Below is a packing list of what to bring on a backpacking trip lasting from 2-5 days. If you are through hiking, hunting, or going on an extended trip this list would change slightly, but not too much.
Equipment selection is always preference based. Only through trial and error will you find your perfect kit. That being said, below is a great starting point and based on 20 years of backcountry, military, and big game hunting experience.
Although it’s great to become familiar with your own gear, in a group setting it makes sense to share the load and certain pieces of equipment. Items below marked with an asterisk are those types of items.
For a trip of this duration your total pack weight should be less than 40lbs. This includes food and 2 liters of water. If you go really light and skip some comfort items you can come in at under 30lbs. For the typical mileage and format of an event like the Forge, 40lbs is a very manageable load.
Necessary Equipment:
- 60 to 80 liter pack
- Shelter**
- Sleeping Bag or Quilt
- Sleeping Pad
- Pillow
- Stove and Fuel**
- Spoon
- Lighter
- Mug
- Headlamp
- Compass + Map
- Pen + Notepad
- Phone with Gaia GPS Offline Maps
- 2x Water bottles or 2L bladder
- Water Filtration
- Watch (ideally with GPS)
- Knife or Leatherman
- Oh shit Kit
- Food for duration of trip
Clothing :
- Trail shoes
- 2-3 pairs of socks
- Pants
- Running Shorts
- Ball Cap or Wide Brimmed Hat
- Thin Belt
- Bandana
- Shirt
- Insulating layer
- Beanie
- Rain Jacket or Poncho
Hygiene & Medical
- Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss
- Deodorant
- TP and Hand Sanitizer
- First Aid Kit**
- Trauma Kit**
- Trough
Optional Equipment and Clothing
- Crocs or Camp Shoes
- Sleep Shirt / Pants
- Camp Chair
- Chapstick
- Sunblock
- Trekking Poles
- 2L Dromedary or Collapsible Bottle
- 50 Gallon Trash Bag
- Garmin Inreach
- Book
- Pistol
- Binos
- Charging Brick + cords
- Radio
- Flash Pack or Fanny Pack
- Flask
- Sunglasses
- Gaiters / Rain Pants
- Wet Wipes
Everything on this list usually goes in my pack as a trip leader and I usually come in at 45lbs of total kit which is a comfortable load for trips like The Forge.
That was the down and dirty, now we’ll quickly touch on specifics.
Backpacking Pack
Any pack made in the last 10-15 years from a reputable company that is 50-80 liters should work. These packs all have a frame of some sort and load bearing waist belts. Packs come in different sizes so ensure that the harness and waist belt are properly sized to your frame. Any pack that REI sells that fits you and is large enough to carry your gear will work great.
Tried and True: Osprey Aether 65, Ariel 65, or Granite Gear Blaze 60
Shelter
A 2-person, 3-season tent will work well for most people. Keep in mind that a 2-person tent is actually just the right size for single person with their gear. So if you plan on bunking with someone a 3-person tent is a good option. Tarps and Tipis are another option. Tarps are often floorless and very light. In heavy winds they do not do as well as a traditional tent. The lighter the tent is the more expensive.
Sleeping Bag or Quilt
A 15-30 degree bag or quilt is recommended. Although often times you’ll be sleeping in environments that are warmer, I find that a bag that is too warm is better than a bag that is too cold. When sleeping in warmer environments I usually just drape the bag over myself like a blanket. Bags are slightly heavier and larger than quilts but are more readily available. Down compresses better but no longer insulates when wet while synthetic is heavier, not as compressible, yet still keeps you warm when wet.
Sleeping Pad
For most this is a place where you don’t want to skip. If you are light sleeper going a little nicer here will pay off. Some get as thick as 3”. Inflatable pads are smaller but the every present danger of it popping is there. A ground cloth or foam pad underneath will protect your pad from popping. When camping in cold environments an insulated pad is suggested.
Reputable Brands:
Therma-rest, Nemo, Sea to Summit, Exped
Pillow
An inflatable backpacking pillow is well worth the money.
Camp Stove
A stove is simply to heat water for coffee, and freeze dried meals. Oftentimes you can share one stove with 2-3 people. Many are integrated cook sets that nestle into one compact container that have spoons, cups, and bowls. For most uses a canister type stove system will work. Don’t forget fuel!
Reputable Brands:
Jet Boil, MSR
Headlamp
These come in a huge range of options but all serve the same purpose. I would suggest getting one that runs on 3xAAA batteries made by a reputable brand. I’ve used various brands and models and love the one I currently have. A backup is always a good idea, go cheap and small on the backup.
Reputable Brands: Petzl, Black Diamond, Princeton Tec
Clothing
There’s an old saying that backcountry users say pretty often. “Cotton Kills.” Clothing should be either synthetic (polyester / spandex) or wool. Clothing needs to wick moisture away from the body and dry quickly. The following items are suggested.
- Wool Socks – Darn Tuff, Smart Wool etc.
- Pants – Stretch Zion from Pranha, Kuhl, Kuiu, etc.
- Shirt – Short or Long Sleeve shirt of technical fabric
- Fleece or “Puffy” Jacket for colder evenings
- Rain Coat – any will suffice
- Wide brim hat or ball cap
- Beanie and Gloves for colder trips
Footwear
There are two primary options for footwear. Boots and Trail Shoes.
Boots are heavier, more expensive, yet provide ankle support and are typically water proof. I prefer a boot, and currently I use these.
Trail shoes are much lighter, less expensive, and are not waterproof. Those that are really don’t do much for you as it will just come in the top of the shoe. Typically if you wear low cut shoes I suggest wearing pants to keep out debris. Typically I suggest wearing pants as they keep you from having to pick rocks and other debris out of your shoes. If I was to wear shoes I’d most likely bring these.
Ultimately you need to bring a shoe that is comfortable. The off-trail portions will be limited. So bring something that you can walk all day in without getting blisters. Whatever shoe you decide to bring make sure that you spend plenty of time in them prior to the trip.
DO NOT BUY SHOES JUST BEFORE THE TRIP. THIS WILL FUCK YOU.
Water Filter
There are quite a few options here and I use them all. Each has its pros and cons and depending on the situation I switch between them.
- Gravity filters are nice as you can hang them and leave them, they typically do 2+ liters at a time. Downside is that they can get clogged and you may have to back flush frequently to keep a good flow rate.
- Ultraviolet filters are very easy to use and after treating you can drink immediately. These do not remove debris so expect to drink bits and pieces of nature when using these. Often times I’ll use panty-hose to pre-filter the water which keeps it fairly clear.
- Squeeze Filters are similar to gravity filters but require you to “squeeze” a dirty bag of water through a filter. The larger the filter the more volume it will push and longer it will take until it needs to be back-flushed.
- Pump Filters require manual work to suck water from its source, through the filter, and into your bottle. These are great for when water is not flowing but sitting in small puddles. Downside is that you have to “work” for your clean water.
- Chemical treatments. Portable Aqua and Aqua Mira are great options. Like a UV filter they will often have debris floating unless you pre-filter. The downside of these is that they require time to work (20-30 minutes). I usually carry one of these as a secondary purification method on trips.
Unsure? Grab some Aqua Mira and see how everyone else’s works.
Suggested Items
Some items are absolutely necessary, some are strongly suggested, while others are totally optional. Below is a short list of other items and short notes on why I bring them.
- Pack Cover – more often than not I’ll hide under a good spruce during a rain shower. But sometimes it can get a little heavy and having a water proof pack cover is nice to keep your goods dry. A large 3mm trash back will work in a pinch as well.
- Oh-Shit Kit – this is a small bag of items that always goes with me. It’s come in handy more than once.
- Compass and Map – Maps will be provided and any baseplate basic compass will work. I like the Suunto Mc2.
- Gaia GPS app for Smartphones – although you’ll be learning how to navigate with map and compass you’ll consistently be referencing a GPS device to ensure you are on track. Download the app, start to play with it.
- Knife or Leatherman tool – a leatherman has many more features but if you are going for ultra-light then a small folder works fine.
- Bandana – a surprisingly useful thing in the backcountry. I strongly suggest bringing one.
- Belt – get a thin one as the pack can drive thicker belts into your back. A basic nylon one works fine.
- Water Bottles – after years of going back and forth between bladders and bottles I now use 2x 1 liter Camelback Chutes. They’re awesome.
- MSR Dromedary – I bring one of these to carry clean water after filtering putting my total capacity at 4 liters. If you’re not staying close to water it’s nice to have plenty for the evening / morning. If you bring a sawyer squeeze then your dirty bags can carry extra water.
- Basic First Aid – Motrin, Aspirin, Pepto-tabs, Benadryl, Band Aids, Tums, Mole Skin etc. for little boo-boos and belly aches.
- Trauma Kit – Tourniquet, Combat Gauze, Pressure Dressing, Narcotics for major injuries.
- Wet Wipes – game changer for cleaning up in the evening. Downside is they’re heavy.
- Sun-Block – a small tube for longer movements under the sun
- Small Shovel or Trough to bury those brown snakes.
Optional Items
- Book – with lots of downtime I love to read in the woods. Bring something you’ll enjoy and is small.
- Firearm – I always bring a weapon into the wilderness. Many backpackers would scoff at the additional weight but the added security for not only animals but people is worth the weight for me. It also serves as a long distance communication device for emergencies. Suggested ammo is Buffalo Bore +P.
- Binos – You will see wildlife if you are out and about at dawn and dusk. Binos are well worth the weight if you’re into that kind of stuff.
- Trekking Poles – for heavy loads they are amazing. They also give your arms something to do while walking. Some shelters also rely on these to set-up. Usually 1 pole is sufficient for recreational hiking under light loads.
- Satellite communication device – Garmin makes a device called an Inreach that is a communication device that allows you to send messages to loved ones, each other, or to emergency services. One per group is sufficient.
- Fanny or Flash Pack – after trekking for 8 miles taking off a large pack is nice. When going on short forays it’s always wise to take certain pieces of essential gear such as a headlamp, rain coat, water, and compass. Many modern packs have a removable lid that serves this purpose.
- Charging Brick – if properly configured you should be able to operate 4-5 days without the need to charge your phone. If unsure then a charging brick is a good idea. I always bring one if I am staying longer than 4 days.
- Gloves / Beanie – even in summer months it can get cool. Sleeping with a hat is nice, especially if you are bald.
- Cup or Mug – many cook sets have these included. If not it’s nice to drink coffee and a hot whiskey and cider out of an insulated mug. I like this one.
- Whiskey – there are few things in the world better than sitting under the stars by a fire while sipping on whiskey with your friends. Well worth the weight!
