We hiked the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim at the beginning of June 2017. This is what I carried on my back! Read my full write- up of the trip here.
Full disclosure, having a hiking buddy to share the load helps a lot. I carried most of our food because my husband Taylor carried the tent. If you're doing the trip by yourself, you might need to adjust what you bring with you.
We didn't officially weigh our packs, though I would guess once we added water we were between 35 and 40 pounds.
Gear
- Women's Osprey Aura 50 AG pack
- REI Quarter Dome tent with footprint
- Hydrapak 3L Shape-Shift water reservoir
- Headlamp
- Extra batteries for headlamp
- Black Diamond Trekking Poles
- Big Agnes Q-Core Sleeping Pad
- Rumpl blanket
- NEMO Fillow camp pillow
- Camp towel
- 32 oz Nalgene
- Stackable camp bowls (2)
- Stackable utensils (2 sets)
- Odor Proof Opsak bags (2)
- Sea to Summit lightweight dry sack
Clothing
- Hiking boots
- Camp shoes
- KÜHL Splash Roll-Up Pant in khaki
- KÜHL Kontra Hiking shorts in green
- Columbia Omni Shade long-sleeved shirt
- Running shorts (2)
- Sports bra (2)
- Smartwool hiking socks (2)
- Cotton T-shirt (2)
- Zip Up Hoodie
- Swim suit
- Mission Multi-Cool
- Wide brimmed hat
- Sunglasses
- Bandanna
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Pack rain cover
- Eagle Creek Packing cubes (medium, small)
Food
- ProBars
- Clif Bars
- Muesli
- Summer Sausage
- Tuna packets (flavored and regular)
- Beef Jerky
- Loaf of bread
- Jar of Peanut Butter
- Small bottle of Honey
- Via coffee packets
- Clif bar goos with caffeine
- Haribo Gummy Bears
- Fruit twist snacks
- Canned sardines in olive oil
- Canned oysters in olive oil
- Nuun Active Hydrating Electrolyte tablets
Other
- Wet Wipes
- Hand Sanitizer
- Iodine tablets
- Mosquito repellant
- Travel sized sunscreen
- Travel sized toothbrush and toothpaste
What I wish we had left behind:
Rain Gear
It rains very little in the Grand Canyon but I am always a bit paranoid when it comes to having rain gear. I brought it, but it was very unnecessary on this trip and we could have easily left it behind.
Tent and footprint
It was hot enough and there were few enough bugs that we could easily have slept without a tent and saved ourselves some weight and room.
What I'm super Happy we packed:
Opsak odor proof bags
You must pack out everything you pack in, so these bags are a life saver for any trash that might smell. We had a lot of seafood with us (tuna, oysters, sardines) and you wouldn't believe the smell after walking through the canyon heat with the trash. Thankfully, we didn't smell a thing until we opened the Opsak bag to empty it.
Camp Shoes
Our friends didn't bring camp shoes in an effort to lighten their load. They regretted it and we secretly rejoiced that we brought ours. We had a lot of down time and got in and out of the water a lot, and it was really nice to have sandals we could get wet.
Mission Multi-Cool
The rest of the group made fun of me for how excited I was about this piece of fabric. It can be worn several different ways but I mostly wore it around my neck. It really helped keep me cool and stayed cold for long stretches of time.
Extra Clothes
I wore my long-sleeved shirt and pants during the day and brought running shorts and a t-shirt to hang out in at camp and sleep in. I also brought an extra pair of running shorts and shirt so I could have a set of clean clothes when we finished the hike. It was nice to be able to shower and change into clean clothes when we got to the South Rim.