17 Essential Items for a Beginner Backpacker

When people are just diving into backpacking/hiking/backcountry camping, whatever you want to call “not car camping”, the biggest question is always: What do I need?

Yes, gear is kind of important with backpacking. Gear can also be expensive. You could get by with a minimal amount of gear, but really, that’s something you work up to, not start out with. (I personally have the goal of taking the “knife only” course offered by Texas Survival School, which is exactly what it sounds like. No gear, just a knife; survive five days in the backcountry. But I gotta pass the next two levels first.)

So here’s a list of what I would say is basic, must-have gear for a backpacking trip, with an emphasis on looking for used gear first, in order to save money. Let me also preface this by saying I am not a survival expert. My survival skills are somewhere between basic and intermediate; I’m actually in the process of getting more backwoods survival training. But I’m confident that this gear will allow you to enjoy your time on the trail, while also incorprating things that would come in handy in case of an emergency.

(Please note that this list includes affiliate links, so if you click the link and choose to purchase something as a result, I will get a very small commission. If it makes you feel any better, I have three kids and a dog and it turns out they all have stomachs and need to eat, so you’d be helping me feed them. 😉)

1. A 45 Liter (at least) Pack
   • I’m very specific about the size, because anything smaller than 45 Liters will not fit all the gear you need and thus would be better suited for a day pack. And, as you’ll quickly learn, the gear you need for a one-night trip, versus a four-night trip is not drastically different. The only thing that will fluctuate is food and maybe clothes, depending upon the season.
   • It’s important that your pack fits you properly. A poorly fitted pack makes for a tough backpacking experience. I know REI does pack fittings, and if you have a BSA facility in your area, it’s possible they could fit you, as well.
   • In regards to pack brands, I have packs made by Vaude, Deuter, and Osprey, and I would recommend any of those. They are all different sizes, but they were also what I would call “investment gear”. Meaning, they cost a pretty penny…but they are all high quality and will last a long time.
   • My Deuter pack is the women’s Aircontact Lite 45+10 model: https://amzn.to/3ZWMHTy
     • This has been a great pack and I have used it on weekend trips. I could even see this pack working for a longer trip–five to seven days–thanks to the expandable body.
   • Amazon doesn’t carry my Osprey Volt 75 pack (I’ve had it for seven years, so it’s likely a phased out model), but here’s the closest I could find: https://amzn.to/3SNhIa5
     • Yes, the pack in the link above is 70 liters. It’s a monster. Mine is 75 liters. A pack this size would be needed if I was carrying gear not only for myself, but for someone else, too. In my case, probably for one or more of my kids. They are still small, so putting a proper pack on them wouldn’t be feasible at their ages, so I’d likely be carrying things for them, like their sleeping bag(s), food, as well as a larger tent to accomodate more than just me.
     • If you don’t anticipate needing to carry “communal” gear, you probably don’t need a pack this large. You could easily get away with a 65 liter pack, if you wanted something a little roomier.
   • Finally, my Vaude pack is the 40 liter Brenta: https://amzn.to/3Yifh0g
     • But Hiker Chick, didn’t you *just* say ‘don’t get anything smaller than 45 liters?’ Yup. Sure did. This was the very first pack I bought and was specifically for a hut-to-hut hiking trip in New Hampshire, so I wasn’t carrying a tent. The model I have is older than the one Amazon is selling now, but I’ve had it for almost ten years and it still looks as good as it did the day I bought it from an REI Outlet sale. This has been a great pack for day hikes, as well as a pack I plan on using more now that I’m dipping my toe into more minimal backpacking. I’m still in the early stages, but I’m confident this pack is going to continue to be a work-horse.
   • I already mentioned it above, but I’m gonna say it again: get yourself measured for a pack. It’s critical to use a pack that’s the proper size.
     • And also, once you know your size, I 100% encourage you to scour Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for packs that people are selling. It’s not uncommon that someone will buy a pack, use it once or twice and decide they don’t want it anymore, but can’t return it for whatever reason and are trying to offload it for less than what you’d pay for it brand new. As long as the bag isn’t trashed, getting a used bag is a great option to consider.
2. Water bottle
   • I mean, this is kind of a “duh” item, but I’m still gonna put it here, because the size of the bottle or container is what’s important.
     • If you’re gonna use a bottle, go with at least 32 ounces. This a good size that can get you from the car to your backcountry site with some water left over.
       • I’m personally a fan of Nalgene bottles and I have several of them: https://amzn.to/3yfnHLk
         • Also, if you’re like me and usually end up drenching yourself when trying to drink out of these big-mouth bottles, you should invest in a few of these lids: https://amzn.to/3SYgV6b
     • I prefer to use a water reservoir that I can have tucked inside my bag with the hose draped over my shoulder for easy access. I find them significantly more convenient than trying to contort myself to reach around and grab a bottle from the side webbing of my pack. On the trail, I want things to be as easy as possible.
       • This one is basically the same as what I have, just a different color: https://amzn.to/3mxfT4M
         • I love that this one has the quick-release bite valve that I can easily remove to plug in my water filter to refill the pouch without having to dig it out of my pack. Easy!
3. A small tent
   • Another “duh” item, but what I’m doing is building a checklist for you. And you can never be too confident that you’d remember something as obvious as a tent.
   • When looking for a tent to take backpacking, you’ll want to be sure it’s a tent designed specifically for backpacking. Why? Because of weight. Just any ol’ tent ain’t gonna giterdone. I mean, it might fit in your pack, but it would be so heavy and cumbersome and possibly take up so much space you won’t have room for the rest of the things you’d need to bring. So, the keyword when looking for a tent is to make sure it’s “best use” is noted as backpacking.
   • I have two backpacking tents: a two-person tent by REI and a one-person tent by Big Agnes. They are both great tents.
     • My one-person is a Big Agnes Manzanares tent, but it seems like they are no longer producing those, so this is the closest I could find on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EYh5Vo
       • I have zero complaints about my Big Agnes tent. These things are pricey for a reason.
     • My two-person tent is an REI Half Dome 2.5 tent that I’ve had for eight or nine years. It’s a durable tent, but I had to get the bungees replaced inside the tent poles because after sitting in storage unused for too long, they lost their elasticity, rendering them useless. Thankfully, REI was able to recommend a reputable company to send the tent poles to to have them repaired. I think it cost $30 to fix them.
     • Like backpacks, tents are another piece of gear that you could save money on by looking for a used one online. Once again, as long as the person selling it didn’t completely trash it, searching for a used tent before buying new is my recommendation.
4. Sleeping bag
   • First things first: Comfort rating, vs. Survivability rating. This is important when looking for a sleeping bag that you might possibly be using in winter temperatures. I’ve only done winter camping in Texas, where night time temps can drop into the 30s, so my sleeping bag has a comfort rating of 20 degrees. That means I’ll be comfortably warm inside the sleeping bag at temperatures above 20. A bag with a “survivability rating” of 20 means that you won’t die in those temperatures, but you won’t necessarily be as warm as you’d like. You’d typically have to re-loft (i.e. fluff) your sleeping bag a few times throughout the night.
   • Next: Are you a side sleeper or a back sleeper? If you’re a side sleeper, like me, stay away from mummy shaped bags. They are too constricting and won’t allow you to easily shift to your side. You’ll want to find a spoon-shaped bag. If you’re a back sleeper, however, mummy bags are perfect.
   • After you check the two boxes above, make sure you find a sleeping bag designed for backpacking. Once more, this has to do with weight and how compact you can make it. It needs to be able to easily fit in the bottom of your pack and not weigh a lot (I would say a bag heavier than 3.5 pounds is too heavy for backpacking, but maybe you’re a body builder…).
   • Sleeping bags are constructed differently for men and women. So, you might be a woman and have your eye on a bag designed for men for whatever reason, but traditionally, men’s sleeping bags are rated much differently than women, because men tend to sleep hot, while women tend to sleep cold. Also, women are shaped differently than men, so women’s sleeping bags are constructed to take that into consideration.
   • The sad truth with sleeping bags is you often get what you pay for. My first sleeping bag was a good brand, but a “budget” option and when I bought it, I didn’t know the things I know now. I could never get warm in that sleeping bag without a sleeping bag liner. And even with the sleeping bag liner, it was iffy, at best. I’ve also known people recently who’ve bought high rated budget-friendly sleeping bags on Amazon and tried them, and couldn’t get warm at night.
   • Here’s the sleeping bag I recently upgraded to: https://amzn.to/3mnh1rP
     • I got lucky and found this bag on REI’s Used Gear site. I gave it a test run very recently for winter camping and I can report it was a solid investment. The condensation in my tent was out of control and my hair and sleeping bag were soaked, but I was still warm and toasty inside the bag.
     • Since there are so many variables to consider with sleeping bags, I think it might be harder to find one on Craigslist, OfferUp, etc. But, there are lots of used gear sites out there that should have filtering capabilities to allow you to narrow down the options to what you need. So, going used is still viable for a new-to-you sleeping bag (obviously; that’s what I did).
5. Sleeping pad
   • A good sleeping pad is critical for winter camping. Why? Because of conduction. What’s conduction? Conduction is a way to describe how heat transfers from one surface to another. So, if you decided to sleep directly on the ground (even in a good sleeping bag), the contact your body has with the ground would create heat conduction, and your body heat would transfer into the ground, and the cold temperature of the ground would transfer to your body. Make sense?
   • Sleeping pads have an “R Rating” that tells you how well insulated the pad is. So pay attention to the R rating of the sleeping pad you’re interested in, especially if you aspire to do winter camping.
   • I have the Exped DownMat XP 9, which has a fairly high R rating of 7.8; so this pad is insulated very well. My only complaint is the shape of the mat. I learned at a survival course that putting your sleeping pad inside your sleeping bag was a good solution for the problem of getting off center on the sleeping bag. I tried it when I first learned about it and my mind was blown. The only problem was that (at the time) it didn’t fit well inside my mummy shaped bag. Then I got my new, spoon-shaped sleeping bag and tried it that way. It was fine, but the thickness of the pad made the sleeping bag pretty snug. So this is just something I need to continue tweaking.
   • The pad I have is no longer available, but here’s one on Amazon that’s comparable: https://amzn.to/3Jg3wDh
   • The Nemo Switchback sleeping pad (https://amzn.to/3mmlieZ) is hugely popular, and I admit I’m curious about it. I think I might cough up the cash soon to get one and have it on hand for summer backpacking trips when my mega insulated pad isn’t as necessary.
6. Toiletries
   • When you’re on the trail, you only need the basics. Toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, a comb/small brush, and a package of wet wipes if things get dire. You would be insane to schlep around anything beyond that on the trail. Why? Because of the weight.
   • Put your toiletries in an odor proof sack (https://amzn.to/3ZHug4V). This is a good practice to deter wild animals from coming to check out your smelly stuff.
7. Headlamp
   • Any headlamp will do. Just make sure it has a red light setting, so you don’t blind your buddies when you’re puttering around the campsite.
   • This is the headlamp I have: https://amzn.to/3ZpCCi3
8. Emergency kit
   • An emergency kit is a critical piece of gear that helps you check boxes off the Ten Essentials list. And quite a lot can go into one. The first survival class I ever took, we discussed what to put in an emergency kit, and I complied quickly. I take this with me even on day hikes. I’ll tackle the specific gear recommendations in another post, but here’s a high-level list of what I have in my emergency kit:
     • Bivvy bag, waterproof matches, signaling mirror, compass, tinder, a whistle (though the whistle should be attached to the outside of your pack, where you can quickly blow it), a ferro rod, and a small ditty bag to contain it all.
9. Water filter
   • Some would argue this is not a must-have piece of gear for a beginner, but I disagree. I think everyone should have their own water filter and keep it with them on any hike they go on…because you just never know when something crazy might happen.
   • I have the Katadyn Hiker Pro; have had it for years and I love it. It’s near the top as one of my favorite pieces of gear. https://amzn.to/41KvMFf
   • There are lots of filtering options out there nowadays, including bottles that have a filter integrated into it. You can’t get much easier than just dipping your bottle into the water source, screwing on the lid, and drinking filtered water instantly. The Grayl bottle seems to be a relatively new option on the water filtering scene, and I admit I’m intrigued by it. I really like the concept and the design: https://amzn.to/3SO4WIo
     • My only hangup is along the lines of what I mentioned earlier, how it’s not exactly easy to reach bottles in the side-webbing of packs, which is why I tend to prefer a Camelbak hose.
   • But before you buy just any filter, make sure you pay attention to what the filter can actually do. Meaning, is the filter powerful enough to kill both bacteria and viruses? Or just one or the other? That matters.
10. Potty kit
    • The potty kit is an essential piece of gear to ensure you comply with Leave No Trace (LNT). No one wants to step off the trail to take care of business, only to stumble upon someone elses, if you know what I mean.
    • The potty kit needs a small, lightweight trowel, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a small roll of toilet paper (without the cardboard tube), and a paperbag with a ziplock baggie inside.
      • What’s the deal with the paper bag/baggie combo? So, again, to comply with LNT, you gotta pack out your trash. This includes your toilet paper (unless you drop a deuce, then you just bury it). I was taught that you can open the ziplock baggie, put the used tissue inside, then put the baggie inside the paperbag; the paperbag sort of acts as a “dignity shield” (I don’t know how else to describe it) so you don’t have to look at your nasty, used toilet tissue more than you absolutely have to. Then when you get home, just chuck the paper bag with the baggie in the trash and be done with it.
      • Ladies, the same concept applies to feminine products on the trail. You gotta pack out the used stuff. Don’t shoot the messenger.
11. First Aid Kit
    • There are plenty of first aid kits out there that are ready made for backpacking, and honestly those will probably do you just fine (as long as you add a tourniquet to it; like, a proper combat tourniquet produced and sold by North American Rescue). But if you decide you would rather compile your own first aid kit, Clint Emerson’s book “The Rugged Life” includes a robust list of stuff he recommends for a first aid kit. And I trust his judgement, since he was a Navy corpsman and SEAL for twenty years.
      • Remember when you start buying stuff, your HSA/FSA funds can be used to buy first aid supplies.
12. Cutlery
    • No need to elaborate on this. You need a spoon and/or fork in order to eat your backpacking meals. Any option will do; just remember weight matters.
13. A camp stove
    • I. Love. My. JetBoil. I will shout from the rooftops what a great piece of gear this is. I have the Zip system, and I love it because all of its components nest inside the canister, which helps prevent you from having to dig and cuss while you dig, looking for the pieces you need to assemble your stove. After hiking for ten miles and you get to your camp, hungry can turn to hangry real fast. I know that’s not just me.
    • Just get a JetBoil. https://amzn.to/3ZFcSxN
      • For the sake of trying, look for a used one first, but I suspect they are hard to find used because they are so awesome; I have a hard time envisioning why someone would give theirs up.
14. Mug (or cup)
    • Kinda like cutlery, I don’t think I need to expound on this. If you’re like most American adults, you need a cup of something with caffeine in it first thing in the morning. So just make sure you have something that you can prepare your coffee/tea/matcha/whatever in.
    • I have an old-school enamelware mug (https://amzn.to/3EZP5AM); it’s super light and inexpensive, but also non-insulated, so it burns the fingers, precious. (I hope you got the Gollum reference and you don’t think I’m just being weird.)
15. Extra clothes inside a compression sack
    • I’m an advocate of staying in the same clothes for the duration of a trip (with the exception of underwear, because hygeine). However, I would recommend bringing just one set of spare clothes that you could change into in case you, I don’t know, face-planted in a mud puddle, or something.
    • And also clothes to change into for sleep. Good base layers, like thermals to help with the cold nights.
    • A compression sack (https://amzn.to/3EYidIy) will help keep it all contained, AND double as a pillow.
      • If you just end up stuffing your clothes into all the open space in your pack, that’s totally acceptable as well, as long as you’re okay with your used undies being *somewhere in there*.
16. Meals inside a dry sack
    • If you’re food motivated like me, this might be the most important part of this list. Haha. I have tried lots of different backpacking meals, but my favorite are made by PackIt Gourmet. https://packitgourmet.com/
    • Now that I’ve put that out there, you can also find a bazillion options on Amazon. But if I’m being honest, I’d recommend just hauling your hiney to your favorite outdoor store and putting your eyeballs on the wall of backpacking meals to see what you can find. You can read the labels and instructions and decide if you’re okay with what you’ll be putting in your body (I’m a label reader–it’s an old habit I never quit from my hardcore Paleo diet days–and some of those backpacking meals have ingredients that I would give a hard pass on *cough*canola oil*cough*).
      • Keep in mind these meals are high calorie. They are supposed to be, because all that walking/hiking burns a ton of calories and you need to replace them if you want to continue to feel like a normal functioning human.
      • You’ll need to do your own math on how many meals you need. It goes something like this:
        • A. How many days will I be backpacking?
        • B. How many meals do I usually eat in a day?
        • A x B = The number of backpacking meals you need, at a minimum.
          • I say “at a minimum” because I actually do recommend you bring one more than you calculate…just in case. Anything more than “one more” is too much. Remember that weight matters.
    • I already mentioned the cup, so make sure you also bring your instant coffee, teabags, or matcha powder in order to have your morning brew.
    • Snacks – Same formula above, except substitute the word “meals” for “snacks”.
    • Keep all this in an odor proof sack. Again, wild animals have sensitive noses, and if they smell your food, they may come looking for it.
    • Get yet *another* ordor proof sack for keeping trash in. After you eat your backpacking meals, obviously you’re not just gonna leave the package on the trail, nor will there likely be a trash can you can drop it into, so having another odor proof sack that functions as a trash bag will continue to contain the smell until you can dispose of its contents.
    • Finally, you need to put your food inside of a dry sack that you’ll be able to hoist up in a bear hang, if necessary. This is the one I have: https://amzn.to/3muWi5D
17. A knife or multi-tool.
    • Having a knife or at the very least a multi-tool can save you a ton of headaches on the trail, because you find yourself needing to cut things fairly often. The one I have (https://amzn.to/3kWPtZT) has stayed sharp for an eerily long time (I’ve had it since 2015 and have never had to sharpen it).

There it is! The list of what I personally recommend as essential gear to get you started on backpacking.

Drop me a note and let me know what you think. Maybe there’s something I forgot? Or maybe you have a gear hack that would be fun to share.

And if you have any questions about anything discussed above, shoot me an email at Astrid@IndieAuthorAstrid.com and I’ll quickly respond and help as much as I can.

Until next time…