Ultimate Backpacking and Hiking Gear List for almost anywhere!
Find yourself asking “What gear do I need for backpacking and overnight hikes?”. Or you already have gear but want to suss out what else is out there, refine it, change it or do all the research and then keep it exactly the same… Whatever has led you here, welcome! Planning your hiking gear for big backpacking adventures is almost half as fun as the hike right? Hell yeah! Sorta? Kinda? Not really? Okay so it definitely isn’t as fun as the hike itself, not even close, but it’s a mostly enjoyable process.. Especially for gear and numbers nerds like me.
Regardless of whether you enjoy it or not refining your hiking gear takes a lot of time and energy, that’s for sure. So getting the right gear the first time round, that lasts, is super helpful. Something that I definitely did not do for all of my gear… I’ve done loads of multi-day backpacking trips around Australia and had changed up my gear every single time until very recently.
Jump to it my LighterPack here. Or if you want, just click downloadable gear list to have the list in your hot little hands.. no more reading necessary!
I don’t exaggerate when I say that have been chopping and changing my hiking gear list for years now. Every hike I take something out and swear I’ll never take it again, yet somehow by the time the next backpacking trip rolls around I’ve added it back in, or worse, replaced it with something else. Anywho, I digress, read on for my hiking gear list, the good, the bad, the heavy and the ugly.
Needless to say my hiking gear list is in a constant state of flux, and thus far my base weight has always remained pretty unchanged. It’s never been super heavy, but I’ve carried items I definitely didn’t need, think 2 hats, spare clothes, a bowl, cup and cooking pot all at once. None of this is to shade anyone who likes to have these items, its a totally personal choice, but I’ve found that a lot of the time these excess items are unnecessary and often go unused.
With choosing the right hiking gear it is always a balance between being lightweight so that the actual act of hiking is enjoyable, without feeling like I’m going without certain items that genuinely improve my time whilst out hiking.
The below items are the gear I would take hiking almost anywhere in the world. It has clothing layers, shelter, and a sleeping pad and a quilt for varied climates and weather conditions, so it can be altered very slightly to suit a lot of scenarios.
My LighterPack list is below, so please feel free to give me some kind, nice, helpful, aggressive or angry feedback on any or all of it if you desire.
My base weight is currently sitting just under 7kg so there is absolutely room for improvement and adjustment. This list includes my kindle and probably one too many power banks along with random first aid and toiletries bits and pieces I probably won’t need, but kinda want..
There are also links to sites where I bought these items!! Some of which, full disclosure, are affiliate links, but they’re also the cheapest places I could find to buy these goodies! (Affiliate links won’t cost you anymore, they just mean I may get a lil commission! And I’d never share links to items I don’t use and love myself!)
Anyway, hiking nerds unite! Happy hiking (and packing) friends!
