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This is the first spot many people make a massive mistake. In the materialistic world we live in people always seem to believe more is better, the reality is less is more. One thing to know is the bigger your pack the more you are going to bring with you and your going to need different packs for different situations. At one point I actually had about 7 different packs. As you get more experienced you will be able to make your pack smaller and smaller. I have found the comfortable spot for me is a 1,500 cu in pack for 1 – 2 nights and a 3,800 cu in pack for anything up to 7 days. If you are using a pack larger then 4,400 cu in for anything less then an expedition grade trip you are bringing along to much crap.

Everything you put in your pack has weight, and as you travel in the backcountry that weight is traveling on your poor feet! Many times people make the mistake of bringing to much stuff in an effort to be more comfortable at the end of the day. Now this sounds great but in practice what you are really doing is making your day more unpleasant in an effort to be more comfortable at the end of it. If you reduce the weight of your pack you are going to find that the need for extra comforts at camp just aren’t going to be as high. When in backcountry we spend the bulk of the day with a pack on our back and only a very short period of time camped. So which is better to be comfortable for the largest portion of the day or the smallest.

Personally I have opted to go with a Mountainsmith Phantom MT pack which is 3,800cu in in size. I love this pack, I purchased it on my third week on the Appalachian Trail to replace one that was completely wrong for the trip. Now it has become one of my favorite packs and has shared a huge number of memories. Everyone keeps asking me if I am going to get the mouse holes and similar repaired and I always decline as its part of what gives my pack character. Now sadly this pack is no longer made anymore so don’t bother trying to run out and buy one as you won’t find it.

If your looking for a pack other then the size look for a few key features that are really going to come in handily during your adventure. The first thing I look for is a removable portion of the pack also known as a summit bag. This is often the top portion of the pack and can be removed from the rest of the pack. This feature allows you to leave the largest portion of your pack behind while you head up to a summit or view point, also great for quick explorations around base camp. The next must have for me is a built-in hydration system, this allows you to quickly get a drink while hiking with out removing your pack. Last but not least I personally like compartments so I can keep things divided and easily accessible, I absolutely hate having to dig through my pack trying to find something.

While talking about your pack don’t forget to pick up a pack cover that actually fits your pack. Many packs have a paired pack cover. Spend the extra money and get the right one. I constantly see people using trash bags. The reality is that although a pack cover is going to cost you a but of money you won’t constantly need to be replacing them. The other benefit to getting the right sized cover is its going to keep your pack dry, wrong size cover results in wet gear!

The traditional backcountry explorer goes with an expedition style tent, but not me. About five years ago I discovered the wonders of backcountry hammocks. Backcountry Hammocks provide a lighter weight and significantly more comfortable sleeping experience. Most importantly the greatly reduce out impact on the backcountry environment when we make camp. Unlike a tent where you need to find a level surface to camp on and clear away rocks and similar, a hammock allows you to make camp almost anywhere with out disrupting the ground below us.

Although hammock camping may not be for everyone it is worth considering and trying out. If nothing else for the comfort that it provides. When I used a tent I would often find myself waking up early and uncomfortable lacking a good nights sleep. Now its just the opposite in fact when I find myself traveling with a group others often have to wake me up to get me up in the morning.

One of the other great benefits of a hammock is you will no longer have any need for bringing a sleeping pad with you to deal with the discomfort of the ground, reducing your pack weight even more. The first question I get from everyone is well what about when there are no trees, well I can assure with a bit of creativity this is not a problem.

Some of the best hammocks around are made by Hennessy Hammocks. Personally I use a A-Sym Ultralight Backpacker version, that weighs in at less then 2 lbs! I have had mine for over five years now and it has seen more then 4,000 miles worth of adventure, and is still just as good as the day I purchased it.

A good nights sleep makes all the difference in the world and although a hammock for me was the first step in achieving this, a great sleeping bag was the second. Like your pack its likely that you are going to need a few different bags based on the temperature of where your adventures take you. You are going to need at least two sleeping bags one of winter and one for the rest of the year. My go to bag for non-winter travels is a Mountain Hardware Phantom 32. Rated for temps just above freezing, I have found I can easily use it in temp as low as 20 degree’s by using good quality sleeping attire.

A bag liner is a must have for everyone traveling the backcountry. The reality is your going to get dirty and not going to be showering every day and sometimes it might be more then a week between showers. Back using a bag liner you can keep your sleeping bag clean and reduce the frequency that you need to wash it. Anyone who has ever washed a sleeping bag knows its not an easy process, while washing a bag liner is no harder then washing a shirt.

As previously noted since I use a hammock as a shelter, I have no need for a sleeping pad. If you are still sleeping on the ground then you are definitely going to want a sleeping pad. I still keep one in my gear room but it hasn’t had any use since my first night sleeping in a hammock.

One thing I often see people considering a must have is a camp pillow. The reality is this is nothing more then a luxury item. If you need a pillow then an easy solution is to use a compression sack full of your clothes.

Lots of people resort to pre made meals in the backcountry, but I have found these to be pretty awful tasting. I have been spoiled by good food all my life and pride myself on creating good meals at home, and I see no reason for backcountry meals to be any different. The base of a good meal starts with a good stove. JetBoil makes some great ones that are not only light weight but can boil water extremely quickly. Using the JetBoil system integrates a pot and stove system into a single unit, and better still you can eat directly out of the JetBoil if you so desire.

In addition to the stove your going to need a way to store water while you are on the trail, Nalgene is my method and is the pick for thousands of outdoor adventurers through out the world. Invest in a splash guard and you have yourself a pretty awesome cup as well. A lot of people look at a nalgene as nothing more then a beverage container but the reality is they can become a pretty useful tool for meal preparation as well.

On the topic of water, remember at lower elevations you are going to need a method of filtering water of contaminates. The last thing that you want to deal with is getting sick on the trail. All to often people think that since they are bringing the water to a boil when cooking with it there is no need to boil it. Boiling is not enough as the water needs to remain at a boil for a few minutes, and that requires stove fuel. A UV filter will take you a long ways, save you a lot of fuel and takes less then a minute. Check out the SteriPen Adventurer Opti for a good light weight solution.

Now I will be the first to admit backcountry cooking is a bit of an art form and coming up with good meals does take a lot of practice but it is very much doable. In the beginning stick with the pre-made add water meals and slowly but surely work your way into custom meal preparation. Now during this trip even though meals are part of the group gear, I have no idea what they will be providing so I will be bringing along some of my personal favorite items, to share with others.

When you are cooking in the backcountry remember meal planning is extremely important, if you forget an ingredient you can’t just run to the store to get it. The biggest challenge is getting the most bang out of every pound. Focus your meals around high protein and high calories meals. On extended trips you can easily burn up to 6,000 calories a day. Remember your bodies needs and consider supplementing your meals with vitamins to ensure your body is getting everything it needs.

Some things to also consider in your packing is the need for flatware and utensils. Flatware is not really an issue for me as most of the times I just eat out of the JetBoil Pot. Since the JetBoil won’t be coming along on this trip I have a nice little collapsable bowl and mug that weigh almost nothing. Utensils are simple go find yourself a nice titanium spork and knife set.

As we get closer to the trip you’ll see another post with some great trail snacks and meal options.

Your going to need a decent light to deal with getting around when its dark out. A good LED headlamp is often your best choice. As a result of the LED’s instead of traditional bulbs your going to get a ton of time out of a single set of batteries. Consider investing in one that has both red and white bulbs. Red bulbs are going to preserve your night vision and if your camping with others the red lights are less likely to disturb them.

Next on the must have list is a good dependable knife. Stay away from the big heavy knifes all you really need is a small simple blade. Don’t make the mistake many people make of bringing along a big heavy knife. Remember its not a weapon your not going to be fighting off a bear or anything with it, its a tool.

Last but certainly not least on the must have list is a good set of trekking poles! These are going to help you not only on the uphills but more importantly on the downhills as a planting device. Just remember you need get eco friendly tips to avoid damaging sensitive portions of the trail.

Trail clothes are pretty much exactly what they sound like, these are the clothes your going to be wearing through out the day. They are going to get dirty, stinky and should be designed to handle this.

Your feet are going to take the most abuse so will start from there. Start with a good pair of hiking boots that cover your ankles! Make sure you work them in slowly, don’t run out an buy a new pair of boots and put 10 miles on them the first day. My general rule of thumb for new boots is increase the mileage on the by 1 mile a day. So the first day in new boots limit your travels to 1 mile, the second day 2 and so on. Its said that 1 pound on your feet is like 5 lbs on your back, so you are going to want these to be as light as possible but still strong & durable. When you pickup your boots grab a pair of custom inserts as well, this is going to add a huge amount of comfort to your shoes. Under your boots you are going to want to wear two pairs of socks. The first pair is a moisture wicking sock and the second is a pair synthetic hiking sock. This allows moist to be pulled away from your feet while keeping your feet warm. BRING EXTRA SOCKS! The worst thing in the world in the backcountry is wet feet. Make sure you keep them dry and give your “dogs” a chance to dry out on a regular basis.

Moving up the body to the legs I have found the best thing here is a pair of convertible pants, this allows you to have your pants and shorts in a single item. When you want to be wearing shorts simply remove the legs. I caution people about wearing shorts on the trail as you are going to want to protect your legs from getting scrapped up from thrones, underbrush and similar. Under your pants your going to want a pair of wicking underwear shorts, make sure they come half way down your thighs. Chaffing is a real problem on the trail and its a result of friction! Its extremely uncomfortable so take precautions here, a good pair of wicking underwear will help a lot.

On the chest go with a wicking t-shirt like an under-armor brand or similar. Like your feet and underwear this will pull the moisture off your body. Keep a syntactic jacket in your pack for those days it gets a bit chilly. You are likely going to find you don’t need this very often except perhaps in the morning. If you find yourself getting cold it means your not working hard enough! Your body will generate body heat as you hike, personally I find I usually only need this in the mornings, and more times then not I just leave this behind.

As discussed your trail clothes are going to get pretty nasty after a couple days and when you arrive at camp you are likely going to want to change into something else. Unless you sleep in the buff you are certainly going to want a different pair of clothes to sleep in or your sleeping bag and liner are going to end up just as gross as your trail clothes are.

For this I carry a set of LavaCore layers. These are easily one of the best inventions ever when it comes to base layer clothing. LavaCore is a specially made product that is good for almost anything. It makes for a great warm base layer, functions as a wetsuit, is warm even when wet, and dries extremely quickly. Using these for sleeping clothes allows me to reduce the weight of my sleeping bag by going with a bag rated for higher temps. Essentially you can add another 15 degrees of warmth to your sleeping bag by sleeping in the LavaCore items. They also serve as a great base layer if you find yourself unexpectedly dealing with cold temps.

Last but not least when it comes to camp clothes you may want to consider bringing along a pair of light weight camp shoes such as slippers, flip-flops, gators etc. This allows you get rid of the heavy hiking boots when your in camp and give your feet a break!

There are of course some other essentials when it comes to wearables. This includes rain gear, a bandana, watch, sunglasses and similar items.

For me rain gear is nothing more then a light weight rain jacket. Most of the times when it rains I take it as a chance to have my trail clothes get washed. The only time the rain jacket really gets used is in heavy rains and normally when heavy rain arrives I seek shelter to get out of it. This is supposed to be fun after all and hiking in the rain is usually not all that much fun.

A bandana is the ultimate backcountry multi-purpose tool and I can’t even begin to count all the things I have used mine for. A while back I discovered a product known as a Buff Bandana. This is essentially a double layered bandana and can be worn in a huge number of different ways. After discovering this product I consider it a must have on every trip to the backcountry!

A good multifunction watch is a great tool in the backcountry. Although the time isn’t all that important the other features provided can be a great help. I wear a Suunto Ambit which provides me with a ton of information including but not limited to: GPS Navigation, Altitude and expected weather changes. Best of all when I get home I can download the GPS data from my watch to my home computer to give me my exact traveled route on the trail.

Don’t forget to bring along a good hat! We loss more heat out of our head then anywhere else in our body. A binnie hat can save you a massive amount of heat loss and help keep your ears warm. A more traditional style hat will help keep the sun out of your eyes. Speaking of the sun and your eyes a good pair of sunglasses go along way.

iPhone: The majority of the time this is kept turned completely off, but sometimes my trail needs a bit of a soundtrack. Especially when hiking in the rain. This also allows me access to a number of informational applications that sometimes come in handy on the trail, and in the event of an emergency allows me to reach out and touch someone assuming of course I have cell service, which most of the time is not the case.

Camera & Video Camera: Although the iPhone has this function I have a great compact camera that has the ability to capture photos and videos in HD and has built in GPS! The Olympus Tough series cameras are even shock proof, freeze proof, and waterproof. Making them the perfect device for capturing memories to share with your friends.

Portion of a paperback book: Your going to have down time in the backcountry often at camp and what better time to catch up on some reading. You will notice I said portion of paperback book not paperback book. At most your only going to be reading like an hour a day, so simply bring along the amount of the book that you are going to be able to get through. Trade paperback books can easily be ripped in half allowing you to bring only the portion that you are going to be able to read.

Gourmet Kitchen Items: As noted before I am a bit spoiled when it comes to meals. My gourmet kitchen items include some little extra’s to give my meals a little something extra. These are mainly things like spices and similar items.

Journal & Pencil: Last but certainly not least I bring along a journal and pencil, to document my adventures in the backcountry! Every now and then I read back through my adventures years later. This is also where the majority of my blog posts made during my time on the trail are actually written.