John Muir Trail Backpacking Gear List

Here is an example backpacking gear list showing the kinds of equipment I recommend for the John Muir Trail. With a base pack weight of 18 lbs, it’s not exactly “ultralight.” But it’s still reasonably lightweight, considering it includes a bear canister and some other upgrades (like a 75 liter pack, slightly heavier clothing and a 15 degree sleeping bag.) If you add 15 lbs of food, 8 oz fuel, consumables and a liter of water, the total pack weight comes in around 37 lbs (with room to spare for longer resupplies.) Hope this gives you some ideas for designing your own John Muir Trail gear list.

Happy trails,

Author of John Muir Trail Pocket Atlas

The Big Three (Backpack, Shelter, Sleep System)

Weight: 8.4 lbs

• Backpack: ULA Equipment Catalyst 75L (48 oz)
• Shelter: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1 (34 oz)
• Sleeping Bag: Big Agnes Anvil Horn 15˚ (37 oz)
• Sleeping Pad: Nemo Tensor Insulated Reg (15 oz)

Food Storage & Stuff Sacks

Weight: 2.8 lbs

• Bear Canister: Bearvault BV500 (41 oz)
• Overflow Food Sack: Granite Gear Air ZippSack 16L (1.5 oz)
• Sleeping Bag Sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil Dry Bag 8L (1 oz)
• Clothing Sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil Dry Bag 8L (1 oz)
• Ditty Sack: Granite Gear Air ZippSack 5L (1 oz)

Clothing Worn

Weight: 4.5 lbs

• Shoes: Merrell Moab Ventilator Mid (41 oz)
• Socks: Smartwool PHD Outdoor Light (2 oz)
• Insoles: Columbia Montrail Enduro Sole (5 oz)
• Shirt: Patagonia Capilene Trail Shirt (5 oz)
• Pants: Columbia Silver Ridge Pants (12 oz)
• Underwear: Under Armour Boxer Jock (3 oz)
• Hat: Outdoor Research Helios (2.5 oz)
• Sunglasses: 3M Tekk Safety Glasses (1 oz)
• Wallet: Granite Gear Hiker Wallet (0.4 oz)

Clothing Packed

Weight: 3.2 lbs

• Insulated Jacket: Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket (12 oz)
• Rain Jacket: Marmot Precip Rain Jacket (10 oz)
• Rain Pants (optional): Outdoor Research Helium Pants (5.4 oz)
• Base Layer Top: Icebreaker Oasis 200 Wool Shirt (7 oz)
• Base Layer Bottom: Icebreaker Oasis 200 Wool Pants (7 oz)
• Warm Cap: REI Polartec Fleece Beanie (0.8 oz)
• Gloves: REI Polartec Power Stretch Gloves (1.4 oz)
• Spare Socks: Smartwool PHD Outdoor Light (2 oz)
• Spare Underwear: Under Armour Boxer Jock (3 oz)
• Bandana: ExOfficio BugsAway Bandana (1 oz)
• Bug Head Net: Sea to Summit Head Net (1 oz)

Cooking & Hydration

Weight: 1.3 lbs

• Camp Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Stove (2.6 oz)
• Cook Pot: MSR Titan Kettle 850ml (4.2 oz)
• Cup: TOAKS Titanium 450ml (2.7 oz)
• Pot Cozy: Home-made Pot Cozy (1.4 oz)
• Spoon: HumanGear Gobites Uno Spork (0.5 oz)
• Pot Scrubber: 1/2 Scotch-Brite Pad (0.4 oz)
• Water Bottle: 1 Liter Aquafina Bottle (1.5 oz)
• Water Filter: MSR Trailshot Filter (4.9 oz)
• Backup Water Purification: Aquamira (3 oz)

Survival & Miscellaneous

Weight: 2.2 lbs

• Trail Map: John Muir Trail Pocket Atlas (3 oz)
• GPS Navigation/Messenger: Garmin inReach Explorer+ (7.5 oz)
• Compass/Thermometer: Silva Forecaster (0.5 oz)
• Light: Petzl Zipka (2.4 oz)
• Multi Tool: Swiss Army Classic (0.7 oz)
• Fire Starter: Mini Bic Lighter (0.4 oz)
• Backup Fire Starter: SOL Fire Lite Kit (0.6 oz)
• Whistle: SOL Slim Howler (0.2 oz)
• Signal Mirror: Signal Mirror (0.6 oz)
• Tape: 50 in Duct Tape (0.6 oz)
• Cord: 65 ft Guyline (1 oz)
• Writing: Memo Pad, Pencil & Sharpie (1.8 oz)
• Sewing Kit: McNett Gear Aid Sewing Kit (0.8 oz)
• First Aid Kit: Adventure Medical .3 Kit (3.2 oz)
• Trauma Bandage: QuickClot Gauze (1 oz)
• Wash Rag: PackTowl Personal Towel (0.7 oz)
• Toothbrush: Folding Travel Toothbrush (0.7 oz)
• Smartphone: Smartphone & Accessories (10 oz)

Items Worn or Carried

Weight: 1.2 lbs

• Trekking Poles: REI Flash Carbon Trekking Poles (15 oz)
• Fixed Blade Knife: Morakniv Craftline Basic (4 oz)

Consumables

Weight: 19 lbs

• Food: 15 lbs Food (240 oz)
• Water: 1 Liter Water (35 oz)
• Fuel: 8 oz Isobutane Fuel Canister (13 oz)
• Toilet Paper: Toilet Paper (2 oz)
• Hand Sanitizer: Purrell (1.2 oz)
• Wet Wipes: 5 Wet Ones Singles (1 oz)
• Spare Batteries: 4 AA and 3 AAA Lithium (3 oz)
• Body Powder: Gold Bond Powder (1.8 oz)
• Toothpaste: Travel Toothpaste (1 oz)
• Sunscreen: Travel Sunscreen (1.2 oz)
• Lip Balm: Carmex (0.5 oz)
• Bug Repellent: Repel 100 Deet (4 oz)

Weight Summary

Download My Custom Google Spreadsheet To Design Your Own Gear List

More Backpacking Gear Lists:

My 3-Season Backpacking Gear List
Midweight Backpacking Gear List
Lightweight Backpacking Gear List
Ultralight Backpacking Gear List
Budget Backpacking Gear List
Day Hiking Gear List

More Bonuses:

John Muir Trail GPS Waypoints
John Muir Trail Thru-Hiking Itinerary
5 Day Backpacking Meal Plan
Backpacking Recipes