How to Pack for a Trip

Backpacking is a favorite outdoor activity, but it is very physically challenging. One of the most important steps to making your trip more pleasurable is packing well. Taking only the items and articles absolutely needed will add to your enjoyment, by lightening the load you carry.

Steps

Make a list to include everything that you will possibly need on your trip. Don't leave things out and think you will remember what you needed. Include everything that you will need, as well as what you may need, and even things that you might need.
Follow the rule for backpacking which is, if you cannot decide if you need it, you probably will not need it. Instead of bringing an extra heavy duty flashlight, bring a second set of batteries.
Bring a backpack, but if you can't afford to buy one borrow one from a friend, and have them help you adjust it for your body. When the pack has a load in it, nearly all of the weight should be on your hips and sacrum. The shoulder straps are mostly there to keep the pack vertical and close to you.
Cut back on food by packing primarily freeze dried meals. Avoid excess raw meats especially on long trips. Pack calorie dense food but try to spread your calorie intake through a variety of food groups. Calories per unit volume is also a concern. Eat a lot of protein and carbohydrates, and make sure that something you are eating regularly has salt in it. You'll sweat a lot of it out. Most food packaging is bulkier than it needs to be, and less waterproof than you want it to be. Before you go, divide up your food and repackage it into zip-top bags.
- Consider the following foods: oatmeal, Pop-Tarts, granola bars, nuts, and dried fruit for breakfast; bagels, cheese, crackers, peanut butter, summer sausage, raisins, nuts, and apples for lunch; and pasta, macaroni and cheese, couscous, instant black beans and rice, instant soup, Ramen, quesadillas for dinner, and don't forget dessert--pudding or cookies are lovely.
Shop for a tent that suits your needs. Anything excessive will be heavy and not necessary. A two man tent will be sufficient for two people so do not be tempted to buy a larger one. Bring a sleeping bag and a ground cushion to insulate you from the ground to keep you warm. You may want a pillow.
- Borrow a tent if you can. Make sure you've got a rain fly and a ground cloth. Generally you want something small and lightweight. You don't need more floor space than your bodies will take up for sleeping since you'll keep your pack outside. If you are going somewhere rocky try to bring a tent that stands up on its own when it isn't staked in. It will often be hard to find good places to put stakes, and you don't want to have to rely on them if you can help it.
Check your map and figure out how far apart the water stops are, then determine how much water you will need between the two points. 64oz is a good amount, but more may be required in desert areas. Water will be available at your campsite or from natural sources such as streams and lakes. Use water purification tablets in natural water, no matter how clear it looks. Make sure the water sources are reliable. Some may be dry during droughts or in summer months. Call the park rangers for the area to ask if you are in doubt.
Wear whatever is comfortable; there is no hiking dress code. Bring a poncho in case it rains. Hiking boots protect your feet, support your ankle, and are rainproof. Buy heavy wool or synthetic socks to wear with them. Stay away from cotton clothing where possible. Polar fleece, polypropylene, olefin, Thermax and CoolMax are among the suitable materials for outdoor wear.
Buy a titanium or aluminum pot with a Teflon non-stick surface. Since all your meals will be cooked in these, make sure they have handles and are large enough to be used for one pot cooking.
Bring a handheld flashlight and a headlamp for hands free use.
Take along tinder to start a fire. An excellent tinder is dryer lint. Cotton balls and newspapers work, but the ultimate is dryer lint rubbed with Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly. These will start easily and burn very intensely. Take firestarters that create sparks and fire without a match and a large supply of waterproof matches.
Use a hiking bag for packing. Put your heavy and solid gear at the bottom of your bag, for good support. Strap your sleeping bag onto the bottom of your bag. Then add your cook gear. Strap your tent poles and sleeping mat to the sides or top of your bag. Place your tent at the base of your pack, hopefully in a separate, purpose-built compartment. Fill the rest of the inside of the bag with clothes and the likes.In your outside pockets, place miscellaneous things that you may need easy access to: map, compass, knife, light, fire starters/matches, etc. Make sure you pack a trash bag or two for garbage at your campsites and wet clothing.
- Pack your clothes inside of a garbage bag with the top folded over. Put the heaviest items closer to the small of your back. Keep your rain gear, snacks, and whistle easily available. Use zip-top bags and stuff sacks liberally. Keep all of your smellable things in a small number of places so you don't miss any when it's time to pack up things in the bear keg/bag.

Tips

Once all of your gear is in your pack, and you've filled up your water bottles, it should definitely weigh less than 1/3 of your body weight, and hopefully less than 1/4.
Bring extra socks. Wet feet are the worst.
Pack everything separately in plastic bags; they are pretty much impervious to water and are negligible in terms of space and weight.
Use compression stuff sacks for bulker items like clothing, tent and sleeping bag. They will save a lot of space.
Dress in layers, it keeps you warmer and if you get hot you can just take layers off.
Learn to navigate with a map and compass.
Buy a GPS. Not only does it help you orient yourself, it can be invaluable for navigating at night. You just need a map to get your coordinates from.
When starting to hike, go on marked trails with water spots, this will make it harder to get lost.
Buy the lightest tent that you can within your budget. Buy for layout, not square footage. Do not be scared off by high prices as a good tent can last you many years. Just pick a tent that you like, and make sure you consider that you'll be carrying it around quite a bit. Before you go hiking with it, set it up in your backyard a few times so you can do it in the dark or rain. Also, see if your camping supply store sells a footprint or mat made for your tent to keep the bottom dry. If not, just buy a plastic tarp or a bivouac/survival bag.
Remember: Whatever you pack, you have to carry on your back for however long you have to hike. PACK LIGHTLY!
Try to bring items that can do double duty- an extra shirt or a fleece, for example, can also work as a pillow.
If your backpack has a hip strap (it always should), put the heaviest on the bottom ( so the weight will be taken by your hip), and light things on the top. This will save your shoulders from a lot of pain.
For women: if you need to bring feminine products, pack them in plastic bags, to avoid water damage. You also should plan to pack out used pads or tampons in a plastic bag, since there may be no place to dispose of them.
If the night time temperature will be warmer than 60?F you can bring just sheets or a blanket. The tent will keep you pretty warm on its own. When you are packing your sleeping bag, line your stuff sack with a garbage bag. Stuff in your sleeping bag and then fold over the garbage bag before you tighten down the drawstring. This is very important for keeping your sleeping bag dry.
A sleeping pad will keep you from feeling the rocks underneath your tent, and will insulate you from the cold ground. It is essential if it will be chilly at night. Your sleeping bag's filler will be compacted under your weight so it will only protect the top of you. If you have the money to spare, therm-a-rest self inflating pads are great. If you want something cheaper but not as comfortable, ridge rests aren't bad. You can also just try to find a piece of soft eggshell foam from a packing crate and use that.
For anything other than middle of summer camping at low elevation, buy or borrow a down-filled mummy bag. It should be rated for at least 30?F. Mummy bags have a hood that extends up over your head and allow you to close off the bag such that nothing but your nose and mouth is exposed.

Warnings

Always hike with one or more other people, it's safer that way.
Always make sure someone knows where you are.
Don't overdo it. Just because you have no problem walking 6-7 miles on a path doesn't mean you can go up and down hills with a 25 pound bag on your back.
Avoid wearing jeans and all cotton clothing. If cotton gets damp it loses its insulating properties and takes a long time to dry. In hot weather it will make you feel clammy and uncomfortable. In cold weather it can kill you.

Things You'll Need

Water Bottles
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Ground Cloth
Food for X Days
Clothes for X Days
Rain Gear
Fire Starter/matches (waterproof)
Knife
GPS/Compass
Map
Cell Phone
Whistle
Tinder (newspaper)
First Aid Kit w/moleskins for blisters
Flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries
Hiking Boots
Backpacking Stove and fuel (ground fires are illegal in some places and not advisable in dry conditions).
Mess kit
50-100 feet of rope (parachute cord works great)
A waterproof cover for your pack. Make sure it is large enough to cover all your external pack gear.
Bandanna
Bug Spray
Matches or Lighter
Sunscreen
Spoon or Fork
Cup and Bowl
Trash bags
Pen and Paper
Bear keg or burlap bag and rope

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