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The history of hiking – from necessity to leisure interest and modern equipment

|27/10, 2026

The evolution of hiking from pilgrimage and nature romance to modern multi-day mountain hikes

Being able to go out and be away for several days is easy to take for granted. But such a trip is based on more than just the desire to walk: you need a way to carry food, shelter and sleeping gear, a path or trail to follow – and a culture that sees nature as a place to seek out.

The history of hiking is therefore not a straightforward story of the backpack becoming lighter. It is about how needs, perceptions, trails and technology changed what was possible.

People moved long before recreational walking

People have always walked long distances. They have moved to find food and water, trade, hunt, work, and travel between settlements. Pilgrims walked for religious reasons. Walking was often a means of transportation, not a leisure activity.

But that doesn't mean that people in the past lacked equipment or were never away for more than a day. They used whatever carrying gear and means of transport were available, enlisted the help of animals, and sought shelter in villages, farms, and shelters. The important difference is that independent hiking in remote terrain posed great demands: without lightweight packs or accommodations along the way, it was difficult to carry everything needed to survive.

Pilgrimage routes made long journeys possible

During the Middle Ages, many pilgrimage routes were linked by an infrastructure of churches, monasteries, shelters and inns. This provided travelers with opportunities to rest and find shelter along the way. The pilgrim still carried his belongings, of course, but did not always have to carry a complete camp for each night.

The Camino de Santiago emerged after relics associated with the apostle James were discovered in the 9th century. During the Middle Ages, the roads to Santiago de Compostela became one of Europe's most important pilgrimage destinations. The route declined in importance from the 16th century, partly during a time of religious conflict and political unrest. During the 20th century, it began to be rediscovered and revived. An important step came in 1987, when a cooperation agreement in Spain put the recovery and revitalization of the trail on a more coordinated basis. Today, people walk it for religious, cultural and personal reasons. A historic route has been given new life, but the motives for the walk have broadened.

Nidaros – today’s Trondheim – was also one of Europe’s great pilgrimage destinations. The journeys to the grave of Saint Olav began after his death in 1030 and continued for about five centuries, until the Reformation. The pilgrimage routes in the Nordic countries have since been rediscovered and improved. Among them are the Saint Olav Trail and the Rombole Trail, which are part of a larger network of European cultural routes.

Romanticism changed the view of nature

During the 18th and 19th centuries, hiking in Europe began to become more of a leisure activity. The cultural turning point came with Romanticism. Nature began to be described as more than an obstacle to be overcome or a resource to be used: it could be a place for reflection, emotion, and recovery.

The English poet William Wordsworth saw walking as a way to think, remember, and find material for his writing. This idea spread from writers and academic circles to an emerging middle class. At the same time, cities grew and industrialization changed working life. For people who lived in cramped urban environments and monotonous workdays, a walk in nature could be a counterbalance – an opportunity for fresh air, movement, and a different kind of attention.

Hiking for pleasure thus became not just a matter of getting outside. It became a cultural ideal.

Associations, railways and trails opened up the mountains

European mountain clubs made nature and mountain travel more organized. The Alpine Club was founded in London on 22 December 1857 by William Mathews and E. S. Kennedy. The club was focused on alpinism, but also became an institutional precursor to associations that organized travel, knowledge and access to mountain areas.

In Scandinavia, the romanticism of nature and better communications met. The railways made remote areas easier to reach. The Norwegian Tourist Association (DNT) was founded in 1868 with the ambition of making it easier for more people to experience Norwegian nature, including through trails, cabins and maps. The Swedish Tourist Association (STF) was formed in Uppsala in 1885 by geology students interested in the outdoors, with the Norwegian association as an important role model.

STF began marking out trails in 1887 and built Varvekhyddan in 1888. Simple mountain huts gave hikers a roof over their heads and made it easier to plan trips from one overnight stop to the next. It wasn't just a matter of comfort: when there were huts, hikers didn't need to carry as much sleeping gear and protection.

The Swedish Outdoor Promotion Association was founded in 1892 as the Swedish Association for the Promotion of Skiing. During the 20th century, the activities were expanded into a popular movement for outdoor activities. Skogsmulle, created by Gösta Frohm in 1957, became an example of how nature experience and knowledge could be passed on to children.

STF took the initiative for the King's Trail around 1900. According to the often quoted chronology, the stretch between Abisko and Vakkotavare was cleared in 1926–1927, with the help of scouts, among others, and STF officially used the name King's Trail for the first time in 1928. STF's own history page confirms the earlier planning from 1899. Trails and cabins made mountain hiking more predictable – but they did not replace the need to be able to carry equipment when the distances became long or accommodation was lacking.

The backpack became the technological turning point

The development of the backpack is at the heart of the question of how multi-day hiking became possible. People had been carrying loads for a long time, but distributing the weight better and carrying it more comfortably changed how independently they could move.

In 1878, the American Henry Merriam patented a pack with metal supports. In Norway, Ole F. Bergan developed a frame backpack after a hunting trip, where the load rubbed against his back. His design was patented in 1909. In the United States, Lloyd F. Nelson developed his Trapper Nelson backpack: the patent application was filed in 1922 and the patent was granted in 1924. The wooden-based frame and the distance between the pack and the back were steps towards a more portable load. The Trapper Nelson is usually considered one of the early commercially successful frame backpacks.

Modern frame backpack placed on a mountain trail, an example of how carrying systems have evolved

The word "back-pack" appeared in the USA in 1904, but the history of the word is not the same as that of backpacking. In the mid-20th century, lighter frames and materials such as nylon contributed to making the backpack more flexible and accessible. In Sweden, Åke Nordin and his work with lighter frames are associated with this development.

Here lies the crucial technological change: a well-constructed, lighter pack made it more realistic to carry food, shelter and sleeping gear for several days – even where there were no cabins. This did not make earlier long journeys impossible; they had long relied on other solutions. But it did increase the possibility of being self-sufficient in the terrain.

For today's hikers, it still involves a trade-off. The backpack should carry the load comfortably, the tent should provide shelter, and the sleeping system should keep you warm. A light sleeping pad that insulates too poorly can let in ground chill and impair sleep. The story of lighter gear is therefore not a call to carry as little as possible, but to choose what works.

Hiking backpacking tent set up at a mountain site near the trail

The long trails made the hike a continuous journey

The long-distance trails grew out of both ideals and practical work. In 1921, Benton MacKaye proposed the Appalachian Trail in the article “An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning.” The Appalachian Trail Conference was formed in 1925 to coordinate the work. The trail was connected between Maine and Georgia in 1937. The following year, in 1948, Earl Shaffer completed the first documented walk. His trip helped to demonstrate that a long trail could be walked as a continuous journey, not just in shorter stages.

The Camino de Santiago also shows how an older route can be given a new role. And new long-distance trails continue to be created. In New Zealand, journalist Geoff Chapple proposed a route through the country in 1994, and the Te Araroa Trust was formed to drive the work. Walkers began walking parts of the route as early as 2003. Te Araroa was officially opened on 3 December 2011 by Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

Backpacking as a form of travel also took on a new meaning during the 20th century. The word has various early attestations, including from 1904 and around 1914, depending on how it is used. The modern budget-oriented backpacking culture, however, grew especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when young travelers traveled overland through Asia along the so-called hippie trail.

Today's hike carries the legacy forward

The evolution of hiking shows that recreational hiking did not arise from a single invention. It grew as people began to see nature as a place for pleasure and reflection, as associations built trails and cabins – and as equipment made it easier to carry what was needed.

If you want to be out for more than a day, planning starts with the big needs: carrying comfort, protection and sleep. At HikingStore you can read more about backpacks , tents , sleeping pads and sleeping bags . For sleeping bag insulation and down properties, see our guide to bird down , and our packing list for mountain hiking in the summer will help you think through your equipment after the trip.

For those who want to read more about long-distance trails, HikingStore has articles on the Pacific Crest Trail andthe Continental Divide Trail . Today's possibilities are built on a legacy of trails, knowledge, and equipment that is still evolving. Best is not the easiest in every situation, but what works when the weather changes and you need to continue safely.

Sleeping bag in tent on a mountain trip, part of the equipment that enables multi-day hiking

Sources and further reading