Gear Lists
Gear Checklists to make your packing easy peasy!
Here are some links to the products I use or recommend. There are so many choices….these are just what I use.
Backpacking Stove
This has been my go-to backpacking stove. No need to get the one with a lighter as it will fail at some point. Better to have this simple stove and bring a lighter. I love this stove because it packs up super small and fits inside my cooking pot when packed up.
Cooking Pot
I’ve had this Toaks cooking pot for many years and it holds up very well! You shouldn’t ever need anything bigger. What’s great is the pocket rocket stove fits right inside along with a mini propane tank.
Mug
This mug is the perfect size and it fits right on top of the toaks cooking pot, like a lid.
Propane
This gas cannister is the perfect size for backpacking. Should get you through 4-5 days. Plus! It fits inside your cooking pot!
Pooping in the Woods
My new favorite thing! I used to carry wet/flushable wipes. But they were heavy! These are my new go-to. Just add a tiny bit of water and you can really get clean. These are biodegradable and decompose within 75 days! Also good to use as a general body cleaning wipe.
Basic Shovel. Compact, Lightweight, strong. Does the job!
Utensils
Any Spork will do 🙂 I’ve never needed anything besides this.
Lighter
Any lighter – just have it be small so it will fit in your cooking setup
Bears!
The Bear Vault is very convenient and sometimes required in bear country. Convenient in that you do not have to find a tree to hang your food. This container is bear proof. But it is not smell proof so i take another measure and get bear bags to further protect the food and trash. You can usually get by with the bear vault 450 for 3-4 days. Anything longer and you will want a bigger one.
I started using these bear bags a few years ago. I usually bring two…one for food and all anything else that has a scent and one for trash. Sometimes I double up just in case. These are washable and reusable.
A must have for going into bear country!
Food
My very favorite backpacking dinner is the mountain house lasagna. There are quite a few good ones…but this always seems to hit the spot. Note that this is a full two servings – which you’ll definitely be able to eat in one sitting…but I have found that splitting it into two servings saves so much space. I use one package to cook in and put the other serving in a plastic baggie for the next night. These meals are big and take up a lot of space. I haven’t had a problem with being hungry since I started splitting into two meals.
Charger
This Anker charger is the bomb! It is so reliable. The Anker brand is trusted and hasn’t failed me. This is a 20,000 mAh power bank. This will last me 4 days of charging my phone from depleted to full every day. The great thing about this is it stops charging when the device is done charging so it doesn’t deplete the battery. Super important to use fast charging cords like C to C etc. Don’t waste battery with slow charging cords.
Water Filter
My all-time favorite water filter. Absolutely reliable, easy to clean, easy to know if it’s compromised, quick to filter. I’ve had a few and this is the very best.
Headlamp
If you’re backpacking you don’t want to have to wonder if your batteries are going to die, especially for your headlamp. I always bring a rechargeable headlamp. Get a good quality one like this.
Snow
Kahtoola is such a trusted brand. Just spend the extra on these and you won’t need to buy any more. Necessary any time you think you might hit compacted snow or ice on the trail. They are pretty amazing.
Here are some links to the products I use or recommend. There are so many choices….these are just what I use.
Camping Stoves
This has been my go-to backpacking stove. No need to get the one with a lighter as it will fail at some point. Better to have this simple stove and bring a lighter. I love this stove because it packs up super small and fits inside my cooking pot when packed up.
Cooking Pot
I’ve had this Toaks cooking pot for many years and it holds up very well! You shouldn’t ever need anything bigger. What’s great is the pocket rocket stove fits right inside along with a mini propane tank.
Mug
This mug is the perfect size and it fits right on top of the toaks cooking pot, like a lid.