Carry bear spray. The best thing to do to get into backpack ing is to start backpacking. Just go do it. Get a sample gear list of things you will want to bring along depending on the time of year. Research the trail you are going to hike. Is there going to be water on the trail that I can filter or do i need to pack in my water. Learn to read a topo map. www.caltopo.com is a good place to map your hikes. Most of us have learned from our mistakes. You backpack. find out what works and also find out what doesnt work. This is my winter gear list. I use this list every time. I remove stuff in the warmer seasons. We all backpack a little different. Some like lots of luxurys on the trail and other are minimalist and like very light loads. Like a said, just get out there and do it. You will make changes as you learn