15 Things you Should Pack in Your Backpack when Camping in The Woods

Backpacking is considered a quintessential form of adventure travel, and within its various ranks lies a broad spectrum of activities that may include hiking, trail running, or skiing when camping in the woods.

Why is Backpacking Important?

In general, the more miles you cover and the more remote your destination is, the heavier your pack will be. So what should you bring? In order to ensure a successful trip, and avoid ending up on an episode of “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” you’ll want to prepare for any weather conditions by packing layers. And if you’re trying backpacking for the first time, it’s essential that you practice safe backpacking techniques such as how to layer your clothing for hiking and camping, and how to pack a backpack.

What to Pack?

Beyond the essentials of food, water, shelter, and first-aid you’ll want to include items that will help keep you warm or cool depending on the season while camping in the wood, and organize your things so they’re easy to access and make sure you have enough light when night falls.

Here are 15 Essential Backpacking Tips Every Naturelover Should know

1. Hiking Boots and Shoes

This is often overlooked by camping newbies. The importance of a solid pair of camping boots or shoes can’t be stressed enough in protecting your feet from injury in a natural environment where sharp rocks and other objects are often hidden below a layer of dirt and vegetation.

Hiking boots should have good ankle support, breathe well to avoid sweaty feet when camping in the wood. Crampons for ice-covered trails are an absolute necessity if you’ll be camping when it’s cold out camping during wintertime camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time, but they’re also available for shoes as well if necessary.

2. Fire

When camping in the woods, it is often necessary to have a source of heat. You’ll want something that’s lightweight, easy to use, and safe camping in the woods

The camping stove is one option for backpacking because it provides an easily accessible cooking surface without having to build a fire. That said, only experienced backpackers should attempt to cook over an open flame camping in the wood

We recommend either bringing your own camping-sized fuel container (and maybe also throwing some extra denatured alcohol into your pack) camping in the wood or simply packing along with ready-made camping food that doesn’t require you lighting a fire camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time.

If you’re looking for something more lightweight camping in the wood, camping stoves are an excellent alternative to hauling around heavy camping equipment camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time.

3. Sleeping Bags or Blankets

That’s a question every backpacker faces when camping in the woods. The short answer is both. If it happens to be warm out camping during wintertime camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time, you may not need either. But once the sun starts going down and temperatures start dropping, having something that can keep you warm becomes essential.

Backpackers often opt for a traditional sleeping bag camping in the wood camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time. But, they can be heavy and bulky and the biggest downside is you’re stuck using one manufacturer’s models camping in the woods.

A number of outdoor gear manufacturers now provide lightweight blankets that offer similar protection as a regular sleeping bag camping in the wood camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time, but which are highly compressible for packing purposes.

4. Multi-tool / Utensils

You don’t want to attempt cooking with your Swiss Army knife or Leatherman multitool when camping in the wood. A proper utensil set like this is ideal for camping in the woods camping close to ‘snow line’ camping at high altitude camping on glaciers camping up mountains camping during fall time.

5. Headlamp

This one is amongst the important camping gear when camping in the wood. Further, when camping close to the ‘snow line’ at high altitudes on glaciers and camping up mountains during fall time a headlamp should be included in every backpacking kit. You’ll want to pack along a headlamp rather than traditional camping lanterns or flashlights because they are far more lightweight and less cumbersome.

Backpackers usually also carry multiple candles, so it’s good to have something dependable when you need both hands free especially when cooking food.

6. Personal Toiletries

It’s easy to forget about the small stuff when you’re camping in the wood and besides, what do you need toiletries for? Well depending on where you camp in the wood and how long for will determine whether or not you should pack them along. But for most backpackers, we recommend bringing a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap/shower wipes, toilet paper camping in the woods, etc.

7. Emergency Kit

This will be one of the most important items you should pack when camping in the wood. An emergency kit will include a first aid kit and other items that can be used for purposes of hygiene, fixing things camping in the wood, etc. Again, this will depend on where you are heading and how long.

8. Personal Protection Equipment

You should not forget to pack personal protection equipment when you’re headed out for an adventure trip camping in the wood. A pair of sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, and bug spray can do a great deal to protect you from harsh sun rays throughout your trip.

For women of course a few extra additions should be carried for purposes of protection while out in the woods. These include tampons, pads, and pain reliever tablets camping in the woods.

9. Personal Electronics

You can’t exactly let go of your gadgets either. A backpacking solar panel charger is all you need to keep your devices powered up and ready for use as well as a portable battery pack.

A camp speaker is also a very useful camping gear because nowadays many people bring their MP3s along when they’re out enjoying nature. Even if you don’t have any music with you, it’s nice to set up your speaker and enjoy some fun time with your friends outside camping in the woods.

10. Sun Protection

You should include a good sunscreen in your kit when camping close to the ‘snow line’ at high altitudes on glaciers and camping up mountains during fall time. Sunscreen will also be an important item if you’re going out for a day hike or even fishing since this keeps your skin safe from UV rays.

A wide-brimmed hat is one of the most important items to pack along when you’re headed out on a long backpacking trip camping in the woods, especially during summertime days where sunburn is almost inevitable. In addition, pack sunglasses too so that you don’t have to squint through campsite activities all day.

11. Camera

You definitely can’t bring a laptop for purposes of blogging on the go. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring a camera. A digital SLR while camping in the wood is an ideal choice for backpacking trips. This is mainly because it’s compact and not too heavy to carry around. Of course, if you’re just bringing along your point-and-shoot. Then it would just be great to make sure it has enough battery life before heading out.

12. Extra Layers

Keeping extra layers isn’t always about staying warm at times of cold weather. It’s about keeping yourself dry and prepared for bad conditions like sudden downpours or unusually cold temperatures.

A windproof jacket, a good pair of gloves, and extra scarves should always be packed along. Especially when you’re headed out backpacking to enjoy camping in the woods because you never know when things will take a turn for the worst.

13. Navigation

If you’re traveling with a group, then chances are one of you is probably the ‘navigator’. Despite the number of people at your party, it’s always good to pack along some backup navigation tools.

It doesn’t hurt to carry along an old-fashioned paper map with you. Moreover, your phone/GPS might not be able to pick up any connection. This is exactly when paper maps come in handy.

14. Water Filtration System

Water is important when you’re out camping in the woods but water sources can be really hard to come by so it’s best if you bring your own source for drinking and cooking purposes. A water filter system easily lets you purify even saltwater so it’s all good if your campsite doesn’t have freshwater showering stations.

15. Tent

A tent is a no-brainer, but it’s important that you pick the right kind of tent for your camping trip. A backpacking tent or a bivy sack is a good choice. This is because it’s lightweight and easy to carry around when you’re on foot. Also, make sure there are enough stakes along with the tent. This way you can set it up on almost any surface without much trouble.

Plan Out

To conclude, the above tips can be used when you are going camping in the woods. Just pack, plan and go for it!