Hiking Gear

You certainly won't want to carry all the gear on this checklist, but it may be useful in reminding you of some item you might have forgotten. Gear in (brackets) is nonessential. The lighter, the better, of course.

Gear for South America, editor Rick McCharles 2005

Pack & accessories

• Pack
• (Carabiners)
• (Pack rain cover)
• (Closed-cell sit pad)
• Additional stuff sacs, ziplocs bags, etc.
• Flashlight, extra bulb, extra batteries
• Emergency whistle
• Repair kit
  • Tent repair kit
  • (Therm-A-Rest repair kit)
  • Parachute cord (replacement shoe laces)
  • Duct tape
  • (Sewing kit)
  • (Heavy-duty needles or awl & thread)
  • (Large locking safety pins)
  • (Rip-stop nylon patches)
  • (Rip-stop tape)
  • (Wire)
  • (Dental floss)
  • (Nylon twine)
  • (hose clamp, for splinting)
  • (spare buckles for pack)
  • etc.
• Camera, film, accessories in a waterproof bag
• Emergency money
• Trash bag (strong bag with closure)
  • Consider using an old waterproof stuff sac
• Rope(s) -- 15 metres or longer, 7-12 mm (3/8th inch) diameter, or thicker
• (Hip pack — usually called a fanny pack in North America)

Clothing

The critical feature of clothing is often, How quickly will it dry? Fleece and wicking clothing dries fastest. Socks invariably stay wet longest after washing.

• Socks (& liners)
• Hiking footwear
• (Extra footwear)
• Underwear, (sports bras), etc.
• Wicking t-shirts
• (Swim suit)
• Shorts
  • Light weight running shorts are ideal, though they are not as durable as hiking shorts
  • new 2005 North Face Flight Trail Short is a good compromise
• Long underwear
• (Sleep wear)
• Fleece top (or fleece vest)
• Fleece pants (or Quick-dry pants)
• (Wind pants)
• (Wind jacket)
  
• (Gore-Tex pants)
  
• Fleece wind-stopper jacket
• (Poncho)
  • The poor mans alternative to Gore-Tex. Ponchos do tend to get whipped around in the wind.
    
• Gore-Tex jacket
  • There are many climbing jackets that weigh less than one pound. The argument against these fantastic lightweight jackets is that they may not be able to holdup to the wear and tear of the pack. But we’ve found that not to be true. No problems.
• (gloves)
• (Gore-Tex rain over-mitts)
  
• Bandana(s)
  
• Hat for protection from the sun
• Sunglasses
• Fleece cap (or touque)
• Biodegradable laundry soap
• Light weight nylon laundry line, one / tent
• (Plastic clothes pegs)
  
  If possible, you should keep one
  full set of clothing in a waterproof bag for emergencies.

  Check your Gore-Tex in the shower to see if it wets out. If so, you may need to do some maintenance. You could try:

  • washing & rinsing in clear water
  • drying in a hot dryer to restore the coating
  • spray-on Scotchguard, Rivivex or something similar

Shelter

• Waterproof (test it!) tent, fly, poles, pegs, (sand or snow pegs if needed), stuff sacs, tie-downs
  • (waterproof the fly & Seamseal the seams if it leaks)
  • (tent footprint or tarp to protect the bottom of the tent)
  • or Bivy sack
  • or Hammock
  • or Tarp
• (Tarp / ground cloth & at least 15 meters of light tie-down cord)
• Sleeping bag in waterproof stuff sack
  • (Sleeping bag liner stored in the bag)
  • (Sleeping socks in a plastic bag)
  • (Fleece cap or touque)
• (Stuff-sac pillow)
  
• Mattress (e.g. Therm-A-Rest) & 1 patch kit for your group
• (Folding saw)
• (Sponge, for wipe-ups in the tent)

Food and Water

• (Water filter or purifier)
  • If you decide not to bring a filter, stream the water through a bandana to remove the larger particles. Then boil or treat with iodine.
    
• Water bottle (or alternate personal hydration system)
  • We’ve tried Platypus-type and Camelbak-type hydration systems. Not bad, but the good old smoked-plastic, wide-mouth 1 litre Nalgene bottle is still our first choice.
• Additional water container for your group
  • Best is a nylon water bag. We usually bring one 10 litre bag with a handle. Hang the bag, or set it on a flat rock, then filter water as needed. With a larger group we bring a wine box bladder as well, to hold filtered water until needed.
• (Collapsible water basin)
  • e.g. Ortleib
• Stove and repair kit (& optional fuel lantern)
  • Test your stove before departure
  • What's the best stove? Some like the noisy MSR Dragonfly. Many swear by their trusty, if leaky, MSR Whisperlight. Those who don't like fussing stick with simple screw-on canister stoves.
• Stove Fuel (e.g. perhaps 4 oz / person / day of white gas)
  • (funnel)
• Matches or lighters in ziplocs bags
• (Fire starter cubes)
• Nesting pots with tight-fitting lids
• Serving spoon
• (Bowl or plate)
• (Dish wash towel)
• (Pot scrubbing "tuffy" pad)
  • You could use sand to scour, instead
• Spoon (or Spork)
• Swiss Army knife
  • Scissors
  • Tweezers
  • Eyeglass screwdriver
• (Multi-tool for gear repair)
• Insulated plastic mug
• (Serving cup or dipper)
• Bear bag (for hanging food) ... or, new 2005 bear vault food cannister (2.5 pounds)
  

Toiletries

• Personal prescriptions & medications
• Toothbrush & paste or powder
• Dental floss
• Biodegradable soap & shampoo
• Antibacterial gel (several small containers)
• Lip balm with SPF 15+
• Toilet paper in a plastic bag with lighter, hand gel, & an extra plastic bag for used toilet paper
• (Sun screen SPF 15+)
• (Small mirror)
• (Insect repellent with DEET)
• Pack towel, small chamois, or bandanna
• (Feminine hygiene items, tampons, etc.)
• (Condoms)
• (Comb or brush)
• (Nail clippers)

Navigation

• Map
• (Tide charts)
• Wrist watch
• Guide book (or photocopied pages)
• (Compass)
• (Glasses and/or contact lenses & solution kit)
• (Altimeter)

First Aid Kit

Bring medical insurance information & medication information for each hiker.

Someone in your group should be certified and qualified in
First Aid and, ideally, in the specialty of Wilderness First Aid.

If you have a large group, it is easy to justify carrying more gear. We once brought, for example, a knee brace – even though not one of our 10 hikers had any knee problem prior to the hike. It was well-used.

On that same hike, we divided our first aid kit into 2 halfs. This worked well so that our group of 10 could split into 2 groups at any time we wanted.

• (Bug-bite / bee-sting lotion and/or allergy kit)
• Sewing needle & thread
• Sterile dressing pads
• Sterile gauze pads
• Sterile non-adherent pads
• Sterile, cotton-tip swabs
• Swabstick saturated with compound benzoin tincture
• Antiseptic towelettes
• Alcohol gel (or alcohol wipes)
• Antibiotic ointment
• Vasoline
• Knuckle band-aids
• Extra-large band-aids
• Telfa "ouchless" adhesive pad
• Butterfly wound closures
• Medium Band-Aids
• Pain Killers (e.g. Tylenol)
• Extra-strength acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Imodium anti-diarrheal caplets
• Antacid tabs (e.g. Tums)
• Antihistamine for hay fever, allergies
• Throat lozenges
• Moleskin
• Adhesive cloth tape
• Sterile gauze wrap
• Electrolyte packets for fluid replacement
• Athletic tape

Optional luxuries

• (Gaiters)
• (Note pad & pencil)
• (Razor & blades)
• (Pee bottle for the tent)
• (Paperback novel)
• (Collapsible hiking pole(s) or walking stick
• (Liar’s dice, miniature cards, portable chess set, crib board, or other
• games)
• (Fishing gear & licences)
• (Umbrella)
• (Light weight binoculars or monocular)
• (Trowel for digging "cat holes")
• (Leatherman tool)
• (String saw)
• (Camcorder, tapes, batteries)
• (Candles or candle lantern for inside the tent)
• (thermometer / compass zipper pull)
• (Cell phone and list of emergency phone numbers)
• (VHF marine radio)

You can also browse the MEC gear checklist online.