Basic Packing List for Backpacking
This is all the stuff that I consider necessary regardless of where you’re going or the weather.
Individual Gear - Bring
- Backpack (that fits)1
- Sleeping bag (for the season)
- Sleeping pad2
- Containers for water3
- Goodie bag (sunscreen, earplugs, pen/pencil, paper, permits (as needed), lighter, utility knife)
- Phone (or watch) w/ Map (the map part of this is important, make sure it works offline)
- Phone (or watch) charger
- Battery bank (fully charged - something small)4
- Headlamp (fully charged)5
Individual Gear - Wear (Clothes)6
- Trail/Hiking shoes7
- Sunglasses
- 2x underwear (wear one, bring one)
- 2x socks (wear one, bring one)
- 2x shirts (wear one, bring one)
Individual - Optional Stuff
- Camping pillow
- Kindle
- Windbreaker / Raincoat
- Hiking poles (depending on level of ascent/descent)
- Hammock (instead of a tent, or for when you set up camp)
- Pack liner (to keep your stuff dry if it rains on you)
- Alcohol (nice way to relax in the evening)
- Camera (if you're not using your phone)
Group Gear
- Tent (split this up for even weight distribution b/w the people sharing it)
- First-aide kit (one per group)
- Kitchen stuff (camping pot, bowl, spork, cup - enough for the whole group)
- Camping stove
- Fuel
- Toilet paper
Group Food
Deserves a whole separate page on it's own, but should be enough food for a breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Make sure your food is salty (especially if it's hot), and that you're bringing enough calories for the distance you're going each day. Andrew Skurka is a great resource for food ideas. Also, coffee in the morning while camping is a lovely thing if you can swing it - if you bring grounds, you can just make Turkish coffee in your camping pot.
It's really important that you have a pack that fits you. It should have a waist strap that takes most the weight from your shoulders, and be relatively light. If you're buying for the first time, a place like REI will help fit you to a good pack.↩
Make sure you get one with the correct R-Value for the climate you're in. If you're using an inflatable pad, remember that (1) they are more comfortable; but, (2) if it's punctured then you have very little insulation from the ground, and (3) they're a pain to fold up every day. Also, if you get a foam pad it's easy to pull out as instant padding to relax wherever/whenever you're taking a break.↩
Enough containers for the water you need to carry. Typically that's a water bladder + 1-3 Nalgenes, but this will be highly dependent on how far you have to hike between water refills, temperature, and elevation.↩
If you're only going for a day or two, have a phone that's less than a year old (i.e - new battery), and don't plan to take too many pictures - you can skip this for weight saving. Keep your phone on airplane mode/lower power mode, and if it's cold - keep your phone in your sleeping bag with you so the cold doesn't kill your battery.↩
If you're considering bringing a flashlight instead, you have no idea how nice it is in the dark to have something that keeps your hands free and is strapped to your head, seriously.↩
Generally this is just the "minimum" amount of clothing you probably need, but you may want more. Just remember if you're going on a multi-day (or multi-week) trip, all your stuff is gonna smell anyway. Depending on where you are, having two sets of clothes allows you to rinse and dry one set when you come across water.↩
Trail shoes will be much lighter, and you probably don't need ankle support. Gore-Tex and other waterproofing works both ways (moisture stays out, or in) - so if you get them wet on the inside they're very difficult to dry. Depending on the expected temperature, you might be better off with something that just dries quickly.↩