| Category | Item To Carry | Suggested Use | Detailed Description Of Item | Optional? | Can Provide? | Share |
| Major Gear | 1 over 4000 Cu In Backpack | For carrying all your stuff around | It’s a bonus if the pack comes with a detachable day-pack or hip pack, but it’s certainly not necessary | | | |
| Major Gear | 1 Pair Hiking Poles | To help stabilize you when you hike | Many people think poles are superfluous, but they transfer some of the weight from your legs to your upper body. Old ski poles are OK, but they’re hard to fit on a plane like retractable hiking poles. Don’t buy the cheapest poles, but generally the 2nd cheapest is fine. | | Yes | |
| Major Gear | 1 Pack Cover | Keep contents of pack dry | You can use a heavy duty trash bag instead, but these are really nice to have | | | |
| Major Gear | 1 Rated to 20 degrees Sleeping Bag | To sleep in | Do not bring a big bulky, heavy bag weighing 5 pounds or more. Make sure it fits in the bottom compartment of your pack. | | | |
| Major Gear | 1 Sleeping Pad | To put under your sleeping bag | Inflatables are nice because they have greater loft and insulate you better, but in desert areas they can puncture. Non-inflatables are indestructable and can sometimes weigh less than inflatables. | | | |
| Major Gear | 1 Tent | To sleep in | Make sure your tent weighs under 5 pounds. Most people prefer their own tents, however tent sharing cuts down on weight carried. A coffin sized tent will reduce your weight, but will also be much less comfortable than a 2 person tent, which weighs much more and has a larger footprint. Some campsites are small, so a bunch of large tents won’t always fit there. | | | Yes |
| Major Gear | 1-3 Total Capacity of 1 Gallon Water Containers | Keep hydrated | We highly recommend a Platypus, Camelbak, or similar bladder with a drinking tube to allow you to drink without stopping. You can have several bladders or a reservoir like a Nalgene bottle. If you’re on a budget, used water/soda bottles work great. | | | |
| Major Gear | 1 Personal Water Treatment | To ensure you don’t get sick from tainted water. Guides carry group water treatment, but having a personal way of treating water can be very convenient | Examples: Pump Filter, Sawyer Squeeze, B-Free, Gravity Filter, Chemical Drops, Steri-Pen | Yes | | Yes |
| Clothing | 1-2 Bandanna | Keeps your hair out of the way, but is multi-purpose. Pot Holder, Face Washer, First Aid, etc. | | Yes | | |
| Clothing | 1 Camp shoes | To wear in camp and for water crossings | Sandals, Tevas, Chacos, Crocs, Keen. | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Fleece (or Sweater) | To keep warm | This is a must, even in warm destinations | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Shorties Gaiters | Keeps mud and sand out of boots and brush or snow away from legs. | Ankle high is usually fine, but knee high is good in boggy areas we might encounter. | Yes | | |
| Clothing | 1 Glove Liners | Keeps your hands warm | The more water resistant the better. While most trips are scheduled around warm weather, most any trip can get cold enough, at least at times, to warrant gloves. On Yosemite Trip, bring gloves with rubber grippy dots for cables on Half Dome | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Hat, Wide Brim | Keep sun and rain out of eyes. | Do not come to the desert without a wide brimmed hat! | Yes | | |
| Clothing | 1 Hat, wool or fleece | Keeps your head warm | In 50 degree weather, this seems silly, but if you’re outside in it for 6 hours, you need the warmth. | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Hiking Pants, Long | | Make sure they’re quick-dry. No jeans! | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Hiking Pants, Short | | Make sure they’re quick-dry. No cotton! | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Hiking Shirt, Long Sleeve | | Make sure they’re quick-dry. No cotton! | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Hiking Shirt, Short Sleeve | | Make sure they’re quick-dry. No cotton! | | | |
| Clothing | 1 expedition or mid weight Long Johns, Bottom | To sleep in or use as a base layer in extreme weather | Silk, Polypro or other synthetic | | | |
| Clothing | 1 expedition or mid weight Long Johns, Top | To sleep in or use as a base layer in extreme weather | Silk, Polypro or other synthetic | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Puffy Jacket | To keep warm | Most locations get cold at night. Puffy jackets are typically down, but make sure you can keep them dry since down doesn't work when wet. | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Rain Pants | To keep dry | Yes, bring rain pants | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Rain Shell, Waterproof Breathable | To keep dry | Gore-Tex, for example. Also good at repelling wind. NO PONCHOS! And yes, even in the desert! | | | |
| Clothing | 2-3 Pair Socks | Keep feet warm, dry, and blister free | Most people use 1 layer systems, but some like 2 layers with an inner sock liner | | | |
| Clothing | 1 Sturdy Hiking Boots | To hike in. Make sure they are broken in. | Lightweight hikers are OK if they have sufficient ankle support. Proper fit is more important than brand. | | | |
| Clothing | 2-3 Underwear | | Silk is top of the line, but any wicking quick dry synthetic will do | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Bowl | Eat out of it | Metal bowls discouraged. They’re heavy and conduct heat a little too well. | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Contact Lens Set-up | To See | Contacts can be difficult in the desert | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Cup | Drink out of it | For serious weight-savers, cup can double as bowl. | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Duct Tape | Almost anything. | Don’t need a whole roll but bring more than you think you’ll need. You an wrap about 25 feet around a hiking pole | Yes | | Yes |
| Personal Effects | 1 Pair Ear Plugs | Cut down on noise from nearby snorers | They are very lightweight | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Glasses | To See | | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1-2 Hair Clips | Keeps long hair in check | | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Hand Sanitizer | Keep germ free | This is the best way to prevent transmission of disease | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Headlamp | See at night | LED lamps will run all week on 1 set of batteries. If you have this, there is NO NEED for a flashlight | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Insect Repellent | Keeps bugs away | Do not bother with repellents that are less than 30% deet. They will be ineffective for all but the most benign mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums. Deet is a strong, toxic chemical, so be careful with its application. | Yes | | Yes |
| Personal Effects | 1 Medications | | | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Pack Towel | Dry yourself or your equipment | Use a quick-dry pack towel or chamois | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Plastic trowel | Bury human waste | Guides carry one | Yes | | Yes |
| Personal Effects | 1 Pocket Knife | Many | While Leathermans can be very useful, they can also be very heavy | Yes | | Yes |
| Personal Effects | 2 Ponytail Holders | Keeps long hair in check | | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 $100 Some Cash, a Credit Card, Health Ins Card and ID | Can be useful in some emergencies | Leave the wallet and its contents with your other stuff | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Spoon or Spork | Eat with it | Lexan is best, plastic or titanium is OK | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1-4 Stuff Sacks | Put clothes in | Lighweight stuff sacks are not only good for compartmentalizing items, keeping them clean and dry. Also can be used as a pillow when stuffed. | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Sunglasses | Additional sun protection to wide brimmed hat. Also helps cut glare in snow fields. | Don’t bring your best designer sunglasses | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Sunscreen | Sun Protection | SPF 15 or greater | Yes | | Yes |
| Personal Effects | 1 Talcum Powder | Dries wet skin | Bring small container | Yes | | Yes |
| Personal Effects | 1 Toilet Paper | Put in a plastic Ziploc | 1 roll per week is generallly plenty | | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Toothbrush and Toothpaste | Brushing Teeth | Bring travel sized toothpaste, 2 oz or less | | | |
| Personal Effects | 2-5 Trash Bags | Multi-Use. For trash, keeping things dry, covering your pack, etc. | An assortment is good. A few Ziploc sized bags, a few kitchen sized and a few leaf sized bags | Yes | | |
| Personal Effects | 1 Vaseline, Glide or Lubricant | Reduces friction and chafing | Bring small containers | Yes | | Yes |
| Optional | 10-15 Baby Wipes | Hygiene | Baby wipes are heavy and must be carried out after you use them, however many people use them to feel clean. On some trips, we can burn used ones. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Camera | Chronicle your adventure | | Yes | | |
| Optional | 2-4 Carabiners | Clipping items to your pack | | Yes | Yes | |
| Optional | 1 Inflatable Pillow / Soft Stuff Sack | For a comfy sleep | Try to avoid bulky or heavy ones. Clothing can be put in the soft stuff sack to make a pillow. Many sleeping bags have an opening in the hood where you can stuff clothing under your head. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Journal | A 20th century blogging device | Can use for a firestarter in an emergency. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Lightweight Reading Material | To read during down time | Besides the obvious, sometimes when we’re tent bound by rain, it’s nice to have something to read. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Mirror | Use this to signal rescuers if lost | You can also use it to look at yourself. Also can be used for contacts / hygiene. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Pen | Journaling, exchanging information, emergency use | | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Personal First Aid Kit | Foot care, bandages, etc. | Guides carry one for the group, but sometimes it’s easier to treat your own minor wounds. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 1 Seating Pad | To sit on and prevent wetness / abrasion | Seating pads are nice if you don't want to sit directly on the wet or rocky ground. They can also add insulation when put under your sleeping pad. | Yes | | |
| Optional | 2 Straps | Lashing items to your pack | | Yes | Yes | |
| Optional | 1 Whistle | Use if lost | Three short blasts is a distress signal. Whistles often have limited range | Yes | | |
