Why do you need dishes?

You probably want to eat while you’re backpacking, right? That usually requires something to eat on and with. 

This section covers cups, plates, bowls, sporks and spoons. And whether you should bring them at all.

Remember that more dishes means more to clean. The more you can eat out of a bag, the less you have to clean. 

The absolute minimum you’ll need if you are boiling water for drinks and food is a small pot. Use the pot to boil water for your bag meal and then boil again for a hot drink. Eat out of the bag and drink out of the pot. 

To eat from a bag, bring a long spoon or spork. The bags are usually tall so a taller utensil works better. Most utensils are short and result in sauce all over your hands. 

For cups, it depends on what you drink. If I’m not having anything hot to drink, I won’t bring a mug and just drink from my water bottle the whole time. I love a hot coffee in camp to start the day though so I almost always bring a lightweight mug. I boil water for coffee and then boil again for oatmeal in the pot. 

For plates and bowls, it depends on what you’re eating. If you’re eating bag meals or something in your 1 pot, you won’t need them. If you are sharing food, you might need something to put it all in. 

Only bring what you need

Once you know what you’re eating, you can plan your dishes. Only bring the necessities. If you are sharing food with someone else, share the weight and let them carry some of the dishes. 

Just eat in the bag

If you are eating dehydrated meals in the bag, you won’t need much for dishes outside of a pot and a long spoon. This means less dishes and easy cleanup. Many of the meal bags have some sort of foil or liner inside and can’t be burned. Pack garbage out.

Different materials

Most backpacking dishes are made out of metal or plastic. Both are durable and last a long time. Try to get lightweight where you can. 

Long spoon for bag meals

The bags made for dehydrated bag meals are usually quite tall. Some companies are catching on and making short, wide bags. If you only have a short spoon, you end up with a lot of food on your hands reaching into the bags. A long spoon or spork solves this problem. 

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Why do you need a multi-tool?

Part of the 10 Essentials, a knife or multi-tool can help in emergencies. A Swiss Army Knife is a perfect example of this. It can help cut paracord, get a sliver out, prepare food, cut bandages and deal with countless other issues we encounter on the trail.

One option is to just take a knife. A blade is better than nothing but having all the other tools on a multi-tool are helpful. I can’t count the number of times I’ve used the tweezers from a Swiss Army Knife or the pliers on a Leatherman. 

Larger knives

Unless I’m hiking alone, I don’t typically take a large knife. It can be useful for bushcraft and survival if you need it but most days a small multi-tool is very helpful. 

List out repair tasks

List out all the tasks you’ll probably use the multi-tool for and look for one that handles most of them. You might need to pull slivers, cut food, cut paracord, clip toenails, whittle sticks, cut bandages, cut duct tape, tighten screws on gear, or punch new belt holes. If any of your gear like backpacks, snowshoes or skis has screws, small screw drivers might be helpful.

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Why do you need a coffee maker?

I don’t go far without my Aeropress coffee maker but it’s big to bring on the trail. I like the Starbucks instant coffee packets the best. Easy and fast to make without much hassle. A bit of coffee whitener or powdered milk that is shelf-safe for a week and the day can begin. If you don’t drink coffee, completely ignore this section!

Bring what you like

There are so many coffee makers on the market, it’s easy to find one you like. Practice at home and get used to using it. There can be some early mornings on the trail!

Some folks carry an Aeropress, drip cup and filters, basket filters or just instant. Whatever it is you like, there’s probably a lightweight version for the trail.

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Why do you need a water filter?

No matter where you are, there’s a chance the water source can have protozoa like Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Both cause stomach problems like diarrhea. Not something you want on your hiking trip. 

To make it safe to drink we can either boil the water, or use a water filter, UV pen or purification chemicals. All methods make the water safe to drink. 

Boiling the water is time-consuming and requires a lot of fuel for your stove. In an emergency it still works. It will be safe to drink after you bring the water to a rolling boil for 1 minute.

Another method is a pump filter. With the handle, you pump water through a very fine filter which catches protozoa like Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Pumps require a bit of work but is quick to get multiple liters of water. You can use gravity to do the work for you as well, letting the water drip from one water bladder through a filter down to another bladder.

A third method is to use chemical drops or tablets in the water. Over 15 or 20 minutes, the chemicals do their work killing things in the water. Sometimes the water has a taste after.

The last method is to use a UV light like a Steripen which sterilizes any bugs in the water, rendering them harmless to you and your stomach. 

Having a way to get drinkable water is one of the 10 Essentials. Even for day hikes, bring a way to get more water.

Measure how much you need per day

We need to estimate how much water you need per day. These are estimates that I roughly use. They center around using about .5 liters per hour hiking and adding meals before and after. If the weather is warmer, then I’ll need more. 

• Breakfast and getting ready: 1.5 liters
• Morning hiking and lunch: 1.5 liters
• Afternoon hiking: 1.5 liters
• Dinner and evening: 2 liters

These numbers will be different for you. It depends on age, temperature, duration and intensity of hiking and what kind of drinks you’re having.

Now that you know what water you’ll need and when you can think about when you want to get the water. 

• Breakfast and getting ready: filtered the night before
• Morning hiking and lunch: filtered before starting to hike
• Afternoon hiking: filtered around lunch
• Dinner and evening: filtered in camp before dinner

Exactly when you filter or clean water depends on your water sources. These are when I like to get the water ready. 

Gravity filters are the easiest but large

For filtering large amounts of water, gravity filters are very convenient. They use 2 water bladders and a filter in between which can be large for a solo lightweight setup. For large groups, they work very well. Fill the dirty bag with water and hang in a tree. Once it’s done, there’s 3-4 liters of clean water.

Test different methods. This might not work well for you.

Lifestraw are great for emergencies but…

Lifestraws have become popular in the last few years for their simplicity. Just drink from any water source and you’re done. The problem comes in when you need to store some water to take with you. There’s no way to just fill a water bottle with clean water to have for hiking and cooking. Not all trails have water at regular intervals.

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Why do you need food?

Well, we need food to survive so I guess we’re taking it. The trick for backpacking is packing light. 

We have to carry all our food so aim to bring food that’s lightweight but has a lot of calories. Hiking all day burns a lot of calories. To keep your strength up, you’ll need more calories than just sitting around the house. If you burn 2000 calories at home, expect to burn 2500 or 3000 out hiking. This means packing enough food.

We’ve got a few options for food.

Regular food

Regular food from home is just fine to bring backpacking. Be careful bringing anything that has a lot of packaging. We have to pack that out too. 

Popular items that might just be in your kitchen now are great for hiking: trail mix, nuts, dried fruits, oatmeal, shelf-safe meats and cheeses, coffee, tea, dried soup and ramen noodles. Try to have some protein and fat at each meal and not just carbohydrates.

Dehydrated/Freeze-dried bag meals

Most outdoor stores have dehydrated meals in a sealed bag that are good sizes for 1 or 2 servings. The bag is waterproof so you just boil water, add it to the bag and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. They won’t be a gourmet restaurant meal but at the end of a long day on the trail, they taste amazing. 

Dehydrate your own

If you have a dehydrator at home, you can make your own dehydrated meals. Experiment with this before you get on the trails. Soups are a great place to start. 

Cold-soaked

To completely leave the stove at home you can just pack cold-soaked jars or bags of food. They soak while you hike and you get a quick, easy meal at camp. I prefer hot meals when I can but it does take more work. 

Check serving sizes on the bag meals

Some serving sizes are for 1 and some for 2. If you find you are really hungry at the end of the day, most 2-serving bag meals are really a 1.5 serving. Adding a bread or bagel to a meal can bump up those calories if you need more. 

Check water requirements

Not all bag meals require the same amount of water. Make sure you know how much they use and you have a water bottle or pot that can measure that amount. Sucks to get on the trail with a 500 ml pot and see that you need 700 ml in one of your meals. Not the end of the world, but inconvenient. 

I like matching the amount of water I need with the amount of coffee or tea I’m having with it. Boil part for the coffee, part for the meal and you’re ready to go. 

Add spice and oil

Some dehydrated meals aren’t the most flavourful. To spice things up a little you can bring your own spice kit. A dash of this and a pinch of that probably won’t weigh you and down and will bring a lot more joy to your meals. 

I love adding a bit of olive oil to my meals as well. It adds a nice flavour to some recipes and packs a bunch of extra fatty calories that your body will love on a long hike. 

Replace your sodium

You’ll likely lose a lot of salt when hiking and sweating. Make sure your meals or hydration tablets add this back in by the end of the day. Don’t go overboard though. Many bag meals are heavy on the sodium and you won’t need to add any. 

I like to take hydration tablets like Nuun hiking. If I’m dehydrated I feel like garbage but a Nuun every day will replace the electrolytes and hydrate faster. Stay away from garbage like stuff which is mostly sugar. 

Pick your favourites and test at home

The middle of a 7 day trip is not a great place to have stomach issues. If you can test some of your meals at home before you go and see what they do to your stomach. I find some are so full of sodium and preservatives that they wreck my stomach. A lot more bag meals have come on the market recently that are much cleaner and can be gluten free or vegetarian.

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Clothes for hiking are an important part of staying warm, dry, comfortable, and safe. Pick your clothes well and you’ll be dry and comfortable no matter what the weather is.  

It’s helpful to think about having two sets of clothes: hiking clothes and camp clothes. 

Hiking clothes are for getting sweaty, dirty and sometimes wet while you’re out hiking. When you get into camp you can change into your dry, clean(er) camp clothes. Staying dry is a big part of being comfortable and safe out hiking. 

Layer your clothes. This is often a base layer, a midlayer and a waterproof outer layer. This lets you adjust layers as you warm up and cool down during the day. If all you have is one thick jacket, it will be hard to adjust your temperature. 

• Baselayers
• Midlayers
• Waterproof Jacket
• Waterproof Pants
• Socks
• Hat

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Why do you need base layers?

The base layer, or underwear layer, is the first layer of clothing that sits against your skin. They can be short or long sleeves and ideally be comfortable against your skin. 

This first layer should be made of materials that wick, something that pulls moisture off your skin. This will keep you dry. Wet clothes will suck the heat from your body and make it hard to stay warm. 

Cotton absorbs moisture

It will keep moisture against your skin and pull heat from your body. Unless it’s hot and you are trying to do this, I’d recommend wearing anything but cotton. Polyester, merino, and polypropylene are all good alternatives that wick better, keeping you drier.

Merino vs polyester

Merino wool vs polyester is usually the debate when looking at base layers. Polyester is made from fossil fuels, wicks quickly but holds on to smell. Merino doesn’t smell, wicks well but not as fast as polyester but still retains heat when it’s wet. I wear merino wool whenever I can. 

Thicker base layers are warmer

If it’s going to get cold get something thicker. You can add more layers if it’s cooler but too many layers are hard to move in. 

Take care of your merino

Follow the merino instructions if you want it to last. Merino is more delicate than polyester. Merino is my favourite fabric for outdoor adventures but for it to last it’s usually best to wash on delicate and hang to dry.

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Why do you need middle layers?

On top of your base layers you’ll have midlayers, often called insulation layers. This is where you can set your temperature, keep warm, and continue wicking moisture.

Middle layers can be a thin merino shirt, a thicker fleece, a large puffy jacket, or any combination of these. If it’s warm enough you might just be wearing base layers, or a base layer with a shell on top. The benefit of using a combination of a few smaller layers is you can mix and match to deal with cold, cold/wet or warm/wet conditions.

Plan for 3 different temperatures on your trip: daytime resting, daytime moving and camp at night. Daytime resting will be cooler times early in the morning and resting at breakfast and lunch. Daytime moving will be warmer, carrying your pack, moving along the trail. Night will be the coldest time with the most insulation required.

No cotton

As with base layers, cotton clothing will hold on to moisture and suck heat from your body. The only time you might want to wear cotton is when you’re trying to cool down intentionally.

Hood or not?

Do you want a hood on your middle layers? This is entirely personal preference. Some like it, others don’t. It can be uncomfortable to wear a thin hoodie, thick hoody and shell jacket with a hood.

Test your layers

Test the layers you’ll be using close to the 3 temperatures of your trip: moving, resting and camp. Spend some time outside in the layers you’ll be wearing during the day or at night and see what it feels like. If you are going to be at a higher altitude or near the ocean, temperatures will be cooler. 

Some fabrics work better in layers. Merino can stick to other layers of merino. Test your layers at home to make sure they feel good together and you can still move when they’re stacked up.

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Why do you need a waterproof jacket?

It’s hard to stay warm when you’re wet. A waterproof jacket and pants keeps you dry in bad weather. 

You might not need a waterproof jacket and pants for every trip. In the Pacific Northwest where I hike, it can rain any day of the year. Being caught out in the rain without a waterproof jacket and pants is not fun. 

A bonus of the waterproof jacket is that it will trap in heat as well.

I usually spend a bit more on a waterproof jacket if I wear it skiing or around town. If your waterproof pants are only for hiking then you might be able to get away with a cheaper pair.

Look for Waterproof

Not all jackets are waterproof. If they say ‘water resistant’ then it’s not going to keep you dry for long. That said every jacket has its limit to how much water it can keep out. Gore-Tex is one of the most trusted names in waterproof jackets and for good reason. Jackets with Gore-Tex membranes will keep water out longer than nearly any other kind of jacket. 

Lightweight

Jackets sit in the bottom of your pack when it’s not raining, snowing or very cold. Having something small and light will take up less space. 

Breathable

Some jackets have waterproof membranes that are breathable as well. This means they keep water out but allow moisture like sweat out from the inside. This prevents the soggy feeling inside as it traps moisture. Typically the more you spend on a jacket the better it will breathe. 

Venting

Moving in waterproof jackets can be like hiking in a plastic bag. Make sure you can vent heat and moisture from inside without taking the jacket off. Usually this is with zippered vents under the arms. If you can’t vent, you’ll be stuck in the heat and the moisture. 

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Why do you need waterproof pants?

Just as you need a waterproof jacket for your hike, you’ll likely need waterproof pants. When we’re in town and a rainstorm comes through we can run into work, the shops, or back to the car. When we’re out backpacking we won’t have that luxury.

The easiest way to stay dry is to just have waterproof pants and jacket. You can hike through nearly anything without having to worry about getting soaking wet and cold. 

Often you can get away with wet shorts or pants out hiking. But when you get into camp and you’re not moving as much, the cold sets in. Waterproof pants will keep you warm and dry.

Got space?

You’ll likely be wearing the waterproof pants over regular hiking pants or shorts. Make sure there is space underneath so you can still move your legs. 

Breathable

As with waterproof jackets, inexpensive pants won’t be very breathable. They’ll keep the water out but the moisture inside won’t be able to escape easily. Spending a little more on waterproof pants will get you something more breathable. Gore-Tex and eVent will be the best but the most expensive. I don’t typically wear my waterproof pants a lot so I just use less expensive models.

Zippers

They often have zippers on the side to help get them on over large boots. Some can zip all the way up from the top to the bottom. Full zippers like this will make them less waterproof but make them easier to get on and off.  

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