Check out our favorite backpacking gear for our base packs. See what our ultralight picks were, plus what we splurged on.
Shopping for backpacking gear can be overwhelming!
What's best? Should I go ultralight?
Here’s our current favorite gear, plus some gear we're going to try out soon!
Backpacking Packs (For Tall + Short People)
We tried quite a few backpacks, and have settled on our favorites.
My husband used an REI Flash pack for years. It's a basic pack that fit him well, and it held up to heavy use.
More recently he's been testing out the ultralight ZPacks Arc Haul Ultra 60L and absolutely loves the fit, the mostly water-proof material and how well it carries his (fairly lightweight) gear. He used it for our recent Iceland backpacking adventure.
At five-foot-two, I had a much more difficult time finding a comfortable backpacking pack. Here are my top choices in a post entirely dedicated to finding backpacking packs for petite women!
If you're flying to your destination, backpacks can work as a carry-on or personal item! Here are more tips for how to pack for backpacking when flying.
Water Backpacking Gear
Having clean water should be one of your top priorities on any backpacking trip!
We each carry an Osprey water bladder. I've used other brands in the past, and I really like the way these bladders open up wide on the top. I also like that you can buy replacement parts for these bladders instead of tossing the whole thing when something breaks.
I like the magnetic hose clip you can add to your pack to keep the mouthpiece within reach, and I always add a bite valve cover to keep the mouthpiece clean.
We also carry this Sawyer squeeze water filter, along with a Cnoc water container. We find the Cnoc water container makes collecting dirty water easier, and you can filter a larg amounts of water at once.
Our Backpacking Sleep System
We use a sleep system for two instead of carrying separate sleeping pads and bags. It's more comfortable, and ended up being lighter.
For our sleeping pad, we've been loving this Exped Duo 3R Sleeping Pad for warm backpacking trips. For colder trips, we use this Exped Duo 5R Sleeping Pad.
We've been using a Therm-a-Rest Vela Double 20 Quilt, but have found that we still get cold when the temperature drops below 30. Adding these Sea to Summit sleeping bag liners helped a lot, and the combination of quilt and liners worked really well!
For colder camping, we love this 20-degree quilt from Enlightened Equipment, and were thrilled with how warm it was! We plan to bring it along for any cold weather adventures.
We've started bringing along these cushy Nemo Fillow Elite pillows, which are tiny and almost impossibly comfy for the size.
Our Favorite Backpacking Tents
Our current favorite tent is the Durston X-Mid 2, although we also really like the TarpTent Double Rainbow.
Check out our side-by-side comparison and review of these two ultralight tents and our thoughts on buying a tent.
Our Backpacking Cookware
We usually bring along some of our favorite freeze-dried meals when backpacking.
For cookware, we bring along an MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove (with fuel), plus our Toaks titanium pot, Toaks titanium cup and titanium sporks.
We also bring this hand-pump espresso machine to start our days off right. With the addition of a barista kit, we make double espressos.
Electronics We Take Backpacking
I carry an Anker battery bank. This is not a lightweight option, but it's worth it to me to be able to recharge things.
We also carry a Garmin InReach mini 2 (with an active subscription). This tiny GPS device has been so helpful, because it allows us to send our location and messages to family back home when we're in a wilderness area. Even more importantly, it includes an SOS button.
We always carry a headlamp when we're backpacking. Our most recent pick is this Nitecore NU25 ultralight headlamp.
Practical Backpacking Gear We Carry
I can't get over how much I love carrying these Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles. They are so lightweight and the cork handle is extremely comfy.
I also carry this ultralight trowel, these pee cloths and these compact towelettes. Where required, we bring a WAG bag.
Backpacking Gear We Splurged On
We definitely splurged on these Helinox ultralight camping chairs.
And it was so worth it to be able to sit in a chair (instead of on the cold or wet ground) after a long day of hiking. I highly recommend.
Is there any gear you love that we left off our list? Let us know what else we should try!
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