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Regardless of whether you’re just doing a weekend camping trip or a 2000 km thru-hike, you’ll likely be needing the same gear. Of course you carry less food on shorter trips, but you will be using the same stuff pretty much every day. While trekking gear is a matter of preference, we all take a lot of the same things with us – many items are just necessary. Items that tend to vary the most between hikers are so-called “luxury items”-things you don’t strictly need but would really like. This can be books, journals, inflatable pillows, coffee mugs, lightweight camp chairs, ukuleles… you get the idea.

For now let’s stick to the basic items you’ll need for your trekking adventure!

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Shelter

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Tent

If you're just starting a tent may be the best choice for multi-day hikes. You have endless types to choose from. Double walled tents –the most popular kind. They are heavier, but cheaper and give much less condensation. If the night is clear, you can also set up only the inner tent and look at the stars. Single-walled tents are significantly lighter and all the rage these days, but come at the cost of increased condensation. Which might not sound so bad, but it can be a real nuisance.

Tents can come incredibly lightweight, but they will probably be the most expensive item in your pack. By far. Some tents are freestanding, others have stakes. Whatever you choose, make sure you practice setting it up before you hit the trail.

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Hammock

Hammocks are kind of unique as they requires you to have trees or objects to mount the straps to for the setup. This makes them of limited use depending highly on the type of terrain your hike will take place in. Hammocks generally are very light by themselves but when you are looking at a backpacking setup for a hammock you have more that needs to be a part of your complete setup. For most this will be a bug net, rainfly or tarp, underquilt, along with an overquilt. Then you add in the straps and additional minor gear and the weight can add up fast.

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Tarp

Tarps are very lightweight and offer basic protection from rain, but leave you exposed to bugs (which, if you’re in Oregon or Scotland, will leave you anaemic after two nights). They can be set up in a flash in case you would like to wait out some rain, and you can cook beneath it without the fear of an inferno occurring. Many ultralight hikers prefer using tarp for all that reasons.

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Bag or Quilt?

Bag or quilt? Many swear by quilts as you can save some weight. But if you're just starting a sleeping bag may be easier to use. If you choose a bag I would highly recommend a mummy bag that traces the shape of your body so that less heat is lost .

Both quilts and sleeping bags can be either down or synthetic. Down typically packs down smaller and are lighter, but require more upkeep and are more expensive. Their fluff and loftiness traps heat better. Synthetic bags are bulkier, but they can be washed in a washing machine and stay warm even if they get wet. If you’re aiming for a soggy trail, a synthetic bag may be best. However, for drier adventures like a down bag will do great.

The most important thing about your sleeping bag is that it has the right temperature rating. You want to be well within the comfort temp for the climates you’ll be hiking in. For a typical thru-hike you will need a 2/3-season bag. The comfort temperature indicates the minimum climate you won’t feel the cold in, the “extreme temperature” indicates how cold it can get before you get frostbite or even die of hypothermia.

NOTE: Comfort temperature ranges differ for men and women! Women’s bags usually have more padding around the hip and toe box.

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Sleeping Pad

Thank god the days of the closed cell foam pads are over. Those huge and bulky roll-up things just won’t cut it on a long hike. Your back will die.

Inflatable pads come in all shapes and sizes, you can now get super lightweight ones that roll up small. The two things you want to think about are comfort and R value, which is how insulating the pad is from the cold ground. Your pad is actually as important as your sleeping bad for keeping you warm!

R-values can be tricky to interpret, as they have no natural relation to temperature. It can be difficult to state with confidence what R-value is right for what temperature. Below, we list the three major seasons, giving the lower limits of each range.

  1. Summer: 1 – 3
  2. 3-Season: 3 – 5
  3. 4-Season: 5+

The trouble you might have with inflatable pads is that they can puncture. This is especially true if you’re sleeping under a tarp with no ground sheet to protect. Luckily, most of them come with small repair kits. I’d highly recommend reading reviews of pads you’re looking to buy online.

sleeping_pad

Sleep system

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Backpack

We’ve saved the most important for last. This is the item that the entire discipline of backpacking takes its name from. Choosing a backpack is difficult because so much of what makes one backpack right and another wrong is simply how they fit on your body. This is one area I’d definitely recommend going to the store and getting one fitted. A badly fitting backpack will make the entire experience excruciating.

The most common backpacks for many will be framed backpacks, though many of these framed packs are now framed internally instead of externally to keep them much smaller and tighter. A frame can help you distribute the weight in the backpack across your body with more ease. This can also help you as you don’t have to structure your gear in your pack with the same thought that a frameless pack will need.

There are several factors to take into consideration for backpacks, size is one. Generally, size is measured in liters and you’ll want something between 40 and 60l. Generally, if you get a bigger backpack then you’ll find stuff to fill it with! As you get more experienced you will likely move towards smaller backpacks and lighter overall weights.

Ultralighters, and that’s what most thru-hikers evolve into, will favor packs with few features, a lightweight or non-existent frame. They are made of lightweight materials, so the entire pack weight should be well under 14 kilograms.

It’s essential that you keep the content of your pack dry. There are two basic strategies to this. One is a pack cover that goes over the outside of the pack, the other is to line your pack with a trash compactor bag and keep the content inside the bag dry. Your pick!

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