Ultimate Guide to Packing for a Road Trip

If you’re planning to reconnect with nature on a short hike, a backpacking adventure or a camping trip, it will take some planning to make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable and safe. The same is true if you’re thinking about getting away from the city and trying #vanlife for a little while. In this article, we’ll share some tips on what to add to your packing list. And don’t worry – our list doesn’t contain just the obvious stuff you would bring anyway, some items will be sure to surprise you!

When you find a hiking list online, they can be huge. And for good reason, there is a lot to bring. However, a smart adventurer knows that sometimes you can pack less and still have everything you need. We’re going to provide a detailed list with tips and suggestions for you to make the most of your upcoming trip. Let’s dive in!

Hiking List Essentials: What to Bring for a Day Hike

You’ve probably already packed all the obvious items for your hike, like proper clothing, a small backpack, water and a fully charged cell phone. But what other items should you consider bringing along?

Snacks

On a 1 hour hike, you’ll burn an average of 400-600 calories. This depends on the intensity, duration, and your body weight, but even so that’s a lot of energy. Because of this, it’s important to pack some hearty snacks as a way to refuel. Here are some of our favourite things to munch on.

HOT TIP: we love to pack a cold beer or two on our hiking trips, especially on hot summer days.

Entertainment

While nature itself is full of wonder, sometimes we all need a bit of downtime. Plus, it’s great to sit around a campfire or curl up in a tent and play games with your friends. Not to mention if you bring kids along, they will probably need some entertainment. These are a few ideas to get you started.

Camp List Essentials: What to Pack for a Weekend Camping Trip or Backpacking Adventure

If you’re going overnight on a camping trip or even a road trip, then you will need a lot more than snacks and water. We’ve broken down the listen into different sections to make it easier as well as included some tips to help you out. You could also use this to help you pack while traveling like Fern in the film Nomadland, where she goes on an adventure in her van across America.

Kitchen

Since you’ll be away for more than a day, you need to plan meals and bring supplies to cook your food and eat it. While it’s a good idea to bring snacks and easy to assemble lunches, we all love a warm meal.

HOT TIP: Try out this organic soap for personal hygiene & camp cleanliness. You can always pack dish soap and regular soap, but if you’re tight on space you can always use one soap for both purposes!

Clothing

When camping, you never know how fast the weather can change. Depending on the length of your trip, it’s crucial to pack different clothes for different situations. This is a quick list of what to pack for yourself.

Toiletries

You might be in the woods, but cleanliness is still important. Especially if you’re injured as cuts and scrapes are more easily infected. Here are the things you’ll want to pack that will allow you to stay feeling fresh after spending a few days outdoors.

Cool Tech

We all want to go enjoy nature and disconnect, but that doesn’t mean we have to leave all our technology behind. There are a lot of great items out there that makes camping just a bit more pleasant. Or maybe you’re bringing a friend who prefers to go “glamping.” Either way, here are some rad tools you can bring with you.

Pet Supplies

If you have a dog, you might like to bring them with you! There are plenty of famous dogs and cats that love to go hiking with their owners, like Bodhi the Adventure Cat. If that’s the case, you need to pack items for them as well.

HOT TIP: If bringing your indoor/outdoor cat camping for the first time, make sure to do a flea treatment immediately after you return. One of the MGear team members found that out the hard way – don’t be like her!

Sleeping Supplies

There are a lot of ways you can set up your shelter while camping. Most of us choose to bring a tent, but hammocks and sleeping in your car are fine options too. This is what we suggest you pack for your overnight trip:

HOT TIP: If you can’t afford to splurge on a quality mattress or piece of foam and space isn’t an issue, save your Amazon boxes and use cardboard instead. It’s even useful to flatten the inside of your tent or use it as a doormat for shoes.

Extra items:

We hope you enjoyed this month’s article! Now is the perfect time to start planning your first camping trip for 2021. Whatever plans you have, a day trip or a weeklong vacation, we hope this guide helps you ensure you aren’t forgetting anything.

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Happy adventuring!