Backpacking Gear for Beginners (2024)

Embarking on your first backpacking trip can be an exhilarating experience, but it's hard to know what gear to get. Do you want gear that you can rely on for years to come or do you want to spend the smallest amount of money you can in case backpacking ends up not being for you? In this list, I am going to include 2 options for each essential piece of gear. One option will be a piece of quality gear that you can rely on for years, the other option will be a good inexpensive alternative. The gear I'm recommending in the budget option won't be the cheapest gear I could find, it will still be functional gear I would recommend that will be at its price point due to sacrificing things like weight, or durability.

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This list is numbered in the order you should purchase these items

1. Tent:

The first piece of gear you should buy is a tent, a 2-person tent is more versatile even if you'll be going by yourself. The Nemo Dragonfly Osmo 2p tent comes in at just 3 lbs 2 oz the Osmo fabric is great for not sagging when it gets wet, much better than standard nylon tents and Nemo has an amazing warranty on all their tents. This tent comes in at the price of price of $465.

The Featherstone UL is 2a great budget option this tent with a great waterproof fly it has a similar floor space as the Nemo and it is also a 3-season tent and it weighs 4lbs 12oz for the price of $110 so all you're losing with the cheaper tent is less durable materials and it's a little heavier.

2. Sleeping Bag:

The Sea-to-Summit Ascent is an amazing sleeping bag, it comes with a bag to keep it lofted so it doesn't lose its insulation, can be unzipped to be used as a quilt, and compacts down to a small size with a waterproof compression sack. The 15° bag weighs around 3 pounds and is currently on sale for $269 but it is normally over $400.

The Alps Mountaineering Blaze is a Synthetic fill +20° bag. I would not take this bag below freezing, it weighs 3.8 lbs and costs $80. What you're losing with the budget bag is while it is close in weight to the Sea-to-Summit it is far bulkier and can't compress as much and won't keep you as warm.

3. Sleeping Pad:

The Nemo Tensor all-season is a great all-around sleeping pad with an R-Value of 5.4, which is good enough to keep you warm at any time of the year, the wide pad weighs 1lb 3oz and costs $209.

The Klymit Static V2 is a comfortable pad with an R-Value of 1.2 which will only keep you warm in the summer season, it weighs 1lb and costs $50. The budget pad is a little less comfortable than the tensor and can't be used outside of summer but is overall a good pad that many people swear by.

4. Backpack:

The Osprey Atmos AG 65 is an extremely comfortable backpack, this backpack with keep the sweat off your back due to its amazing ventilation and is very good at keeping the weight off your shoulders. The Osprey weighs around 3.7lbs and costs $340. The Kelty Asher is a great backpack that can actually carry a little more weight than the Osprey, the Kelty does have back ventilation but it's not as good as the Osprey, it weighs 3.5lbs and costs $120. With the budget backpack, you're losing a little bit of comfortability especially when carrying over 40lbs, the Kelty does not come with a rainfly but that's about it.

5. Stove:

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The Jetboil MiniMO is a great cook system, it comes with a wide 1-liter pot that is also great for more than just boiling water. The MiniMo is very efficient and uses fuel conservatively and for the price of $165.

The Fire-Maple FMS-300T is a compact canister stove that is lightweight and works well. The Fire-Maple doesn't come with a pot but it boils water quickly in any camp pot and for $30.

6. Water Filtration System:

The Grayl Geopress is an innovative water purifier that filters out any contaminant including viruses, it runs for $100 but it is easy to use and you can purify your water and fill your cup at the same time.

The LifeStraw Peak series straw is an effective filter and will give you clean water but it doesn't improve the taste of the water and you have to get your face close to a water source to use it. The LifeStraw runs for $22.

7. Headlamp:

The Petzl BINDI is Light and rechargeable, it can run for 50 hours and has a brightness of 200 lumens, you can rely on the BINDI to light your backpacking trip without needing to replace the batteries or recharge it and costs $45.

The Energizer Headlamp has a brightness of 100 lumens and can run for 9 hours without needing to replace the AAA batteries.

8. First Aid Kit:

Both of these med kits are actually quite good and are a very similar price both around $30 without a sale. The only reason I recommend the Adventure Medical Kits .7 over the Swiss Safe is that it comes in a waterproof bag.

19. Multitool:

The Leatherman Wave+ has 18 tools and is a tried and true classic, and it can be used in and out of backpacking. This tool has a 25 year warranty that Leatherman is great about honoring, if anything on this breaks they'll fix it or replace it for you but it does go for $118.

The Gerber Suspension has 15 tools, Gerber doesn't have the warranty that Leatherman has but you're not losing much by going with this multitool. The Gerber Multitool is currently on sale for $30 and is normally $50.

Equipped with the right gear, you're now ready to embark on your first backpacking adventure with confidence. Remember to choose equipment that suits your needs and preferences while also considering factors such as durability, weight, and affordability. With the essential backpacking gear for beginners at your disposal, you'll be well-prepared to explore the great outdoors.