June 5, 2022

Grand Canyon Backpacking Gear

I wanted to share our Backpack gear list from our Grand Canyon Hike in this post. We hiked down the South Kaibab Trail to Colorado River, spent one night at the Bright Angel Campground. We ascended the Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail back to the South Rim.

The chart includes our estimated Backpack weight. We documented the actual weight of most items in the chart with a few exceptions. We did extensive research with hiker recommendations for the gear we purchased and used. The items posted in blue ink we did not carry in our backpacks but we wore them or carried on our person. Overall we did well carrying this weight for our first backpacking adventure and have learned alot from this experience for future hikes.

There were a few items that were extremely helpful for our hike which were the trekking poles, extreme sleeping bag liner and micro-cleats for hiking boots. We discovered the importance of trekking poles and micro cleats quickly as the trail was icy with low visibility due to snow falling at an inch per hour and gusty winds.

As we watched the weather before our scheduled hike, the forecast a week before included possibility of snow, rain and below freezing temperatures. Our sleepy bags were rated for 30 degrees so we quickly discovered extreme sleeping bag liners, ordered them and received them the day before our hike. The liners added an extra 15 degree warmth to our sleeping bags which were lifesavers for us as the March weather was really cold and wet with a low of 32 temperature. We woke up to ice on our tent.

Item Becky Kyle Brand Cost
Estimated Weight of Loaded Backpacks 20.6 28.6
HIKING GEAR
Backpack3.4Osprey Kyte 46L Womens185.00
4.2Osprey Atmos 50L Mens240.00
Water Bladder with water6.06.0Osprey Hydraulics LT 2.5 Liters of water80.00
Tent3.5Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3450.00
Ground Cover0.5Big Agnes Copper Spur Footprint90.00
Sleeping Bag2.3Nemo Disco 30 Womens259.95
1.9Nemo Disco 30 Mens279.95
Sleeping Pad0.8Thermarest Neoair Xlite WomensGift
1.0Thermarest Neoair Xlite Mens229.95
Sleeping Bag Liners0.90.9Sea to Summit (2)140.00
Trekking Poles1.21.2REI Traverse Trekking Poles with Rubber Tips(2)219.90
Headlamps/Batteries0.30.3Petzl Tikka Core Headlamps (2) – Extra Batteries99.90
Water Filtration System0.4Katadyn Gravity BeFree 3Liters74.95
Toilet Wipes0.2Sea to Summit Wipes, small4.95
Pee Rag0.0Kula Cloth20.00
First Aid Kit/Toe Kit0.6Outdoor First Aid Kit plus blister pads/bandaids/tape/wrap….
CLOTHING (Backpack)Extra Layers (Sometimes Worn)
Rain Jacket0.61.3Mountain Hard / Halti
Jacket Layer0.4Mountain Gear Quarter Zip
Micro Cleats for Shoes1.4Kahtoola Microspikes Traction System (2)139.90
Camp Sandals1.8Keen Whisper Womens119.95
1.8Keen Newport H2129.95
Socks0.20.2Darn-Tough Socks (Spare in pack)30.00
Long Sleeve Shirt0.50.5Mountain Equipment Micro Zip T Fleece73.73
Gloves0.2North Face Apex +Etip Gloves55.00
0.1Under Armour Mens Liner 2.0 gloves23.95
0.1Extremus TouchScreen Liner Gloves15.99
0.1RBX Fitness Gloves
Compression Leg Sleeves0.1Zensah Compression Sleeves, calves39.95
Hiking Hats0.10.3Smartwool/Canada Bliss
CLOTHING (Worn)
Hiking Boots2.1Keen Targhee III Waterproof Hiking Shoes W164.95
Hiking Shoes1.6Hoka One One Speedgoat 4 Mens145.00
Base Layer Pants0.4UnderArmor Cold Gear Pants
0.3DEVOPS Base Layer Compression Pants20.00
Base Layer Shirt0.4Oneil – Long Sleeve Swimming Shirt
0.5UnderArmor Cold Gear
Pants0.7Calia Leggins
0.6Eddie Bauer Leggins
0.6Columbia Convertible Pants60.00
Shirt0.6UnderArmor Cold Gear Quarter Zip
0.4REI Long Sleeve Quarter Zip50.00
Rain Pants0.6Adidas Rain Pants
Socks0.20.2Darn Tough Socks30.00
Hiking Hats0.4Smartwool Merino 250 Beanie
ELECTRONICS
Phone0.50.5iPhone 12 & 11
Kindle/Tablet0.41.1Kindle Oasis/Samsung S10
Camera0.3GoPro Hero10350.00
Camera Batteries0.2GoPro 1720mAh lithium-ion (3)60.00
Battery Charge0.1Go Pro Dual Battery Charger50.00
GoPro Camera Clip0.2GoPro Camera Clip
Battery Charger0.9Anker Power Core III 19200110.00
Cables0.4Various charging cables
OTHER
Tooth brush/toothpaste0.10.1Hiking toothbrush/toothpaste
Hand Soap/Sanitizer0.10.1Eucalyptis from Bath Store
Food/Snacks0.60.9Stinger Organic Waffles, protein bars, mandarin oranges, jif peanut butter, energy chews, nuts
Food Storage Bags/Waste Bags0.1Lopsak odor proof bags(quart and gallon sizes)20.00
Writing Journal/Pen0.20.2
Map Laminated0.2Trail Map
Book0.5Grand Canyon One Best Hike
Clothesline0.1Sea to Summit Lite Line Clothesline13.95

Other Links:

Video of our climb out the canyon

Video of our climb into the canyon

Blog Posts: Our Decent, Our Ascent, Our Equipment, Preparation Part 1, and Preparation Part 2

Kyle’s Google Earth Videos: Decent, Ascent