My husband and I backpacked for four days and three nights to Brown Pass in the North Fork of Glacier National Park in late August. This is what I carried in my pack. You can read my full write-up of the trip here.
Backpacking with a partner is great because you can share gear and spilt up some of the weight. Taylor carried the tent and some of the food while I carried our Jetboil, water purifier, and about 3/4 of the food. If you're backpacking on your own, you might need to make adjustments to this list.
GEAR
- Women's Osprey Aura 50 AG pack
- REI Quarter Dome tent with footprint
- Hydrapak 3L Shape-Shift water reservoir
- Headlamp
- Extra batteries for headlamp
- Black Diamond Trekking Poles
- Big Agnes Q-Core Sleeping Pad
- REI Joule Sleeping Bag
- NEMO Fillow camp pillow
- Camp towel
- Stackable camp bowls (2)
- Stackable utensils (2 sets)
- Odor Proof Opsak bags (2)
- Sea to Summit lightweight dry sack
- Ursack Bear Resistant Bag
- Deuce of Spades Backcountry Potty Trowel
- 50ft nylon paracord
- Carabiner (1)
- Pocket Knife
- JetBoil Sumo
- JetBoil Fuel canister (1)
- Platypus GravityWorks 4.0L Filter System
- Bear Spray
- GoTenna
- Luminoodle LED rope light
CLOTHING
- Hiking boots
- Camp shoes
- KÜHL women's hiking pants
- Cotton T-Shirt (2)
- Running shorts (2)
- Sports bra (2)
- Patagonia bikini briefs (3)
- Smartwool hiking socks (2)
- Long-sleeved base layer
- Zip Up Hoodie
- Swim suit
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Bandanna
- Rain jacket
- Pack rain cover
- Eagle Creek Packing cube (medium)
FOOD
- ProBars (6 each)
- Salami (1 each)
- Tuna packets (6)
- Beef jerky (1 large bag)
- Via coffee packets (6)
- Dehydrated whole milk
- Mountain House dehydrated backpacking meals (3 each)
- Gummy Worms (1 bag)
- Trail mix (1 large bag)
- Baby carrots (1 small bag)
- Nuun Active Hydrating Electrolyte tablets
OTHER
- Wet Wipes
- Advil
- Tums
- Hand Sanitizer
- Iodine tablets
- Mosquito repellant
- Travel sized sunscreen
- Travel Sized Deodorant
- Travel sized toothbrush and toothpaste
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Kleenex
- Toilet Paper
- Moleskin blister dressings
- Burts Bees lip balm
- Small first aid kit
What We Learned
We've gone on a few backpacking trips and we're still dialing in our gear. We learn something new on every trip and this was no exception.
Rain Gear
I agonize on every trip I go on whether or not to bring my full compliment of rain gear. This includes my rain jacket, waterproof pants, and pack cover. I decided not to bring my waterproof pants this time because the forecast didn't call for rain. Well, the forecast was wrong. We got pretty drenched on the second day of our trip. I think I've finally learned that unless I am going somewhere where it almost never rains (like the Grand Canyon), I'm bringing all of my rain gear. It's worth the little bit of extra weight to stay dry and comfortable.
Utilizing the outside of my pack
I realized on this trip that I do not use the outside of my pack enough and always try to squeeze everything inside of it. For example, I left my very lightweight but comfortable camp chair at home because it wouldn't fit in my pack. Weighing in at only a pound, I could have easily have strapped this to the outside of my pack and had a comfortable place to sit during our hours at camp.
Bringing the right amount of food and water
This is probably the hardest thing for me. I definitely pack my fears when it comes to packing food and water. On this trip, I could easily have brought a water bottle with attached purifier and filled it up along the hike instead of carrying 3 liters on my back each day. We're also still figuring out the formula for the right amount of food. We had quite a bit of food leftover and didn't even touch the tuna packets we brought.