Planning for a first backpacking trip can seem the equivalent of preparing for battle. For the length of your trip, you'll carry everything necessary to sustain life and keep you comfortable on your back. Making a list before you go can help you avoid forgetting things. When you return from your trip, make two more lists---of things you forgot this time, and of things you ended up not needing. This will help make your next backpacking trip even better.
Backpack
Choose an internal frame or external frame pack. An internal frame pack has a metal frame inside the pack. These packs sit close to the body and can seem less bulky than external framed packs. External framed packs have the metal frame on the outside of the pack. They sit away from the body. External frame packs allow for more air circulation but are bulkier. Try the pack on in the store to make sure it fits your body. Women may need a shorter frame. The hip belt of the pack should fit snugly about your hips and the chest strap shouldn't dig in. You shouldn't feel any strain on your shoulders when carrying a properly fitted pack.
Sleeping Bag
A night spent trying to sleep with your teeth chattering can ruin a trip, so make sure your sleeping bag is warm enough for the conditions in which you'll be hiking. Choose the appropriate size for your height. If you're tall, you need a bag you can stretch out in. If you're short, you don't want to be carrying extra bulk from a too-long pack. The pack should come with a stuff sack that will strap onto the outside of your backpack.
Sleeping Pad
Though some people are comfortable sleeping on the ground, most people appreciate a little padding. Thicker padding offers more comfort. To save weight, you can choose a three-quarter-length pad that ends midthigh. You spread the pad on the ground and put your sleeping bag on top of it. Some pads inflate with air while others are made of foam that compresses. Buy the one that seems most comfortable to you.
Shelter
Shelter can take the form of a one- or two-person tent or a tarp you form into a lean-to. Tarps are lighter but don't offer much protection form the elements. If you're hiking with a partner you can split the components of a two-person tent between your packs, but for solo trips you'll need a single tent. Get a tent with a rainfly for extra protection.
Stove and Fuel
You can't always depend on finding dry wood to build a campfire and in some areas campfires are prohibited. Buy a white gas backpacking stove and canisters of fuel. Store the fuel in a pocket on the outside of your pack so your belongings don't end up smelling like fuel. Most stoves come with a striker to light them, but bring matches or a cigarette lighter in case the striker malfunctions.
Water Filter
While you'll want to carry some water with you (and some packs come equipped with water bottles or water bladders for this purpose) on a multiday hike you'll need to refill at a stream or creek. Even the most pristine looking wilderness streams can contain nasty organisms such as giardia or hepatitis C. Always filter water or treat it before you drink it. Chemical treatments leave water with a nasty taste, and boiling won't always kill harmful organisms, especially at altitude, where water boils at a lower temperature. Choose a simple gravity fed water filter that will take up little room in your pack.
Cooking and Eating Utensils
While you can always throw in a pot and some silverware from home, modern backpacking cook sets weigh less, take up less room and offer greater versatility. You can cook and eat in the same dishes, and when you're done, everything nests into a compact, lightweight package.
Food
You can buy dried food especially made for backpacking, but food from your cupboard will do just as well. Avoid heavy cans and opt for lightweight boxes or packets of instant soup, noodles, instant pudding, pouches of chicken or salmon, instant oatmeal, granola bars and other foods that only need water to prepare and don't need to be refrigerated. Pack tortillas or bagels for lunch sandwiches, as these hold up better than sliced bread. Throw in a few treats such as chocolate or gourmet cheese.
First Aid Kit
Accidents happen in the back country, and you'll be far from medical care, so be prepared. Pack a bag or box with bandages, a compression wrap for a sprain, tweezers and scissors, antiseptic wipes and ointment, a pain reliever such as aspirin and over the counter medications for allergies, upset stomach, diarrhea and heartburn. Toss in a pamphlet with basic first aid instructions.
Clothes and Toiletries
Clothes take up a lot of room in a pack, so try to keep them at a minimum. Fresh socks and underwear and a clean shirt may be enough to get you through a weekend hike. Wear layers, such as a fleece jacket or windbreaker over a T-shirt, and convertible pants with zip-off legs that become shorts. Don't forget your toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. Pack soap or moist wipes, and a wash rag for quick cleanups in camp. And don't forget toilet paper and a folding camp shovel for burying your waste.
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