Organizing our hiking gear into types or categories by function has several advantages. The primary advantages are:

• It makes it easier to remember all of the individual items.
• It helps us to keep related gear together when packing.
• It can help us to better manage our pack weight.

When you are working with your gear list whether preparing for a trip or just trying to find ways to lighten your load it can be difficult to remember all of the individual items on the list. Most backpackers group their gear into categories to make it easier. By using categories you can pick one and then concern yourself with a more manageable subset of your total gear list at any time.

Categorizing is a method of focusing our minds. The best aid is a written checklist with the gear organized into groups by function. We also recommend insuring your gear separately, so that you will be covered in case of the lost or damage. For that purpose look up Insuremygear.com .

The second advantage of sorting your gear into groups is that it can help you organize your pack. Items that function together are best to be packed together.

The third advantage becomes most noticeable lighten up your pack weight.

Unfortunately there are no set standards for categorizing hiking gear.

A problem with non-standardized systems is that it makes it hard to compare individual category weights or packing systems or other relevant information. Another problem is that most gear categorization schemes end up with a different category that can be especially hard to monitor and control.

Categorization System

The Two Major Categories

Divide your pack load into two major types: supplies or consumables, and gear.

Supplies or Consumables – These are water, food, and stove fuel, or the things that get consumed and used up during a hike. There are other things that may get used up during a hiking trip like flashlight batteries or film, but as a contributing weight factor they do not diminish.

Gear – This includes all of the equipment such as clothes, sleeping bag, tent or tarp, the pack, and so on that do not get used up during the course of a trip. This includes everything that goes into making up what is referred to elsewhere as total base weight, or everything that is either carried or worn that is not a supply or consumable.

The Big Four Gear Types (Hiking Software)

The big four gear types are those gear categories that are not only big in terms of size and bulk but also in terms of weight.

The big four gear types are: Pack, Shelter, Sleeping, Clothes

Pack – This includes not only the backpack but also any camera bags, fanny packs, water bottle holders hung on pack straps, rain covers, pack liners, and all major stuff sucks except the one for food.

Shelter – Includes tent, tarp, bivouac sack, ground cloth, rigging line, line tightners, and tent pegs.

Sleeping – The sleeping system category includes sleeping bags or quilts, sleeping bag liners, and foam pads.

Clothes – This gear group includes all clothes from pants and shirts to hats, gloves, and shoes.

The Little Four Gear Types (Hiking Hardware)

The little four gear types are those gear groups that consist of smaller, more compact pieces of gear.

The little four gear types are: Kitchen, Office, Hygiene, Emergency/Repair

Kitchen – Includes anything to do with the storage, preparation, and consumption of food and water. Or another way to look at it is this gear group includes of the gear required to manage and use supplies.

Office – The type of gear included here is everything related to information. It includes maps, pens, pencils, notebooks, compasses, altimeters, radios, binoculars, and so on.

Hygiene – This category is for all gear that is associated with staying healthy but not directly concerned with consuming supplies or food and water. It includes such things as first aid kits, toilet paper, soap, and so on.

E/R – This category contains the gear that you hope you will never have to use, but you carry in case of emergency to repair other gear or cope with emergency circumstances. It should be the smallest of all the gear categories and in some cases can be virtually non-existent. This group of items typically consists of maybe a couple of needles, some thread, spare buttons, a few rubber bands, some extra line, and a few feet of duct tape. You might also choose to include some emergency medical items in this category.