GENERAL ADVICE
Fitness. Good physical fitness can help evacuate faster if necessary, getting help and having more fun.
Light Weight. The lighter you travel on backpacking trips, the more enjoyable the journey. Spend more to buy the best light gear including a pack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and down jackets. Think of eating cold food on short (4 days or less can skip stoves, pots). Some unnecessary items are guidebooks, electronics, extra shoes, jeans or almost anything cotton.
Layer with Synthetics. Cotton kills. Wear synthetics or merino. They dry quickly and are lightweight. Several layers allow adjusting clothes for optimal comfort depending on activity and weather. Adjust layers to avoid sweating. Always keep thick tops dry and don’t hike in down. Light rain shells and vests are useful. Long underwear or tights, with or without shorts are lighter and insulate better than pants.
Gloves & Hats. Because your body loses most of its heat through your head and extremities, always carry both. Try both thin, synthetic gloves for hiking and thick, fleece gloves that stay dry. Toques, headbands, puffs, and brimmed hats for shade are all useful.
Trekking poles. Long, steep ascents and descents are all much less punishing on your body with poles. Speed and endurance improve. Carrying heavy packs, wading streams, traversing steep slopes and negotiating rough trails are all easier with poles. They prevent ankle strains. Black Diamond makes the best.
Bandanas. Possibly the only cotton object in your pack, they are useful as sweat bands, sun protection, bandage or emergency slings, wet to cool down or a hundred other uses. Bring two.
Small & Essential Items. Matches, lighter, fire starter. Survival bag (leaf bag, special hiking bag with reflective surfaces), headlamp, compass, insect repellent, blister prevention (Moleskin, Spenco, duct tape), sunglasses, sunscreen and brimmed hat.
Keep It All Dry with plastic bag pack liners or good rain cover. Try Aqua-Quest waterproof, nylon organizers.
Water. Drink frequently – you should never really be thirsty. Figure out the method of sterilizing, or not, that best suits you.
Food. Hiking is not the time to lose weight. Some protein and fat sustain energy, and complex carbohydrates, and energy bars are all good. On day hikes, carry fresh or dried fruit and pita with tabouli, hummus, avocado, cucumber, sprouts and tortilla chips. For breakfast, try margarine. maple syrup and cinnamon on whole-grain bread. Real food is heavier but works if can eliminate pots, stoves and fuel. If longer than four days, stoves are useful.
HIKING ESSENTIALS
There are many lists but this is mine. They are arranged in relative order of importance and would allow one to survive overnight if necessary (imagine that you have broken your leg, can’t be rescued that day, and have to spend the night outside – what would you need to survive in relative comfort?). That should determine the essence of any list.
1. Water. It is hard to survive without a water source. One can go several days without eating.
2. Signalling mirror/Emergency Locator Beacon. A mirror is the best simple way to signal help as it can be seen from a long distance, especially from the air. Whistles are of less use as sound does not travel well. Emergency locator beacons are the best things to have if help is needed. One of the best is the De Lorme Inreach, a 2-way satellite communicator with 2 way texting for SOS and personal communication. It sends up to three pre-loaded messages, SOS in emergencies, and has automatic location tracking every 10 minutes. When coupled with the De Lorme Earthmate PN-60W GPS, it allows outbound and inbound messages with its internal keyboard and message screen. This also has De Lorme Topo maps for all of North America. Cell phones, UHF Radios, walkie-talkies and satellite phones (very heavy and thus impractical) have value depending on location. Lighting a safe fire is useful 24 hours a day.
3. Large garbage bag. A large orange leaf bag can serve as an emergency shelter and increase visibility. A bivy sack may be a better option but is much heavier. The Integral Designs 8’x10’ Siltarp 2 is another great choice.
4. Warm clothing. The amount varies with the season but every pack should have a warm jacket (down is light and warm but shouldn’t get wet), rain jacket and pants, long underwear, touque, gloves, and neck warmer. A light sleeping bag would be nice (the Western Mountaineering Ultralite weighs less than one pound).
5. Seat cushion. Keeps your bottom warm and off the ground. Thermarest seats are best but closed cell foam pads also work well.
6. Map and compass. If your GPS fails (batteries run out), a compass is invaluable. It is worthless if the declination is not known. 1:50,000 topographical maps should be carried on every hike.
7. Fire. Firestarter, matches, lighter
8. Food. Ideally should carry an extra day’s food, 1000 extra calories over and above that day’s food would be a minimum.
9. First Aid Kit. Athletic tape, pain killers and steri strips with bandaids would be a minimum. Blister protection (needle and thread, foam corn doughnuts, moleskin)
10. Insect Repellent. DEET is safe and the best consistently effective repellent.
11. Flashlight. LED headlamp is best. Spare batteries. A must if you have to walk in the dark which is not unusual.
12. Knife. Multipurpose tools like a Leatherman with pliers may be better than a Swiss Army Knife but are very heavy and may not have many actual uses (cutting off an arm if trapped by a rock). Keep the blade sharp.
13. Sun protection. Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip protector with sunscreen.
14. Nylon cord. Useful for many things.
15. Keys and Identification.
16. Pack. One large enough to hold all this stuff. I like the 38-liter Deuter Futura.
17. Common Sense.
DAY HIKING LIST
Pack.
Deuter Futura 38 liter
Ice axe
Hiking poles. Black Diamond poles are best because the locking system is less likely to fail.
Top pocket
Toilet paper, lighter in plastic bag, shovel
Compass, signalling mirror, whistle,
Lighter
SA knife or Leatherman
Sunscreen
Lip with sunscreen
Spoon
Salt and pepper
Bandanas
Insect repellant. DEET is the only effective repellent.
GPS and Emergency Location Beacon
Sunglasses Eyeglass side pieces (if on glaciers)
Keys, wallet
Petzl Zipka headlight
Side pocket 1
Mitts or wool gloves, neck warmer, toque, nylon over mitts
Side pocket 2
Large leaf bag
Umbrella
Siltarp 2 – 8×10 feet
Cord
Main bag
Long johns merino
Nylon rain pants
Rainjacket. No liner, shell only
Marmot Driclime
Long sleeved shirt
Light fleece
Puff jacket
Hat
First aid. Bandaids, Kling, steri strips, regular Medications, moleskin or other
blister preparation, clippers, scissors
Thermarest seat
Water bottles, water bladder
Sandwich box
Thermos jar
Instep Crampons.
SteriPEN water purifier
Camera
BACKPACK LIST
This list is complete and should be tailored to the trip.
Backpack. Deuter Futura 50 or 60 or Osprey Aether
Raincover
Whistle, straps
Daypack. Any “no padding” pack that folds into a pocket
Umbrella
Tarp
Sleep
Tent: MSR Hubba or Hubba Hubba Nexis. Big Agnes 1-man tent.
Footprint
Sleeping bag, stuff sacks, pillow, long bottoms,
Petzl Zipka headlight
Alarm,
Sleeping mat. Lightest Themarest Uber light, Exped down mat
Cooking
MSR Dragonfly, spare parts, screens, bag, fuel bottle with pump Fuel bottle spares. The amount depends on the trip
Cooking pots, Campsuds, scrubber, gripper, diffuser, cup, tin foil, bag
Utensils: spoons, serrated knife, knife, fork, flipper, strainer, sharp knife
Bowl, cup, spoon, knife, net bag
Lighter
Water: bottles-1L,1/2L, Platypus, water carrier
Plastic sandwich box
Egg box
Hygiene, first aid, personal
First aid: bandaids, Kling, cortisone, moleskin, Blister preparation, tweezers
Sew kit
Toothbrush and paste, floss, comb, scissors, clippers, medication, lip screen, sunscreen
Wet Ones
Toilet paper, lighter, trowel
Swiss army knife or Leatherman
Mirror, light cord, compass
GPS, Emergency locator beacon
Sunscreen, lip screen.
Towel, bandanas
Insect repellant (only DEET works)
Clothesline
Inside pocket
Money (US, Canadian), credit cards, ID, Drivers License, Keys
Clothes
Hats: baseball, Tilley
Sunglasses
Zip ties
T-shirt
Long sleeved shirt
Light fleece
Driclime
Puff jacket
Rain/wind jacket – Goretex, Marmot Precip
Underwear: poly
Hiking shorts, zip-off legs
Nylon long pants
Rain pants
Socks: Ultramax, heavy wool/nylon blend
Hiking shoes, boots, wading
Gaiters
Thongs
Toque, neck warmer, mitts, nylon over mitts
Miscellaneous
Registers
Notebook and pen
Water purifier. SteriPEN
Booze
Bags: ziplock, garbage, dirty clothes,
Camera, chips, batteries, tripod
Batteries: headlight, camera
Duct tape
Hiking poles
Maps, hike description Book
Climbing
Rope, slings
Ice axe
Crampons
Helmet
Harness, carabiners, descender
Swimming hike
Inner tube, bicycle pump, valve remover (to float pools)
Wet suit
Food
Breakfast: granola, powdered milk, coffee, hot chocolate, tea
Lunch: cream cheese, peanut butter, tuna, cold cuts, hummus and veggies, couscous, bread, Wasa
Dinner: refer to dehydrating and recipes, freeze-dried, or homemade dehydrated
Snacks: granola bars, currants, dried fruit, chocolate bars
Staples: salt and pepper, margarine tube, jam tube, oil, spices
Drink: coffee instant, hot chocolate, sugar, tea, drink mix
Chickenwire for car
