Philmont
The following list is derived from the 1998 Philmont Guidebook, as well as experience.
| Quantity | Item Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backpack with padded belt | This is one of the most important items you will take with you. Proper fit, space and access are very important. Consider the space required for all the equipment in this list plus space for 12 meal servings. Fully adjustable straps are critically important as your load will vary and being able to balance you weight between the hip belt and shoulders will be necessary. Internal and external frame packs worked equally well on our trip. However, the external frame packs seemed to have more easy access to compartments without having to open the top of the pack. |
| 1 | Pack cover | For our trip it rained each of the first 7 days. Rains varied from brief sprinkles to hours of down pour. Make sure that the pack cover is truly waterproof and that you can wear your pack with the cover on. |
| 2-4 | Stuff sacks | Stuff sacks are great for grouping things together in your pack. Also makes a great holding bag for your rain suit when participating in activities at camps. |
| 1 | Sleeping bag | Our trip was over the Fourth of July and the temperature ranged from 45 degrees at night in the higher elevations to over 90 in the lower elevations. |
| 1 | Sleeping clothes | Sleeping clothes are important as the trip goes on. Having clothes which have not been hiked in are good to sleep in and to have for midnight runs to a nearby tree. |
| 1 | Foam pad | I won’t travel without my Therma-Rest™. Ten nights on the ground can be made easy with this type of sleeping pad. Ground was very rough in some areas, but with the foam/aid pad every night’s sleep was enjoyable. |
| 1 pair | Hiking boots | This is another of the critical items on your trip. This and the rain suit should not be skimped on when making your purchases. Gore-Tex™ should be high on your list of boot requirements. Crossing streams and dealing with rain will be MUCH easier with Gore-Tex™ boots. |
| 1 pair | Tevas™ or light weight shoes | I carried off brand Teva™ like sandles for the trip. They were made out of foam and cost $7 at Wal-Mart. They weighed nothing on my pack and were great for letting my feet breath once in camp. If you are not using top quality boots, you should consider taking shoes which could be hiked in, in the event that your boots have a blow-out. |
| 2 pair | Heavy wool socks | Good quality hiking socks are important as you will be wearing them for many days. You will have opportunities to wash clothes (wash buckets and scrub boards) at some camps. Socks may need to be worn for up to 4 days without washing. Socks which do not hold moisture are best. Many brands of socks are made specifically for hiking. |
| 3-4 pair | Sock liners | This is what keeps your feet healthy on the trip. I never wore sock liners for more than two days without washing them (they hang dry on the back of your pack quickly). As a result of “clean” dry sock liners I never even got a hot-spot, let alone a blister. |
| 3 | Underwear | For your comfort and to avoid chaffing, bring these, wash whenever possible and change often. |
| 2 pair | Hiking shorts | We bought the zip-off pants which covered our long pants needs and one of our shorts needs. DON’T bring jean shorts. They are heavy, rub, and don’t dry very quickly. Shorts made out of the light nylon material are excellent for weight and drying. |
| 1 | Long sleeve shirt | We took one long sleeve heavy T-shirt. |
| 1 pair | Long pants | See hiking shorts above. |
| 2 | Short sleeve shirts | We had troop T-shirts printed for the trek which were worn on the hike. Some of our adults used very light cotton hiking shirts. These cost a little more, but they really liked them. |
| 1 | Sweater or jacket | The Philmont fleece pull-overs are an excellent souvenier and if bought before going out on the hike are extremely useful on the trip. This combined with a good rain suit jacket can handle just about any temperature. |
| 1 | Hat | I had a hat which covered my head and neck from the sun while hiking. Be careful not to get a hat which runs into your pack in the back. Rain repellant is nice, but if your rain suit has a hood you don’t need to buy a Gore-Tex™ hat. If you don’t have a mummy sleeping bag you may wish to have a stocking cap for sleeping. |
| 1 | Rain suit | This is the third most important equipment item (after boots and pack). Gore-Tex™ is a must. Those in our trek without Gore-Tex™ got wet. |
| 1 pair | Glove liners | Never used them, but some have experienced enough cold to warrant having them. |
| 1 | Deep bowl | We took deep 1 pound margarine bowls. Light weight, held up well and cheap. |
| 1 | Cup | Plastic hot cup for hot chocolate or coffee. Light weight. |
| 1 | Spoon | Plastic. There are new high durability plastic utensils which are dishwasher safe. These are tough enough not to break. Light weight. Won’t need anything but this and your pocket knife. |
| 3 | 1 Qt bottles | Guidebook recommends 2. I recommend three, but one may not be used at certain points in the trek. When traveling through dry country having the third water bottle was important. |
| 1 | Small pocket knife | I took my leatherman (certainly not more than one per trek) for utility repairs (packs etc.). Everyone else can simply carry a pocket knife with one blade. Will need a can opener on the knife if you have the Mexican dinner at Abreau. |
| 1 | Lighter | Don’t carry matches. Have 2-4 small lighters with lock switches in the crew. |
| 1 | Small flash light | I took a Mini-Maglite™ that used AAA batteries and needed a second set on day 7. If you use your flash light alot (I don’t) you might need two extra sets. |
| 1 | Philmont Map | We had four copies of the map in our crew. They recommend one per person, but we NEVER left anyone behind or split up. |
| 1 | Compass | Recommend everyone have a compass. At minimum 1 for every two people. |
| 2 | Bandannas | I used one around my neck. Never used the second one. |
| 1 | Whistle | Safety precaution. |
| $15 | Money | Used for a variety of items at camps and at remote trading post. Have singles. |
| 1 | Lip balm | Lip balm with sun screen. |
| 1 | Camp Suds™ | We used more of this than the estimates prior to the trip. We did laundry twice and had access to three showers. |
| 1 | Toothbrush & toothpaste | Very small container of toothpaste (weight). |
| 1 | Small towel | We bought camp towels which dry quickly and don’t weigh much. Have a bigger towel for showers in base camp. |
| 1 | Sun screen | Small container of Bullfrog™ or like sun screen with SPF of 20 or better. |
| 1 pair | Sun glasses | Have a glasses strap to allow you to drop your sun glasses when they are not needed or get a glasses caddy which clips on your backpack strap. |
| 1 | Ditty bag | This will hold all your smellables for the bear bag. Check its size and consider that it will get wet. |
| ? | Camera | We took three rolls of 27 exposures (regular size) and 2 rolls of 15 exposures (panorama) using light-weight disposable cameras. Consider possible damage and weight when evaluating if you want to take your SLR. |
| 1 | Watch | Inexpensive digital with alarm is helpful. |
| ? | Postcards | There are places to drop postcards while on the trail. Have them prestamped and ready. |
| ? | Assorted rubber bands | Useful for many repairs and with a plastic bag to make a waterproof covering. |
| 1 | Foot powder | I bought a combination jock-itch and foot powder. One container can be used by several members of the crew. |
| 1 | Notepad and pen | I decided to write a running diary of the trip and to make notes on what to do different the next time. |
| 1 | Water bottle pouch | Being able to carry a water bottle on a belt for activities including side hikes was very useful. |
| 14 | Multi-vitamins | The food was reasonable, but having a multi-vitamin helps handle the low calcium and vitamin diet. |
| 1 | Seat pad | Buy a 2-foot-square piece of dense closed cell foam which can be wrapped around an external roll on your pack (like your tent, sleeping bag, etc.). It makes an EXCELLENT seat when stopping, especially when the ground is wet. |
| 1 | Tent with ground cloth | Quality light weight tent with ground cloth. Make sure that the tent is ready for rain. |
| Crew Gear | ||
| 1 | Pack repair kit | Spare pins and loops for your pack. We needed three on our trek. |
| 50 foot | 1/8″ nylon rope | Used for clothes line and to repair tent ropes. |
| 1 | Trowel | Plastic. Used for cat holes on the hike. |
| 1 | Insect repellant | We kept this in the first aid kit and only needed it one night. |
| 1 | Backpacking first aid kit | We bought the Hiker™ first aid kit at REI. Then we added some Imodium AD and anti histamine tables, extra mole skin and extra bandages. The Backpacker™ seemed too large for what we needed on the trip. |
| 2 | Padlocks | For use on lockers at base camp |
| 12 | Tent stakes for dining fly | Good quality to last being inserted in rocky ground each day. |
| ? | Duct tape | We wrapped duct tape around a fuel bottle a dozen times. |
| 3 | 1 Qt fuel bottles | The fuel sold by Philmont seemed to be consumed much quicker than the Coleman™ brand we started the trip with. |
| 2 | Backpacking stoves | We used Coleman Peak 1™ stoves (the black ones). Recommend having two identical stoves which can have parts interchanged in the event of breakage. |
| 1 | Multi-spice shaker | Several people enjoyed added spices to dinner meals. |
| 1 | Sewing kit | A couple of needles and thread for repairs. |
| 3 | 2 1/2 gallon water bottles | Collapsible. Important for carrying in water to dry camps. |
While in base camp you will be assigned pots and pans for cooking. The short stainless steel pots were much easier to pack than the deep aluminum.