Backpacking - What To Carry

A checklist on what to carry -

Individual Stuffs

1. Backpack - For a 3 day camping trip, we had a 65L or 70L backpack.
2. Sleeping Bag - I’d recommend carrying a sleeping back 20F lesser than the minimum temperature.
3. Sleeping Pad - Good for your back.
4. Hiking Boots - The boots give you more ankle support but some of us had hiking shoes and they were fine too. I had a Vasque Breeze III Mid-Hiking Boots and they were great.
5. Water Shoes - I’d recommend hiking in the water with sandals - something like this. Some us had water shoes but then sand or tiny pebbles would get stuck in the water shoes.
6. Clothing - I’d recommend only 1 additional pair of clothing (besides the one you’re wearing) for a 3 day trip. Convertible Pants are really convenient - Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pant or the Mountain Hardwear Mesa Convertible Pants. Also, don’t wear any cotton top - preferably any material that wicks sweat (any of the sports wear should do).
7. Socks - Don’t wear cotton socks. We had Darn Tough socks and they were really comfortable throughout the trip.
8. Battery Charger - To make sure your phone never runs out of battery and you could take a lot of photos, carry something like this.
9. Food - Check out my earlier post.
10. Water Bottle / Hydration Bladder - All of us carried a 2L hydration bladder for carrying water and a water bottle for Gatorade or electrolyte.
11. Headlamp - I’d recommend this over a torch light (good to have your hands free).
12. Ponchos - Just in case it rains.
13. Hiking Poles
14. Cap and Sunglasses - really helpful!!
15. Towel
16. Tooth-Brush, Paste and other accessories
17. Bio-Degradable Soap - We carried these.
18. Hand Sanitizer, Toilet Paper and Face wipes.
19. Water Filter - to filter water but we ended up directly drinking from the tap water in the campgrounds.
20. Pocket Knife
21. Cord - Comes in handy for a lot of things (hanging clothes or tying)

Group Stuffs

1. Tents - REI rentals.
2. First Aid Kit.
3. BugSpray.
4. Sunscreen.
5. Trash Bags
6. Fuel Cannister, Lighter, Stove and Kitchen Utensils - REI rentals.
7. Cards, Small Speakers and Board Games - for entertainment :)

I’m sure I might have missed something but this is a good list to start with.

Kaushik Rangadurai

Code. Learn. Explore

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