Your Weekend Backpacking Checklist
Travel

Your Weekend Backpacking Checklist

As summer begins to come to a close, outdoor enthusiasts know that the number of warm days and nice weather dwindles. There’s never been a better time to strap on a pair of comfortable hiking boots and your trusty pack to take your last few weekend hikes of the summer.

Whether you’re new to hiking or experienced–but don’t want to forget anything–here’s a checklist for the essential items you need to take on your weekend trip.

Weekend Backpacking Checklist

These are the items you need for the ultimate outdoor camping adventure.

Food and Water

  • Freeze-dried food
  • Beef jerky
  • MREs
  • Energy or protein bars
  • Canned food
  • Ramen noodles
  • Oatmeal

Kitchen Supplies

  • Backpacking stove
  • Cooking pot
  • Fuel
  • Eating and cooking utensils
  • Bear canister if necessary
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Biodegradable soap
  • Can opener

Water Supplies

  • Water bottle
  • Water filtration and/or purifier

Camping Gear

  • Backpack and rain cover
  • Tent
  • Sleeping bag and sleeping pad

Essential Clothing

  • Hiking shoes or boots
  • Pants and shorts
  • Long sleeve shirt
  • Short sleeve shirt
  • Underwear
  • Wool or synthetic socks
  • Light, waterproof jacket

First Aid Supplies

  • First aid cards and instructions
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Assorted bandages
  • Antibacterial ointment
  • Various-sized gauze pads
  • Moleskin or blister treatment
  • Medical tape
  • Pain relief medication, such as ibuprofen
  • Tweezers
  • Antihistamine
  • Butterfly bandages
  • Non-stick pads
  • Insect sting treatment
  • QuikClot or blood-stopping gauze
  • Rolled gauze
  • Finger splint
  • SAM splint
  • Triangular bandage
  • Liquid bandage
  • Alcohol swabs or cleansing pads
  • Prescription medications
  • Anti-diarrheal medicine
  • Eye drops
  • Surgical gloves
  • CPR mask
  • Thermometer
  • Cotton swabs
  • EMS scissors

Emergency Items

  • Whistle
  • Radio or other communication devices
  • Two trip itineraries–leave one with a friend and one in your car under the seat

Hygiene and Other Items

  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Wet wipes
  • Toilet paper
  • Zip lock bags
  • Towel
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Menstrual supplies
  • Bug spray

Sun Protection

  • Sunscreen
  • Lip balm with SPF
  • Sunglasses
  • Hat

Repair Kit and Tools

  • Needle
  • Thread
  • Duct tape
  • Safety pins
  • Multi-tool
  • Tactical knife
  • Paracord
  • Fishing line
  • Hooks
  • Trekking poles
  • Plant and animal guide

Weekend Backpacking Checklist

Navigation

  • Compass
  • Paper map in waterproof sleeve or bag
  • Watch

Light and Fire Tools

  • Headlamp
  • Tactical flashlight
  • Firestarter
  • Matches

Optional Items

  • GPS
  • Personal locator beacon
  • Smartphone
  • Chargers for electronics
  • Notebook
  • Pen

Food and Water

Probably two of the most important items on this list are food and water. It’s difficult to carry enough water to hydrate well when you’re on the trail, so taking advantage of the water you see along your path is key.

Luckily, you can buy portable water filters or even purification tablets that make water on the trail pure enough to drink. You can also boil the water to eliminate contaminants or parasites, making it safe to drink.

As for food, it should be portable. Canned food is great, but it can be heavy to carry in your pack. If you can catch your food, that’s even better because that’s less you need to bring with you–but you must be sure of your skills.

Camp Kitchen Supplies

There’s no need to forgo hot food on the trail. There are plenty of efficient and lightweight backpacking stoves for sale, and some weigh less than a pound. As for fuel, the general consensus is that you need enough to boil a liter of water per meal for each person on your trip. You should also factor in your camping stove’s total burn and boil time.

There is also a variety of cooking and eating utensils, like a spork that doubles as a spoon and fork. You can bring a knife that doubles as a kitchen knife and utility knife.

Some places also require bear canisters–depending on where you’re hiking–such as certain places in Wyoming, Alaska and other locations.

Essential Clothing

Your list of essential clothing for your outdoor adventure will differ depending on the location you’re hiking and the time of year, but for most places, the summer is hot. You still want to wear layers to keep you cool and dry during the day and warm at night if necessary.

Many people think that cotton is the best material for hiking clothes, but wool or synthetic materials are lighter and dry faster than cotton. Cotton gets heavier as it absorbs water when you sweat. So, stick to synthetic or wool clothing.

First Aid Supplies and Other Emergency Items

A small first aid kit is essential so you can treat injuries while you’re backpacking. You may not be able to include everything on this checklist, but at least cover the basics.

It’s also an excellent idea to take a wilderness first aid class so you know how to treat illnesses and injuries when you’re hiking.

Camping Gear

Important things you need for your hike

The camping gear you choose is incredibly important. You want lighter gear that’s easy to carry on the trail. But you also want durable equipment that will last. Your tent and sleeping bag must protect you from the elements.

Saving space is critical in your packing strategy, so a good multi-tool will have everything you need to get work done while allowing you to pack other important items.

Optional Items

The optional items on this list make camping out a little easier as well as safer if you bring a tracking device. If something goes wrong, you can send a signal for help and use the GPS for navigation.

This handy checklist will make sure you don’t forget the important things you need for your hike. You can customize it to meet your needs so you can ensure a fun and safe weekend backpacking.

Article written by admin

By Profession, he is an SEO Expert. From heart, he is a Fitness Freak. He writes on Health and Fitness at MyBeautyGym. He also likes to write about latest trends on various Categories at TrendsBuzzer. Follow Trendsbuzzer on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.