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. We finally 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.
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) | $185.00 | 3 lbs 2 oz |
| REI Trail 40 Pack (Darren) REI Trail 40 Pack (Sandy) | $149.00 | 3 lbs | |
| Wilderness Backpack | Osprey Packs Exos 58 Backpack | $259.00 | 2 lbs 3 oz |
| Item | Specific Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tent | Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 Tent | $579.95 | 3 lbs. 8 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. 4 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. |
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 at Trader Joe’s grocery stores. There, we can buy dried fruit, nuts, veggie chips, jerky, coconut oil packets, cookies and even hand sanitizer. The 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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