So I am asked on a surprisingly regular basis what I bring on a backpacking trip.  Up to this point, I’ve really resisted making a post on this, because there are a lot smarter people out there than me about this (like seriously, try Backpacker Magazine, or getting a book from the library, or finding an old Boy Scout Backpacking Merit Badge book, or take a class at REI, or just go talk to the AT Thru Hikers and Section Hikers at REI).

But, since folks keep asking (and you are for some reason still reading this and not any of the resources above), I figure better to just post what I take backpacking so that people can argue about what a dolt I am in the comments [...]