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@coffeejoshua
Last active July 26, 2023 16:18
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Backpacking Checklist

Backpacking Checklist

Shelter and sleep system

  • Tent, Footprint, Rain cover/fly and stakes (in one pack)
  • Sleeping Bag
  • Sleeping Pad
  • Sleeping Pillow

Water Treatment

  • Chemical Backup Aquatabs in first aid kit
  • Water Purifier System: Guardian needs no extra parts. Or a Water Filter System: Sawyer, squeeze bag or a large smartwater bottle, backwashing plunger, hoses and fittings, safer to get 2X Sawyer if you can and keep the backup new and dry

Food and kitchen

  • Food packed in dry bag
  • Empty second dry bag for garbage and waste (can be hung for bears), containing several empty gallon ziplock bags
  • Long-handle Spork or spoon
  • Candy and Jerky, Costco junkfood snacks (if individually wrapped open them an and put them in ziploc bag before the trip), leave some things and protean bars wrapped
  • Stove and 2x 100g of Fuel for groups arrange to carry less/no backup fuel
  • 2x Electric Lighter with flashlight (or 1 per person in a group)
  • Titanium Cup
  • Nalgene wide-mouth Water Bottle and a hydration bladder for longer trips. Mak sure whatever you get has that same 3.5 inch diameter screw connection to attach directly to the water filter
  • Tea (in bags will make trash, maybe open and put in ziploc before) and Coffee (instant makes less trash)

Clothing

  • Tee or long shirt of synthetic material (per weather)
  • Shorts or pants of synthetic material (per weather)
  • Light Midlayer (down or synthetic)
  • Outer layer or rain gear (Gore-Tex jacket with hood and pants) or plastic poncho, backpack rain cover, and Umbrella for desert sunny or higher chance of rain
  • Optional sleeping shirt (For me that is a cotton tee)
  • Glasses and glass cleaner, sunglasses, silicone ear grips or chums
  • Watershoes/camp shoes
  • Adventure Hat
  • Socks - Synthetic and extra pair
  • Underwear - Synthetic material and extra pair

Survival and medical

  • First Aid Kit
    • Prescriptions/Painkiller/Allergy/Sleep pills
    • Rescue Inhaler and Epipen (if needed)
    • Small backup butane Lighter
    • Band-Aid X10 (optional, add 6 inch or so of moleskin)
    • Repair Tape Tenacious Gear Aid
    • Iodine prep pad, first aid tape and bandage, antiseptic towelette, rubber tourniquet (comes with most first aid kits)
    • Small scissors
    • Tweezers
  • Trowel
  • Maps and Compass, or digital maps preloaded on phone
  • Bear Spray in Brown or Polar bear zones (I don't bother with it for black bears), 1 per group
  • Bug Spray Picaridin 4 oz or DEET, one small bottle per person for long trips
  • Body bug protection Ben's InvisiNet
  • Sunscreen
  • Earplugs
  • Headlamp with extra battery (for planned night hikes only, use lighter and phone for emergency/unplanned)
  • Wet wipes in ziplo with an extra bag for used wipes
  • If where you're going requires you to remove solid human waste (some popular deserts, alpines, narrow river canyons, etc) get WAG Bags
  • Paracord Rope (to hang dry bags overnight in bear areas) or less preferred but some areas require a Bear Canister
  • 1 Knife per group

Car Bag to be left behind in trunk

  • Extra Junkfood for when you return that can handle temperature spikes (cookies, chips, etc)
  • Extra clothes (if there is a long drive home)

Nice to have

  • Chair 2.3 lbs or 1.1 lbs
  • Chapstick
  • Wilderness Soap (Any size is too large, only a very small amount is needed)
  • Lotion
  • Kindle and Headphones
  • Trekking Poles
  • Toothbrush and paste
  • Solar/battery/charger
  • Synthetic gear washed with Nikwax, Down Gear Version, Tent Version
  • Outer gear pre-treated the day before with Permethrin
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