Packing for Wilderness Camping

There is nothing more liberating than to strap your food, shelter and clothes on your back and leave the tedious world of emails, obligation and internal-combustion engines far behind. This is the essence of backpacking, not only to test your grit and resilience, but to reach places that haven’t been commodified by heedless humans.

Visiting these places means carrying anything you require, from your tent and bedroll to your food, stove and sometimes even water. A vibrant industry of go-light gear manufacturers serves the community of backpackers, so there’s no lack of options. But which do you need, and which are luxury items? That question matters when you’re shaving ounces from your kit, balancing weight with necessity.

The reality is that the more you carry the less far you’ll be able to travel and the more tired and unhappy you’ll be. On the other hand, minimalists are often cold, hungry and unhappy because they didn’t bring enough of the right gear.

Planning a days-long backcountry adventure starts with knowing where to go. A number of mapping services will help, and most have offline maps so you don’t have to rely on phone service to find your way around.

MAPS

The gold standard for digital maps is onX, and while hunters rely on the brand’s Hunt app, the company’s new Backcountry app is better suited to hikers. It shows trails, campgrounds and terrain features, and is updated regularly with satellite images. CalTopo provides all those features, plus snow depth and a water gauge for streams, slope angle and low-resolution satellite images that are updated daily. Just as importantly, since you don’t want to be running your battery down in the backcountry, where cell signals are weak to nonexistent, both have excellent offline features.

Every outing is unique in its destination, weather and details, but I rely on a basic checklist when prepping for a week-long backpacking trip I make every year with buddies. Some of this gear can be shared with your companions (for instance, three of us each take a third of our tent components), but for the purposes of planning, I’m going to assume you’re going solo. I’m also going to assume that you’ll be able to filter water when you get to your destination. That’s a key consideration, since if you must pack in your water, you’ll be severely limited by weight.

BACKPACK

For summer backpacking, I want a pack that can capably and comfortably haul 35 to 40 pounds and has enough capacity that I can hike out with more than I brought in. That rarely happens, but a couple times I’ve had to pack out the gear of an injured companion, and I want to make sure I’m not leaving key gear (or buddies) behind. My favorite is the Mystery Ranch Beartooth 85, not only for its versatile in-pack storage options but for its load shelf for carrying heavy gear like a tent or the elk antler you found in the high country.

TENT

Depending on the number in your party and whether you’ll be camping in a sheltered meadow or a on wind-whipped ledge, there’s a tent for every purpose. My favorite combination of versatility and weight is Nemo’s Dagger OSMO Ultralight in either the 2- or 3-person configuration. It’s taller than most ultralight models and has a waterproof storage area, excellent hardware and durable fabric.

SLEEPING KIT

You don’t need your 5-pound sleeping bag with a -20 degree rating in summer. Yes, it will be chilly if you’re venturing into the high country, but the couple pounds you save on your summer bag lets you pack more food and fun. I’m partial to the new Exped Deepsleep 30, a 30-degree bag that packs down to a football-sized load and weighs a bit more than 2 pounds. You’ll also want an inflatable mattress. The Static V from Klymit weighs just 18 ounces. I used to scoff at buddies who backpacked with inflatable pillows. Then I tried one. The Alps Versa Pillow will enhance your sleep, plus it’s a great seat cushion.

STOVE AND FOOD

I often pack a little ditty bag of spices and salts in case I catch a fish that I want to eat, but food can take up precious space and weight. For the purposes of this piece, let’s stick with dehydrated meals and a stove that only has to boil water. There’s a gluttonous amount of good backpacking food on the market, but a couple of brands to consider are Stowasy Gourmet (their Wild Boar Bacon Bean Stew is the best dehydrated meal I’ve ever consumed), Peak Refuel (Beef Stroganoff) and Mountain House (Beef Lasagna).

It’s hard to beat the classic 13-ounce JetBoil Flash stove and water pot that can boil water in 2 minutes. But the tiny Grayl Camp Stove that threads onto a butane canister is a darling of ultralight hikers. Pair it with Grayl’s GeoPress titanium water filter and you can filter, boil, and store your water in one efficient unit. Pro tip: Pack an extra-long plastic spoon to stir these dehydrated banquets.

SURVIVAL GEAR

My backpack always contains a smaller kit that contains the essentials of survival in case things really go off the rails It has three different fire starters: a lighter, waterproof matches and a flint striker. It has tinder for emergency fire, an emergency space blanket, my third knife, fishing line and hooks, wire snares for catching birds and small game, iodine tablets for purifying water, blood clotting agent and a tourniquet, basic medication, surgical gloves and some hard candies to boost my blood sugar in dire moments. My survival kit includes a Garmin InReach Mini, a satellite communication device that I keep clipped to my belt. In cases of real emergency, it sends a GPS-mapped SOS alert, but in non-emergencies it allows me to text my contacts back in the known world.

LIGHTING

You can turn in when the sun goes down, but there’s nothing more cheerful than a few lights in camp, the more so if you’re weathered in or if you have to hike out in the dark. A reliable headlamp is critical (I’m partial to the rechargeable BioLite 800 Pro), but the NestOut Gear Lamp, which attaches to a portable battery and provides up to 17 hours of lighting, is clutch when you’re setting up a tent in the dark or have to illuminate your tent for an after-hours card game. Also, check out the Exped UltraPump, which will not only inflate your camp pad but light your camp, as well.

OUTERWEAR

Naturally, the weather forecast will be favorable, and at the sunny trailhead you’ll be tempted to leave layers to save weight. Do it at your peril. Must-pack items include a good rain jacket. I prefer a breathable model in case I have to hike in it, but if you’re headed into rain country and know you’ll be wet and miserable without one, pack a good rubberized jacket instead. I also have a wool or synthetic sweater plus a warm vest. Even in the high summer, it can snow or freeze anywhere in the West, so I also pack light gloves and a fleece hat, which is nice to sleep in.

The rest is up to you, but I always pack a pair of dry socks, a merino shirt, merino long johns and a change of underwear in a vacuum-sealed gear bag. If you get doused, they’re nice to have; if you get cold and wet, they can save your life.

MISCELLANY

This includes toiletries, a deck of cards, maybe a flask of spirits, external power for phones and gadgets, a paper map, parachute cord, a 50-foot length of slender rope, fishing gear depending on the season and the destination and at least three knives (one on my belt, one in my emergency kit and one in my pocket). And I almost always pack a compact binocular. The ability to see will reveal worlds of wonder, but it’s also useful for finding a distant trail or spotting a campsite on the very lake where you intended to camp.

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