This is strictly summer spring and early fall
Wenzell tent
6x8 tarp rainfly
5x7 tarp silnylon foot print
2 cans fuel
1100 ml aluminum Pot
Sterno
First aid
550 cord
Cord
Sewing kit
Lighter or zippo
Plastic bowl
Spoon
Wet fire
Flash light
Head lamp
Knife
Sleeping pad ultralight
Camp soap
Scrub pad
Hand sanitizer
Bug spray
Duct tape
Baby wipes
Extra socks
Silk liner

5x7 tarp silnylon foot print

A foot print is not a necessity unless the floor of your tent seeps water - in which case, a better tent would be indicated as soon as you can afford one. If there is a chance of rain and you do use a footprint, be sure it doesn't extend beyond the floor of your tent, or it will catch the rain and channel water under the floor of your tent!

2 cans fuel
Sterno
Wet fire

I'm not sure what "wet fire" is, or how you plan to use each of these somewhat similar items. Are you planning to cook/heat water over a campfire? If so, then one fire starter is probably good enough, but only IF IT WORKS!

camp soap

I rarely use it, and if you plan to use camp soap, please be absolutely sure you don't get any soap into a water source.

Flash light
Head lamp

You won't be using these both at the same time. You only really need one or the other. The headlamp is the more versatile of the two.

Silk liner

I don't see the sleeping bag listed that this is supposed to go inside. I don't like liners myself. They bunch up, add little warmth for their weight, and wearing some light clothes in the bag works better. I have a silk t-shirt and silk long underwear bottoms. They do much the same thing as the liner and can be worn at other times, too.

That's all I spotted in a quick run-through.

Weights? We really can't do much analysis without them. Use actual weight (get an inexpensive postage scale) rather than the manufacturer's, which may be fudged. For items you don't yet have, of course you're stuck with the manufacturers' marketing departments until you get that item.

It helps to organize your gear by systems--for example, shelter, sleeping, cooking, clothing carried (not being worn), navigation, etc. (plus, of course, the inevitable "other"). That way you're less liable to leave out something important. There are a couple of sample gear lists, plus lots of other interesting articles, listed on the home page of this site, left-hand column. They should give you some ideas.

It also helps to know where you'll be backpacking and under what conditions. The climate of the northern Rockies differs considerably from that of the southern Appalachians. The gear lists on the home page are for the Washington Cascades.

A few observations:

No footprint/ground cloth unless the tent has no floor. I haven't used one for many years and my tent floor (light weight silnylon) is just fine.

Tent and tarp both? Why?

2 cans fuel--what kind? Plus Sterno? For how long a trip? doing how much cooking? And I didn't see a stove!

Are you going solo? If so, eat out of your pot or the freezer bag your dinner is in and leave the bowl at home.

Two kinds of cord?

Why two lights? If you feel the need of a backup for your headlamp, get one of those tiny LED lights like the one on this page, left hand column.

No sleeping bag or quilt?

Extra clothing? All you list are socks. What about insulating layers, hat, rain gear?

Map? Compass? We don't want to have to send Lori (our SAR member) out to look for you!

A few matches in case the lighter conks out (it has happened to me)?

Water treatment?

Water containers?

Camera? If you've studied a bunch of lightweight gear lists, as I have, you'll know this always gets omitted from lists, even when photos of the trip are included. To me, this is cheating. I did leave my camera home for one trip 30 years ago, to save weight--and I've regretted it ever since!

I concur with Aimless on the silk liner. After three mornings of taking several minutes to untangle myself from the liner so I could get out of my sleeping bag, I tossed mine in the nearest trash can. Wear a lightweight base layer instead; it's also extra insulation in cold weather.

Why a tarp set up and tent?
Get rid of:
Sterno
Flashlight (you have a head lamp)
Soap
Scrubber
Pick one cord
What no sleeping bag?
Water filter?

This is only for summer trips
and when I can I'll weigh these items.
My current bag is and old North Face my buddy got from his cousin and then he gave it to me it's held together with 550 cord and duct tape lol. I'm getting a new pack from a friend however it's mil surplus and going to be heavy. So I'm looking into buying a Columbia Endura 65 liter bag. I'm on a budget recently was laid off from Somerset Welding & Steel anway the bag its $115.00 I'm a huge fan of Columbia and their tech lite. I have a pair of their winter boots with omni-grip, omni-heat, and tech-lite their great.


Fire starting and cooking:
Wet fire is an emergency fire starter I could use the gel in stereo fuel instead
2 cans fuel for sterno 4 1/2 hr cooking time never seems to last that long
Folding sterno stove
2 Bic lighters
Bowl
Spoon
1100 ml aluminum Pot
Camp soap
Scrub pad

Water:
Portable aqua tabs
2 liter camel bag


Shelter:
Wenzell tent cheap tent rainfly is to small
6x8 tarp for rainfly
550 cord
Sleeping pad ultralight
Fleece bag


Light source:
Flash light And Head lamp one is the back up to the other


Misc:
Cord
Sewing kit
Hand sanitizer
Bug spray
Duct tape
Baby wipes biodegradable for tp
First aid
Knife

Clothes:
1 pair of socks
Extra boxers

Packing for the what-ifs is a big culprit of unnecessary weight. For a back up light use a small led. Otherwise use what you have, all that matters is that you get out. Doesn't matter if it's with a trash bag or cuben tarp.

By the way welcome to the forum! Hopefully we can provide some useful info!

Also where are you camping?

Re clothing: Where do you backpack that it never rains?

Tent stakes (so you don't go off without them; been there, done that!)

Water container: consider used bottles (Gatorade, SmartWater (the last my favorite) for $0.00.

Here's a couple of references I just gave another beginner on this forum:

Start with the home page of this site that I linked to earlier.

Mark Verber's website. This survey of possible gear is downright encyclopedic, but you really just want to read the introduction to each section for general info and then skip to the end for low budget choices. There are also links to gear lists (a few don't work) and to other lowbudget ideas. No point in reading all about $700 tents, which I can't afford, either!

Dirtbagging and Deal Shopping, by "Sgt. Rock" Lots of low cost ideas for hiking, starting in your own closet, kitchen and garage. While he focuses on the Appalachian Trail, the principles are the same. However, if you're in the far west this year, due to the drought, wood fires and wood or alcohol stoves will undoubtedly be banned.

It would help us to know where you're planning to backpack! A summer trip in the Rockies, where it can and often does freeze and snow any month of the year, is a lot different than a summer trip in Alabama!

...use what you have, all that matters is that you get out.

Full agreement here.

We've given you some good feedback about your gear list so far, but learning for yourself what you need or want and what you don't is an iterative process of making trips, learning what worked well and what didn't, and scraping the money together to replace equipment with something better. In the meantime, the sooner you put it on your back and hike up the trail, the sooner you'll be doing what you want to do and the quicker you'll learn the ropes. My own first trip was an exhilarating near-disaster, but I learned a LOT!

Good luck and have fun.

I backpack in South West Pa the John P. Saylor trail main loop 1, and the Lost Turkey trail 3 times and part of the Laurel Highlands trail 1. I have backpacked in the Dolly Sods the wilderness and the north and some other parts twice. Anyway to answer another question I always used a poncho but want to get a nice rain suit from Columbia.
As far as flashlights I have a great little Led that I picked up at auto zone super small and very bright. I also have a small energized head lamp I take as a backup it's small as beck 4 hour run time.
I also need to add the tent stakes to my list thanks bud.
I will get out as soon as I can I've come this far with trial.and error I used to take a lot of JIC (just in case) items but have learned a lot in my limited expereince. I appreciate all the helpful advice. As soon I can I'll be in the woods.

in terms of back-up lighting I have found that mother nature provides one every morning around 5-7 AM. If my flashlight breaks, I'll wait till morning to get a good look.

Touche lol

Take a look at the photon light advertised on the main page bottom left corner, weighs very little and is a great back up. I use this, dual purpous. http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=46&products_id=109

Thank you rockchucker22 I actually needed one of those for the old academy broadway pack I got. The pack was fine but the cords and straps weren't so I replaced them. That little light would work great for a new cord lock.

While I see a list of gear, some of it extensive (2 sets of fuel for the stove, etc) and that has been pretty well critiqued the one thing that would make a lot of difference is the time: How LONG do you stay out while you are backpacking? An overnight with multiple fuel and lots of redundancy might be serious overkill that would be considered normal on a 7+ day trek so to speak.

And of course that's when he saw bigfoot.


I disagree about the liner, but only as a stand-alone sleep system. In warm weather (lows dipping to the mid 70's) a silk liner keeps you cooler than nothing at all.

I use the same gear for a 1-week trip as I use for a two day trip. The only things that change with the length of my trips is what I call "variable weight" and others call "consumables"---fuel, food and water.

Some items. such as insulating clothing, will change according to expected weather conditions (probably don't need winter-weight long underwear if it's 90*F), but the length of trip makes no difference.