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 sleeping mat? 

Since you’re going to be sleeping outside, you need something to sleep on. We can bring a big foam mattress, or even a large inflatable mattress. There are a couple options for something small enough to fit in your backpack. 

Thin foam is the first option. The blue mats you’ve probably seen rolled up, or the folded foam mats. They are simple, never get holes and don’t need to be inflated. They’re also not very comfortable. 

Inflatable is another option. Most Therm-a-rest are inflatable as with many other brands like Exped, Big Agnes and Nemo. They pack down very small and inflate to 3 or 4 inches thick. 

Inflatable or not?

For me this is an easy question. Inflatable mats are more comfortable to sleep on. They’re also a bit more expensive and can get holes. The absolute cheapest and most durable are the rolled and folded foam mats.

Lay on and move on the fabric

If you can, test the mat in a tent in a store or friends tent. Different sleeping mat and tent materials can be very noisy when you move. I have a very lightweight tent and mat combo that I like but together they are obnoxiously loud when I move at night. Some clothes in between solved the issue but I should have tested the mat first. 

How warm?

Some mats just have air in them, some have synthetic or down feather insulation. These block all your heat from escaping down into the ground at night. Your sleeping bag has insulation but when it’s all squished by your body, it won’t keep the heat in. 

Look for an R-value on sleeping mats. Just like sleeping bags and insulation in your house, the R-value measures the insulation value. 0 to 4 is for summer or 3 season. 5 to 8 is getting up into cold and winter insulation. If you have a warmer sleeping bag, you can get away with a lower R-value. 

Go lightweight

Thicker materials and insulation add weight to a mat. Don’t go overboard with either since you have to carry it. 

Get a bag to inflate

Some mats will come with a pumpbag you can use to inflate your mat. It’s a little bit more work to blow up the mat but your mat will last longer. A pump bag like the Schnozzel from Exped is super light and doubles as a waterproof dry bag for your sleeping bag.

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Why do you need socks? 

Chances are slim that you can wear hiking boots or walk long distances without socks on. Good socks can keep your feet dry, happy and prevent blisters.

Thicker socks will also give your feet some cushion against the beating they can take on the trail as well as warmth if it’s cold. 

No cotton

Never wear cotton socks hiking. Cotton absorbs water and holds it against your skin. Warm, moist skin leads to blisters. Merino wool or synthetic is best.

Buy boots with your socks

When you go buy boots take your good socks with you. Boots will feel different with different socks. Your boots have to feel good with your feet and your socks.

Spend time testing

Spend as much time as possible breaking in your boots with your socks. Walk around the house. Do errands around town. Do small hikes. Slowly work up to the distance and weight you’ll be doing for your trip.

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Why do you need soap?

Soap is optional on the trail but it’s nice to have. You might want to wash your body on the trail or some pots and pans from a meal. 

Friendly to the environment

Make sure the soap you get is friendly to the environment, not just the Dawn you got from the kitchen. Campsuds have been my favourite for a long time but there are others out there. Look for biodegradable on the label. 

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Why do you need a sleeping bag?

Sleeping outside is going to get a little chilly. We need something to keep us warm at night. 

Sleeping bags are compact bags of insulation that keep you warm at night but doesn’t take up much space in your pack. 

Sleeping bags will be one of the largest, heaviest pieces of gear you will take. If possible get something lighter.

Another option instead of a sleeping bag is a quilt. This won’t be the duvet from home but rather a blanket made of lightweight materials like a sleeping bag. Quilts don’t have a bottom like a sleeping bag. They just attach to your sleeping mat and use that as insulation underneath you. They can be good for warmer weather backpacking.

Rectangular or mummy

There are 2 mains hapes to sleeping bags, rectangular and mummy. Rectangular are larger rectangles with squared off edges, usually without a hood. They are great for car camping in warmer seasons. They aren’t as lightweight or warm as mummy bags. 

Mummy bags are rounded around the bottom and have a hood. This saves weight in the bag, saves space inside (less to warm up) and keeps your head warm with the hood. We recommend a mummy bag for backpacking. 

Mens or womens?

Sleeping bags are usually split up into mens and womens versions. Womens bags will be shorter lengths and have slightly more insulation.

Synthetic or down

Insulation in sleeping bags is what keeps you warm. It’s either made from down feathers or synthetic insulation. 

Down feathers will be lighter, pack down smaller and be more expensive. Down feathers don’t insulate well so be careful keeping down bags dry. Most down will come with a water resistant coating that lets it dry faster. At the end of the day the warmth comes from how large, or fluffy, the down can expand, or loft. Wet feathers won’t loft as high.

Synthetic insulation is made from plastic. There are many kinds and some expand and pack down very well. Others don’t. Synthetic sleeping bags will be less expensive than down. Synthetic insulation stays lofted and warm even when it’s moist from sweat or condensation in the tent. 

Temperature

Sleeping bags are usually rated for their temperature they can keep you warm at. There are 3 different zones: Comfort, Transition, and Risk. These come from a standard test with a mannequin with base layers on. The exact temperatures you get cold at will be different for everyone but it’s a rough guide. 

The Comfort range is where a woman (women tend to sleep cooler) would be comfortable. For example this range might be down to 0 Celcius (32F). This is where you want to be sleeping.

The Transition range is where a man in a curled up position would just be able to stay warm. For example, this range might be down to -6 Celcius (20F). You can still use your bag in this range and maybe adding a bit more clothing would help. Don’t plan on doing it a lot. 

The Risk range is where hypothermia is possible. Don’t use the bag in these temperatures. In emergencies it might be your only choice so it’s better than nothing. More clothes, and sleeping bag liners will make it warmer. 

If all your backpacking will be above 0 Celcius (32F) getting a bag with Comfort rating 0 will work well. It might be a bit warm during warm summer nights but you’ll only need 1 sleeping bag. If you can afford it, getting a smaller lighter bag for warm trips will save weight in your pack. 

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Why do you need a hat? 

Hats aren’t required but they are nice to have in the sun or the rain. I’ve always got one kind of hat or another in my pack. A toque for when it’s cold, a Seattle Sombrero for when it’s raining a lot, or a baseball cap for the other times to keep the sun off. 

One of the 10 Essentials is Sun Protection. 

Clearly you don’t have to have a hat to go hiking but they are useful. 

Hat or hood

When it’s raining a lot, you’ll have your jacket hood up. If it’s raining for days, wearing a hood the whole time can get uncomfortable. It’s fine for the odd shower, but for long periods of time, it’s hard to hear anything and to see anything out the sides. A waterproof hat keeps your ears out, your peripheral vision open and your head warm but they are another item to put in your pack.

Cotton or not?

Most toques are made of cotton. Cotton will hold moisture and suck heat from your body, something we want to stay away from. Merino and fleece toques will wick water and keep you warmer. 

Insulation?

Is the hat for sun protection, rain protection, warmth, or all three? Keeping your head warm at night will be important for staying warm on cooler nights. To stay warmer in your sleeping bag, wear a toque to sleep. 

Cooling down

On hot days, dipping a hat in a cold lake or stream is a glorious break from the heat. Baseball hats are great for this. They don’t dry quickly since they’re cotton so think ahead before you soak it.

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Why do you need garbage bags?

Most trails don’t have garbage bins every kilometer so you’ll need somewhere to store your trash. Any garbage with food scent on it will need to be stashed with your food or hung in a tree over night to avoid animals. 

Use your dehydrated meal bags as garbage bags. 

Dehydrated food bags make great garbage bags after you’re done. I usually have a couple ziploc bags with me as well just in case.

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Why do you need a pillow?

Obviously you need to put your head on something when you’re sleeping. But it doesn’t have to be an actual pillow. 

Bringing a whole pillow from home will be large, heavy and take up a lot of room. There are other great options that are almost as good. 

First up is a pile of clothes and/or jackets. Roll up a jacket or sweater and use that as a pillow. 

Second option is to bring some kind of stuff sack that is soft and fuzzy on the outside. There are stuff sacks that can hold your clothes and then are soft on the inside. Flip it inside out and stuff some clothes inside and you have a pillow. 

Third option is to get an inflatable pillow. They blow up like a balloon but are shaped like a pillow. Bonus points when you wrap a down jacket around the pillow to give some extra squish. A t-shirt on top of the down jacket gives a soft feel to the whole thing.  

How tall do you want it?

Back sleepers can sleep with almost nothing. Throw a mat on the ground and they’re good to go. Side sleepers have a problem though. They need some sort of pillow. Some are good with some rolled up jacket an inch high. Others need a nice pillow 4 inches tall. If you like something taller, make sure you bring that backpacking. If you don’t sleep well in the backcountry, it’s going to be hard to enjoy the trip. 

Can it strap to the sleeping mat?

Some pillows have a strap that goes around the sleeping mat so it doesn’t move. Nice if you are a slide sleeper or move around a lot in your sleep. Others can fit in the hood of your sleeping bag. Keeps it all in one place. The inflatable pillows seem to migrate more.

Test at home

As with all of your gear, test it at home or on a short trip. If you find out your pillow setup sucks, spending a week on it isn’t going to go well.

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There are many items we can take backpacking that are more or less optional but are very useful at certain times. This section walks through many of these items that can make that backpacking trip a little more comfortable.

• Multi-tool or Knife
• Repair Kit
• Stuff Sacks
• Book
• Notebook and Pen
• Rope
• Music
• Satellite Communicator or Emergency Locator Beacon
• Bear Safety
• Firestarter
• Batteries and Battery Packs
• Soap
• Garbage Bag

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That’s the end of the gear section. You now have enough knowledge to be dangerous to your wallet and get some hiking gear. 

There are a few more things to keep in mind about hiking in general for your first, or tenth, multi-day hike. 

Start small

Rushing into long hikes will hurt. They’ll hurt your body, your wallet and your ego. Use small hikes to build up with weight and distance. 

If you want to hike ten kilometers for 4 days with 30 pounds on your back, work up to that. Start with 2 then 5 then 8 kilometer hikes. Add weight to those hikes and work up to 30 pounds for 10 for 1 day. Go for 2 days in a row with all your gear. Sleep at home in between and see how you feel. Rushing into the full weight and distance can be dangerous on a remote trail.

Test, Test, Test

Test everything you own. Get extra food and test it. Sleep in the backyard or on a short trail with all your gear. Put up the tent. Sleep in your sleeping bag. Hike with your clothes. Don’t use your gear for the first time on your big trip.

Buy used

Used gear can be just as good as new and half the price. Lots of people buy everything for one hike and then never use it again (but not you!). Sucks for them but good for you. Tents, headlamps, trekking poles, stoves, pots and sleeping bags can be lightly used and still have a lot of life left in them. 

Split gear with hiking partners

Many things like tents, tarps, and stoves can be shared with the group. Whether that’s splitting up tents into the parts or taking turns carrying the tarp and the stove, don’t make one person carry it all. 

Look for extra regulations

Some areas may have other regulations for hiking equipment like having bear spray or a bear canister. Confirm you have all the required gear and have paid for your permit if there is one. 

Lessons learned

Write down what you learned on your trip so you remember for next time. Whether that’s a hiking notebook you take hiking or a trip planning document on your computer you check for each trip. There are lessons every trip and it’s not fun to re-learn them every time.  

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