What to Bring
Comfort makes all the difference between enjoying a backcountry trip and merely tolerating it. Your wilderness adventure need not be an exercise in masochism. If your pack doesn't cut into your shoulders and your boots don't blister your feet, you'll have a lot more fun.
Modern backcountry gear is designed for maximized comfort and minimal strain. Avoid settling for the cheapest of the cheap when outfitting yourself because you will suffer on the trail. Though the initial costs are expensive, a properly rigged pack and boots built for hiking will serve you well for years to come.
If you're not ready to invest a few hundred dollars in new gear, try to borrow from a friend for your first time out. As a low-cost option, some outfitters (including MEC) also rent equipment. Whether you buy, beg, or borrow, be good to yourself; get the proper gear.
The most important items required by a backcountry explorer are listed at right. You are encouraged to validate the information presented here by visiting your local outfitter, reading backcountry blogs, and checking out the gear guides published annually by outdoor magazines such as Explore or Backpacker.
Gear Guide
Packs
Good hiking packs have fully adjustable harnesses and hip belts to get that perfect fit by balancing 60% of the weight on your hips and 40% on your shoulders. Getting a large-capacity pack (around 90 litres) is recommended since it will serve you on just about any length of trip.
Most pack manufacturers offer pack models designed specifically for men and women. A woman's pack is designed to accommodate wider hips, narrow shoulders, and a shorter torso, so female hikers should not settle for a generic (i.e. "man's") pack.
Internal-frame packs (with metal rods inserted through the inside of the back) are recommended because they are lighter and less cumbersome than external-frame packs.
Tents
Nylon dome tents with glass- or carbon-fibre composite poles are the home of choice for campers now. As opposed to the older canvas tents, most nylon tents are light-weight, relatively easy to setup, and come with a rain fly for protection from the elements as well as a vestibule for storing muddy boots and other gear.
The capacity given for any particular tent, such as "2-person" or "3-person," does not necessarily indicate comfortable living for said number of occupants. It can be nice, for example, to sleep two people in a 3-person tent to give everyone more room, but sleeping three people in a 3-person tent is by no means unbearable.
Boots
Your feet are the most important part of your anatomy where hiking is concerned. If you injure them, your backcountry trip is usually over. Consequently, you want to take good care of your feet. The best way to do so is to invest in a good pair of boots specifically designed for rough-terrain hiking, made with high-quality materials and thick leather.
Ankle support is important. Carrying a load of up to 50 pounds puts added weight on your ankles, so ankle support is necessary to prevent sprains or worse when footing becomes uneven — as it often is in the backcountry. Sandals and running shoes offer no ankle support whatsoever and should only be worn at your camp site.
If you're a fan of leather boots, be aware that leather is not naturally water-proof. Coating your leather boots with a waterproof-breathable treatment (such as Nikwax) will help keep your feet dry. Also, make sure you clean and condition your leather boots after every trip to maximize their life span.
Sleeping Bags
A sleeping bag's most important feature is its temperature rating. Find a bag that will accommodate colder than the coldest temperature you intend to camp in. The temperature rating represents survivability, not comfort. In other words, a -35C sleeping bag will keep you alive in temperatures that cold, but not necessarily happy. Some people sleep colder than others, so take care when choosing your sleeping bag.
Also consider the bag's composition or "fill." The two main choices are down fill or synthetic fill. Down is very warm but can be difficult to pack due to its bulk. (The bulk of a down-filled sleeping bag can be minimized with a compression sack.) Also, if a down-filled bag gets wet, it will stay wet, making for a soggy sleep.
Synthetic fill bags are light-weight and pack down smaller, but do not necessarily provide as much insulation in colder temperatures. Synthetic-fill bags can be easily washed, however, and dry out relatively quickly when wet.
Sleeping Pads
To prevent losing body heat to the cold ground when sleeping, as well as to cushion your body from roots and rocks beneath you, you'll need a sleeping pad. An inexpensive foam pad will suffice, but for more comfort and easier packing, consider a self-inflating sleeping pad.
Stoves
Due to "no-trace" camping rules, cooking over camp fires is discouraged. Fires scar the land, require the consumption of increasingly scarce deadfall, and may be difficult — if not impossible — to light in heavy rain. For that guaranteed "one-match" fire, use a portable camp stove. After a long day on the trail, a hungry hiker with a camp stove can be heating the evening meal within minutes.
White gas stoves are recommended. Available anywhere in North America, white gas is a clean-burning liquid fuel delivered into the stove system from a re-useable fuel bottle. A little more finesse is needed to light a white gas stove than a canister gas stove, but they're more environmentally friendly. (Propane canisters cannot be reused and are considered hazardous waste.)
Water Filters
One of the most common questions about backcountry camping is: "How do I carry enough water for the trip?" The short answer is: You don't.
The intense physical activity demanded of a backcountry hiker requires more water than can be carried for an extended trip, so the best option is to replenish the 1 or 2 litres of water you can carry from available sources, such as lakes and rivers.
Most water sources in the Canadian backcountry are safe to drink "as is," but to eliminate the risk of contracting water-bourne diseases (such as giardiasis), use a water filter. Many water filtration systems are available; the best employ hand-pump mechanisms that filter water straight from the source.
There are two levels of water filtration: filters and purifiers. Water filters use a carbon filter to remove silt, large bacteria, and some chemical contaminants from the water, and are generally sufficient for use in Canada. Water purifiers employ iodine along with the carbon filter to remove dangerous viruses such as polio or hepatitis. If backcountry camping outside of North America, use of a purifier.
Hydration
Carrying water can be as simple as stowing a couple of plastic 750ml pop bottles or as sophisticated as a gravity-based hydration systems that stores water in a reservoir, usually in the top of your pack, and conveniently runs it into your mouth via a tube.
Carry a pair of water bottles with a 500 ml to 1 L capacity and refill them as needed. (In hot, humid weather, you'll need to hydrate more often.) Nalgene water bottles are popular because they odourless and hold boiling water. If warnings about Bisphenol A in polycarbonate plastics are of concern to you, stainless steel water bottles are a suitable and lightweight alternative.
Clothing
The clothing you bring will depend on the time of year.
Fall, Winter, and Spring
It's necessary to be prepared for winter-like weather from the beginning of fall to the end of spring. This means dressing in 3 layers: a "wicking" layer, an insulation layer, and a wind-breaking layer.
A thin, long-sleeved shirt and long underwear made of synthetic material designed to "wick" moisture away from your skin goes on first. Overtop of that goes a fleece or wool jacket and pants to insulate you from the cold. The outer layer is a wind-breaking shell jacket and pants designed to trap your insulated body heat. These layers can be removed or donned depending on changes in temperature as you hike and rest.
For maximum comfort and protection, especially in cool wet weather, your outer shell layer should be made from a waterproof-breathable material, such as Gore-Tex. These synthetic materials are specially designed to minimize sweating while keeping out the rain.
Of course, you'll also need heavy-weight wool or synthetic socks; a wool or fleece hat that covers your ears; a scarf or neck gaiter; and well-insulated gloves.
Summer
Light-weight, "quick-dry" shirts and pants will keep you most comfortable during the day. You'll want a wool or fleece sweater on hand to ward off the chill of early morning and evening. And, of course, rain gear to keep you dry when the heavens open up, which they will despite the forecast.
Avoid Cotton
When wet, cotton offers no insulating capacity, makes you lose body heat more quickly, and takes a long time to dry. For these reasons, clothing made from cotton - especially during fall, winter, or spring - must be left at home. As well, cotton socks will blister your feet in no time at all. Wool, fleece, or synthetic fabrics specially designed for outdoor activities are your best and safest choice for backcountry clothing.
Other Items
There are some other items you'll thank yourself for taking. Even in the summer, a hat will protect your head from heat, rain, and biting insects. Gaiters provide coverage from your ankles to just below the knees and keep the wet and mud out of your boots in summer just as surely as they do snow in winter. (Gaiters are highly recommended for hiking the West Coast Trail, for example.)
Food
When drafting your backcountry menu, simpler is better. A few examples are provided here, but countless backcountry menu ideas can be found in bookstores and on the web.
Breakfast and lunch are most easily prepared if they don't need to be cooked. Bring ready-to-eat items like flat bread, muffins, jam, cereals, extra old cheddar or parmesan, trail mix, and dried fruit.
For dinner, pastas combined with textured vegetable protein or dehydrated meat and powdered sauces are lightweight and easy to prepare with your portable camp stove.
A compact set of spices can rescue just about any meal by adding flavour.