Backpacking Gear

Backpacking gear is specialized equipment to enable you to live out in the woods without a means of transportation. While you can bring anything you can carry, if you do not keep an eye on the amount of weight you tally up when packing, you will not get very far without getting exhausted.

Backpacking gear is designed for one or two persons. While you can carry a two or three burner stove for two people, you can get by with one burner. The same with a tent, you do not need a lot of room. All you need is something to keep you dry if it's raining, sheltered from the wind and to keep the bugs away.

The first thing considered is the size of a piece of equipment. You can only fit so much into a pack. The second is the weight. The less weight you have to tote the easier and more enjoyable your back packing trip will be.

Backpacking equipment is designed with these conditions in mind. Advancement in metallurgy and discovery of new composites has brought modern equipment far beyond what it used to be. Backpacks used to be made from baskets. Eventually the material changed to heavy canvas and leather with hardwood frames. Earlier ones from Asia were made of bamboo. Science has changed packs from weighing 15 to 25 pounds to the ones we use now in the 5 to 7 pound range.

The same with stoves, earlier stoves were made from sheet metal. As metallurgy advance the material changed to aluminum and titanium. I have used many types of backpacking equipment and have found the items that work best for me. I discuss each item I use and what I look for when I have to find a replacement. As not all equipment is suited for everybody these are the items I use for the type of backpacking I do.

Before you buy backpacking gear, find out what to look for so you can get the best backpacking gear for the type of hiking you do. Each link goes to a page with information on what to look for on that particular piece of backpacking gear.

First Aid Kit Snake Bite Kit Bear Pepper Spray Water Filter Water Bottle Tent Tent Footprint Tarp & Ropes Stove Stove Fuel Shovel Foldable Saw Fire Starter Survival Knife Flint and Steel Kit Waterproof Stuff Sack Compression Stuff Sack Sleeping Bag and Sheet Self Inflating Air Mattress Backpacking Chair Backpacking Lantern Headlamp and Batteries Camera Gps or Map and Compass Trekking Pole Rain Gear Pack Fly Clothes

Water Container Hiking Jacket Pans or Cookware Eating Utensils Cups Food and Seasonings Trash Bags Toilet Paper Towels and Soap Tooth Paste and Brush Sun Block Insect Repellent Medications If you take your dog Collar and Leash Dog Pack Training Collar Dog Bowl Food Treats Dog Medication

You have to remember that some backpacking gear is specialized for the environment you will be in. Sleeping bags, for example, are designed for different temperature ranges. Tents are designed for seasons. You can use a winter tent in the summer but I wouldn't use a 3 season tent with a partial fly in the winter.

Water filters are designed for different types of water also. While you can use a ceramic pressure filter for clear water, I would use something other than a SteriPen for runoff from a glacier due to the silt. A SteriPen is not effective in silty water and does not remove the silt.

When you go to buy new backpacking gear you have to match the intended design with the actual use to get the most out of your backpacking gear.