The Complete Beginner Backpacking Gear List

The core kit in this guide — pack, shelter, bag, pad, filter, stove, pot, spoon and headlamp — comes to $821.79 at manufacturer list price for the eight items that have one; the ninth, the Osprey Atmos AG 65 pack, has no maker list price on its RidgeNote product page. The budget version further down covers everything except the shelter for $542.73, on the assumption that you borrow a tent for the first trip. Rain gear, a warm layer and food storage are covered in their own section and are not in those totals. A first overnight needs dependable gear, a forecast you check, and a pack you can carry comfortably for the distance you plan. This list covers that, for first-time backpackers and for day hikers moving up to an overnight.

Two rules shape the list. Put most of the budget into the Big Four — shelter, pack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad — because they account for most of the cost and most of the weight. For everything else, simple and cheap is enough. Upgrade later, once your own trips show you what matters to you.

The kit, all from our catalogue: a Sea to Summit Ikos Evo tent (MSRP $350.00); an Osprey Atmos AG 65 pack, whose torso length adjusts to fit you; a Kelty Cosmic Down 20 sleeping bag (MSRP $189.95); and a Sea to Summit Camp Self Inflating pad (MSRP $89.00), which Sea to Summit publishes at R 4.2. R-value, measured under ASTM F3340, describes how well a pad resists heat loss to the ground. It is not a temperature rating. On our R-value chart, R 4.2 falls in the R 4 to 5.4 band, shoulder season down to around 20°F, as part of a whole sleep system.

Add a Sawyer Squeeze water filter (MSRP $45.99), an MSR PocketRocket 2 stove (MSRP $49.95) with a TOAKS Titanium 750 ml pot (MSRP $26.00) and long-handle spoon (MSRP $10.95), and a Black Diamond Spot 400 headlamp (MSRP $59.95).

Skip the premium items if money is the constraint. Skip the budget items if you already know you will hike often, because buying twice costs more than buying once.

Shelter: the Sea to Summit Ikos Evo (2,514 g, 88.7 oz, MSRP $350.00) is heavy, with aluminum poles and polyester fabrics, which stretch less than nylon when wet. If you already hike with trekking poles, the Durston X-Mid 2 (975 g with its stuff sacks and stakes, MSRP $319.00) is lighter and cheaper; it pitches on your poles and sets up fly-first, so the inner stays covered while you pitch in rain. Skip the X-Mid if you do not use poles — buying poles to hold up a tent is backwards.

Pack: the Osprey Atmos AG 65 (2,092 g) has an adjustable torso and a suspended-mesh back, and 65 L leaves room for bulkier first-time gear. Fit matters more than any spec: a pack that matches your torso length carries better than a lighter one that does not. The budget alternative is the Naturehike Rock 2.0 45L (1,200 g, MSRP $99.99), which Naturehike rates for 12 to 15 kg loads. Skip it if your kit is bulky; it holds 20 L less than the Atmos.

Sleep: the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 (1,106 g, MSRP $189.95) uses 550-fill down and has the lowest list price of the down bags in our catalogue. Kelty states its 20°F figure as its own rating and publishes no ISO 23537 result, so do not plan to sleep at 20°F in it. Under it goes the Sea to Summit Camp Self Inflating (840 g, MSRP $89.00, published R 4.2); its foam core still gives some insulation if it punctures. The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol foam pad (410 g, MSRP $59.95, published R 2.0) is the budget option. It cannot puncture, but it is thin for side sleepers.

A canister stove, a 750 ml pot, a spoon and a lighter cover most backpacking dinners: boil water, add it to food, wait, eat. The MSR PocketRocket 2 (105 g packaged, MSRP $49.95), TOAKS Titanium 750 ml pot (103 g, MSRP $26.00) and TOAKS long-handle spoon (19 g, MSRP $10.95) come to $86.90 of list price. Skip the cookware set and the camp mug; the pot works as a mug.

For water, the Sawyer Squeeze (85 g, MSRP $45.99) is a squeeze filter that screws onto standard 28 mm bottle threads, such as the Platy's. For a first season, bottles are simpler than a hydration bladder: they are easier to refill, you can see how much is left, and a leak is less likely to reach your sleeping bag. A Nalgene Wide Mouth 32 oz (178 g, MSRP $16.99) to drink from plus a Platypus Platy 2-Liter (36 g, MSRP $19.95) for camp covers capacity. Treat all water from natural sources, including clear streams.

Carry a paper map of the area, a headlamp with charged batteries, a first-aid kit you have opened and checked, and a whistle. The Black Diamond Spot 400 (86 g, MSRP $59.95) is the headlamp here. The Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .5 (MSRP $31.99) is a small kit for short trips; add Leukotape P for blisters. Download an offline map on your phone, and plan as if the phone will die.

Tell one person your route and return time, check the mountain forecast the morning you leave, and know where you can turn back or bail out. These habits cost nothing and prevent more trouble than any item on this list.

Pack a rain jacket on every trip, whatever the forecast; it is also your wind layer. The Marmot PreCip Eco is a hooded 2.5-layer jacket with pit zips. The Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 is a jacket and pants sold together, in a non-woven polypropylene fabric. Add a warm layer for camp, when you stop moving and cool down fast: a fleece such as the Columbia Steens Mountain Full Zip 2.0 (MSRP $65.00) works, and wear synthetic or wool next to the skin rather than cotton.

Check the food-storage rules for the area before you go. Some parks and forests require a hard-sided bear canister, such as the Bare Boxer Contender (726 g), which Gossamer Gear sells; elsewhere a bear hang or a designated food locker may be allowed. Bring a small trowel for waste where burying it is permitted, such as the Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel (68 g, MSRP $16.95), and count the tent stakes before you leave home.

The lowest-cost kit on this list, at manufacturer list price: Naturehike Rock 2.0 45L pack $99.99, Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol pad $59.95, Kelty Cosmic Down 20 bag $189.95, PocketRocket 2 stove $49.95, TOAKS 750 ml pot $26.00, TOAKS spoon $10.95, Sawyer Squeeze filter $45.99, Black Diamond Spot 400 headlamp $59.95. Total: $542.73 for everything except the shelter.

The shelter is left out because the simplest advice for a first trip is to borrow one. It is the easiest Big Four item to borrow, and tent preferences vary more than preferences in any other category, so borrowing first lowers the chance of buying twice. Add the Ikos Evo at MSRP $350.00 later and the budget kit comes to $892.73 of list price.

Do not cut corners on the bag: a cold night costs sleep, and tired people make worse decisions, so the same bag appears in both versions. The budget pad is the trade-off. The Z Lite Sol (R 2.0) sits at the bottom of the R 2 to 3.9 band, three-season down to around freezing, while the Camp Self Inflating (R 4.2) is in the R 4 to 5.4 band. Keep the budget kit to nights above freezing, or add the Camp pad first when you upgrade.

Every product above links to its RidgeNote product page. Each page links to a retailer listing we have checked, since a product cannot be published here without one, and shows the manufacturer list price where we have the maker's own figure. RidgeNote is reader-supported: if you buy through those links we may earn a commission, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Commissions do not change which products appear or the figures we show.

A few rules wherever you shop. Buy fit-critical, warranty-dependent items — packs, boots, sleep systems — from an authorized dealer for the brand, because some manufacturers decline warranty claims on gray-market units. On a marketplace, check who sells and ships the item before you buy. The used market is good for tents and down bags: down keeps its loft for years with care, and people upgrading sell well-kept gear at a discount. Inspect in person where you can.

Camp chairs, camp shoes, a hatchet, fire kits beyond a lighter, solar chargers and most things sold as accessories can stay home on a first trip. For each maybe-item, ask what happens on this trip if you do not have it. If the answer is mild inconvenience, leave it; if it involves safety, bring it.

After the trip, sort the pack into three piles: used often, used once, never used. Leave the third pile at home next time. A few rounds of that teach more than any gear list, including this one.