Alaska Backpacking

No experience with backpacking needed but participants should be prepared to learn backcountry skills and apply them in a real setting.

If you have ever wanted to experience the raw wilderness and adventure of the Alaskan backcountry, this adventure is for you. Expect difficult days both physically and mentally. This is not a beach vacation. Come prepared for long days of hiking with heavy packs. We don’t want to sugar coat this one, it’s definitely going to be tough at times. For those willing to take on the challenge, this will be one of the most incredible experiences of your life.

Alaska can be as harsh as it is beautiful. We can have warm sun, rain, and snow all within a few hours. This is a true backcountry experience and we may be hours away from the closest road. We will have satellite communication as well as trained guides to help in case of an emergency, but the best way to manage risk in these types of environments falls on everyone individually to make good choices as a team.

For the terrain, the backpacking will consist of hiking 7-9 hours a day, bushwhacking through uneven terrain. We may encounter river crossings and glacier crossings depending on the season up there. We’ll have proper safety gear and backcountry knowledge from local guides to help manage all of these elements, but it’s good to be prepared for what we may face out there.

Additionally, we can expect to see wildlife. While the majority of wildlife encounters are amazing experiences, we will be in grizzly country and will need to be diligent about storing food and carrying bear spray at all times.

Camping Gear: tents, sleeping bags, backpacking packs, sleeping pads, backcountry stoves and gas, cooking utensils

Backpacking: Good hiking boots/shoes, multiple pairs of non-cotton hiking socks, rain jacket, waterproof/resistant pants, non-cotton base layers, synthetic puffy jacket, beanie/hat, sun glasses.

Clothes for Travel and Town: Comfortable clothes for at night are really your preference, we can leave a bag with clothes at our outfitter during the backcountry portion.

Personal Toiletries: Hygiene is important in the backcountry and we recommend picking up Eco safe products including soap, bug spray, sunscreen, toothpaste and toothbrush.

You will be responsible for getting yourself to and from Anchorage, AK (by car or air). We will either meet you at the hotel or if you are flying in we will arrange to pick you up at the airport. Once with the group all costs for the trip including food, lodging, gear, transportation, and guide gratuity are included.

Our staff are certified in wilderness medicine and are trained to T3L’s high standards in risk management and group facilitation. Additionally, we will recruit local guides to bring their local knowledge, gear, and expertise for more intensive trip activities.

We believe that being outdoors is a great way to manage your own mental well-being during the pandemic. As with everything we do, risk management is also a cornerstone at Type3Life. While we know everyone is tired of dealing with this, we do expect everyone to follow our COVID-19 guidelines while on our trips to help manage the safety of the group.

Local areas, guides, and activities may require different considerations for minimizing our risk for COVID-19 exposure and we appreciate you working with us during your trip to help keep everyone involved safe. At the very least hand washing and good hygiene is necessary in any backcountry trip. Additionally, depending on the trip, we may require masks during various parts of our trip as well as proof of vaccinations or PCR tests for travel. We will communicate specifics with you upon signing up, but if you have any questions, please reach out to us.

We recommend all of our participants look into purchasing their own personal travel insurance prior to the trip to cover them in case of unforeseen travel or medical issues that may arise.

During the primary backcountry portion, T3L will have a satellite phone for emergency situations. In the unlikely event of an emergency, T3L will contact your emergency contacts. Personal cell phones or other electronic devices will not work once we depart the front country.

Regarding bear protection, we do carry Bear Spray and will have all the participants carry bear spray as well. We encourage folks to check out Counter Assault’s bear spray page, and check out tutorials on youtube. There are a lot of good videos out there.

Essentially, we have avoided any major encounters by following standard practices of moving through bear country.

These are central tenets of our practices, but not necessarily a complete list.

– Be familiar with bear spray and safe practices of traveling through the bear country before the trip starts.

– Travel in groups, unless going to the bathroom, and in that case, let the group know you are going off, and make noise.

– Make noise in the brush so as not to surprise bears.

– Be mindful of fresh signs of bear activity and be prepared to adjust our itinerary accordingly.

– Practice bear-safe camping/food storage behavior.

– Absolutely no food in tents, tent areas, or in the golden triangle of the kitchen, food storage, and sleeping area.

– Store all “smellies” in bear-resistant food containers if they are being left unattended (we use a mix of Ursacks and bear kegs).

– Police our scraps/crumbs in the kitchen/eating area, sump and strain dishwater in a deep hole far from the kitchen or food storage area, and pack out any strained food scraps.

– Set up a pot/pan “alarm” in the kitchen tents at night in case a curious bear wants to explore our kitchen.

Our trips are all about getting out into the most incredible places on earth with a group of guys looking to push themselves outside of their normal comfort zone. What separates a T3L trip is our emphasis on experiencing the most amazing places in nature, balanced with our dedication to building a community of guys who have your back. We do have intentional moments of reflection built into each trip, but we focus on letting the people and the place come together organically for a unique experience each day.

All of our trips are designed to push participants physically and mentally. That being said, every man can benefit from our trips, not just the super fit. If this experience sounds cool, but you’re not sure if you’ll be able to do it, we recommend reaching out to us and we can talk about it. If we don’t think you can safely participate, we’ll find the right trip for you.

Each T3L trip is unique, but the commonality between each group is the community of guys that you leave with. With that, we just ask that you come ready to be a part of the group and treat your fellow members with respect.

From a physical standpoint, be sure to review the itinerary and make sure you are physically and mentally up for it. We have trips of varying difficulty levels and can work with you to find you the best option. Again, if you have any questions about your ability to participate in a specific trip, we recommend chatting with the T3L team.

Finally, we all love beer. In fact, the idea for this company may have come after one too many beers on a river trip. That being said, we believe that the experience we’re putting on is incredible enough that we do not need drugs or alcohol to dilute them. It’s about being the real you out in the real world. We do require you to leave any non-prescription drugs and alcohol at home.

Type3Life trips are not intended to be wilderness therapy. Our intention is to build community, create bonds, and explore kick-ass places. 

If you need therapeutic resources please reach out and we will do our best to point you in the right direction