Yosemite Backpacking Gear List

Complete Yosemite backpacking gear spread out beside tent at wilderness campsite including sleeping bag, bear canister, trekking poles and essential equipment
Everything I carry on Yosemite backpacking trips, laid out at a backcountry campsite. This is the gear that keeps you safe and comfortable in the wilderness

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What gear does Yosemite Life provide on every trip? Every guided backpacking trip includes a lightweight 2-person tent (with poles, footprint, guylines, and stakes), a BearVault BV500 bear canister, a canister stove with fuel, a cook pot and long-handle spoon, a group water filter with a backup, and all meals — breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every day on trail. You're always welcome to bring your own version of any of these if you prefer your own kit.

What do I need to bring myself? Your personal sleep system (sleeping bag or quilt and sleeping pad), your backpack, all clothing and footwear, and your personal hygiene, sunscreen, bug spray, any required medications, etc. There may be things not listed on the gear list you really want to bring - bring these up during the planning calls so there are no surprises.

Does my backpack need to be a specific size? 55–70L works for most backpacking trips in Yosemite. More important than the liter count is fit — a pack that doesn't match your torso length will punish you over an 8–12 mile day in a way that no amount of adjustment fixes. The other thing to account for: the BearVault BV500 bear canister should fit inside your pack, while it may be possible to strap to the outside of the pack - it is less secure and not ideal. Most 55L+ packs fit it without issue, but if you're using an older or unusually narrow pack, check before the trip. We'll verify fit during the day-before gear check.

Why does the list say no cotton — everywhere? Cotton absorbs moisture and doesn't release it. On a day hike that's an inconvenience. On a multi-day trip in the Sierra — where afternoon storms are common, temperatures drop fast at elevation, and you're covering real miles in the same clothes for consecutive days — wet cotton becomes a genuine safety issue. Hypothermia doesn't require extreme cold. Synthetic and merino wool fabrics move moisture away from your skin, dry quickly, and keep working when wet. This applies to shirts, pants, socks, and underwear. If you're unsure whether something you own qualifies, email before the trip.

What sleeping bag temperature rating do I need? 20°F is the safe floor for 3-season Sierra trips. That covers most summer nights and all of the early and late shoulder season conditions you're likely to encounter on a guided trip. If you already own a bag rated to 30°F or 35°F, that may be fine depending on the specific trip dates, elevation, and your own cold tolerance — but bring it up during the pre-trip planning call rather than assuming. Going below a 20°F rating is never a mistake. Going warmer is a gamble that's hard to hedge once you're at 9,000 feet with the temperature dropping.

Are trekking poles worth bringing? For most people on most Yosemite backpacking trips — yes. They're not critical the way footwear and a sleeping bag are critical, but they earn their place over distance. The biggest payoff is on long descents when your knees start accumulating stress — poles redistribute load and give you a third and fourth point of contact on loose or steep terrain. If you already own a pair, bring them. If you're considering buying a set specifically for this trip, look for a tool-less locking mechanism that won't loosen under load. Cheap twist-lock poles have a habit of collapsing mid-stride on steep ground.

Can I rent gear instead of buying it? Yes — renting is a reasonable option, especially if you're trying backpacking for the first time and don't want to invest in a full kit before you know if you love it. Yosemite Life doesn't maintain a rental fleet, but there are good rental sources near the park. If you need a recommendation, ask during your planning call and I'll point you in the right direction based on what you need and where you're coming from.

What goes inside the bear canister — and will everything fit? All food, all scented items, and all toiletries. That means snacks, meals, sunscreen, lip balm, toothpaste, insect repellent, and anything else with a smell. The BearVault BV500 holds roughly 700 cubic inches — officially rated for 7 days of food for one person, though real-world capacity varies significantly based on how efficiently you pack and your daily caloric needs. Most backpackers land in the 5–7 day range; pack well and you can stretch it further. On longer trips, removing excess packaging before the trip makes a meaningful difference. We'll cover canister packing strategy on the pre-trip call, and you'll get yours at the day-before gear check as food is handed out so you can do a trial pack together.

Should I bring bear spray? No — and it's not allowed. Bear spray is prohibited in Yosemite National Park. More importantly, it's not how bears work in Yosemite. Black bears here are not the predatory grizzlies of Alaska — they're food-motivated, and virtually every bear encounter in Yosemite is the result of improperly stored food or scented items. The bear canister is your primary tool, not a deterrent spray. If you want to understand how bears actually behave in Yosemite, and how to handle one on trail, the full breakdown is in Backpacking in Bear Country: Everything You Need to Know

What if I show up with the wrong gear or something missing? The pre-trip planning call and the day-before gear check exist specifically to catch this before it becomes a problem on trail. If something critical is missing or wrong — wrong sleeping bag rating, a pack that won't fit the canister, cotton base layers — there's usually enough time to fix it if we catch it the day before. The gear list is designed to be reviewed well in advance, not the morning of departure. If you have any doubts about a specific item, email before the trip rather than guessing.

Have more questions? Check out my Guided Backpacking Trips page or see the full FAQ page — covering fitness, gear, cancellations, safety, wildlife, and logistics.