April 28, 2019 | Vanessa

Over the years, I have been slowly upgrading my camping gears to be lighter and more durable as an encouragement for myself to go backpacking one day. When my friends was able to get a reservation at Havasupai Indian Reservations – I was so ready to go!

When you backpack, you start to think about every ounce on the same level as every pound. There are a few things to factor when you are thinking about gears, size, and weight – which is dependent on weather, water, and distance.

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Based on the weather, high 68°C / low 34°C with sun & rain,
I broke down my gears list into a few sections:

Clothes

Hiking Pants, Lightweight Pants, Yoga Pants, Tank Tops (2), Long Sleeve Tee, Short Sleeve Tee, Swim Suit, Underwear (2), Socks (2)

Others

Sanitary Items – tooth brush, tooth paste, toilet paper, body wipes, wet wipes
Protection – green goo first aid, joshua tree recovery lotion, natrapel 8 hour wipes
First Aid – bandaids, alcohol pads, ibuprofens (someone in our group has a kit)

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My meals for 4 days & 3 nights:

While hiking, snacks are very important to fuel your energy. These can range from bars to energy gels or chews. The good thing about going with a diverse group, is in the choice of snacks they bring. Some of my personal favorites were: Gatorade Energy Chews, Honey Stinger Snack Bars & Chews, assorted nuts, and dried fruits.

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Shaving Weight

If you can find someone to share a tent with, you should. This is one of the bulkiest item to carry, and can help you shave about 1-2 pounds. Just make sure you split the weight evenly so you can keep everything inside your bag, and if not, be prepared to tie them down outside.

I did share my tent, so I can split the weight & bulkiness. However, when the trip approached, my tent-mate told me he had no space to take any portion of the tent. This meant I had to carry the 2p tent and a ratsack; he carried the stove, gas, cookset, and my lunch. As a result, this left me with 0 space for my freeze-dried breakfast and dinner. Since I was not prepared for this, I had to hang them on the outside of my bag right before the hike. It was not fun for 14+ miles.

If you are going with a group, also try to plan ahead for where weight can be shaved. Roughly one stove and gas should be good per 3-4 people, one water filtration system, and you won’t need chairs since they have benches.

Gear Suggestions

• Long Spork – Highly recommended for freeze-dried food bag. It was easier to mix the food at the bottom of the bag with boiling hot water.
• Gloves – Any gloves would work here. It is primarily used for climbing through/to/from Mooney Falls, which has rocks, wood, and chains.
• Trekking Poles – To protect your knees when going down the canyon, and especially useful to support yourself when going uphill. It can also help you keep good posture while hiking with weight on your back.
• Toilet Paper/Wet Wipes – There will be times when there is no toilet paper, always be prepared for that. This is one thing you definitely do not want to skip out on.

Weather-related Suggestions

Since rain was in our forecast, we ended up bringing a few extra things just to be prepared:

• Rain Cover – The last thing you want is to have all your bag, gears, and clothes soaked. Best practice is also to add a liner in your backpack (a huge plastic bag would do). This will assist in keeping everything inside dry, in the event your backpack does get wet.
• Raincoat/Poncho – A packable raincoat or poncho to stay dry within the campsite, and/or hiking or walking in the rain. This will be less weight than carrying an umbrella, and will keep your hands free.
• Water – Since the temperature wasn’t too hot, I followed the rule of thumb: 0.5 liter per 2 miles and carried 3-liters (6.6 lbs) for an estimated 12-mile hike from trailhead to town. If you are an experienced hiker, you should adjust your water supply accordingly.

Food Suggestions

I went with Mountain House meals for this trip.

Breakfasts do feel accurate at 2 servings per bag, so I would highly recommend sharing this with someone. I was unable to finish any of my breakfasts on my own.

Dinner at 2-2.5 servings per bag on the other hand felt like just enough for one person. This also really depends on what your normal portions are, what you have consumed, when you are having dinner, and how much energy you exerted that the day. So this can vary for a lot of people. For my group, we were all quite satisfied at 1 bag each.

Food reviews based on personal preferences:

• Breakfast Skillet – Highly recommend it! It had a good mix of a little bit of everything, and very flavorful.
• Spicy Southwest Hash – Not a bad alternative, but it had a lot of potatoes in it which made it felt really heavy. The spiciness was definitely there though and with a nice kick.
• Chicken Fajita Bowl – Very flavorful, but a bit too much beans and rice was tricky to grasp how much water is sufficient.
• Fusilli Pasta w. Italian Sausage – One of my favorites. So simple, yet made me feel like this was made back at home. It tasted nothing like freeze-dried food. Do recommend!
• Beef Stroganoff w. Noodles – Another favorite. This one was so hearty! It was a bit on the saltier side, but after a long day hiking and sweating, this hits the spot. Do recommend!

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That’s a Wrap!

Hopefully this helps with what gears to pack, the kind of snacks/food to bring, and gives you a little insight on what to expect from my own experience!