Isabel Cautivo has become one of the most prominent solo women backpackers on the internet. She has gone viral for making vulnerable and educational videos about her day trip and her most popular TikTok is about how she got into solo backpacking.
Isabel Cautivo has become one of the most prominent solo women backpackers on the internet. She has gone viral for making vulnerable and educational videos about her day trip and her most popular TikTok is about how she got into solo backpacking.
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Shelby Stanger:
Isabel Cautivo has become one of the most prominent solo women backpackers on the internet.
Isabel Cautivo:
You get up and you open your tent. You're at a pristine location. You're far away from the city, you're far away from work, from school, from all these stresses of normal life. And you're out here with no wifi, and all you can do is enjoy the space around you. I love backpacking and I would love to do it as much as I can, and I would love to help other people get outside.
Shelby Stanger:
Isabel has gone viral for making vulnerable and educational videos about her day trips and through hikes. She posts gear and trail recommendations as well as immersive videos that bring viewers along on her adventures. Her most popular TikTok is about how she got into solo backpacking. Many hikers prefer to travel in groups for safety, company and to help ease the weight of their packs.
Even the most seasoned hikers might only take a solo trip every once in a while. While Isabel has only been backpacking for five years, she takes almost all of her adventures alone. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios production brought to you by Capital One. Based on Isabel Cautivo's videos, you'd think she spends her time traveling around the world to the most beautiful locations.
And while she has gone on a few international backpacking trips, Isabel also knows that sometimes the greatest natural beauty is right in her own backyard. In fact, she got into the outdoors by spending time in her neighborhood parks. Isabel Cautivo, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living. I'm really excited to talk to you.
Isabel Cautivo:
I'm really excited to be here. I'm just honored and grateful to be a part of this. Thanks for having me.
Shelby Stanger:
How did you get into the outdoors? How did you develop such a love for it?
Isabel Cautivo:
I think growing up my parents didn't take me outside too much, but I live in an area with really beautiful rolling green hills and close local parks. So when I was a freshman in high school, we had this bug project where we would catch bugs and kind of pin them and put what species they are, and that's what actually showed me where these parks were because I didn't even know that they were close to my house.
And it skyrocketed after that. Me and my friends would just go after school, walk all the way to that local park up in the hills, hike, and then walk all the way home. I got really obsessed with that and I started creating my own map of all the parks in my area and how they interconnect. Once I got a car, I was introduced to all the bigger parks in the area, so like Yosemite, Point Reyes, Pinnacles National Park. And when I would go to these parks, I'd see people backpacking and I had no idea what that was, but I was like, "Oh, I want to do that."
Shelby Stanger:
You wanted to carry a giant backpack on your back and hike a few hills?
Isabel Cautivo:
Yes. I wanted to sleep outside and see what else was out there and see how far I could go into the wild and just exist. I don't know.
Shelby Stanger:
When did you see these backpackers and where was this?
Isabel Cautivo:
I think it was 2017 and I was 18 years old and I took a day trip to Yosemite with two of my friends. And then we were doing the Upper Yosemite Falls trail and I could see these people going up these switchbacks with these huge backpacks. I didn't really understand what that was. I was just like, "Those backpacks are huge and that looks painful." But when I got to the top I could see people setting up their tent and I knew that they're going to stay the night.
And I was like, "Oh my God, that is epic." So I went to Yosemite a week later, had a hammock in my backpack and didn't really understand what it took to be outside. So I stayed there for the afternoon and then I hiked back down and I realized I need gear to be able to do this stuff and I need to research what it takes to be out here. And that was when it kind of sparked for me. And I was just like, "Oh, I want to do this, but I am nowhere near experienced enough to do this."
Shelby Stanger:
So how did you go from being like, "I want to do that" to actually going? Because taking that first step is the hardest part.
Isabel Cautivo:
I actually ended up starting community college a month later and they had an intro to backpacking class, so I took that.
Shelby Stanger:
At your community college?
Isabel Cautivo:
Yeah, my community college. Everyone's always super psyched about this.
Shelby Stanger:
What college was this?
Isabel Cautivo:
Evergreen Valley College. It's in San Jose. There's one guy, his name is Randy. He's just so psyched on the outdoors, everything outdoors. So he had this little class to introduce students to camping and how to hike properly and how to just sustain yourself outside. So that's where I learned a lot of my basics. And after the community college trip, I went backpacking with the people in that class.
Because they've gone on trips before, so they showed me the ropes on how to properly backpack. And then once I learned all I needed to know, I started to take my friends who have never gone backpacking before and it was just a ton of fun showing my friends who have never gone. Most of my friends were all first generations. All of our parents are immigrants, so we never really learned much about the outdoors. We were all introduced to it just from a friend or from word of mouth or seeing it if we went on these day trips. So none of them backpacked. And once I took my friends enough times, I felt comfortable going on my own.
Shelby Stanger:
A lot of people might be intimidated to go backpacking by themselves, but Isabel has always enjoyed the solitude of quiet mornings in the wilderness, the meditative rhythm of her own footsteps and how confident she feels when she finishes a solo trek. After gaining as much experience as she could in class and going on trips with friends, Isabel made the decision to try her first solo adventure. The first time you ever went solo backpacking, where'd you go?
Isabel Cautivo:
I went to a lake a little bit outside of Lake Tahoe, I think it was called Lake Shealor. It was a very short trail. It was 0.5 miles to the lake and then 0.5 miles back. And I've done this trail multiple times. I actually did it with my friend first and then I went by myself and then I took my dad a year later.
Shelby Stanger:
Oh, I love that.
Isabel Cautivo:
But I was very familiar with the trail and I felt safe there, so I thought it was a nice place to start and it wasn't too far from civilization. If I needed help, I could just go back.
Shelby Stanger:
Yeah, that's smart. Do you have any stories from that first trip?
Isabel Cautivo:
The only thing I remember from that trip is I actually watched a horror movie two days before and then I was out there and no one was there and the lake looked so ominous at night and I just tried to fall asleep before it got dark because I was pretty spooked. I stopped watching horror movies after that, but that was a really short out and back trip. I think a couple months later I did my first bigger solo trip.
I ended up doing the Trans-Catalina Trail solo next, and that's a point to point hike across the island. So you, I think hike across the entire island. And I did that by myself and I thought that worked out really well because there was on the map, it would show where you would have phone reception. So I'd update my parents every time I got to a spot where there is reception.
Shelby Stanger:
I didn't know you could do that. That sounds actually really fun and a great-
Isabel Cautivo:
Yeah, it's nice.
Shelby Stanger:
... a great hike. How many days did that take?
Isabel Cautivo:
I did it in three nights and four days. I wanted to take it slower because I didn't know how hard it would be for me. So I took a ferry from Long Beach to the island and immediately I could see the men look at me like, "She's not going to make it." When I got to my first campsite, they were so surprised. A father on the trail was telling me how worried he was about me, seeing me go up in a really big pack in the sun, in the heat. But I completed the trail just fine.
I think the only thing I really had an issue with was the amount of bison. There were bison on the trail. There were also cars that would go down parts of the trail and that would push the bisons towards me more. That's where I had a big issue because they were very aggressive and they stand their ground. So I would either wait for them to pass or go around them, but I couldn't always wait because I wanted to get to my campsite before dark, so I would kind of just go around them.
Shelby Stanger:
Navigating around large animals wasn't necessarily something Isabel expected to have to do, but she takes every obstacle in stride. Over the years, she has acquired lots of tricks that help her navigate backpacking alone. In 2020, she started sharing educational content for both new and experienced hikers on TikTok.
Her posts really took off. She now has over 116,000 followers. She makes videos about what she packs for a day hike, how she maps out her treks, how she layers up on cold days and more. Sometimes her videos just follow her along on a beautiful hike and it's like a breath of fresh air. You have quite a following on TikTok. How did that start?
Isabel Cautivo:
During the pandemic 2020, I was so bored. I didn't have a job. I was looking for a job and I would just hike and I would post my hikes on TikTok. And I feel like TikTok was a really friendly community, very supportive, and it did well. But my intention was never to become an influencer. It kind of just happened. My boyfriend was telling me to start including my face in the videos, to start talking and showing where I'm hiking and show me and not just the surroundings because I would focus on just the views.
I would just post where it was at, but not me. So he had a really big influence on how I started to post. And once I made that switch, I think that's when a lot of people would come and follow because they could see that there's this young Filipino girl who is just super psyched to be hiking in the outdoors because we don't see that as often. So it's really nice to put myself out there and see, "Oh, there are other people like me."
Shelby Stanger:
When we come back, Isabel talks about the challenges of backpacking alone, the safety measures she takes, where she decides to travel and why it's important to her to keep embarking on solo adventures. If you find yourself on the hiking side of TikTok, it's only a matter of time until you come across one of Isabel Cautivo's videos.
Not only are they visually stunning, they're also engaging and informative. Isabel's a solo hiker, which has its pros and cons. On one hand, Isabel has developed a deep personal relationship with nature. On the other, if something goes wrong, it might be harder to get help. That's why she chooses well-known treks in safer areas. You're a young woman, you're hiking alone. What kind of challenges have you had to deal with?
Isabel Cautivo:
Yeah. I think a lot of parents aren't that psyched to have their young daughter go out on her own. So I think that was one of my biggest challenges. My parents were so terrified when I would say, "Oh, I'm going to go do this by myself." For a while, this is not good, but I wouldn't tell them. I would tell them I would go with a friend and then I'd give my friends really detailed itineraries of what I was doing.
And then I was like, "Okay, if you don't hear from me in this amount of time, then you tell my mom." So it never came down to that, and I was always really good about that. And after a while when things started to build up on social media more, I had to tell my parents what was going on. And my dad is very supportive. My mom is supportive, but she still doesn't want me backpacking alone. She's always worried. I was able to get a satellite Garmin phone for Christmas two years ago, and that has helped ease a lot of their worries.
Shelby Stanger:
Some people lie to their parents about going partying with their friends. You were backpacking. I feel like, meh, it's like there's worse things to lie about. It's okay. You're alive. Now you don't lie to your parents. You have taken your dad hiking, backpacking so he can see that you're competent. But what other challenges came up?
Isabel Cautivo:
I think the fact that I was a girl and going alone worried a lot of people. When I post my trips on social media, a lot of men are just like, "Take a gun. Where's your boyfriend?"
Shelby Stanger:
Take a gun. Wow.
Isabel Cautivo:
"Where's the man who's taking care of you?" And I'm like, "No." I honestly don't respond because I don't want to. But I think that that kind of sucks having them comment like that and it feels a bit demeaning.
Shelby Stanger:
So what do you do about safety? Your parents are concerned for you, you get comments on social media, you're sometimes concerned for yourself. What kind of things do you do, do you take with you to just be safe out in the wilderness on your own?
Isabel Cautivo:
I have a small alarm system that I put on the zipper of my tent, so if someone were to pull it, it would go off. I carry bear spray, not just for bears, but also for anyone who tries to attack me. But I feel like when I go outside, I usually am surrounded by like-minded people who are really friendly and not out to get you. But I don't want to be too naive because I know things do happen. So just a knife, bear spray and that alarm system is mostly what I carry.
Shelby Stanger:
To date, Isabel has done more than 20 solo backpacking trips. After getting out on trails near her house, she started to venture farther afield. Isabel has traveled abroad to go on some longer treks. First she went to Iceland in the summer of 2022, and a couple of months later she went to Europe to attempt the Tour du Mont Blanc.
In January of 2024, she flew all the way to New Zealand to spend a whole month hiking. Each of these trips has helped her overcome fear to feel stronger and bolder than ever. After you do one of these trips, what does it do for your sense of confidence?
Isabel Cautivo:
Oh, I'm ecstatic. I come back and I feel so confident and so empowered. It really helps me in other areas of my life where I have less confidence because I'm like, "Oh, if I could do this outside all by myself and complete this and have fun doing it, then I can do anything or do other-."
Shelby Stanger:
Do you have any stories of that or examples that you can share?
Isabel Cautivo:
Yeah. So in January I started my new job at Stanford as a microbiologist. And-
Shelby Stanger:
No big deal.
Isabel Cautivo:
... this past year I had a really hard time finishing school at Stanford because everyone I was up against, they were so bright, so smart, and I just felt very little, like I couldn't compete with them. So right before I started my new position, I went to New Zealand for one month and I went alone. I learned how to drive on the opposite side of the road and I backpacked as much as I could.
So when I was out there, I did at least six backpacking trips where I'd camp out in the mountains or on the coast, and that made me feel so, so confident coming back, like if I could go to a new country and hike all these trails and camp alone, I could do this position. It just helped me realize that I am capable of doing these hard things.
Shelby Stanger:
When I graduated college, I graduated a semester early and I also went to New Zealand. I went to Fiji Australia, New Zealand, and it was awesome. That was probably one of the best countries to be a solo traveler. People are super nice.
Isabel Cautivo:
Yeah, I totally agree. I think just New Zealand was the smart choice. I went there because it's summer there during our winter, but the people there were so kind. I would love to live there if I had the chance to. And their trails are great. They have a great trail system. Everything's really maintained and organized and there's no predators. So I think that was just so great. No bison.
Shelby Stanger:
So what's the longest solo backpacking trip you've done?
Isabel Cautivo:
I attempted to do the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland. So I completed the France and Italy portion. So I think this trail is over a hundred miles, but I got salmonella on the trail.
Shelby Stanger:
Oh, no, you poor thing.
Isabel Cautivo:
So I finished half of the trail, so I was around 50 miles in before I called it quits.
Shelby Stanger:
How do you think you got salmonella, from water, from food?
Isabel Cautivo:
Definitely from the water. I think this was a pretty rookie mistake. I started in Chamonix and I was asking people who just finished the trail like, "Oh, what piece of gear do you think I could leave behind? What did you not use?" And one guy said, "Don't bring your water filter. There are faucets along the trail that you can drink from and those are completely safe." And I was just like, "Okay." And I left that behind. Turns out I was doing a somewhat different trail than they were, and they also stayed at the huts the whole time, and I was wild camping.
So when I was out there, I realized I made that mistake, so I then turned to boiling all of my water. But I feel like I just didn't boil it long enough. And there were a lot of cows on the trail, and I feel like I just got run off from those farms. There's a halfway point on the trail that goes through a bigger town called [inaudible 00:19:13], and I stopped at that town, realized I was sick. I had a bit of trouble translating to the people in the pharmacy, and my boyfriend actually helped arrange a car for me to get back home.
Shelby Stanger:
That must've been kind of scary. How was it getting back on the trail after that?
Isabel Cautivo:
After the Tour du Mont Blanc, I was honestly terrified of backpacking abroad. So my first idea was to come back home and do a trail that felt very safe to me. There are these three local parks, Sunol Regional Wilderness, Del Valle and Mission Peak. And Mission Peak's a very popular trail in the Bay Area, and they're all connected.
I spent three days hiking from one park to the next. And one of them kind of just ended near my house. So that really helped bring my confidence back, doing this three, four day backpacking trip close to home. Knowing I still know what to do outside, gave me that little boost of confidence in backpacking back after getting sick abroad.
Shelby Stanger:
How does solo backpacking make you feel? You've talked a little bit about the confidence it brings you, but I'm just curious, why are you such an evangelist of the sport and activity? You've shared it with so many other people, which is great.
Isabel Cautivo:
It's a really peaceful sport. I'll go out there by myself. I'm immersed in nature. There's no hustle and bustle from the city. I think it's really hard in the Bay Area, everyone's really competitive, really focused on working their way up. So being able to step outside of that bubble and just remind myself, there are other areas of life that we often forget about when we're so focused on our career and making it.
So I like the piece that it brings. Since I'm really introverted and I have to interact with a lot of people for either social media or my job, it's nice to just step away and go outside by myself and spend time camping in nature to just recharge so I'm ready to face whatever is waiting for me.
Shelby Stanger:
Being alone almost magnifies these profound experiences sometimes that we have in the wilderness. Do you have any stories of just seeing something so beautiful in nature, whether it was an animal or a waterfall or something that you'll just never forget?
Isabel Cautivo:
Yeah. I think the first thing that came to mind was the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. Just driving. Once you exit the tunnel and you see the views of Half Dome and the falls, it's so grand. And as a kid, that just blows your mind. I think the first time of seeing that huge waterfall and it made me feel so small, that was a big moment. Feeling the air and the breeze from the waterfall, being able to hike to the top of it, it's huge. I think that was one of my favorite moments.
When I started to solo backpack, I found a lot of island backpacking to be really fun. I loved waking up on the beach, having the whole ocean to myself, seeing the sunrise and the different colors in the sky, and just being out in the sand by myself with this huge ocean. I like opening up my tent and just seeing this new area that's isolated from the rest of the world. I feel like I'm just out there on my own and I have this area to myself. It's very exciting.
All I can hear is the sound of the river, the sounds of the birds and the cows. This moment, the moment I get up after camping out for the night, that's the moment that makes me really love backpacking.
Shelby Stanger:
Isabel, thank you so much for coming on the show. Fun fact. Isabel also told me in our conversation, she met her boyfriend when he was working at REI and he helped her buy her very first pair of climbing shoes. So I guess if you're looking for love, consider stopping by your local REI. Check out Isabel's beautiful videos on TikTok at Isabel Cautivo. That's I-S-A-B-E-L C-A-U-T-I-V-O. You can also find her on Instagram and YouTube.
Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, produced by Annie Fassler, Sylvia Thomas, and Sam Pierz Mintzberg of Puddle Creative. Our senior producers are Jenny Barber and Hannah Boyd. Our executive producers are Paolo Motala and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow the show, take time to rate it and write a review wherever you listen. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.