2026 Backpacking Kit

The equipment I used during 42 days of backpacking in the mountains of Washington and California.

My goal this year was to reduce my pack weight, which led to some small changes that made a big difference! I tell my friends that I am "aspirationally ultralight" - I have a good base weight of around 17 lbs, but I carry 6lbs of art and filming equipment so I can create my Adventure Art Academy classes and paint in the field. As a result, my load will never be truly minimalist. I also have to carry extra layers to keep me comfortable and warm while painting while my hiking buddies can retreat to the tent or simply keep moving when it gets cold.

Backpacking is fundamentally a privileged activity, and while I enjoy making these lists and writing about the new gear additons each year, I never want readers to think that you need the same expensive things to get outside.

I've always enjoyed researching outdoor gear (and even worked at REI for a few years back in 2014), so if you have any questions about the gear choices hop into the comments! You do not not need the latest and greatest or current fad equipment to backpack and have a fun and safe time. Years ago I built up my equipment thanks to working in the industry and having access to prodeals, and a handful of content for gear trades. Now, I am fortunate to be able to afford full price gear, but always wait for sales or buy things like fleeces used if possible.

Below I organize my list by general category, and where relevant added a few notes, especially about new additions or changes from prior years.

Backpack: Superior Wilderness Designs (SWD) Big Wild – my go-to backpack since 2024. Lightweight but with exceptional capacity and load carrying ability. I routinely carry loads of 40+ pounds and it is amazingly comfortable. Pack accessories: two hip belt pockets, capture clip for my camera, shoulder strap pocket, and front of pack stretchy pocket (my watercolor paper is carried behind this modular pocket). And a Zpacks side mesh pocket that holds quick access items like water filter.

Pack organization - a few stuff sacks (dyneema or silnylon), plus some zippered pouches for my art and electronic kits. Thick Dyneema roll top bag houses my camera when it is not on me.

Tent: Tarptent Moment DW (December 2024 model). Carbon poles and "solid" nylon interior with some mesh venting that I mostly covered with my own mods to make the tent warmer but still allow air flow. Plus Tyvek groundcloth made from kitemaking Tyvek. I also added extra guy lines – long ones to the central hoop and a smaller line at the four bottom edges of the fly – and deploying all of them makes the tent excellent in wind.

Sleep system -

• Sleeping bag - Feathered Friends Petrel 10 degree bag. I use this all year, and on warmer trips simply unzip it.

• Thermarest Xtherm – regular length, mummy shape. Love this thing, and got the new model this year and it’s much more comfortable than the 10+ year old one I had before

• Pillow- Sea to Summit Aeros pillow, with a super thin buff as a pillowcase

Cooking Kit –

This year some of the biggest changes occured in my cook kit. I replaced the fuel efficient but heavy MSR Windburner stove with a tiny stove and titanium pot, which cut 10oz out of my pack! Heating about 1/3 of a liter of water each night for dinner in the sierras, one 4oz bottle of fuel lasted at least ten days (I blocked the wind with my sit pad, which really helps reduce fuel consumption).

• Stove- BRS 3000 stove. A new addition this year, and I love it. Paired with MSR small 4oz fuel can, and I don’t need a stand to stabilize the can since my new pot is smaller and lighter.

• Pot- Toaks 900 ml titanium. Used as my bowl and mug, too.

• Pot Pocket from Gossamer Gear- insulated Tyvek sleeve/ pot holder that cinches at the top. Keeps my meals super warm while I “hot soak” aka add the dried ingredients to boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. With the coozie, my meal is still piping hot and cools much slower.

• Accessories- mini Bic lighter, old PackTowel brand thick and small fabric square that I can use as a pot holder (in wind, the titanium handle can get hot enough to burn), and the fabric also keeps the fuel can from rattling around in the stove while hiking.

• Sea to summit spoon

• A few paper towels to clean the pot (torn into small pieces)

Food storage

This category had one major change and addition - a carbon fiber bear can from Wild Ideas that I purchased for my 20 day trek in the sierras. I was very reluctant to buy it because of the hefty all-in $502 price tag, but my Dad convinced me. He reminded me that I will be able to use this for the rest of my life, and the weight savings (almost ten ounces) plus extra capacity (nearly a liter) compared to my BV500 can made it a worthwhile investment. And I am SO HAPPY that I bought it. The can is amazing - easy to open (no more messing arond with the twist-on lids on the cold), and it easily fit my 7.5 days of food. It was a joy to use in the Sierras. It does not fit horizontally in my backpack, but with the size of the Big Wild, it is easy and comfortable to pack the can vertically.

• Urasack AllMitey- the critter proof version paired with a SmellyProof bag to reduce scents

• Bear can – Wild Ideas Bearikade Blazer –

Water Filter & Bottles

Another substantial change in this category - traded out the Sawyer squeeze filter that clogged on me and didn't work at all on my first trip with the Platypus Quick Draw. I am loving this new filter. Much faster than the sawyer, and a great bag design that is much more comfortable in the hands. Also great customer service- my dirty water reservoir had a flaw and burst on a trip, and Platypus sent me an entire replacement filter and bag.

I also bought a new steripen, as it proved very hard to ship spare batteries for my old one thanks to postal regulations on even tiny lithium ion batteries. The model I got is lighter and rechargeable, and worked great in the sierras. I bring this in addition to the physical filter (the quickdraw) on trips when I know I’ll be drawing water from stagnant or still water with high hiker traffic (aka high likelihood of poo contamination). Regular filters will not kill viruses like norovirus, but UV or chemical filters will, so on some trips I also just use chlorine Aquatabs.

• Platypus Quickdraw 1L.

• Steripen ultralight

• 1L white Nalgene and 1L platypus bottles

Worn Clothing – the daily hiking outfit!

The only major change in these items from 2025 is the new sun hoody. Wuru sent me one of their lighweight hoodies to test, and I love it. A very high UPF rating while still feeling light and thin enough to not be too hot even on super warm days in the sierras (80F +). The light color is also awesome. I did notice some new freckles and a bit of tanning on my shoulders, so it's possible the fabric got a bit worn and thinned over those 20 days of hiking, and let in some more rays, but this will be my go-to for most of the summer. And, on the hottest days, I simply dunked the shirt in a stream before the ascents, and it kept me wonderfully cool as it dried (Its likely this is when the sun got through the shirt, too, as wetting a garment has a big impact on it's UPF ability).

• Patagonia Altvia Alpine pants

• Wool Sun hoody- Wuru Lightweight worn the most, followed by Ibex Springbock and Indie Hoodies for cooler shoulder season trips

• Ibex wool undies

• Branwyn wool bralette

• Pee cloth (extra in pack)- piece of flannel fabric

• Smartwool hiking socks

• Fingerless sun gloves

• Tilley hat and Smith sunglasses

Packed Clothing Layers – Rain, wind and warmth

Two new additions here! I saved a lot of weight by getting the super warm Farpointe alpha fleece hoody. This fabric is all the rage right now, and while I think some of the hype is excessive, I do find it to be warmer and lighter than my old favorite the Patagonia R1 (you can find these on Ebay at excellent prices!). The thicker fleece not only replaced the R1, but it also allowed me to drop the synthetic puffy I often brought along with the down jacket, saving me a substantial amount of weight again.

I also added the Antigravity Gear rainpants to replace my old marmot ones that were delaminating.

• Arc’teryx Alpha SL raincoat

• Antigravity gear silnylon rain pants

• Feathered Friends Eos down jacket

• Alpha 190 Fleece – Farpointe

• Fleece pants- older Rho model from Arc'teryx

• Wind shirt – Patagonia

• Baselayers- Ibex Nuyarn top, old Arc’teryx bottoms

• Spare essentials- extra undies and socks (two extra socks if wet forecast or long trip)

• Shoulder season- add a wool tshirt for extra warmth in the evening

Hats, Gloves

• Seirus thin but windprood and water resistant gloves

• Thick fleece hat from Turtlefur

• Thin fleece neck gaiter

• Goretex overmitts

Other equipment

• Bug spray (sawyer picaridin) and bug net

• Tiny pack towel washcloth

• Trekking poles – Leki Makalu from 15 years ago, still going strong, and with titanium very lightweight

• Bear Spray- brought on some trips. Bought a Kozee Tote jar to hold it in the car that would protect me from accidental discharge while driving or if left in the car and it overheated.

• Z-lite regular length foam pad- while I do use this under the air pad at night, I'm putting it here because I don't need it for sleeping! What I do really love it for is a comortable place to sit while painting for hours, especially on snow and cold wet ground, where the pad keeps me and my feet off the ground, helping me stay much warmer. I use it a ton every day, especially in camp, and yes it adds 7 oz compard to my small little foam piece I used to carry, but it improves my day so much that it is worth it.

Fanny Pack - giving this item it's own category, because it is one of my favorite additions to my gear! I started carrying a fanny back a few years ago on backpacking trips, and loved the ease of access to snacks, gloves, and other small items. My prior fanny pack from Ultralite Sacks worked well, but the zipper was starting to fail, so I searched for a new one, and stumbled on the Atom Packs Roo!

The Roo is the best fanny pack I've tried. It is made from durable materials with a very smart design. Internal fold pocket with a key leash, plus a large capacity (1.5 L if I recall correctly). And the zipper/ top of the bag is awesome - even when I forget to zip it back up, the top area of the bag still keeps things from falling out, which is huge, since I pretty much always forget to zip it.

Footwear

• Scarpa Kailash hiking boots with superfeet carbon insoles

• Down socks (the liners from my Feathered friends down booties)

• On trails with water crossings- Zpacks deluxe camp shoe – treading carefully, these work well as water crossing shoes as long as the rocks aren’t too huge or slick where more traction is needed

Only new addition here are the Zpacks 3.5 oz shoes, which worked fantastic in the sierras for the three water crossings that I had. I'm also looking into a larger size for my boots, and possibly using the mens version, as it is clear the current size of the Kailash is too narrow after having substantial foot pain in the sierras.

Comprehensive first aid kit - with wound care (steri strips, occlusive bandages), blister care, medications (immodium, ibuprofen, decongestant, Dayquil, flu etc), and also my albuterol inhaler (for smoke triggered asthma) and antibiotics, tweezers, nitrile gloves, antibiotic ointment, and some more things! I need to make a dedicated blog post for this! On cold nights this goes inside my sleeping bag, as the antibiotics can’t freeze.

Emergency/ oh sh*t kit – a little dyneema zippered pouch that has a space blanket, fire starter and matches, my multitool, whistle, spare n95 masks for smoke, thread, safety pin, aquatabs, and thermarest patch kit. Extra weight but I can't imagine not having these items for safety.

Toiletries

• Half-handled toothbrush, toothpaste, floss

• 0.5 oz hand sanitizer

• Earplugs

• A&D ointment to prevent chaffing if needed

• Retainers, a few tiny hairbands

• Toilet paper and dried baby wipes (1.5 per day plus a few extras)

• Arnica gel- helps a lot with sore feet or bruises

When required, kit to carry out human waste – a smelly-proof bag + compostable doggie bags. I also bring this on trips even when it’s not required, as many high traffic areas are so full of poop that it feels like the only responsible thing to do.

Painting kit

• Brushes- #10 round and a #6 round, ½ in angle shader flat brush, and a large #4 quill round brush

• Art Toolkit Folio palette with 26 colors, Daniel Smith paint

• Tyvek sleeve with plastic cardboard piece for stiffness that holds paper and is also used as a flat painting surface

• Arches 140lb paper torn to various sizes

• 2 blue shop towels (reusable and can clean)

• Pencil (usually pentel 07), kneaded eraser and bit of plastic white eraser

• Micron 05 pen and / or Lumos pen

• Mint tin for water reservoir

Electronics

This year I upgraded my Sony camera body, from the original generation to the current a6700, and while .2 lbs heaver, the longer battery life and improved image quality is worth it! I use the images from trips for not only blog posts, but also many aspects of my business and classes, so the extra 1.9 lbs of weight is worth it, as it is part of my literal job out there.

The second big addition here was a small solar panel that I used in the Sierras - the FlexSolar 10W mini. This thing worked great! With the exception of a few clouduy and stormy days where I had to be a bit more careful with my power consumption, I had plenty of energy to keep all of my devices charged. The biggest draw is the phone, which I used each day for video and tracked my progress on the mapping app Gaia, which together drained 20-30% of the battery each day. I was really impressed with this device.

• InReach mini – even with a satellite messaging capable phone, I will still always carry this as my emergency beacon.

• Battery bank- 5 or 10 k size pending trip length

• Tiny USBc cable with adapter for usb micro

• Iphone

• Sony a6700 for still images

• Filming kit – gopro hero 13, Rode mic with adapters, tiny tripod, and spare battery

• Wired apple headphones

• Sierras only - Flexsolar 10W mini solar panel