency plans, and budget
- Requirement 11b
Take the trek you planned in 11a (at least 5 full days, 30 miles, 3 campsites) following Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code, and do at least 1 counselor-approved service project on the trek
- Requirement 11c
Keep a daily journal on the trek describing each day's activities, what worked well, and ideas to improve the next trek
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A ranger station or national forest office
Rangers know trail conditions, water sources, permit rules, and wildlife concerns for the area you plan to hike.
How: Have an adult call or stop by before your trip and ask for current trail and water information. Bring your route map.
An outdoor gear rental program or swap
Renting or borrowing a pack, tent, or stove lets you try gear before you buy, which keeps costs down.
How: Ask your troop or council whether they have loaner gear, or have a parent check for a community gear library or swap.
Where it can lead
- Backcountry rangerPatrols trails, helps hikers, and protects wilderness areas.
- Outdoor guide or trek leaderLeads trips for camps and outfitters; many start as high adventure base staff.
- Trail crew memberBuilds and repairs trails, often through conservation corps programs for young adults.
- Wilderness medicine instructorTeaches first aid for places where help is hours away.
Ask yourself
- What do you already know about hiking that will help you, and what makes you nervous about longer trips?
- What did you carry on your first trek that you left behind on your last one?
- When the trail got hard, what did you tell yourself, and what did your crew do to keep going?
- How did your crew make decisions when you disagreed about something?
- Where would you love to backpack in five years, and what skills do you still need?
Good questions to ask your counselor or an experienced backpacker
- What's a mistake you made on an early trip that you never repeat?
- How do you decide when to turn back?
- Which gear is worth saving up for, and what can I borrow or make?
- How do you keep a crew's spirits up on a long, rainy day?
- What's a good first five-day trek for a crew like ours?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Build up gradually with day hikes and shorter overnights before longer treks.
- Ensure treks have trained adult leadership and that a trip plan is filed with someone at home.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (opens in a new tab) — Principles for protecting the backcountry.
- National Park Service (opens in a new tab) — Trail information and backcountry rules for national parks.
- Troop's older Scouts and experienced backpackers — Great for gear tips and trail stories.
- Philmont Scout Ranch (opens in a new tab) — Scouting America's high adventure base in New Mexico, with treks your skills can lead to.
- National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) — Point forecasts for the exact area of your trek, including mountain weather.
- USGS Topographic Maps (opens in a new tab) — Free topographic maps for anywhere in the United States.
- American Hiking Society (opens in a new tab) — Trail tips, hiking safety, and ways to volunteer on trail projects.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.