Backpacking Equipment List

Every Trip

10 Essentials, Pack, Pack Cover, Rain Gear, Bowl, Stove, Lighter, Pot, Spoon, Cup , Fuel, Pot Holder, Socks, Boots, Gaiters,
Change of Clothes, Hat, Shelter, Ground Cloth,
Sleeping Bag, Sleeping Pad, Water Bottles, Water Filter,
Trash Bag, Repair Kit, Personal Hygiene, Bear bag, Rope,

Winter trip

Long Underwear, Warm Head Cover, Gloves, Coat, Sitting Pad,
Extra Fuel, Extra Food, Vest, Winter Bag, Overmitts,

Nice to Have

Camp shoes, Zip-lock bags, Binoculars, Star Chart, Water Bag,
Games, Radio, GPS, Head Lamp, Camera,
Walking Poles, Book , Head Net, Lip Balm, Shovel

On the body

Clothes, Boots, and Pack

In the pack

Clothes:

Socks, Shirts, Shorts, Pants, Jacket, Rain wear, and Hat

Kitchen:

Food, Stove, Pots, Utensils, Water bottles, Water Treatment, and Fuel

Bedding:

Sleeping bag, Sleeping Pad, and Shelter

On the move

Pack: Internal Frame or External Frame

The basic difference between an internal frame pack and an external frame pack is how the pack bag attaches. External frame packs have the pack bag, shoulder straps and hip belt attached to the frame with pins and rings. External frame packs trend to be cooler in the summer because the back mesh holds the pack bag away from your back. The sleeping bag is generally hung under the pack bag and the tent and foam pad strapped on top. External frame packs usually have a large upper compartment, a smaller lower compartment and side pockets. Most pack food, cook gear, and fuel in the upper compartment. Clothes tend to be packed in the lower compartment. Bulky clothes seem to migrate to the upper compartment when carried. The side pockets help you organize your smaller items. These pockets also make for quick access to the things you may need while on the move. The typical capacity of the external frame pack is 3500 to 5000 cubic centimeters.

Internal frame packs usually have two metal frame stays in pockets on either side of the pack bag. The shoulder straps and hip belt attach to the bag instead of the frame. Internal framed packs provide a tighter profile for bushwhacking. All gear including the sleeping bag, tent and foam pad are packed inside the pack bag. Most internal frame packs have a large pocket as an intergral part of the hood. Small item such as your flashlight, map, permits, and first-aid kit are carried here. Internal frames usually do not have side pockets. Side pockets are available that are attached using the compression straps. Packing your smaller items in individual nylon sacks help keep you organized. Internal frame pack tend to be more expensive than external frame packs.

A little about the clothes.

Above the Knees:

Head

It is said 70% of your warmth is lost through your neck and head. This is important information when hitting the trail. When it is hot, a hat that provides ventilation is a good thing. Why wear a hat when it is hot out? Mainly, to prevent sunburn. The brim also provides protection for your eyes and ears. Mesh sided hats allow heat to vent away. Some hats come with a skirt to cover the neck and ears. If yours does not, you can use a bandana as a skirt. You can also dampen the bandana for added cooling.

When it is cool, it is important to preserve body heat. There is a variety of cool weather coverings. Hats, Balaclava, knit caps, and Peruvian woolen caps are just a few. You can get a fleece buff for your neck. Turtlenecks also work well to prevent heat loss from around the neck. Jackets with high collars are also effective.

Chest:

Layers are important when hitting the trail. Layers permit you to adjust to the changing environment. Most backpackers wear a shirt as a base layer. Any type of shirt will do, a T-shirt, polo, button-up, what ever. The material should be seasonal. Never wear cotton when hypothermia could be a factor. Hypothermia can hit on a 50-degree day if the wind is blowing and you have sweated a good bit. The moisture sucks the warmth out of your body faster than you can generate heat. Wearing a thin layer under your chosen shirt is recommended in desert or beach environments. This prevents sweat from evaporating as fast and helps you remain cool. In warm weather, cotton can be your friend, however in cooler weather a polypropylene or silk undershirt is best. Polypropylene and silk wick moisture away, while body warmth pushes the moisture through these materials into upper layers.

Add more layers for additional warmth, a wool blend shirt, a polypro jacket, a down vest or jacket, or a poly-shell. The outer-most layer may be a windbreaker. However, you still need rainwear so most backpackers pass on the windbreaker and let the rain jacket pull double duty. You may even need to wear the rain gear in a heavy fog. Fog condenses on the vegetation and then drips. You can get just as wet as if it were raining. Again take care to consider that hypothermia can set in. Even in late spring and early fall hypothermia could be a concern.

Legs:

Layers are equally important for legs. Rain pants can do multi-duty to save weight. Long undergarments make very nice pants with shorts over them. When it is cool, you have what you need, otherwise wear your shorts pants. The underwear you choose is up to you. When it is cold shy away from cotton if possible. Your long underwear should be poly, silk or a blend.

Below the Knees:

Boots and Socks:

First, always wear the socks in which you will be hiking when trying on boots at the store!!!

Boots are all important. Break your boots in and protect the feet you need to get you up the trail. Boots are a very personal decision. Do you have weak ankles, a low arch, wide ball and narrow heel? It is very important to get boots that fit. Backpacker© magazine has very good articles on this subject. When deciding on the type of boot to wear you should consider the type of trails you will encounter. Also take into account the loads you are planning to carrying. I, being a large male with bad ankles, get a heavier weight boot for the support. This does add weight to my overall backpacking system but it is worth it to me. You may decide a lightweight boot will satisfy your needs.

All leather versus Goretex® lined boots. Leather boots can be as water repellent as a lined boot. Each takes care and feeding to maintain a life long investment. Lined boots do seem to be a bit lighter than their all leather counterpart.

When buying boots, lace them up and scuff the floor to make sure your toes do not hit the end of the shoe. This simulates going down hill. You also need to be sure the heel fits correctly. Take care the heel does not lift as your rotate to the ball of you foot. This lifting will cause blisters.

Socks!!

Many think two pairs are the way to go when hiking, a thin pair next to the foot and then a thick outer pair. This helps greatly in preventing blisters. The thin sock should be made of non-moisture holding material, a silk or a nylon blend to ensure moisture is not trapped between the foot and sock.

The outer thick layer should also be of a material that transports moisture away from the foot. Wool and the materials Thorlo® uses are good examples. Wearing this two-sock arrangement can extend the days you can wear the outer sock. Since the outer sock does not soil as quickly from sweat, it can be worn twice as long as the inner sock. This cuts some weight on extended trips. On a 6-day trip, you can carry 6 pairs of thin socks and 3 of thick. You also could carry two sets and wash each day.

Gaiters:

Gaiters help to prolong sock life by keeping debris from filling up your boots. Some gaiters just cover the top of your boots creating a seal, while others come up to just below the knees. The short Gaiter keeps the trail trash from entering the top of your boot. The knee high also protects your calves from those briars and stinging needles.

In the Hands:

Walking Sticks have come to be expected on the trail. Research has shown hiking with sticks reduces fatigue. The use of walking sticks also helps reduce the chance of mishap.

Gloves make winter hiking more enjoyable. Mittens seem to perform the best at keeping the whole hand warm. Fingerless gloves are also an option. These actually have the last joint of the fingers uncovered, which is nice in camp as you can feel to use your stove and other tools. There are some convertible mitten/fingerless gloves available. These have a mitten flap that pulls back to expose the fingerless glove below. One last note on gloves. Overmitts are very nice in wet and cold weather. Overmitts are a shell, much like a raincoat, for your wool or poly mittens. They typically extend up the forearm about 6 inches.

Moving on to bedding.

Shelter:

Tent:

Some sort of shelter will be desired when on the trail. There is a vast variety of tents out there. Your shelter, as with all things in your pack, should be as light as possible. You could choose to use only a tarp as your shelter. Tarps have their advantages. The tarp can be a temporary shelter in a mid-day thunderstorm or a windbreak when you stop for lunch. You can erect your tarp in a variety of fashions: lean-to, tent, teepee, etc. Tarps do not keep bugs and other creatures out. If you need to escape the creatures that are in the woods a tent is the way to go.

Pick the lightest tent in which you can be comfortable. Many stores will let you crawl into their store models. Some stores will even let you try the tent out in your living room. If you are not planning to do any winter camping, a three-season tent will do fine. These are usually lighter than four-season tents as mesh screening makes up the walls.

Consider choosing a freestanding model. These are nice if the wind is calm and the ground is a rock. Freestanding models do not have to be staked out to remain erect. It is important to stake them out when the wind picks up as they will blow away.

Modern backpacking tents usually come with detachable flies. This is nice for star watching on clear nights. One thing to watch out for is the morning dew fest. You breathe out a fair amount of water as you sleep, for this reason it is advisable to stake out the fly when you use it. This allows the water to condense on the fly and run off to the ground.

Ground Cloth:

Ground clothes are almost mandatory when using a tarp as your shelter. Rollup the ground cloth to create a "bath tub" for you to sleep in. A ground cloth protects the floor of your tent. This will greatly extend the life of your tent. Do not forget to seam-seal the bottom of your tent if needed. Ask the sales person when you make your tent purchase if it needs to be sealed. Some manufacturers produce ground clothes for their tents' footprints. A 4-mil piece of plastic will do as well.

Bedding:

Sleeping Bag:

Sleeping bags come in a variety of shapes and materials. There are so many we can not cover them all here. Again, Backpacker© is a very good source for information. Summer bags are of course lighter than multi-season bags. Actually in the summer you may not need to carry a bag, take a blanket instead or even a sheet. You must consider the season and the region of the state in which you will be hiking when making this choice. Our North Carolina mountains can turn cold even in the summer at the highest elevations.

Summer bags are usually rectangular. The fill materials can be synthetic, or cotton. Multi-season bags tend to be hooded and more form fitting. The materials in these can be synthetic or down. If you choose a bag filled with cotton or down it is imperative to keep this dry at all costs. These materials have little to no insulating value when wet. Please do not consider a cotton filled bag for winter camping.

Sleeping bags usually come with a nylon stuff sack. These sacks tend to be very tear resistant but not waterproof. A little trick to overcome this deficiency is to put a plastic trash bag into the stuff sack. You then stuff the sleeping bag into the plastic trash bag. The trash bag provides the waterproofing while the tear resistant stuff sack protects the trash bag. Hey and on the last day, you have a bag for those nasty clothes!

Mattress Pad:

Mattress pads are actually insulating pads. There are three basic types used in backpacking, open cell foam, closed cell foam and open cell foam with air. Open foam cell pads will suck up water. Most backpacking suppliers sell these with a water resistant nylon sleeve. Open cell foam pads are thicker than closed cell types. Closed cell pads are good, as they will not wick water from the ground as you sleep. They are however thin and require careful placement to avoid a rock in the back. The open cell foam with air pad is a big hit. These are open cell foam pads in a self-inflating airtight water-resistant sleeve. The air provides a good amount of cushioning, however, take care not to get a hole in the shell.

Eating in camp and on the trail.

Cooking:

Pots, Stove, Utensils, and Clean Up

The food you choose to carry determines the number of pots you carry. The smart backpacker plans one-pot meals. One pot can do it all, heat water for drinking, cook the meals and for washing up. Titanium pots are the lightest available. Aluminum is next with steel being the heavy weight. There are also Telfon© coated styles.

Stoves are another item that becomes very personal. When choosing a stove pick a stove that is environmentally appropriate. Liquid fuels such as white gas and alcohol are best for use when out in cold weather. This is because the gaseous fuels such as Propane and Butane condense and liquefy when cold. The advantage with these canister fuels is that they are very hard to spill. Sterno type stoves are good but take care to carry enough cans as the weather cools.

The only utensils most backpackers need are a spoon, bowl, cup and pocket knife. If you choose to use Teflon© pots, use plastic ware for cooking. One cup should be marked for measuring. When you are not hiking alone, one of you can leave the bowl and eat from the pot, but the one who does always eat last.

Ah now for the dreaded clean up. When it is time, take the dishes a hundred feet from camp in a direction that is also a hundred feet from the water source. This keeps animals from coming into camp and your water source clean.You should pack out food particles left in the pot. Toilet paper can be used to pre-clean your cook pot. Use a bandana to filter the wastewater to capture these particles. The soap used should be environmentally friendly of course. You can leave the scouring pad at home, sand and pinecones work well.

Water treatment can be tricky. A few ways to make your water potable are filtering, boiling, chemical treatment, or using a purifier. Boiling consumes fuel, which makes it costly and time consuming. The recommended time for boiling is five minutes and you have to wait for it to cool. Filtering is generally acceptable. Filtering does not kill viruses that can be left in the water. Purifing is a step above filtering and addresses this concern. Chemical treatments such as iodine and chlorine are good for killing the live bugs.

What's left?

Misc:

Rope, a 50 to 100 foot piece of 1/8-inch line is a valuable item to carry. It is useful to erect your tarp, hang your "bear bag" or your clothes. The rope is also valuable when airing out your bag or stretching out your tent to dry the morning dew.

A "bear bag" can be any old sack, in bear county these are very important. There are canisters specially made to keep bears from getting to your smellables. Your sleeping bag sack, or food bag will work as a bear bag. Lots of folks carry a carabiner to use as a pulley. Hang you bear bag at least twenty feet high and 10 feet from any tree or strong branch. Black bears can climb up the tree and jump for the bag. If you are not in bear county, the bear bag will keep most of the other little critters from getting into your smellables too. What are smellables? Anything that smells good to an animal_ food, gum and candies, soap, some first aid items, tooth brush and paste, wash rag, sweaty bandannas, scented candles and trash bag to list a few.

Make everybody's trip into the back county enjoyable with a little personal hygiene. Toilet paper (TP) should be kept in a plastic bag when not is use. Carry plenty of TP if you are using it to pre-clean your dishes or are not treating your water. A toothbrush, toothpaste and floss should all be in your kit. The floss can be used for making equipment repairs if you bring a needle. The needle can be used to pop a blister, though this not recommended. A small towel is nice and razors for those who use one. Biodegradable soap and foot powder can also be included. Don't forget all these items should be hung in your "bear bag" before going to bed. A comb or bush can be added for when you come off the trail.

A shovel/trowel can come in handy. The current school of thought now recommends that you not bury toilet tissue but carry it out. Well it is!

Repair kit. Needles, thread, duct tape,spare batteries and blubs, zip ties, pins and rings are a few items to consider having in a repair kit.

The 10 Essentials listed elsewhere among these pages.