Things Everyone Needs To Bring

Everyone except infants and elderly need to carry their own backpack, clothing, sleeping gear.
Men should carry most of the extra stuff.
Women should only carry 30lbs at most, better if we can get them down to 20-25lbs.
That means men need to carry 50-80lbs.
Get ready to feel the sweet sweet pain of a broken back.
And feet that always hurt.

Even if there was one item that is best in each catagory, we would likely buy out everything they have in stock.
So inevitably, we will have a diverse selection of gear
So here are recommendations, but put your own input into choosing the right gear for you.

Backpack

I never packed for a whole group before, backpacks sizes will be a bit trial and error, this is a recommended starting point, adjust if necessary

Men 60-100L, Recommended 80-100L w/ external or internal frame
Women 20-60L, Recommended 40-60L w/ internal frame or frameless
Young Men 40-80L
Young Women 20-40L
Children 10-30L

Mat

General – Get r-value around 4-5 or higher for winter warmth
– 20in wide is standard, it is small, mens arms will go over the sides
– Even so, 20in is still what most campers use
– 25-30in are available, but heavier
– Duo pads 40-50in are also available, tend to be 3-4in thick, but much heavier(3-5lbs for two 20in pads, ~8 lbs for one 40in, ~11lbs for one 50in)
Foam – Not warm enough
Inflatable – Not very durable, use at your own risk, be extra carful and carry extra repair patches
SelfInflating – 1/1.5in ok for back sleepers, 2in for side sleepers

Examples of selfinflating pads, both from Thermarest, either of these are good.
(Prolite) – Lighter, less durable, shaped
(Basecamp) – Heavier, more durable, rectangle, better for combining two pads with straps

Sleeping Bag / Quilt

Recommended to be rated for 20*F
Down is lighter, more compact, expensive
Synthetic is heavier, less compact, cheaper
If using a sleeping bag, a liner is very useful
Other option is camping quilt / home quilt
If using home quilt try to get down, or something fluffy, lightweight, compactable
Flat sheet, fitted sheet good to bring with quilt setup

Clothing

Even with lightweight camping clothing, every person will need about 10 lbs of clothing
More if you use non-camping type clothing
Layering is the best way to get maximum warmth for minimum weight
I know you like your dresses, but in the winter, women should probably be wearing pants
Look at the innuit women, they wear pants, its the “only” way to survive in brutally cold temperatures
There is no such thing as bad weather, only improper clothing
Young girls, maybe make dresses extra long but hemmed up, and extra wide but with ties, so 3.5 years later it will still fit
Young boys, pants long but hemmed, waist extra wide but with extra buttons, big tops

Socks x4, 1 pair heavyweight wool for winter
Underwear x4
Base layer, longjohns top and bottom
Summer set, loose fitting Colombia shirt / shorts, or summer dress
Comfort set, bring your favorite outfit, even if its not camping clothing, having a comfort set to wear on days off, will keep our spirits up
Durable pants
Mid layer, sweatpants or sleeping pants, sweatshirt or hoodie or fleece
Jacket, puffy or insulated shirt
Rain gear, carhartt storm defender jacket and pants, other brands are fine too, the soon to be owner of Carhartt married my cousin, I might be able to get this for us free, buy this last

Bathing suit, either that or youll be swimming in your dresses or underwear, mennonites I know water is scary to you, but we must become as children to enter the kingdom, they were naked and unashamed
Pair of warm gloves
Warm hat
Water Bottle
Flashlight / headlamp
Hiking boots / shoes

Utility knife (optional), we are not fighters, those that live by the sword shall die by the sword, no weapons
Large brim summer hat (optional)
Sunglasses, for summer as well as snow (optional)
sandals (optional)
bug net (optional)

Shelter

Tent, I prefer a-frame since they dont rely on breakable poles,
but they are hard to come buy, harder to set up, less spacious
Standard free standing tents will be fine
If you are ok with cowboy camping, a bivvy instead of a tent is another option, though probably better as a back up option rather than the main
Bivvy(2GoSystems Trifecta) is a good piece of extra gear to carry in case the tent breaks, or you need extra warmth in the winter

Kitchen

Pots, pans, bowels or plates, utensils, every family needs to carry

Bathroom

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Small Trowel
Compressed towel
Towel
Soap to clean self and clothing (Dr Bronners recommended) (Eucalan for pure wool)
Shampoo/conditioner (optional)
O where, is my Hairbrush (optional)
A few personal, comfort items(books, childrens favorite toys, etc.)

Extra Gear

When I hike alone I bring everything myself, heavy
Not everyone needs everything on this list
Since we have so many people we can spread it out
Take the gear that you are best with in life
ie, if you are a nurse bring a med kit or trauma kit
if you are a builder bring axe, saw, etc.
if you fish alot, bring a fishing pole and tackle
if you are a dentist, bring some chemical-cure filling material, and get familiar with using it

Med kit(first aid/trauma/hiking based injuries kit)
Fishing kit(rod/tackle)
Builder kit(axe/saw/knife/rope/shovel)
Cooking kit(trivet/grate/large group sized cooking stuff)
Sewing Kit(sewing stuff, bolts of fabric to make new clothes)
Repair kit(tent repair, mat repair)

Adjust

This is a starting point. We can discuss the extra gear and other options.
For people that dont have a profession that leads to one of the extra kits, we should find out what we need most and take that.
If you have the means, every family should try to prepare an extra bag or two for those who can’t, ie the homeless

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Lets do the dang thing.
GJ
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JESUS.