• Home
  • ABOUT
  • ALPS
    • Austrian Alps
    • German Alps
    • Italian Alps
    • Slovenian Alps
    • Swiss Alps
    • Huts and Shelters
    • Roads and Passes
  • TENERIFE TOURS
  • WRITE FOR US

Mountains For Everybody

Site about mountaineering, climbing and equipment, for those who love mountains

  • Outdoor Sleeping
    • Tents
      • Solo tents
      • Tents for 2 People
      • Tents for 3 People
      • Tents for 4 People
      • Tents in general
    • Tarps and Shelters
    • Sleeping Bags
    • Sleeping Pads
  • Backpacks
    • Day Packs
    • Mid-Size Packs
    • Large Packs
    • Kids & Youth
    • Packs FAQs
  • Clothing
    • Men’s
    • Women’s
  • Footwear
    • Men’s
    • Women’s
    • Insulated
  • Gear
    • Camp stuff
    • Lamps
    • Poles
    • Filters
  • FAQs

Backpacking vs Hut-to-Hut Tours: Main Differences

Last Modified: 03/16/2025

This topic appeared in a discussion in an online group, so I thought I could write a short article and have it as a reference instead of repeating myself when people ask about it again.  

When planning an outdoor adventure, especially in mountainous or remote areas, two popular but very different options emerge: backpacking, and hut-to-hut tours.

Both backpacking and hut-to-hut tours offer unique experiences, but they come with distinct differences in terms of logistics, comfort, safety, and environmental impact. They are discussed here in detail.

Backpacking vs Hut-to-Hut Tours: Main Differences - top picture with a backpacker in the mountains.

Here is my detailed comparison:

1. Accommodation

Backpacking

Nature’s bedroom: You carry your shelter and outdoor sleeping equipment, which typically means setting up a tent or bivy sack in the wilderness.

Flexibility: You can camp virtually anywhere you’re allowed, offering immense freedom in choosing your overnight spots.

Nature's bedroom.
Nature’s bedroom.

Hut-to-hut tours

Pre-arranged shelters: You move from one hut or mountain refuge to another, each providing basic to luxurious accommodations like beds, sometimes with hot showers, and meals included.

Comfort: Huts generally offer more comfort, including mattresses, blankets, and communal spaces, which can be particularly appealing after a long day’s hike.

2. Gear and load

Backpacking

Heavy load: You must carry everything you need, from food to shelter, which can weigh your pack down significantly, affecting your hiking speed and endurance.

Self-sufficiency: Requires more gear like a stove, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and food for multiple days.

Lots of stuff to carry on a backpacking tour.
Lots of stuff to carry on a backpacking tour.

Hut-to-hut tours

Lighter pack: With facilities like beds and sometimes meals, you carry less weight, primarily essentials like clothes, snacks, and personal items.

Reduced gear: While you may still need some gear, it’s usually limited to what you need for the day’s hike and personal comfort.

3. Environmental impact

Backpacking

Leave no trace: Emphasizes minimal impact on the environment, teaching campers to carry out all their waste and leave no trace of their passage.

Wilderness experience: Offers a more immersive experience with nature, but requires more careful planning to avoid environmental damage.

Hut-to-hut tours

Concentrated impact: The environmental impact is more concentrated around huts, which can lead to localized wear and tear but also facilitates easier waste management and environmental protection measures by hut managers.

Concentrated impact.
Concentrated impact.

Sustainability efforts: Many huts are now focusing on sustainability, using solar power, composting toilets, or other eco-friendly practices. 

But if you have ever visited any mountain hut at a high elevation and walk around it, perhaps you have noticed an old-fashioned oil generator that works non-stop and produces lots of dark smoke all the time. Here is one example, and I could give you many more. 

4. Safety and comfort

Backpacking

Self-reliance: You’re more on your own, needing skills for emergency situations, navigation, and survival in the wilderness. Though, sometimes it may be risky…

Excitement of wilderness backpacking.
Excitement of wilderness backpacking.

Isolation: Can be more isolating, requiring good planning for emergencies, but also offering solitude.

Hut-to-hut tours

Community safety: Huts provide a sense of community with other hikers, staff, and potentially emergency services nearby.

Comfort: Better weather protection, warmth, and facilities can lead to a more comfortable night’s rest, which might be crucial in harsher environments.

5. Planning and flexibility

Backpacking

High flexibility: You can change your route or extend your stay based on whims or weather, provided you have enough provisions.

More planning: Requires detailed planning for routes, water sources, and resupplying points.

Exploring unknown: flexibility of backpacking.
Exploring unknown: flexibility of backpacking.

Hut-to-hut tours

Structured: Often follows a set route with reservations needed for popular huts, reducing spontaneity but ensuring a place to sleep.

Less planning: Once booked, much of the logistical planning is simplified, though you still need to plan for daily hikes and weather.

6. Comparison regarding taking a dog on the tour

If you are a wilderness backpacker, going with your dog is an excellent option. There is lots of dog backpacking equipment available on the market for such tours. 

A dog backpacker.
A dog backpacker.

However, my impression is that having a dog on a hut-to-hut tour can be very problematic, and here is why.

You would have to negotiate with the hut owner where to keep the dog overnight. It is very unlikely it would be allowed into the dormitories, and in high mountains you can expect freezing temperatures outside.

There is a safety problem too, and other people may be at risk due to your dog. Again, something from my own bad experience.

I have been attacked by dogs on two different tours. It was a very similar situation in both cases, at two different bivouacs.

In one occasion, due to my bad lack, I suddenly appeared behind a corner, and the dog was surprised and reacted by instinct and grabbed my arm.

In yet another, I exited from the bivouac, and again, I surprised the dog that was next to the door outside and it attacked me.

I was not harmed, in both situations it was just an instinctive reaction by the surprised dogs. The owners felt embarrassed and apologized, but I did not really make an issue about it. In fact, I felt bad that the dogs attacked me, as if they felt threatened by me, and I can tell you I truly love dogs.

Conclusion

Choosing between backpacking and hut-to-hut tours depends on your desired level of comfort, your backpacking skills, environmental considerations, and how much you wish to plan versus experience spontaneity.

Backpacking offers a deep connection with nature at the cost of more effort and self-sufficiency.

Hut-to-hut tours provide comfort and structure, making the mountains accessible to a broader audience while still challenging.

Both styles can offer profound outdoor experiences; the best choice aligns with your personal adventure philosophy and physical preparation.

However, it is important to stress that you may not always be in situation to choose one or another. For example, there are no less than 10 hut-to-hut Alta Via tours in the Dolomites. But you should know that backpacking here is prohibited, though I have seen people going with tents.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. You might want to read also my text about bivy tents.

 Subscribe to my weakly newsletter and stay informed, the subscription form is given below.

Spread the love

Mountains for Everybody site is reader-supported. This means that some of the links in the text are affiliate links, and when you buy products through our links we may earn some small commission to keep running the site. Filed Under: About mountains in general, FAQs Tagged With: backpacking, hut to hut

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


My photo on the summit of Jalovec.Hi everybody and welcome to my site which I nurture with love and passion. Here I describe my own climbs and give reviews of equipment. I hope you will enjoy it. More about the site and about me here.

Categories


Cookies Statement

In this site we do not have any cookie tool. But we do use services by third parties that either use cookies or may be doing so, yet we do not have any control of it. This is covered in their privacy policies. For more details please check in our Privacy Policy page.


  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

My Most Memorable Tours

  • Magic Moments On Mount Teide Tenerife
  • Climbing Weissmies solo
  • Climbing Mount Fuji
  • Climbing Zugspitze solo
  • Lagginhorn my first 4000er

Recent Posts

Can You Do Alta Via 1 by Camping Legally featured picture.

Can You Hike the Alta Via 1 While Camping Legally?

Is It Better to Sleep Without Clothes in a Sleeping Bag featured picture.

Is It Better to Sleep Without Clothes in a Sleeping Bag?

Differences Between Men's and Women's Osprey Backpacks featured picture.

Differences Between Men’s and Women’s Osprey Backpacks

How Do You Attach a Sleeping Bag to a Daypack featured picture.

How Do You Attach a Sleeping Bag to a Daypack?

Can an Overweight Person Go for a Trek featured picture.

Can an Overweight Person Go for a Trek?

Affiliate Disclosure

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. So when you buy something from this website, I may receive an affiliate commission. These are my opinions and are not representative of the companies that create these products. My reviews are based on my personal experience and research. I never recommend poor quality products, or create false reviews to make sales. It is my intention to explain products so you can make an informed decisions on which ones suit your needs best.

Categories

  • About mountains in general (33)
  • Alps (139)
    • Austrian Alps (5)
    • German Alps (3)
    • Great mountain roads and passes (10)
    • Huts and Shelters (27)
    • Italian Alps (85)
    • Slovenian Alps (25)
    • Swiss Alps (21)
  • Backpacks (249)
    • About Packs in General (77)
    • Day Packs (63)
    • Large Packs (79)
    • Mid-Size Packs (52)
    • Packs for Kids & Youth (2)
  • Clothing (22)
    • Men's Clothing (11)
    • Women's Clothing (8)
  • Equipment (61)
    • Camp stuff (37)
    • General Stuff (3)
    • Headlamps (8)
    • Trekking poles (3)
    • Water filters & purifiers (9)
  • FAQs (129)
  • Footwear (22)
    • Insulated Footwear (4)
    • Men's Footwear (17)
    • Women's Footwear (6)
  • Guest Author posts (5)
  • Hiking tours (22)
  • Sleeping Bags (110)
  • Sleeping Pads (90)
  • Tenerife (24)
  • Tents and shelters (256)
    • About tents in general (22)
    • Solo tents (23)
    • Tarps and Shelters (12)
    • Tents for 2 People (69)
    • Tents for 3 People (57)
    • Tents for 4 People (91)
    • Winter tents (25)

Copyright © 2025 · Mountains for Everybody · All Rights Reserved