What you NEED vs What You WANT to take Backpacking

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There are some things you take backpacking because you NEED To. And there are some things you take because you Want to. And sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. I talk about all the things you both want and need every time you go backpacking.

Gear from this Video:

Needed Gear:

Gear You Might Want:

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[MyLifeOutdoors]

Gear from this video:

Needed Gear:

Gear You Might Want:

[sunnyscott]

I always learned that if there was one thing that you wanted to have, no matter how unnecessary, if if made you happy and you HAD to have IT. If you're not going to be happy or comfortable if you leave your teddy bear at home because it's your security, you're going to be miserable the whole time. Everybody has one comfort item. TAKE IT.

[truneilson]

As a white water raft guide I recomend getting not just a trash bag but a trash compactor trash bag to line your pack and protect your sleeping bag. They are MUCH thicker and better at keeping water in or out. I get mine at Costco, its not expensive and you get a ton of them.

[wouterberend]

Another reason to take both a pack liner and a rain cover is because most pack fabrics absorb water. This water weight is equal if not more weight than a rain cover, and some times it can take a long time to dry out your pack completely.

[ShortGuysBetaWorks]

One of my "luxury" items (like your chair) is three pairs of socks. 🧦🧦🧦 1) I've had socks not properly dry overnight, and in the mountains, that can mean frostbite; 2) I'm using each sock 33% less (if things go ideally), and if things aren't ideal (too hot, too cold, whatever), I can throw on a fresh pair without imploding the next day's need for fresh socks. Started doing this when I was training for Denali, and 10yrs later, I haven't gone back.

[tfrtrouble]

Rain protection: drybags all the way! Not one huge one as a pack liner; different ones for sleeping bag, clothing, food/cooking stuff, toiletries and bits and pieces, things you may need while walking (waterproofs, hats, gloves, sunglasses, snacks, compass). This totally changed my experience of camping. They do add a little weight but the extra organization makes camping (especially setting/packing up camp) so much more pleasant. And they help compress clothing. And if you forget to take something out and have to dig it out of the bottom of your bag, it's a simple matter of removing the right bag, and then putting the bags back, not playing Tetris with every item you have with you.

[ferryvantichelen]

Trowel is also very helpful to dig a small gulley around your tent to prevent flooding on a very rainy day. Just try to keep it a small as possible and return everything back to what it was to leave no trace.

[HostileTakeover]

The luxury item that few people know/think/talk about that always always carry is a "pocket bellows". Basically an expandable straw you can use to send a jet of air into the fire instead of sticking your face down there and blowing, or trying a fan. Gets the air where you need it way better than any other method I've tried and weighs very little.

[etatsopa]

I watch your channel as a motorcyclist. I don’t really care much about weight savings but it’s good to see what you can get in a very compact form factor - perhaps a good idea for a future video? Where backpacking and adventure motorcycling cross over

[damonwebb]

When I used to white water canoe, I used to do the double garbage bag inside my bag(bag gets wet) Also do a double bag inside my sleeping bag bag. Whether clothes(important to separate clothes in two separate garbage bags- just in case )
Roll the inner garbage bag from the center opening of the bag, squeezing out air, you have two twisted ends which allow the air to be squeezed out ( eliminates puncturing) than you tie the ears together, even if canoe and bag is submerged it stays dry, than do the outer bag... double insurance
Never had wet clothes or sleeping bag, or accessories

[profmactheknife]

Always slip off a Bergen strap and un-clip the hip belt when crossing water. It sounds counter intuitive, but if you slip, you can ditch the Bergen and recover instead of being held down in the water by the weight.

[tomsitzman]

You don't need to buy a down blanket. Years ago, I converted one of my 3 pound down sleeping bags for one into a two person down blanket by removing the zipper and continuing the zipper line across the bottom of the bad and of course sewing the bottom seam. When I lay it out it covers the top of my queen size bead. This past year I discovered Alpaca socks. They have about a 15 F degree thermal range. Cool in summer warm in winter. they are antimicrobial and never ever smell. You can wear them for 10 days with no problem. Fast drying, . I buy mine from a local alpaca farmer. I have knee high, calf high and ankle high.

[erichobbs]

I have a drybag that I stuff my quilt and extra clothes in. Been in all day torrential rains here in Queensland and out in the Pacific Northwest, and I have never had a problem with those things getting wet. It's a lot lighter than a pack cover and less of a faff than a liner.
My luxury item is the free time to go on a backpacking trip in the first place 🙂

[darinpeterson]

My diy camp shoe hack is to take an old pair of socks and then spray them with that gutter flex spray. It covers the bottom, is still movable, light weight, and protects your feet around camp.

[wohlhabendermanager]

4:40 Another advantage of two pairs of socks: You can easily switch them when they get wet. My wife and I were hiking in Norway on a (very difficult) two day hike, and ended up in a very swampy area on day one. Her shoes got soaked (mine stayed dry, luckily), and after the first day her toes looked like she had been in a bathtub for 4 hours.
So, on the second day (the shoes were still wet) she would just switch her socks every other hour. At the end of day 2 her toes looked completely normal.
Sandals: A 100% yes. On the mentioned hike I took my sandals with me on a whim, and it was so comfortable to not have to put on my hiking boots in camp. My wife didn't bring any sandals, but reverted to use mine very quickly, haha.
I since upgraded to lighter sandals, now both sandals wear as much as one of my old sandals. Plus, they easily fit inside my backpack, and I don't have to attach them on the outside. :)

[xZM]

I made similar 'socdles' by cutting foot shapes from closed-cell foam, gluing them to grippy rubber soles; then attaching sock to each using double sided tape. The socks can then be detached as spare pair.

[paulreineck]

I totally second on the extra socks! It's such a good feeling to put on a fresh clean pair of socks after a long day of hiking or climbing.

[ryanlink-cole]

I know the quilts are the current rage but as an old school bag guy you can EASILY just unzip your bag and bang, it's a quilt. Back when I was young, poor, and stronger I only had ine bag for year round and the zero degree bag on a warm summer night but could still be that draft free mummy on those trips in the snow that a quilt can never be if you are an active sleeper.

[WanderingSwitchback]

Don't forget a first aid kit!! Even just some bandaids and antibiotic ointment for those cuts and scrapes are better than nothing!

[maureencallahan]

Another reason for using internal dry sacks for everything is just in case of a water bladder leak. I use a water bladder and one day, just before leaving home for a hike, the connection of the tube into the bladder failed and everything in that pack got wet. Luckily I was at home, quickly loaded another pack sans the water bladder, and was able to meet up with my friends. But if that had happened while on the trail, I would have lost the majority of my water (I usually have at least one water bottle with me) and would have had water dripping on me until getting back to the car.