Weekend hiking packing list

On a weekend hike you carry everything, so pack by weight rather than by category. Your pack, sleep system and shelter decide the load; everything else is grams around the edges.

58 items · 2-day hiking, mild weather · tick them off, print, or adjust the list to your trip below

The big three decide your weekend

Pack, sleep system and shelter typically account for more than half your carried weight. Trimming 200g off your toiletries while carrying a four-kilo tent is optimising the wrong end. If you're borrowing or buying anything, that's where the decision matters — and where it's worth going out for a night close to home before committing to a real route.

Layering, and never cotton

Base layer to move moisture, mid layer to hold warmth, shell to stop wind and rain. Cotton absorbs sweat, stays wet, and then actively cools you — which is a comfort problem on a warm day and a genuine safety problem on a cold one. Merino or synthetic throughout, including socks and underwear.

Plan food per meal, not as 'snacks'

Two days is four or five eating occasions. Name each one and pack for it, and you'll carry the right amount instead of the vague amount. Add one emergency ration that stays in the bag no matter what — the day that runs long is exactly the day you've eaten everything.

Carry the things you hope to waste

A head torch on a day hike, a first-aid kit you don't open, a whistle, a fully charged phone with offline maps, and a note of your route left with someone at home. These are the items whose value is entirely in the scenario where the walk goes wrong — which is why they get cut first and matter most.

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Each one is a full list with advice specific to that trip — and the generator underneath it, so you can adjust it to yours.

Weekend hiking packing list

The big three decide your weekend

Layering, and never cotton

Plan food per meal, not as 'snacks'

Carry the things you hope to waste

Your list