What Clothes to Bring Backpacking

No need to buy a bunch of special “hiking clothes” for your first backpacking trip. Simply go through your fitness wear and find clothing made of moisture-wicking, quick-drying fabrics like nylon and polyester. (Moisture-wicking fabric pulls sweat away from skin to keep you dryer.) Avoid cotton, which slurps up water and takes a long time to dry when wet—that can chill you and, in a worse-case scenario, lead to hypothermia.

Your backpacking clothing should be grouped into layers:

The beauty of layering is that it lets you quickly adapt to changing conditions. It also lets you put together a robust clothing defense against storms that move in suddenly, bringing cold and rainy weather.

If you have a favorite pair of non-cotton athletic tights or yoga pants, they can work as either your base layer or your hiking pants. Worn as pants they won’t offer you handy stash pockets and they’ll be more susceptible to brush snags and rock abrasion than regular hiking pants.

Learn more about how to choose backpacking clothes by reading What to Wear Backpacking.

What Shoes to Bring Backpacking

Because your feet are crucial to a successful trip, footwear is your most important item. Some backpackers insist on supportive over-the-ankle boots, while others prefer lightweight trail running shoes. To learn more, read Hiking Boots vs. Trail Runners: The Great Debate.

Your boots or shoes should be well broken-in before you go. Wear wool or synthetic socks, and consider bringing an ultralight pair of shoes or water sandals for wearing around camp (and for fording creeks).

Learn more by reading Hiking Boots: How to Choose or Trail-Running Shoes: How to Choose.



Basic Backpacking Checklist

We’ve talked about major items above, but that’s not all you need to carry. There’s no convenience store nearby, so you need a way to be sure you have all essential gear in your pack. Use the checklist below to be sure you have everything for your trip, then use it again to check off items as you load your backpack:

You can also take a look at our Comprehensive Backpacking Checklist to find additional things to consider taking on this trip, or on future trips.

Tip: Grab your checklist when you get home from your trip. As you unpack, make notes about what worked well and what didn’t work so well. After a few trips doing this, you’ll have a checklist that’s customized for you.

3: Plan Your Backpacking Food

For an overnight backpacking trip, plan for dinner, breakfast and a couple of lunches. Freeze-dried backpacking food is your lightest and easiest option (just add boiling water) for entrees, but it’s also pricey. Save money by going to the grocery store instead. You won’t have a cooler, so perishable things like fresh eggs can’t be on the menu. Learn more by reading Meal Planning for Backpacking.

Avoid canned food (too heavy) and try to accurately project how much you’ll eat because an excessive amount food adds weight and bulk to your pack. You need some extra food, though—enough for an added day in the wilds. Here are some specific meal-planning tips for your first backpacking trip:

Dinner: Look for all-in-one meals such as packaged noodle or rice entrees. Boxed meals can be removed and placed in a plastic bag for easier packing.

Look for all-in-one meals such as packaged noodle or rice entrees. Boxed meals can be removed and placed in a plastic bag for easier packing. Lunches and snacks: Bring high-calorie, high-protein energy bars and trail mix to munch on during the day because backpacking burns a lot of metabolic fuel. Keep thing simple by making lunch a trailside affair with ample snacks and a longer rest. Other backpacking lunch options include bagels, jerky, dried fruit and nuts.

Bring high-calorie, high-protein energy bars and trail mix to munch on during the day because backpacking burns a lot of metabolic fuel. Keep thing simple by making lunch a trailside affair with ample snacks and a longer rest. Other backpacking lunch options include bagels, jerky, dried fruit and nuts. Breakfast: This can range from a cooked entrée (pancakes anyone?) to hot oatmeal from a mix to two or three breakfast bars. You have to weigh the advantages of starting your day warmed up and fueled up versus hitting the trail earlier. If you can’t go without your caffeinated beverage, your simplest option is an instant coffee mix or tea bags.

This can range from a cooked entrée (pancakes anyone?) to hot oatmeal from a mix to two or three breakfast bars. You have to weigh the advantages of starting your day warmed up and fueled up versus hitting the trail earlier. If you can’t go without your caffeinated beverage, your simplest option is an instant coffee mix or tea bags. Wildlife Precautions: On the trail follow common-sense measures like keeping a respectful distance away from animals and taking care not to come between large mammals and their young. At night, secure all food and scented personal products well away from camp. Often this is done by putting everything in a spare stuff sack and then using some nylon cord to hang it from a high a tree branch. You can also use a bear canister to secure things, even if the main concern is rodents stealing your food. To learn more read Food Handling and Storage for Backpackers and Campers.

4: Getting Ready for Your Backpacking Trip

Set yourself up for success by taking steps to be sure you’re physically, mentally and logistically prepared for your trip. To get ready for backpacking, follow these tips:

Get physically ready: You’re not training for a marathon, but even a short trip can be physically demanding. At a minimum do plenty of day hikes and be able to comfortably handle trails with a similar distance and elevation gain as your planned trip. Do at least a few pre-trip hikes of similar difficulty wearing a backpack loaded with 30-plus pounds. You can also read our article on Backpacking Training Tips and Exercises for workout ideas, though you don’t need anything this comprehensive for your first trip.

You’re not training for a marathon, but even a short trip can be physically demanding. At a minimum do plenty of day hikes and be able to comfortably handle trails with a similar distance and elevation gain as your planned trip. Do at least a few pre-trip hikes of similar difficulty wearing a backpack loaded with 30-plus pounds. You can also read our article on Backpacking Training Tips and Exercises for workout ideas, though you don’t need anything this comprehensive for your first trip. Get mentally ready: Familiarize yourself with your gear ahead of time. Pitch your tent, fire up your stove and filter some water before you go. Learning basic first aid and map and compass navigation is also a wise move, and both skills will serve you well even if you don’t go on future backpacking trips.

Familiarize yourself with your gear ahead of time. Pitch your tent, fire up your stove and filter some water before you go. Learning basic first aid and map and compass navigation is also a wise move, and both skills will serve you well even if you don’t go on future backpacking trips. Figure out your logistics: In addition to figuring out your ride to and from the trailhead, you need to be sure you have all of the necessary permits. Popular destinations are especially likely to require them. Check with the local land management agency to learn what’s required—land managers are also a great resource for updated trail conditions, fire restrictions and other valuable intel.

In addition to figuring out your ride to and from the trailhead, you need to be sure you have all of the necessary permits. Popular destinations are especially likely to require them. Check with the local land management agency to learn what’s required—land managers are also a great resource for updated trail conditions, fire restrictions and other valuable intel. Leave a trip plan with a friend or family member: Include details about where you’re going and when you expect to be back. That gives them a jump on alerting help if you ever need it

Include details about where you’re going and when you expect to be back. That gives them a jump on alerting help if you ever need it Do your packing early: Don’t wait until the night beforehand to load your pack. Read How to Pack and Hoist a Backpack for helpful loading tips. Do your pre-trip pack loading several days in advance, then weigh it to be sure you didn’t overdo it. A rule of thumb is that it should weigh no more than 20 percent of your body weight. If your pack weighs well above that mark, take a hard look at your checklist and see what you can jettison. You can also learn more ways to cut pack weight by reading How Much Should Your Pack Weigh?

Related Articles

To learn even more backpacking basics, read the following articles: