Packing Lists + Gear Comments for Multi-Day Mountain Trips

Originally Posted: August 2023
Updated: January 2026

Who Needs a Packing List?

You might think that after backpacking for 50 years, I would know exactly what to bring on every trip. What my wife (Eileen) and I have learned over the years is that we need a packing list or we will inevitably forget something important—and we typically don’t realize what we’ve forgotten until far from home.

I have created standard packing lists for activities such as day hikes, backpacking trips, mountaineering trips, crag climbs, canyon explorations, and car-camping trips. I keep a hardcopy of each list readily accessible in our mountain room. Eileen and I methodically review the list together before leaving home so that we still have time to make adjustments. There is rarely a trip in which we get everything included on the first round.

We have consistently found that backpacking trips outside of our home area—the Pacific Northwest—are the most difficult to pack for because they so often involve visiting that region or country for the first time, or involve the first trip of that type. In every instance, we are faced with unknown issues. What is transportation to the trailhead like? How close is the nearest store and what does it carry? What are the campgrounds like? What are the regional customs? And, in the case of international trips, Will anyone speak English? Many of these concerns might make it unappealing to explore a new area, but we have never regretted any of our trips outside of the PNW.

When we started backpacking and trekking internationally, we found the need for a packing list specific to each trip. I would start the list once we knew some basic details and then we would collaboratively continue to tweak the list until a few days before the trip. I also bring a travel journal on every trip so that I can make notes regarding what we didn’t need or wished we had. Upon returning home, I modify the packing list according to my travel notes. That way, I have a pretty good list to start with when we do a similar trip in the coming years.

The following text sections show some of our completed international trips and a few of our upcoming trips. For each trip, I have provided a link to a one-page PDF of our packing list for that trip. I recommend that you print this list and then write all over it to create your own personal list.

Flying internationally with all of your backpacking gear—tent, sleeping bag, stove, clothing, food—can seem overwhelming, especially if you are planning to do other sightseeing while in the area. Over the last several years, we have done multiple flights with lots of gear. Our page on How to Pack Your Backpacking Gear for Air Travel shares some of the techniques and tricks we have learned over time.

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Completed International Trips

Mountaineer’s Haute Route – France & Switzerland (June 2025)

Soon after Eileen returned from the Walker’s Haute Route in 2023, we started planning to do the Mountaineer’s Haute Route. This seven-day alpine traverse took us over numerous glaciers and high cols in the heart of the Western Alps. Due to our early-season schedule, only three of the mountain huts were operating; as such, we needed to carry our own food and extra clothing for the unstaffed huts. If we had gone a bit later in the month, our food and clothing needs would have been reduced.

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for the Mountaineer’s Haute Route

>>> PDF of my Mountaineer’s Haute Route Packing List

>>> Trip Report for Mountaineer’s Haute Route

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for our Mountaineer’s Haute route map (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Walker’s Haute Route – France & Switzerland (July 2023)

Eileen and I started planning this 13-day hut-to-hut traverse with a group of friends a full year in advance. We had our itinerary laid out and had all of our huts and hotels booked well ahead of time. However, just a few weeks before our departure date, I incurred an injury that knocked me out of commission, so Eileen completed the trek without me.

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for the Walker’s Haute Route

>>> PDF of my Walker’s Haute Route Packing List

>>> Trip Report for Walker’s Haute Route (written by Eileen Brisbine; redirects to EileensAdventures.com)

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for our Walker’s Haute route map (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Patagonia “O” + “W” Circuit – Chile (March 2023)

We completed the “O” Trek and “W” Trek in Torres Del Paine National Park as an eight-day backpacking circuit. This was mostly unsupported, but we did avail ourselves of catered meals on several occasions. A few days later, we did a three-day backpacking trek on the Fitz Roy Loop.

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for Patagonia “O” + “W” Circuit

>>> PDF of my Patagonia Packing List

>>> Trip Reports for the “O” + “W” Circuit and Fitz Roy Loop

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for our Patagonia “O” Trek (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Dolomites Alta Via 2 – Italy (July 2022)

We completed a one-way, hut-to-hut traverse in northern Italy from Bressone to Fetre on Alta Via 2 (AV2). Along the traverse, we did several via ferrata climbs, which required specialized technical gear.

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for Dolomites Alta Via 2

>>> PDF of my Dolomites AV2 Packing List

>>> Trip Reports from the Alta Via 2 Trek and Via Ferrata Climbs

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for Our Alta Via 2 route map (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Huayhuash Circuit – Peru (September 2019)

We spent three weeks hiking and trekking around Peru. The first half of the trip was spent doing supported trips so that we could acclimate. The second half was a ten-day, unsupported backpacking trek on the Huayhuash Circuit.

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for the Huayhuash Circuit

>>> PDF of my Huayhuash Circuit Packing List

>>> Trip Report – Huayhuash Trekking Circuit: Quartelhuain to Huayllapa to Llamac

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for our Huayhuash Circuit route map (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Three Capes Track Traverse – Tasmania (February 2019)

When we did the Three Capes Track hut-to-hut traverse in 2019, it was still relatively new and there was little information online for what to expect. It was scenically amazing and rustically luxurious!

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for the Three Capes Track Traverse

>>> PDF of my Three Capes Track Packing List

>>> Trip Report for Three Capes Track Traverse

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for Three Capes Track (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Overland Track Traverse – Tasmania (January 2019)

This was our first international backpacking trek. We had done several overnight trips to huts in New Zealand, but the Overland was our first complete traverse. More than any other international trek, we would love to repeat this one!

>>> Gear Comments & Packing List for the Overland Track Traverse

>>> PDF of my Overland Track Packing List

>>> Trip Report for the Overland Track Traverse

>>> CalTopo GPS Track for Overland Track (Note: track will not work in the field without a minimum subscription to CalTopo)

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Upcoming International Trips

If things go as planned, Eileen and I will continue to do one or two international treks each year. Here are a few on our long-term list:

Alta Via 4 Traverse – Italy (July 2026)

Alta Via 4 is one of the most dramatic, technical, and visually spectacular long‑distance routes in the Dolomites—shorter than AV1 or AV2, but far more alpine, with mandatory via ferrata, big limestone walls, and constant high‑ridge exposure. It runs roughly 92 km from San Candido to Pieve di Cadore, crossing the Tre Cime, the Cadini di Misurina, the Sorapiss group, and the wild Marmarole. This is the Alta Via for hikers who want real mountaineering flavor without committing to full technical climbing.

Peaks of the Balkans – Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro (June 2027)

The Peaks of the Balkans is a 168–192 km transnational trekking loop through the Accursed Mountains of Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro—one of Europe’s wildest, least‑developed, and most culturally rich mountain regions. It combines remote villages, high alpine passes, Ottoman‑era mule routes, and a unique cross‑border permit system.

Triglav Traverse – Slovenia (August 2027)

The Triglav Traverse is a multi‑day hut‑to‑hut journey across Slovenia’s Julian Alps, including an ascent of Mount Triglav (2,864 m), the country’s highest and most iconic peak. It’s a rugged alpine route with exposed ridges, via ferrata sections, and spectacular limestone scenery, usually completed in 4–5 days. The traverse is one of the best ways to experience the heart of Triglav National Park, Slovenia’s premier mountain region.

Laugavegur Trail – Iceland (TBD)

The Laugavegur Trail with the Fimmvörðuháls extension to Skógar is one of the most spectacular multi‑day treks on the planet — a journey that starts in Iceland’s geothermal highlands and ends at a roaring waterfall on the South Coast. It combines the classic 55 km (34 mi) Laugavegur with the dramatic 25 km (15.5 mi) Fimmvörðuháls Pass, creating a full traverse from Landmannalaugar → Þórsmörk → Skógar.

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