Backpacking Gear List

This is Domonick’s (Co-owner, Operator, and Guide at Hiawatha Hiking Company) current backpacking gear list for East Coast/ Mid-West 3-season backpacking, which emphasizes rain protection, bug protection and mild to cool temperatures. This list is provided to give a general idea of what kind of gear Domonick is currently using. Gear often changes depending on location, season and the purpose of our trips. This complete backpacking gear list usually results in a pack-weight of roughly 7-10 pounds depending on the exact items (this weight does not include consumables like food, water and fuel which fluctuate greatly during a trip). This pack list has been used extensively on thousands of miles of trail and Domonick can personally attest to the quality of each piece of gear listed. This backpacking gear list may differ in many ways from other backpackers, so you are encouraged to research all available options to find the items that would work best for you and your needs. To learn more about what you should bring on our overnight trips, please visit our information page. It is hoped that the below lists are informational and will give you a sense of the gear needed for an overnight backpacking trip. If you do decide to book a trip with us, we will help you every step of the way and also have trail tested gear to rent.

*We are not affiliated with any of these companies and will receive no commission if you choose to purchase an item through a provided link

Backpack

  • Granite Gear Crown VC 60L (this exact pack is currently discontinued by Granite Gear, but they have replaced it with the Crown 2 which now has hip-belt pockets. Sweet!)
  • Trash compactor bag as a pack liner for water protection

Tent

Sleeping System

Clothing

Rain Gear

  • Rain pants (only for colder spring and fall weather – any kind of lightweight rain pant will do)
  • Outdoor Research Helium II lightweight Rain jacket (used primarily for extra warmth/ wind protection; Outdoor Research has a lifetime warranty and Domonick has replaced this jacket twice when the fabric began to wet-out. This is an okay rain jacket (very light and compresses down to the size of a baseball), but in cold weather with heavy rain it will not perform well. I pair this often with a poncho.)
  • Frogg Togg lightweight poncho (big enough to cover a backpack, offers excellent rain protection, and it’s dirt cheap!)

Footwear

Cooking

*A lot of the time Domonick and Carolyn do not take a stove and pot and prefer to eat stove-less meals. For this we use a re-purposed peanut butter jar where we cold-soak food like couscous, ramen and instant mashed potatoes – sounds great, right! Don’t worry, on our guided hikes, Domonick and Carolyn will be your chefs, cooking your meals and carrying the stoves and fuel.

Water

First Aide Supplies

  • Variety of small and large band aides
  • Ibuprofen
  • Pepto-Bismol
  • Several alcohol swabs
  • Lighter
  • Safety pin
  • Antibacterial cream
  • Athletic tape

*This brief first aid kit is meant to manage small medical issues in the woods. For larger medical issues the goal is to find your way out of the woods safely and seek appropriate medical treatment. We bring a much larger first aid kit on all of our guided hikes and overnight trips.  This enlarged first aid kit includes benadryl, itch relief cream, CPR mask, wound dressings, disposable gloves, etc.

Miscellaneous

 

Carolyn is working on her personal backpacking gear list and will post it soon!

 

hiking clothing worn

gear spread out for our 2016 Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike

backpacking gear in stuff sacks

granite gear crown VC 60 backpack packed with gear