Backpacking Gear List
What to Bring — and What I'll Bring for You
A good gear list isn't just a checklist. It's how you show up ready — and how you don't show up with 50 lbs on your back wondering why your knees hurt by noon.
This list covers everything you need for a 3-season backpacking trip in Yosemite. It's built around the same trips I guide, the same terrain we'll cover, and the same conditions we're likely to face. Go through it before your pre-trip planning call.
What I provide
Several pieces of critical gear are included with every trip at no additional cost:
- Lightweight 2-person tent (with poles, footprint, guylines, and stakes)
- Stove, fuel, cookpot, and spoon
- BearVault BV500 bear canister
- Group water filter (with backup)
- All meals — breakfast, lunch, and dinner
You're welcome to bring your own for any of these.
How to read this list
Every item is marked with a priority:
- Critical — non-negotiable. If you're missing something in this category, reach out before the trip.
- Suggested — strong recommendation. You'll want most of these.
- Optional — comfort and quality-of-life items. Worth considering depending on your style.
- Contingent — trip- or weather-dependent. We'll talk through these on your pre-trip call.
If you're new to backpacking or unsure about any item, email me before you buy anything. Gear can get expensive fast and not all of it is worth it. I'll tell you what actually matters for the trip you're taking.
VIEW FULL GEAR LIST ↗ — DOWNLOAD PDF ↓ — DOWNLOAD XLS ↓
A note on pack weight
Your target is a total packed weight between 28–40 lbs. That's everything on your back when you leave the trailhead — gear, food, water, and bear canister combined. Trip length is the biggest driver of where you land in that range. A 3-day trip and an 8-day trip are very different animals.
To understand what that means in practice, you need to know what the heavy things weigh:
Base weight is the weight of your pack with all gear but no food, water, or fuel. This is the number serious backpackers track, and it's the number you can actually control before the trip.
Water: 1 liter weighs 2.2 lbs. Carrying 1 liter adds 2.2 lbs. In Yosemite, water sources are frequent enough that you rarely need to carry more than 1 liter between stops — sometimes less.
Food: Plan on roughly 1.5 lbs per person per day. A 4-day trip is ~6 lbs of food. An 8-day trip is ~12 lbs.
Bear canister: The BearVault BV500 weighs 2.3 lbs empty. It's going in your pack regardless — account for it.
Do the math for your trip:
Base weight + (days × 1.5 lbs) + water you're carrying + 2.3 lbs for the bear can = your realistic starting weight on day one. It gets lighter as you eat through your food — but it starts at its heaviest.
A luggage scale works well for checking your full pack at home; a kitchen scale is useful for individual items. I'll also bring a hand scale to the day-before gear check if you want to weigh your packed bag together.