I’ll be honest. I never set foot in REI unless I am shopping for a North Face jacket.

When my husband and best friend decided they wanted to plan the backpacking trip to Havasupai on their own, I was a little nervous. I just wanted to hire a tour group that would provide (almost) EVERYTHING. But they somehow convinced me that tours cost way too much and that we could do it on our own. Yay adventure, right? I let them take the reins.

What I didn’t realize was that there were SO. MANY. THINGS. WE. NEEDED. The costs added up, but also because we chose to invest in some good quality items. And trust me, there are some things you WILL want to invest in. Plus, more future camping trips…yay!

Needless to say, when packing for my first backpacking trip, I learned that I should pack:

1. The lightest gear possible
2. The least amount of gear possible

When we got to Peach Springs, I was already starting to feel nervous that maaaaybe I packed too much.(See the 7 Things I Wish I Had Done Differently)

I kid you not—I popped out all the placebo pills in my birth control pack before we left on the hike to “lighten” my load. My husband threw away unnecessary wrappers and tags. None of this probably helped in the grand scheme, but it sure as hell didn’t make it worse!

In any case, I figured I would make a list for all the other first time backpackers out there. Here’s some of the most important and useful things to shop for and invest your money in. There’s even a review of which freeze dried foods we liked. And at the end of this article is a more complete list of things to bring and splurge on! 

I don’t make any money off this blog really, but full disclosure: if you do choose to buy something because you find any of these tips helpful, please buy through clicking my links! Pretty please? 🙂 I would get a very tiny portion that can go towards paying the blog bills! Did you know hosting a blog like this isn’t free?? But there is absolutely NO extra cost to you! Thanks in advance and I would love you forever if you did! 🙂 🙂

And here is the ORIGINAL Havasupai Basics post that contains more good info on how to get a permit and what to expect for this journey if you haven’t already read it yet! This post talks about how to prepare physically for Havasupai, in which you’ll also want to purchase a few of the essential items first so you can practice with the gear!

1. A Good Backpack

Well, you can’t go backpacking without a backpack, right?! Who knew there were so many different kinds! And the right one will make all the difference to keep your back and hips from breaking. For a three-day trip, my husband told me I should plan on a 25 to 30-pound load and he would aim for 30-35 pounds.  Backpacks are classified by volume (L) to help you determine how much it can hold.

For reference, I fit 30 pounds worth of items into my 45 + 10L backpack –meaning it held 45L but could open and extend to fit up to 10L more of goodies. Hubby carried around 40 pounds in a 65L bag.

Travel Pearl: My recommendation is to go into an R.E.I. store and have them fit you with a few different brands and kinds of backpacks with weights in the bag so you can see how it feels. Then you can shop around, as we found Amazon sometimes had similar or cheaper prices! BUT, to be honest, it’s probably nicer to just purchase from REI because of your money back guarantee if you don’t like the pack AND their service is exceptional in helping you learn to wear your backpack the right way. Plus, if you’re a member, you’ll get back money in dividends!

After you find a backpack that feels the most comfortable for you, you’ll want to practice loading it up with your camping items and learning how to adjust straps for packing and comfort. I liked my Deuter ACT 45 + 10L backpack partly for its color and the little flower hair tie that comes with it (hee hee). No, I did not get a chance to use the hair tie. =(

I also liked this backpack because it was separated into two compartments, so I could open it from the bottom and from the top and easily set my heaviest items in the middle of the backpack–which is preferred to balance your weight out. You can also open the partition between the compartments, so it was easy to find things! But the main thing that sold me was that I liked the back support on this one the most, compared to Gregory and Osprey Women’s backpacks.

Everyone will probably find different packs more comfortable than the next person. It’s like finding the magic slipper. So take reviews with a grain of salt! Hubby liked the Gregory Stout 65, which had the cool feature of coming with a secondary day pack inside that you can take out for shorter hikes. I borrowed it for our Hike to Beaver Falls!

[Edit 5.12.20: I saw some people crazy enough to bring their kids on this trip, and now that I have a kid myself, we’re looking into exploring backpack carriers to carry our toddler! I’m not quite sure I’d want to bring her to Havasupai as a first trial, but local hikes might be fun. And check out this deal for this Deuter Kid Carrier at Backcountry.com for 25% off right now! These are hardly on sale!!]

2. Good Hiking Shoes

For our trip to Alaska last June, the hubs had already bought us hiking shoes. Now, you might think–why can’t I just wear regular tennis shoes in the canyon? It’s only 10 miles! Ask someone who has gone without good shoes and they will tell you about the endless blisters they got on every toe. Rocky terrain, fine sand, and incline will do it. Just…don’t be stupid and invest in the shoes!

I have to say that hiking shoes are really not the cutest shoes in the world. First world problems, I know. And these Merrells that hubby bought me were…not that attractive. BUT they definitely were comfortable and breathable, and I felt like I blended in with my environment! These shoes got a lot of good reviews and were recommended by other avid outdoorsy friends, and I can see why. I would recommend them too!

Travel Pearl: Get the shoes that go up a little higher onto your ankles, or the “mid” shoes. That was probably what saved me from rolling my ankles over loose rocks a few times!

The good thing is there are other selections of Merrells online too and even some water shoes! We bought cheap $10 ones from Walmart, but you’ll want water shoes for Havasupai too!

3. Trekking Poles

I never understood why there were so important before planning this trip, but hiking poles literally saved my life. As in, I don’t think I could have hiked out of the canyon if I didn’t have them. The poles help prop you up and distribute the weight of your backpack so it’s not so heavy, and this is especially helpful on the steep incline back out!

They are more useful on the way out than in, but I still used them on the way down because I’m klutzy and I trip easily. The poles helped me stabilize. Ha!

I can’t find the exact trekking poles I bought at R.E.I. anymore, but this one is very similar! My advice is to get poles that are lightweight–“flash carbon” is the magic word you’re searching for. The lighter they are, obviously it’s less weight to carry, and it helps when you’re so tired it’s hard to lift anything at all.

Hubby got Black Diamond Trekking Poles, which I actually thought were really light until he bought me my set of poles. His worked just fine, though, if you didn’t compare to mine!

4. Water Bladder

A water bladder (for the extreme noob, like I was) is basically a big bag of water that fits inside your backpack and has a tube that will extend outside so you can easily just bite on the nozzle and drink from the bag! Yes, it is basically a luxurious invention for the lazy, who don’t want to take off their backpack to reach for a water bottle.

Would a water bottle suffice? Yes.

Is a water bladder better? 100% YES!

Even with pockets for water bottles, I still found it hard to reach for the sides of my backpack without completely taking it off. And by taking off the backpack, it meant I also had to take apart my waist strap and chest strap and re-tighten everything again when I put the backpack on again.

The water bladder saves you from having to do that, with the only downside being that you cannot see how much water you have left. We bought the Camelback Antidote 100 oz (3L) bag. Why this one in particular? I don’t know. Hubby is fancy. It must be good. =P He uses it for snowboarding too! You want something that is good that won’t leak!

5. “Lightweight” Tent

Obviously, if you go camping, you need a tent. But what’s important here is the weight. The tent is probably what made hubby’s load extra heavy–on top of the other stuff he packed. Our tent was a little under 5 pounds, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but I learned in the backpacking world, that is apparently a whale.

A light tent would be around 2 pounds– no more than 3 pounds, for sure. We bought the REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Tent. It worked just fine, but for a trip where you are trying to go lighter, this didn’t exactly fit the bill, so unless you have been really super efficient at packing and you are not over the weight limit, shop around for some lighter tents. They will be more expensive, though! [Update 5.19.18-The REI tent is lo longer available, but the Co-Op Passage 2 Tent is very similar! And they do have the Co-Op Half Dome 2 PLUS Tent…not sure how different this is than the one we bought.]

Travel Pearl: You may also need to buy a FOOTPRINT with your tent. (Huh?? Yea, I was baffled too.) This is basically a tarp/mat under the tent that protects it from tearing and prevents too much dew from collecting overnight. Many tents have a specific footprint made its size and has rings where your tent nails can anchor down.
Most tents do not come with the footprint. Hubby says any tarp would do just fine, but the footprint is just more convenient and usually made lightweight. Magic word.

6. Sleeping Pads

Having a good sleeping pad can be crucial to getting a good night’s sleep. And trust me, after hiking in to Havasupai, you’ll want to be well rested so you can have the energy to do Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls the next day! The pad will also keep you from getting too cold or damp at night from the bottom of your tent, as well as keep the peas and pebbles from bothering your back. 😉

You can get some that are insulated, which might make them slightly more heavy, but better for colder environment. It did get kind of chilly one night in Havasupai, even in late May. You want to look for the R-Value when determining how insulated the pad is. R-value of 3 is about where you start for a warmer environment. The one I got was between a 4 and 5 value.

The one I got was Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated Mat. It is air inflated so it’s lighter and more compact. I thought it worked pretty well! Hubby got me the rectangular size because I roll around more. If you are able to sleep still, the mummy shapes are lighter because of less material!

To inflate the pad, we chose to use the Air Stream Dry Sack Pump, which acts as a manual air pump. Not necessary, as you can blow up the pad too, but warm air trapped in the pad could lead to mold down the line, so we decided to be more hygienic about it. PLUS, the pump sack also doubles as a stuff sack!

Check out REI’s article for more details how to choose the best kind of pad!

7. Stuff Sacks

Which brings me to stuff sacks! Dry stuff sacks are like packing cubes for backpacking/camping! They are not completely necessary as well (maybe like 80% necessary), but will definitely make your life a whole lot more convenient because you will be able to easily find things.

AND I especially like these Compression Dry Sacks because they seal up to be completely waterproof and dust protected. Because of complete waterproofing, they are slightly more expensive than the drawstring stuff sacks, we had a combination of a few different ones and sizes.

Additionally, stuff sacks can also keep out squirrels from your food. I didn’t realize squirrels were such a problem but I’m hearing from a lot of recent hikers in spring 2018 that the squirrels can be vicious and find their way into your food! I guess stuff sacks can hide the scent?? Anyway, just another advantage and reason to get these!

The compression dry sacks are also useful if you need to transport some items in a smaller sack when you do your day hikes to Mooney or Beaver Falls!

I say invest in a few sizes! Especially if you’re OCD like me and like to organize. That backpack is pretty big, so you’ll be digging for things without these sacks!

8. Jet Boiler

So you’re going to want to cook your food maybe…

They do not allow fires at the Havasupai campgrounds, so you will want a little jet boiler to help you boil water to cook these freeze-dried food. Imagine like astronaut food! I’ve had the astronaut ice cream before but this was my first time trying the freeze-dried food.

This handy dandy Flash Personal Jet Boiler changes colors when the water is ready! (During REI Anniversary sale, you can get this for another 20% off as a member!) My best friend, the avid hiker/camper, swears it is her favorite. After seeing it in action, we decided we would switch over in a heartbeat.

We bought the Jet Boil MightyMo Stove, which is not as cool, BUT cheaper (half the price) and folds up small. The problem is, you’ll still have to buy a little pot as well to hold your water to cook. You can easily dump the MightyMo Stove inside when you’re not using the pot though!

Travel Pearl: You will need to pick up the fuel (last photo above) before you leave for your trip–you CANNOT fly with these, so unless you are driving, don’t bother buying it beforehand! Get it when you arrive in Las Vegas! One little tank is enough for 2 people for 3 days and more.

9. Freeze Dried Food (Here are the recs!)

Ah, the astronaut food. You can pack a few top ramens and granola bars, but these freeze dried packs will offer a variety for mealtime when you’re sick of ramen, and they’re meant to pack energy boosts for you to stay full and surviving out there. We bought mostly Mountain House brand, which usually says it “serves 2.” I’d say if you’re two small girls, it might serve 2, but my husband is ravenous so he wanted his own bags of food.

Favorites:
–Mountain House Breakfast Skillet: the best out of all the breakfast ones we tried, and even the potato hash was pretty good in it! Came with peppers, onions, and meat. We tried the other Scrambled Egg varieties, but none were as good as the skillet.
–Mountain House Lasagna: So it’s not really lasagna, but it tasted like it and the meat portions were really decently good!
–Mountain House Beef Stew: A good stew flavor with chunks of meat.

Disliked:
–Good to Go Pad Thai – (pictured above )you know when camping Thai food is “proudly made in Maine” that it makes no sense to taste good. This was THE worst tasting one, and I had such high hopes because the guy at REI recommended it 🙁
–Good to Go Oatmeal– tasted like a hemp rope fell apart sprinkled with raisins and seeds…OY. I don’t know what overcame hubby not to just bring a pack of Quaker’s instant oatmeal! HA.

10. Headlamp

This is way more important than I realized before. I thought I could get by with just a lantern or something, but no. It gets really pitch dark out there at night! You’ll want your own lamp too to make it easier to see where you’re going or when you’re looking for things inside your tent at night.

We each got the Black Diamond Spot Headlamp which came in handy to also have a red light that is dimmer to use late at night. It also has capabilities to dim the light as needed and it’s very bright when you need it to be! The red night vision is useful because the bugs are not as attracted to it. And believe me there are a lot of bugs at night. A headlamp is useful to have on as we hiked in the dark back to Havasu Falls for night photos!

Now if you need a more detailed list of what we packed, here’s a summary below!

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Complete Packing List for Havasupai

Backpacking Gear

• A good backpack (See #1 above)
• Water bladder (See #4 above)
• Trekking poles (See #3 above)
• Metolius Carabiners
  • So it’s easy to attach miscellaneous items! Hubby also says this brand is especially good because it’s ultra lightweight and yet still strong enough to use even for rock climbing!

Tent Gear

• Lightweight tent (See #5 above)
  • Footprint for tent/or tarp
• Sleeping pad (See #6 above)
  • Optional Air Stream dry sack pump
• Sleeping Bag
  • We found decently cheap ones on sale at Walmart! Just make sure they are compact, light, and warm enough for when you go!
• Optional—Inflatable Pillow
  • This is a TOTAL splurge, but oh so worth it! I insisted I could sleep on clothing sacks, but hubby spoils me (and we fancy…at least we sometimes we pretend to be!)

Clothing Gear

• Hiking shoes (See #2 above)
• Hiking pants — 1 or 2 pairs
  • I bought these Columbia pants from REI in the gray color (Short), although I found the same ones on Amazon later for cheaper!! Try on the pants in store first for size, and then look for it online afterwards and see if it’s cheaper. Free returns on these Columbia ones; they’re super comfy and stretchy, but I only wish the side zipper pocket was a little bigger. Also, you can roll up for capri-style pants too.
  • Hiking pants are not entirely necessary, but also can make your life easier as they are breathable, moveable material and slightly water resistant.
  • BE CAREFUL not to buy pants that have buttons or belt loops located where your backpack rests on your hips or else it will HURT your hip bones the whole way. This was my mistake for wearing the wrong pair on the hike in! The Columbia ones above were fine 🙂
• Hiking socks –1 or 2 pairs
  • Again, not ENTIRELY necessary, but I’d actually recommend wool moisture-wicking socks like the ones I listed here from REI. They dry fast as well if you wash them, and they will also help your feet be more resistant to blisters with the cushioning. Tour groups will recommend it too.
• Tops–Shirt/Tanks/Sports bras for the ladies
  • I’d suggest maybe at least one lightweight long sleeve shirt for the evening/early morning
• Lightweight Waterproof Jacket
  • In case of flash floods and to stay warmer at night if needed.
• Swimwear
• Water shoes
• Flip flops
  • Easier to walk around in at night
• Hat (Columbia Bora Bora Hat in Fossil)
  • Useful for sun protection which is very essential in the heat; cheaper on Amazon! Baseball cap will also work fine, but I liked the 360 coverage.
• Bandana for dust coverage
• Sunglasses

Food & Cooking Gear

• Jet Boiler + Fuel (See #8 above)
• Reusable camping spoons/sporks
• Freeze dried meals (See #9 above)
• Other Food/Snack Ideas:
  • Ramen
  • Instant oatmeal
  • Granola bars/Cliff bars
  • Beef Jerky
  • Nuts
• Gatorade packets or Electrolyte Tablets 
  • You’ll want to replenish electrolytes at least for the hike in and out.

Miscellaneous But Important Gear

• Stuff sacks (See #7 above)
• Headlamp (See #10 above)
• Sunscreen
• Light Water Bottle
  • It’s good to have one even if you have a water bladder (you can mix your electrolyte packets/Gatorade with water–even instant coffee for the morning!)
  • I personally like the Platypus softbottles because it shrinks and is space conserving as you drink it!
• Cameras
  • Hubby did bring his DSLR and his tripod which is why he had too much weight on him
• Charging Bank  & Charger cord
  • This can be heavy, but useful to have just one unit for charging our GoPro batteries, phones, and Garmin Inreach satellite communicator
• First Aid Kit/Medicine
  • If you can find smaller travel size ones, go lighter!
  • I always bring at least Neosporin, pain meds, and allergy meds (antihistamines)
• Anti-Mosquito gear
  • There weren’t that many mosquitos, but I’m usually a target so I come prepared with mosquito bands and spray that I linked. (Picardin is a good non-DEET option!)
• [Added 2.4.20] Bear canister 
  • When we went, there were not as many problems with creatures like squirrels and rats getting into food, but from a lot of reading in forums and discussions AND recommendation from the official Havasupai reservations site, they recommend getting something that will keep your food safe and not attract critters!
• Hand Sanitizer
• Camping wipes for “showering”
• Deodorant (only if you like smelling nice :P)
  • I like using Native, which is a more natural deodorant with simple, non-toxic, NON-ALUMINUM based sticks–for both men and women. (Aluminum in deodorants has been linked to possible breast cancer.) If you wanna check it out, I’d be thrilled if you used my referral link so both you and I can get free travel-sized ones! They also have delicious scents like lavender & rose, coconut & vanilla, cucumber & mint, or no scent at all!
• Kleenex/Toilet paper
  • In case you need to go somewhere in the wild… but pack it back out!
• Poop trowel
  • In case you need to go somewhere in the wild… you’ll need to bury it 200 ft away, 7 inches deep away from water and campsites/trails to prevent spreading disease and facilitate decomposition.
• Quick drying towels
  • We got 3 sizes of these–useful for drying off after a dip by the falls and the small ones are good for washing your face
• Lanterns
  • Look for the type of batteries used and how many lumens they are for the brightness. Even a smaller lantern can be brighter than a larger one depending on the lumens!
• Rope
  • To hang dry clothes/towels, and we also used it for suspending our gravity water filter (see below on Splurges)
• Foldable Utility Knife
• One set extra batteries
  • Try to buy items that use the same size batteries so one extra set is sufficient

Splurges (Not Necessary, but Kind of Nice)

• Garmin InReach Satellite Communicator
  • Since there is no reception out there, this can be useful for sending out a SOS, text messages (quantity is based off your plan), and also has maps you can use when you have a clear view of the sky.
  • Monthly fee, but you can suspend it when you don’t need to use it.
  • You can preplan routes before you go too and it will be mapped out for you.
  • TOTAL splurge, but it proved useful for us, as our pet sitter got locked out and needed to reach us urgently.
• Platypus Gravityworks Water Filter
  • Not entirely necessary as running creek water is technically safe and there is a spring water spout where people get their water from
  • But if you want to be extra cautious (as this was our first backpacking trip), a filter can help AND a great way to store water since this Platypus one held 4 liters at a time.
  • Note: You will need to hang by a tree.
• Steripen UV Water Purifier (see photo below)
  • Water filters don’t kill all viruses and protozoa, so this is what this pen is for
  • It runs on 4 AA batteries and can disinfect up to 150L of water on one set of batteries
  • TOTAL splurge, not really necessary but for our first backpacking trip, we were just playing safe. I don’t like having the runs =P
• USB powered Fan
  • This little baby was inexpensive and really quite powerful and useful to have in the tent when it got hot and also during the hike when it was hot!
  • If you hook it to to an USB extension cord, you can hang it in your tent for air circulation. Loved that it was made from silicone too so if the fan hits you, it won’t hurt and automatically stops.
  • Note: Cheaper at REI than Amazon so I linked REI.

Wishing you good luck on your trip and hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have more questions about possible gear that’s necessary or not! 🙂 Happy hiking and waterfall chasing!

xoxo,
Jas