Getting Started with Backpacking Gear
A few weeks ago, as I was packing for a car camping trip I asked what you guys wanted to know about car camping and I surprisingly got a lot of questions about backpacking gear, more specifically, “what do you use for car camping that you also use for backpacking” and “how do you go from car camping to backpacking?” I’ve thought about this a lot and unfortunately I’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t use much car camping equipment for backpacking but you can use all your backpacking equipment for car camping. So the good news is, if you don’t have any gear at all and you’re starting from scratch you can slowly build up your gear to accomodate both activities. But if you have a ton of car camping gear, you can’t really use much of it for backpacking :(
Most car camping items are not built with space or weight in mind. Sleeping bags are enormous and don’t pack down easily. Tents are big enough to stand up inside and weight 10lbs+. Camp stoves are big and bulky and would never fit into a backpack. Camp chairs are huge. You get the idea. On the flip side, for backpacking everything is light and easy to carry long distances on your back.
When I started to beef up our gear 8 years ago, I focused more on buying gear for backpacking so we use a lot of our essential backpacking gear for car camping. So, instead of focusing on car camping gear I’m going to walk through the essential backpacking gear items and talk about what we have, and what you should look for if you want to build up your collection of backpacking gear. I have also linked an option or two for under $100 for every category (if I could find one)! So let’s dive in…
The Backpack
So there’s A LOT to consider when buying a backpacking backpack. I’m going to link a really good resource by REI about how to pick a backpack here. I think if you’re just planning to start out with one night trips and will maybe advance to 2-3 night trips you should get a 60L backpack. It will have plenty of room for a one night trip plus enough room for additional nights food. This is one thing I would actually spend a little more money on to get a nice pack that fits perfectly and feels good. I started out with a really cheap pack and it dug into my shoulders and felt terrible after only an hour on the trail and I quickly realized I needed to find something that felt good. Do your research or reach out to me and I’ll help you find something!
The Tent
Look for a tent that is around 6lbs or less. Most gear websites have categories for tents that are meant for backpacking. If you only foresee yourself going backpacking with one other person, you can get a little bit heavier of a tent and split the weight (that’s what we did initially). If you like to have a little space to put your shoes, bags, extra clothes, etc you're going to want to size up; if you expect two people to be sleeping in the tent, buy a 3 person tent. A really affordable option to start out with is the ALPS Mountaineering Koda 2 Tent. It’s a 2 person, 3 season tent (spring, summer, fall but if you live somewhere with mild winters it will work in every season). This was our first backpacking tent and at $120 it is significantly cheaper than other tents on the market. We used this tent for 6+ years and had absolutely zero complaints. We still use it now for car camping because it has more room than our newer backpacking tent. We recently upgraded to the Nemo Dagger 2 tent and so far we love it.
The Sleeping Bag + Sleeping Pad + Pillow
Before buying a sleeping bag, consider what seasons you want to backpack in. If you’re only interested in summer backpacking your temperature rating will be higher compared to if you want to camp in the shoulder seasons when nighttime temperatures can flirt around freezing. A temperature rating is what temperature range a sleeping bag is best suited to perform in. So if you have a sleeping bag with a temperature rating of 40 degrees, that means below 40 degrees that bag will most likely not keep you warm enough. Once you’ve decided what season/temperatures you want to be backpacking in, you want to look for sleeping bags specifically designed for backpacking. Backpacking sleeping bags compress down into very tight spaces so they don’t take up a lot of room in your backpack. Also, if you’re a petite female or male, shop the kids sleeping bag section! Kids sleeping bags are a lot cheaper than adult sleeping bags but work just as well. You can find a good sleeping bag for under $100, I’ll list a few options below I found:
Sleeping pads are an essential gear item because they insulate you from the ground below. Without a sleeping pad you’re going to get really cold, really fast. When shopping for sleeping pads you want to pay attention to their “R-value.” R-values range from less than 2 (minimally insulated, good for summertime) to 5.5 or more (very well insulated, good for wintertime). I recommend the Klymit Insulated Static V Sleeping Pad, it’s $70 and good for all seasons and scenarios.
Backpacking pillows are a personal preference. I don’t use one but you can search options on any outdoor retail site. My gear hack is to take a down jacket and stuff it into a small stuff sack and that acts as a wonderful, comfortable, warm pillow in the backcountry!
Stove Systems
We have had two stoves now over the past 8 years. My biggest recommendation when purchasing a stove is to get something that is really, really easy to get started up. Our first stove system took more than 5 minutes to get going and it was such a headache. Stoves are a little bit pricer, but I was able to find a Jetboil system for under $100. We have the MSR Windburner system and I love it. I am such a loyal MSR customer that I couldn’t bring myself to get the Jetboil, but they’re basically the same thing.
Water Filter
Don’t waste your time researching this. Just buy a Sawyer Squeeze. It’s $40, super small, lightweight and comes with its own pouches. Or you can buy a plastic water bottle and fill it with any water, screw the filter onto the top of the bottle and drink straight from it. Also, if you clean it properly it will last for year and years.
Other
Other gear items that we have for backpacking
first aid kit - this is essential
a clothes line/food hanging line (search “camping rope” to find something similar)
headlamps
small lantern
pocket towels
trowel
backpacking chairs (these are essential for me now)
storm matches and lighter
You can always shop the gear we own via our SHOP TAB at the top of this webpage or in the main menu if you’re on a cellphone.
Nervous to go backpacking or don’t know where to start? Shoot me an email and I will help you plan your first trip, help you figure out what gear you need to buy and answer any questions you might have.