There are many brands and products out there. The following is a list of gear I have found useful and/or indispensable. All of the gear that I have listed that is named and has links, are products that I feel I can recommend. My suggestion is to take what you can and do your research for what will fit your needs the best. I hope you will find this information helpful.

Backpack
Tent Related
Warm Weather Clothes
Cold Weather Clothes
Water System
Cooking Set-up
Lighting
Other Necessities
Gear Maintenance Recommendations
A bit on Organization

Overnight backpacking/hiking (warm & cold weather).

It can be a good practice to bring cold weather clothes to leave in the car just in case. Nights are usually cooler in the out doors than we sometimes think it will be.

Backpack

I use an Osprey, however, there are plenty of efficient ones out there. If you want advice, pick one that has a good reputation and is most comfortable with weight in it.

Tent Related

• Tent: Mountain Hardwear Room with a View—2 person
• 45˚ Snugpak sleeping bag (European bag I picked up in Northern Ireland)
• Thin sleeping bag liner
• Sleeping pad/chair: Mountain Hardwear
• I keep my bottom half warm by wearing synthetic long underwear, with sock liners, loose socks, and light weight pants.
• On top I wear a moisture-wicking long sleeve, with a wool sweater over that, and a beanie.
• This system utilizes the clothes you bring, instead of needing to bring a bulky heavy sleeping bag, and keeps me pretty warm and I did not wake up through the night at all, except to pee (too much coffee I guess).

Warm Weather Clothes

Clothing: Be prepared for anything, in any season. and try to stay away from cotton.

• Hiking Boots: I wear Salomon. A solid sole will make for happy feet when carrying a pack.
• Light weight wind/rain shell: Mountain Hardwear (discontinued)
• Fleece
• Chaco Sandals: (@ REI) or light weight shoes for base camping
• Socks: 3 pairs
• Underwear
• Pants: 2 pairs lightweight
• Shorts
• T-Shirts: Usually 2
• 2 Bandannas
• Hat: I have an Australian Outback hat the keeps me dry and the sun of my face
• Leather gloves or something comparable
• OR (Outdoor Research) Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters to keep out the sticks and weeds

Cold Weather Clothes

• Hiking Boots: I wear Salomon
• Sorels
• Down filled jacket: Mountain Hardwear
• Wind/rain shell: Mountain Hardwear (discontinued)
• Fleece or wool sweater
• Light weight shoes for base camping
• Socks: 3 pairs
• Sock liners: 2 pair
• Underwear
• Long underwear for top and bottom: I like the moisture-wicking
• Pants: 2 pairs lightweight
• T-Shirts: Usually 2
• 2 Bandannas
• Winter gloves: I have a three part system: thin glove liners; Mountain Hardwear wind resistant gloves, (discontinued, however anything mid weight will do, like these OR gloves); OR waterproof shells (mine are old, so this is the closest I could find for what I have). This allows me to have hand protection for any weather condition.
• Beanie
• Hat

Water system

• CamelBak: 100 oz get one based on the size of your pack (@ REI). I plan to switch to the Osprey 3L HydraForm Reservoir – 100 fl. oz. It fits my pack better.
• Nathan 24 oz for drinking on the fly (@ REI)
• Nalgene 32 oz wide mouth bottle for easy filling (@ REI)
• Water Purifier: Sawyer Water Treatment System—4L capacity (@ REI)
• MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution to purify the water for back up

Cooking Set-up (see Backpacking Food for more)

• MSR Dragon Fly Stove: Can use many different fuels, or
• Snow Peak Giga Power Stove: Very small and lightweight. Great for heating water rapidly.
• REI Ti Ware Kettle/pot: I use this as both a teapot and to cook my food (for personal use).
• REI Ti Ware Nonstick Titanium Cookset (for family set-up).
• Titanium Mug: I plan to get an REI Ti Ware Double-Wall Mug, with lid, as my single-wall gets cold too quickly
• Utensils: I have a titanium spoon, a wooden ladel spoon that I made, a Light My Fire—Spork, and an REI Campware Mini Spatula (highly recommend). WIth all of these, I still have not figured out which one I prefer. I bought Carrie and Zoe the To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensil Set (@ REI) and they love it! If I had to recommend a set, it would be the To-Go Ware or the Spork. And the REI Spatula for me, is a must have.
• GSI Compact Scraper: (@ REI) finally something I can fall in love with. Amazing to clean with
• REI Double Shot Press Mug: I am still in debate about this one, as it is heavier than I like. The upside is that coffee can be stored in the bottom, and it comes with two lids (one for French Press). I also have a French Press mug with a screw top lid to keep liquids hot, however it leaks on occasion, so I rarely use it.

Lighting

• Maglite Flashlight (@ REI)
• Princeton Tec Headlamp (@ Recreation Outlet)

Other necessities

• First Aid Kit (list coming soon)
• Compass or GPS
• Maps
• Lighter and Matches
• Camera (see Camera Gear)
• Smith Sunglasses: I like the Toasters so I can switch out the lenses for different circumstances
• Chums: or something to hold them around your neck
• Shovel: I have a U-Dig-It (@ REI), metal, fold up shovel. I use this for many things, including bathroom time to dig a small hole to bury it. You can use plastic ones, but they can break at the worse times
• Toilet paper: I have found leaves don’t work so great!
• Zip-line: (Paracord works great—500 lbs+ rating) for tying things up or down and for clothes line. It’s a good idea to dry your clothes out when you make camp—especially socks!
• D-rings: usually come in handy
• Stove cleaning/repair kit
• Lightweight Buck Axe: depends on where I am going
• Carving Knife
• Kershaw Pocket Knife (@ REI)
• Knife Sharpener

You can definitely find ways to go lighter than this, but I like my comforts.

Remember that everything you pack in needs to be packed back out with you. So the only weight in your pack that you lose is the food you eat.

Gear maintenance recommendations

Reading the instruction/maintenance manuals that come with the gear can really help. I always thought this was a good idea, but I didn’t really do it much. Before going on your next big adventure, sit down and pull your gear out (especially new gear) and set it up to see how it works or if it still does.

Stoves

I have had my two stoves for over 6 years and have not had to perform any maintenance, just by keeping it clean and taking care to store it well. While the Snow Peak Giga Power is much easier to use, and very lightweight, than the MSR Dragonfly, I prefer the latter for lower fuel consumption and cost, and the idea that I can use almost any fuel I have at hand if needed. It also has various sizes of refillable fuel canisters you can use to fit your needs. It’s a great traveling companion.

I recommend both of these stoves to anyone depending on your camping/backpacking style, where you are going, and how long you will be gone.

Tent

My Mountain Hardwear tent is over 10 years old, and is in great shape, without needing new seem tape or any other repairs. This is because of the care I take to pack it and keeping it dry. Don’t store anything wet or in the sun for too long.

A bit on organization

I use mesh bags to separate my gear in my pack. These are light weight and makes it very easy to find what you need quickly. I know others who use colored bags, such as Roxanne and Jenny did on the Escalante trip in 2010. When I started backpacking I would throw everything into my pack loosely. It was a nightmare to always be digging around my pack or to have to take everything out, every time, to find one small thing.

View Gear for Family Site Camping for a comprehensive list of Equipment.

(Via JosephTravels, JosephDC)

Tweet this!