One of the practices that Darren and I follow is to maintain a packing list. Over the years, we have had several lists floating around. Recently, we combined all of these into one comprehensive list that we call our “Master Packing List.” It includes everything that we could bring, grouped by category. This practice makes it easy to tailor our list for a particular trip. Thus, this packing list can be used for all types of travel, including backpacking, international travel, car-camping, or simply an overnighter at a friend’s house.
If you are interested, you can learn about our adventures here:
Why Maintain a Packing List
We favor creating and maintaining packing lists for a variety of reasons.
Traveling Light
We have all had the experience of bringing something “just in case.” But our strategy is to bring the least number and lightest things with us. Why? Even if a piece of gear has utility, it also have bulk and weight. For example, Darren recently took a week-long trip to see his parents in Key West, FL with nothing more than a small carry-on backpack.
Think of everything that you pack as an asset and a liability at the same time.
The first step in reducing the size of your luggage is to thoughtfully consider your footwear (i.e., shoes). If you can limit the number of shoes to one or two pairs you have a good start. Here a couple of tips for building your own packing list.
Organizing Your Gear
There are a variety of ways of organizing your gear, whether it be in a backpack or a suitcase. I have found that using bags or cubes works best. The idea is that when trying to find something, you can quickly locate the right container and then search there. Here’s how we organize our things.
Take a look at our master list by category:
| Item | Specific Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carry-on Suitcase | Eagle Creek Luggage Gear Warrior Wheeled Duffel 22 | $299.00 | 6 lbs |
| Hut / Village Backpack | Osprey Packs Farpoint 40 (Darren) Osprey Packs Fairview 40 (Sandy) | $159.00 | 3 lbs 2 oz |
| REI Trail 40 Pack (Darren) REI Trail 40 Pack (Sandy) | $129.00 | 3 lbs | |
| Wilderness Backpack | Osprey Packs Exos 58 Backpack | $259.00 | 2 lbs 3 oz |
| Item | Specific Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tent | REI Quarter Dome Tent | $349.00 | 4 lbs. 9 oz. |
| Tent pad | Custom (Tyvek) - Fits Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 | $22.00 | |
| Sleeping bag | REI Co-op Magma Trail Quilt 30 | $329.00 | 1 lb. 3 oz. |
| Sleeping pad | Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mat | $139.95 | 15.5 oz. |
| Satellite communicator | Garmin inReach Mini | $349.99 | 3.5 oz. |
| First aid kit | Homemade | ||
| Clothing insect repellent | Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent | $19.99 | |
| Repair kit | Homemade | ||
| Microspikes | Kahtoola MICROspikes Footwear Traction | $74.95 | 10 oz. |
| Bear canister | Bear Vault Bear Resistant Food Canister | $94.95 | 2lbs 9oz. |
| Ursack | Ursack Major Black Bear Bag | $124.95 | 8.8 oz. |
| Opsak (two bags) | LOKSAK - OPSAK Storage Bag, Re-Sealable and Odorless Protection | $16.49 | |
| Backcountry Trowel | The Deuce of Spades Backcountry Potty Trowel | $24.95 | 0.6 oz. |
| Item | Specific Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stove | Jetboil Flash Camping and Backpacking Stove Cooking System | $124.95 | 13 oz. |
| Fuel | Jetboil Jetpower 4-Season Fuel Blend | $17.00 | 7.2 oz |
| Water bottles (we buy this product for the container and not the water) | Smartwater 1L | 1.2 oz. each | |
| Collapsible water bottles | EVERNEW Water Carry System, 900ml | $12.99 | 1 oz. |
| Soap | Dr. Bronner's 2 oz Liquid Soap | $3.99 | 2 oz. |
| Scraper | MSR Alpine Dish Brush/Scraper | $7.95 | 1.6 oz. |
| Collapsible Bucket | Sea to Summit 10-Liter Folding Bucket, Collapsible Camp Kitchen Bucket | $29.95 | 2.8 oz |
| Water pre filter | Pentek Polypropylene Filter Bag | $13.89 | 1.6 oz |
| Water filter | Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System | $34.99 | 8 oz. |
| Katadyn BeFree Collapsible Water Filter Bottle | $49.95 | 2.3 oz. | |
| Sporks | TOAKS Titanium Long Handle Spork with Polished Bowl | $12.95 | 0.65 oz |
| Cups | Sea to Summit X Mug | $25.00 | 2.7 oz. |
In addition to the items below, we are big believers in bringing as much “real” food as possible. One of our favorite places to stock up is Trader Joe’s. There, we can buy dried fruit, nuts, vegie chips, jerky, coconut oil packets, cookies and even hand sanitizer. The header photo above shows our Trader Joe’s items for our Arizona Trail trek.
| Item | Specific Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinners | Good To-Go | Varies - around $15.50 per individual type for double serving | 6.6 oz |
| Mountain House 6 pack pouches | Varies - around $60.00 per flavor for 6 pack double serving | 4 to 6 oz | |
| Breakfasts | Bobo's Oat Bars All Natural, Gluten Free 6 Flavor Variety, 2 of Each Flavor | $32.88 (pack of 12) | 3 oz each |
| Good-To-Go Granola 6 pack pouches | $39.95 (pack of 6) | 4.8 oz each | |
| Coffee | Starbucks Via Italian Roast Coffee | $46.75 (50 packets) | .11 oz each |
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