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I have more than a decade of experience in outdoor recreation, environmental education, and backpacking. I am now thinking about starting a small business offering backpacking guide service to people who are interested in backpacking but have no experience.

I would run small trips on weekends in which I would plan and manage all logistics.

What would be some of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in starting such a business?

I am interested in hearing ideas about all aspects, including equipment, marketing, whether a market exists, pricing, liability, product offerings, etc.

Liability is the biggest concern. You should have like an LLC so you cannot get sued personally. You should have lawyer draft a waiver that will (hopefully) stand up in court. Insurance.

Another concern is customer satisfaction. A new backpacker that has no experience is not likely to have a good experience. An experienced backpacker waiting on a beginner is not going to have a good experience. You can have partner that allows for a split but that is more cost.

You need to have something unique or rare:

• If it is a secluded water fall it is only secret until the first trip
  with GPS.


• A climbing guide would work if routes are hard to know / find.


• If you have a license they cannot easily obtain like operate a raft on a regulated river.


• A llama trip is unique (and they don't have to carry as much). A one day trip to a peak they can see from the road with a gourmet lunch.


• Base camp that requires a 4 x 4 is unique but now you have more cost.


• A river guide can work as they don't want to buy a boat.

Want to backpack but have no experience is not that compelling and has a relative small barrier to entry. They can just start with a 2 mile hike to a camp with fire pit. Consider combining it with training (like 3-5 evenings) followed by a starter trip. Offer advanced trips only to those that have completed the introductory course or someone you know and trust will vouch for them.

I suggest you work for an an existing guide service for like a year to learn the business. You can volunteer with the Boy Scouts. I see it hard to make a living off a beginner backpacking service.

A list of all the possible challenges I can think of at the moment,

• Insurance, specifically liability insurance.


• Medical training for you and any employees, the standard certification is Wilderness First Responder.


• Government permits, commercial trips can require a special use permit.



• Purchasing gear (as a guide you should be able to get prodeals, but its still expensive.)




• Food planning.




• Marketing, a trip can be expensive in the eyes of the participants and yet barely cover your running costs.




• Expenses, typically people get into this line of work because they enjoy it, not to make money.

There are more, but those are the big ones I can think of at the moment.