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Autumn Hiking and Backpacking Gear List Extras

Autumn has arrived and with it fewer daylight hours, wet leaves, cold rain, and morning frost. It’s still a great time to go hiking and backpacking, but I like to add a few technical and comfort items to my day hiking and backpacking gear list and swap in some different footwear as temperatures drop.

Stronger headlamp

As the days get shorter, it’s increasingly likely that I’ll have to hike and set up camp after sunset.  I switch out my warm weather Nitecore NU20 headlamp for the much brighter and heavier-duty Black Diamond Icon headlamp. It’s bright enough that I can hike after sunset if I have to. It also has a locking on-off switch, which I think is a trail essential to prevent accidental battery drain when you can’t afford it.

Warm Gloves

I carry Possum Down gloves for cool weather hiking, which I’ve stockpiled since Possum Down announced they’re closing up shop. Zpacks still has them in stock so get them before they’re gone. They’re super light, super warm, dry quickly and take the chill off. When it gets colder and wetter, I’ll switch to Outdoor Research Waterproof Liner Gloves which are warmer, heavier, and more windproof, but still good for preserving your dexterity.

Puffy insulated jacket

I also pack a Montbell Down Anorak in my daypack and for overnights when I sleep with a quilt or hoodless sleeping bag. It’s not really suitable as an active mid-layer when I’m hiking because it’s too warm; I use a 100 weight fleece pullover for that. But a puffy jacket is a nice garment to pull out when we stop for a break and I’m not generating body heat.

More food

I burn more calories trying to stay warm in cold weather and like to bring more food along on hikes, especially chocolate, which keeps a lot better in cold weather. Mmmm. If it’s cold enough that I have to carry hot water, I pack a cheese sandwich next to it so that it will be warm and melted at lunchtime.

Insulated Sleeping Pad

If I’m backpacking or camping, I’ll swap my lightweight inflatable sleeping pad, a Sea-to-Summit Insulated Etherlight XT (R-value =3.8) with an insulated Therm-a-rest Xtherm sleeping pad (R-value=5.7). When the ground gets cold it will leach the warmth out of your body unless you use a warmer sleeping pad or stack a foam pad, like the Thermarest Zlite (R-value 2.6) underneath your warm weather pad. I shoot for an R-value between 4-5 for autumn and between 5-6 for winter, when camping on snow.

Dry layers/stove/extra insulation

I frequently carry extra base layers (top and bottom) and socks in autumn on day hikes as a hedge against an unexpectedly long hike, the onset of really crappy weather, or an unexpected night out. It happens when you test your limits on high mileage “day” hikes or someone gets hurt and you get back far later than you expected. In fact, as temperatures get colder, the contents of my day pack look more and more like the contents of my overnight backpacking gear list. In addition to an extra base layer, I often carry a small stove/cook pot, or a lightweight sleeping bag, especially if I’m hiking by myself off the grid.

Blaze orange hat, buff, or vest

Come October, it’s hunting season where I hike and backpack. While I’m not that worried about accidentally getting shot, I do wear blaze orange clothing as a precaution. I have a blaze orange billed cap that I wear as well as a Turtle Fur blaze orange neck gaiter that doubles as a good layering piece. I’ve thought about switching to a backpack that isn’t white (white-tailed deer), but I figure wearing blaze orange is a sufficient precaution under the circumstances.

Insulated boots

When daytime temperatures dip into the upper 30’s, I switch from trail runners to lightly insulated hiking boots with 200g of insulation. I hate having cold feet in autumn and these really pay off when I hike through wet and boggy terrain. I wear Salomon X Ultra Mid insulated boots, which are fairly soft boots, but it is still a shock to transition from trail runners to them. I upgrade to a much warmer winter boot when full winter arrives.

Being Prepared

Adding gear to your backpack when the days get shorter and colder is prudent, especially if you hike in challenging terrain or over a long distance. Put it like this. Ultralight backpacking is a lot easier to do when the days are long and the weather is hot. While you can still use ultralight backpacking techniques and gear to keep your gear weight on the low side, I think it helps to be a bit more conservative in what you bring on day hikes and autumn backpacking trips as winter nears.

Plan ahead, check the weather forecast, think about the demands of your route, and the skills and experience of your hiking partners. Gear lists aren’t static, but should be tuned to the conditions you expect to encounter or that you might conceivably encounter whether you plan to or not.

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4 comments

  1. A little add to batteries. I really like to use rechargeable batteries because I can always make sure they are fully charged at the start of a trip. I have had good success with using the Eneloop Pro (black ones) in cold weather for headlamps and GPS.

  2. Phil

    What is the pack you have on in the picture?

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