Honestly, this is mostly for myself! So next year or next time I can bring up the post and pack my bag. I looked up many a packing list for my three night, all-women’s trip into the Collegiate Wilderness. I added specific brands for items I was particularly impressed with! And I won’t say this is complete, but here is what I went with:

My personal list:

Group List:

food (we divided up dinners)
2 water purifiers
2 camping stoves

2 cooking pots
large tarp
rope
duct tape
maps
GPS or compass
first aid kit
latrine shovel

Backpacking Tip Jar

If you aren’t familiar with my “Tip Jar” it is a top 5 things / gear from the trip:

1. This is obvious: NO JEANS OR COTTON CLOTHING, ONLY SYNTHETIC. Really our weather was great, but we still got rain every afternoon.
2. I loved my Norwex Face Cloth. Light, small, and all you do is add water to the cloth for a reusable way to clean up after a sweaty day of hiking. They are great products for use at home as well!
3. Don’t forget your cup! Or just ditch it. I ditched mine to save on weight and figured I would use my Nalgene for any hot chocolate, coffee or tea we decided to indulge in. This worked great actually but I sure missed a cute little cup/mug when the wine was pulled out in the afternoon. It just isn’t the same in a water bottle :).
4. Bring a little pouch with Advil, Tylenol and day/night cold medicine was a must, especially since I came down with a nasty cold two days before we left. But it left me wondering what would have happened had I came down with it after we left…would I have been prepared?
5. Don’t underestimate the desire for salty foods. We had tons of treats and sugar. But at the end of the day I wanted salt. A bag of salty chips would have been heaven.

And now a photo of a long time backpacking friend, his name is Steve…the poop shovel. Sorry to any Steve’s out there, I mean no offense :).

What is on your list? What specific items have been invaluable to you on your trips?