With all thanks and praise to God Most High, we’ve been leading wilderness adventures since 2012. Our first outing was a backpacking trip and we’ve been trekking every year since.

Each time we run a trip, we give folks a packing list. And each time we can count on our list being ignored by at least one new backpacker for reasons we don’t quite understand. Sometimes that person has the good sense, physical fitness, imagination, and determination to make their alternate plans work. Most times they don’t.

The following information is being provided on the supposition that maybe we’re ignored because we haven’t thoroughly explained ourselves. Sure, we provide a gear list. Yes, we schedule a video call to explain that list and answer questions. But people are busy and maybe we just need to put the information up here once for all to read when it matters.

As noted in the title of this post, we are focusing on the outdoor needs of folks new to trekking and interested in doing weekend trips every once in awhile. This is not the definitive guide to ultralight fast-packing or alpine ascents. This is a gear list for the regular guy or gal that wants to get on-trail with friends and family for a few days a couple of times a year.

When I’m ready to get new gear, I start by checking out what the folks at Outdoor Gear Lab have to say. Then I go out and have a look for myself.

The Big Three: Backpack, Sleeping Bag, and Tent

For the outdoor enthusiast, each of these should be considered an investment. You will likely be spending what we believe to be considerable sums of money on these items, and you will be rewarded with years of reliable service and comfort. If you are not prepared to make the investment, rental options are available and should be considered over companies that have no reputation in the industry, no matter how sweet the deal might seem.

If you’ve never purchased a backpack, get fitted for one at your local REI or other outdoor retailer. Let them show you how to adjust the straps and stays. Let them fill the pack with sandbags so that you can feel how the weight sits on your frame. No matter what the online reviews say, you need to try before you buy. Bodies are different and each manufacturer approaches ergonomics differently. A 40-60L pack is more than sufficient for a 3-5 day trip.

Your sleeping bag needs to actually fit in your backpack. Anything that can keep you warm and compress to fit in a backpack along with all of your water, food, clothing, and other gear should be understood as a marvel of engineering with a cost to reflect that. A bag rated down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit is a good place to start for 3-season backpacking in California. You’ll pay more money for warmer, lighter bags.

Your first backpacking tent should be sized for 1-2 people. Most of us don’t start backpacking alone. Get something that will create the opportunity to invite a friend. You can split the weight of the tent with one person carrying the fabric and the other carrying the poles. Make sure to select a model with a functional rain fly that will cover the whole tent. As with the backpack and sleeping bag, stick with companies that have a track record for quality.

Sleeping Pad

You need to insulate yourself from the ground or you’re going to get really cold really fast. Get a foam pad and sleep on it with the reflective side up. Inflatable pads pack nicer, but they take time to inflate and deflate and every one I’ve ever owned has leaked at some point.

Head Lamp

You want your hands free around a campsite where you are going to be busy changing clothes, chopping wood, and preparing food. Get a lamp that is simple to operate and has a red-light option. The red light will preserve your night vision allowing you to more fully appreciate the night sky. Put fresh batteries in before you head out.

First-Aid Kit

It doesn’t have to be extensive. Some ibuprofen. Some tape. A few pieces of gauze. Alcohol prep pads. Tweezers. An ACE wrap. Some moleskin for blisters. A topical antibiotic like Neosporin. A steel signal mirror, whistle, and a Mylar emergency blanket will round out your kit nicely.

Paracord

25-50 feet is sufficient, nothing wider than a shoe lace. This can come in handy as a drying line for clothing or a replacement for a broken strap. There are lots of possibilities for field repairs and improvisation when you have a bit of rope with you.

Mini-Roll of Duct Tape

Hole in your tent? Down falling out of that puffy jacket that just got ripped open by a cactus? Not anymore.

Knife

Something small. Chances are you won’t use it for much more than opening packages, but a knife can be indispensable for getting together wood shavings to start a fire, or to gut that fish you just caught.

Lighter

Makes building a fire much easier.

Hydration

If you’re going someplace with lots of water features, you don’t need more than a liter or two of carrying capacity. If you’re packing in the desert, you’ll want at least a gallon of carrying capacity. Divide that up between a 2-liter hydration pack and another container or two, perhaps one that is insulated and another that is collapsible. You’ll need to purify that water, and that’s a whole separate blog post, but the setup that will give you the most options is a pump-style filter. Carry some water-purification tablets as a back-up.

Map/Compass

These are only valuable if you know how to use them. Go to a local orienteering meet and let them teach you. It’s fun and you’ll be much more confident outside.

Toilet Kit

In addition to whatever you consider essential toiletries (toothbrush, contact solution, medications, etc.), you’ll need a trowel, some toilet paper, hand-sanitizer, and a couple of Zip-Loc gallon bags in order to properly handle elimination in our wild places. You can find more details here.

Rag/Bandana

Wipe your hands, hold a hot mug, wrap a wound, blow your nose, filter water. There are so many uses!

Sun Protection

I’m not a fan of sunscreen. I simply cover up instead. I wear long sleeves, sunglasses, and a scarf (or bandana!) that I can drape over me to protect my head, face, and neck when needed. I also bring some kind of lip protection.

Garbage Bags

I usually bring two. If it rains, I can cover my backpack with one and use the other as a poncho.

Clothing

Don’t overpack. Wear two pairs of socks to avoid blisters, layering a medium weight sock over a thin liner. Pack an extra heavy pair if you expect cold nights. Bring a beanie for the same reason. In addition to what you’re already wearing, bring an extra pair of underwear for each day in the field. Bring wool thermal pants to wear at night and a pair of knee length shorts. If you rip your pants, you can just wear your shorts over your thermals. Bring an extra t-shirt. Any clothing you’re not wearing at night can be bundled up into a nice camp pillow or else stuffed into your sleeping bag as extra insulation.

Food

This is where everybody blows it, but this isn’t hard. Think calories instead of meals.

I’ve had to deprogram myself after years of bringing a stove and fuel and mugs for a hot cup of morning coffee or a warm dinner. I will still do this from time to time, but it’s so much easier (and lighter) to wrap 500 calories of Nutella into a 150 calorie tortilla to meet my energy requirements for the evening. I get to camp, eat my choco-burrito, and can get into my sleeping bag without any dishes to wash. I’ll shoot for 2000 calories in a day eating nuts and seeds, chocolate, coconut strips, and the occasional energy bar. You might need more calories, especially with all the extra activity, but most of us are carrying a fair amount of extra energy stored as fat. It’s virtually impossible to starve to death on a 3-day backpacking trip, even if you brought no food at all.

There are lots of other things you could bring. Depending on conditions, some of those things might be considered essential (bear canisters or crampons, for example). As a trip leader, I will pack a few extra things for the group: replacement batteries, radios, a GPS unit, and a more robust medical kit.

The bottom line is that when we go outside, we should understand that what we actually need and what we imagine might be necessary are not the same thing. In our desire for comfort, we often overdo it and instead invite tremendous pain.

Don’t do that. Pack light and go far.

Our next introductory backpacking experience is scheduled May 14. We provide the gear and the food. You bring your clothes and water. And we’ll all learn something, insha Allah.

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