Unwritten Rules in the Hiking Community Every Newbie Must Know

The "Three No-Borrows" in the Hiking Circle

1. The "No Borrowing Water" Rule
In outdoor activities, water is extremely important—so important that movies and novels often emphasize this: the look of thirst, the cracked lips, the shared bottle of water that no one wants to drink from, or that precious sip of water like manna from heaven in a critical moment.

Because it’s so important, experienced hikers usually control their water supply based on the trekking distance and never let their bottles run dry. But rookies (newbies) lack experience—some dare to hit the trail without a water bottle at all, some guzzle water after just a few breaths, and others finish their own supply and then beg others: “Bro, lend me some water to drink…”

Borrowing water isn’t just about hygiene—though I really don’t want to taste your spit—but more importantly, it’s about self-reliance. You can’t buy bottled water in the deep mountains and forests. Plastic bottles can’t handle boiling water either. When you get to camp and need hot water, the bottle will shrink from the heat and become unusable. Therefore, every hiker carries their own professional water bottle (hard plastic, aluminum, or stainless steel) and is very careful about managing their water supply—they rarely run out.

2. The "No Borrowing Light" Rule
Light sources for outdoor activities include flashlights, headlamps, candles, matches, chemical heat packs, and canned heaters—all consumables. Except for shared gear, these are generally not lent out. Rookies lack experience; during the day they think a flashlight is unnecessary, but once night falls and trouble strikes, they’ll ask: “Bro, I’m in a total rush, quick, lend me your flashlight…”

To reduce the weight of outdoor gear, the items you bring are usually only enough for personal use. Once consumables run out, you can’t buy electricity in the wild. Some might say, “Can’t you charge it?” Go stick it up your nose and charge it there.

So, every hiker must bring their own professional light source (flashlight, headlamp, batteries), and make sure the switch is secure to prevent accidental activation in your pack.

3. The "No Borrowing Sleeping Bag" Rule
Don’t borrow sleeping bags. As one veteran hiker jokes: “In the past, I didn’t lend out books or my wife. Now I’ll add one more thing—I definitely don’t lend out my sleeping bag.” Asked why? He says: “It’s super unhygienic.” Exactly—you’ve been hiking all day, often without water to wash your body or feet, and then you crawl into your sleeping bag to sleep. Your own sweat, body odor, and foot stink are bad enough—let alone someone else’s. But rookies lack experience and think buying a sleeping bag isn’t worth it, so they borrow: “Bro, I’m Xiaoli, I’m going camping tomorrow, can I borrow your sleeping bag…”

Once you lend out a sleeping bag, can it ever be the same again? If it comes back smelling worse, I’ll have nightmares. If it comes back smelling too nice, I’ll still have weird dreams. And who knows what infectious diseases, skin conditions, or worse your sweaty or fragrant body might carry? It’s seriously unhygienic.

So, every hiker must bring their own sleeping bag—even the thinnest, cheapest fleece one will do. That way, if you throw it on top of someone else’s bedding or coat, they won’t get upset.

The Outdoor "Three No-Asks"

1. Don’t Ask About Age or Job
In real life, age is generally considered “private,” and people dislike talking about getting old. Western white-collar women are especially sensitive about this. Work is an important part of life, and the quality of one’s job reflects their social standing. Asking too many questions when you’re not close can make both you and the other person uncomfortable.

2. Don’t Ask About Income or Address
Income is tied to personal ability and relates to self-respect. Bringing it up in conversation can strip away a person’s dignity. A home address is seen by modern people as private territory, so it’s not shared with strangers—even private home phone numbers are usually kept confidential.

3. Don’t Ask About Marriage or Health
Talking about relationships is often seen as boring or even intentionally awkward by modern people—it can even be viewed as sexual harassment. As for health, everyone’s physical condition is a key “asset” for functioning in society, so they rarely disclose the full truth. If others don’t want to tell you, why ask?

The Outdoor "Three No-Nos"

1. Don’t suddenly visit a hiker’s home and disturb their normal life without permission.
2. Don’t ask to borrow money or items from fellow hikers.
3. Don’t casually share a hiker’s phone number, home address, or personal privacy (unless they give you permission).

Outdoor sports pursue simplicity, relaxation, and joy—away from the noise of the city and the burdens of daily life, fully enjoying the beauty of nature. That’s why these “Three No-Asks” and “Three No-Nos” principles are essential.

The outdoor community encourages self-discovery, relaxation, and non-interference. Even if you just avoid supporting, advocating, participating in, or enabling certain behaviors, you’re doing the right thing. Birds of a feather flock together—the reason people come together in the outdoors ultimately comes down to character. The outdoor community attracts high-quality individuals, which is why it continues to grow. Let’s enjoy the outdoors safely and happily.

Pathfinder Hiking, your outdoor adventure and self-drive travel website.