The lists below assume you are on an overnight trip of one to three nights.  For longer trips you can start here, but will need to plan accordingly. 

Summer Hiking Gear Checklist

Camera – top of the list, but that’s just me
Backpack
3-Season tent
Trekking poles
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Water bottles with water
Lightweight summer hiking boots or hiking shoes
Cooking Stove
Fuel for stove
Eating Utensils, plate, mug, lightweight outdoor pots/pans for food preparation

Clothes:
Shorts – consider convertible pants
Extra shorts
T-shirts – one for each day
Underwear – consider synthetic to reduce rashes
Socks – One pair of hiking socks per day.  Consider thin summer hikers
Long sleeve shirt or light jacket for night and cool down periods
* Some areas can still be cold at night and may require cold weather gear like thermals and jackets
Hat
Bandana
Rain gear

Sunglasses
Lip balm
Knife
Sunscreen
Whistle
Trowel – small shovel for burying human waste
Headlamp – may consider extra batteries
Lighter
First Aid Kit
Duct Tape
Light weight rope
Bag on rope for securing food overnight from high place like a tree
GPS, map, & compass
Water purifier or tablets
Guide to area

Personal Items:
Toothbrush
Hairbrush
Baby Wipes – Easy way to get clean
Toilet paper
Medications

Food:
Trail mix and Snacks
Food for each Meal
Meals may take planning and can be as simple as dry and lightweight foods to gourmet meals.  I prefer to go light on fuel and often bring items that don’t need cooking.  Of course, consuming a hot meal can go a long way toward reviving a tired body.  There’s a lot that can be written about meals and will require an additional post.

Winter Hiking Gear Checklist

You must be careful hiking in the winter as conditions can change quickly.  One day you might be hiking on a beautiful 50 degree day with clear skies and the next trudging through snow.  For this winter backpacking gear checklist use the summer checklist and add the cold weather gear listed below.  You’ll have to plan your cold weather gear based on your trip as location, altitude, and other factors will determine what type of cold weather gear and supplies you’ll need.  If you’re not sure if you have everything needed for your specific destination contact a local ranger station or guide for advice.

In addition to summer gear listed above include:
4-Season tent – depending on conditions and area
Winter Boots
Thermal top and bottoms
Winter hiking socks
Liner socks
Synthetic hiking pants
Fleece pants
Fleece top
Winter jacket
Gloves – consider layering
Waterproof and breathable jacket
Winter hat
Face protection (balaclava)
Snowshoes – If hiking in area with snow or potential snow
Extra sleeping pad – I like to use a foam bottom pad with my Thermarest pad on top of the foam pad

I’m sure others have ideas to improve this checklist so please send those to me or comment below.  I have a friend that removes items from his checklist if he doesn’t use them on 3 trips in a row.  This is a good way to remove “extras” but you don’t want to remove emergency items like duct tape or first aid kits.

Hiking Gear Photo by Marc Levin

The ability to get away from the crowd, see things very few others will ever see, and being at one with nature are all good reasons why backpacking is so alluring. National parks attract millions of visitors every year, yet those visitors hardly ever go more than fifty yards from their cars (if they get out of them at all). Backpacking gives you the ability to venture further and longer.

You will need to get a backpack to carry all of your gear. Buying a pack off the rack at a discount store is not a good idea if you plan on doing even moderate backpacking. The quality and fit will not be sufficient.

Go to a professional outfitter for the best selection and most knowledgeable staff. To select a backpack that is right for you, you need to know what kind of hiking you plan on doing. Discuss this with the salesperson to narrow down your choices. After selecting the right pack for you take the time to get it fitted properly.

Now that you have your backpack you need to do some planning. There are lots of things to consider before your first backpacking excursion. Asking yourself, and honestly answering, the following questions will give you a good start.

- Where do you plan on going?
- How long will you be gone?
- What is the weather forecast?
- Will anything be available at your destination?
- What type of clothing will you need?
- What other equipment will be necessary?
- How much and what kind of food will you eat?
- How much does it all weigh?

As you will be carrying most of what you need on your back you will want to buy the highest quality and lightest items you can. Keep it light. When you first start out, and your excitement is high, you may not think your backpack seems all that heavy but after a mile or two an overloaded pack becomes torture.

This does not necessarily mean you will have to spend a lot of money on food and gear. Removing all non-essential packaging from dry, grocery store bought food will reduce a lot of weight. There are even backpackers who trim the plastic handles of their toothbrushes to economize on weight.

Be careful when paring down the weight of your backpack. There is many-a-tale of hapless backpackers who left gear behind to save weight, only to learn (while in the wilderness) how essential that gear really was.

If you are new, see if you can find a backpacking partner with more skill to give you advice or even go with the first few times. Subscribe to hiking and backpacking publications to keep up with the newest products, advances and discoveries. These are helpful for novices and pros alike.