This gear list is an example of an actual packing list I used for a June 2008 five night trip in New England. I’ve used this same packing list for long weekends as well. Everyone will have different ideas about ‘essential’ equipment, but this list will give you a starting point for comparison. For example, you may find that you don’t need a paperback book, which is one of my essentials. I really enjoy reading at night before going to sleep.
I often carry a tent instead of tarp, due to black flies, mosquitoes and unpredictable Northeast weather. You can travel lighter with a tarp instead of a tent, but if it’s a rainy, buggy week, the additional comfort of a lightweight tent goes a long way. I found that the load that I carried for this trip was a perfect balance between comfort, safety and weight. You’ll notice that I bring Crocs, which may be a place some of you can cut pack weight. I like to get out of my sweaty trail shoes and still protect my feet around camp, especially if there is a place to swim or wade.
Multi-purpose gear is one way that you can save a lot of weight. Instead of a rain jacket and a windbreaker, I bring my DriDucks rain suit. The whole suit weighs only 9 ounces, is waterproof, breathable and wind resistant. So, I can wear the jacket when it rains, wear it in camp for extra warmth and I can wear it as bug protection when the no-see-ums or mosquitoes are relentless. I’ve found the pants to be much less durable, so I rarely wear them on the trail, but bring them to use around camp for rain and bug protection and to keep me warm on chilly nights. The more uses you can find for a single piece of equipment, the lighter your pack is likely to be.
With food, fuel and water, this pack weighs just under 25 pounds!
Create your own spreadsheet, weigh your gear on a postal scale and see how you can add and subtract gear to give you the best balance between a light load and a comfortable trip. Remember, no amount of gear replaces common sense and experience. Have fun and be safe out there!
| weight in ounces | weight in pounds | ||||
| Clothes | |||||
| extra pair of Wright socks | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| EMS gloves | 3 | 0.19 | |||
| Fleece hat | 1.4 | 0.09 | |||
| DriDucks Rain Jacket | 5 | 0.31 | |||
| DriDucks Rain Pants | 4 | 0.25 | |||
| Long sleeve fleece shirt | 8 | 0.50 | |||
| Coolmax boxer shorts | 5 | 0.31 | |||
| extra New Balance coolmax t-shirt | 4 | 0.25 | |||
| Camp shoes – “Crocs” | 9 | 0.56 | |||
| 2.53 | subtotal | ||||
| Shelter | |||||
| Tarptent Squall 2 | 34 | 2.13 | |||
| POE Thermo X-Lite mattress | 26 | 1.63 | |||
| Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina sleeping bag | 32 | 2.00 | |||
| 5.75 | subtotal | ||||
| Packing | |||||
| Golite Jam 2 pack | 21 | 1.31 | |||
| silnylon rain cover for pack | 3 | 0.19 | |||
| 3 garbage bags and 4 ziplocs | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| 1.56 | subtotal | ||||
| Cooking and Water | |||||
| small titanium pot and mini bic | 4 | 0.25 | |||
| plastic cup | 3 | 0.19 | |||
| plastic “Frosty” spoon | 0.4 | 0.03 | |||
| Etowah alcohol stove | 4 | 0.25 | |||
| Platypus water bladder | 3 | 0.19 | |||
| 16 ounce bottled water bottle | 2 | 0.13 | |||
| bear bag with 50 feet of mason line | 4 | 0.25 | |||
| Water purifying drops | 2 | 0.13 | |||
| 1.40 | subtotal | ||||
| Navigation | |||||
| maps | 2 | 0.13 | |||
| paper & pencil | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| Tikka headlamp w/3 extra AAA | 6 | 0.38 | |||
| Photon mini LED | 0.21 | 0.01 | |||
| compass | 3 | 0.19 | |||
| 0.76 | subtotal | ||||
| Toiletries & misc. other items | |||||
| mini swiss army knife | 0.6 | 0.04 | |||
| esbit tab & 10 strike anywhere matches | 0.5 | 0.03 | |||
| Aspirin, benadryl and tylenol with codiene | 0.5 | 0.03 | |||
| antiseptic cream with pain relief | 0.25 | 0.02 | |||
| 8 butterfly bandages | 0.02 | 0.00 | |||
| emergency whistle | 0.5 | 0.03 | |||
| extra mini Bic lighter | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| duct tape | 2 | 0.13 | |||
| Sunscreen | 0.5 | 0.03 | |||
| bug repellent – DEET | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| mosquito head net | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| bandanna | 1 | 0.06 | |||
| MSR pack towel - for bathing and swimming | 5 | 0.31 | |||
| toilet paper | 2 | 0.13 | |||
| Purell hand sanitizer | 3 | 0.19 | |||
| book – paperback | 5 | 0.31 | |||
| Camera with case and extra battery | 12 | 0.75 | |||
| tootbrush, paste, floss | 2.5 | 0.16 | |||
| gold bond powder – for feet and trail chafing | 1.6 | 0.10 | |||
| 2.50 | subtotal | ||||
| Total Pack weight before food, fuel & water | 231.98 | 14.50 | Lbs | ||
| Food and fuel for x days | 5 | Days | |||
| 2 oz of alcohol for stove per day | 10 | 0.63 | |||
| 1.5-2 pounds of Food per day/person | 140 | 8.75 | |||
| Water (average amt carried at a time) | 16 | 1.00 | |||
| Total pack weight in ounces | 397.98 | ||||
| Total pack weight in pounds | 24.87 | ||||
| Wear while hiking | |||||
| baseball hat | |||||
| New Balance coolmax t-shirt | |||||
| nylon hiking shorts | |||||
| Wright socks | |||||
| trekking pole | |||||
| trail running shoes |
What a fun distraction from work this was! Much better than the stuff I usually do. Thanks for the pick-me-up!