Backpack - Should be durable and water-proof/resistant. It must also be sized to fit the user.  Should have a large, comfortable, padded hip belt.  If nuts, bolts or pins hold the backpack together, carry extras. 

Sleeping Bag - Should protect at least to freezing (30°).  Should be the kind that is packed in a stuff sack.  The stuff sack should be waterproof, or lined with a plastic bag.  The sleeping bag shouldn't weigh more than 6 pounds (3-4 pounds is better).  If you sleep on the ground a pad is highly recommend.  A foam pad is very light, cheap and durable.  Blow-up mattresses (ThermaRest type) are heavier, more expensive and can be punctured, but are more comfortable. 

Hiking Boots - Need not be exotic or expensive.  Good nylon/canvas hiking boots are readily available.  Running/tennis shoes are not allowed substitutes. Boots must be broken in before backpacking.  Bring a pair of light tennis shoes or sandals to cross streams and to wear around the camp.

Socks - Bring two sets of socks.  A set of socks is: one pair of  thin polypropylene socks to wear next to your skin, and one pair of wool or synthetic hiking socks (not cotton) to wear over that. 

Raingear -  Raingear is very important.  Wet plus Wind = Hypothermia.  A waterproof rainsuit for wind and rain protection works better than a poncho.  Plastic is cheap, but doesn't "breathe," and is not durable.  Waterproof nylon is durable but also does not "breathe".  Gore-Tex type "breathable" gear is the most comfortable and the most expensive.  Pants should zip at the bottom or completely down the sides to put on over boots.  If you chose wisely, raingear gives both rain and wind protection. Consider a breathable suit, like Gore-Tex or Versatech.  A rain suit that does not breathe will get you just as wet as if you didn't wear one at all (unless you are in camp and not moving).  A poncho is rainproof, to a certain degree, but is not windproof.  We don't recommend ponchos that are touted to keep both you and your backpack dry.  We find they do neither well, particularly in a high wind.  And they are hard to put on, especially if your hands are cold.  GOOD RAINGEAR WILL SAVE YOU SOOOO MUCH MISERY!  (Look for sales to get the expensive stuff (Gore-Tex, for example) cheap.)  You need a rain cover to keep your backpack dry, whether it is a garbage bag, a poncho, or a waterproof pack cover. 

Hats - Absolutely necessary in the mountains and should shield the back of your neck and your ears.  It should also be well ventilated or largely made of mesh so your head, a virtual furnace when you are moving, can keep cool.  The Troop now requires and has available for $10.00 a “boonie” style hat.

Toilet items –Pack a whole roll, smashed flat.) You will need a plastic trowel to bury HUMAN waste (all other waste will be packed out).

Mess Kit - You need only a cup, a bowl, and a spoon.  All should be plastic.  You don't even need a bowl if you chose to drink and eat at different times. 

Flashlight - A small "Maglight" or similar 2 AA battery light is sufficient.  Don't waste ounces with a bigger, heavier one.  Some adults carry headlamp lights for night emergencies.

Canteens - You must carry two quarts of water at all times.  Use unbreakable plastic containers, like soft drink containers, or you can buy plastic bottles or canteens at any sporting/outdoors store.

Emergency Items - Compass, whistle and small first aid kit.  Bring moleskin in  the first aid  kit.

Other Items - Two large garbage bags, one to protect your pack at night, the other as water protection for your pack when on the trail (you will need to cut shoulder harness strap openings, so this garbage bag is useless for any other task).

Meals - Each Scout and adult is responsible for their own drinks and meals.  Water is certainly an acceptable drink, in which case only the canteens and the cup are necessary.  However, you may choose to bring some kind of Gatorade/Powerade type mix to make the water a little more beneficial to offsetting your exertion (these mixes replace the minerals and electrolytes that you sweat out, plus provide you with instant glucose energy). If you choose some kind of drink mix, remember to bring a funnel to get it into your canteen.  Lunches can be as elaborate as you desire, but remember, no trash cans in the wilderness:  everything you don't eat gets carried out.  Quick lunches are often nothing more than an energy bar and trail mix.  Any food in cans or glass containers is strongly discouraged! 

Tents - Sleeping can be in tents or in some kind of tarp/rain fly  (night rains prevent "sleeping under the stars").  Tents are usually available to share, carried in by the three Scouts that use it - one carries the tent, one carries the ground cloth, and one carries the fly and poles.

Cooking and Water - We need adults with backpacking stoves, water purifiers, cook set of at least one pot.  Pot tongs or holders for handling hot pots are also useful.  Extra stove fuel is also required.  Each Scout should bring an empty 1-gallon plastic milk jug for water purification/settling.

Food - We only use dehydrated foods with boiling water.  Anything else requires more elaborate cooking gear, weighs more, and is TOO HARD TO CLEAN UP.  But the sky is the limit - do your own thing.  Whatever food you decide upon it should be separately packaged, by meal, e.g. Saturday dinner or Sunday breakfast, etc. each in its own plastic bag.  And always remember - "No trace" backpacking requires all trash to be packed out.  This means no campfires to burn paper trash.

Bear Bags - The group must use a "Bear bag" for storing food off the ground at night.  A "Bear bag" is nothing more than a large bag hung in a tree by 50 feet of cord.  A garbage bag will also suffice for a "Bear bag."  All food, toothpaste, toothbrush, soaps, deodorant, clothes with food spilled on them, trash--anything that smells--will be hung in Bear Bags every night.  Label your bags.

Clothing - Bandannas or sweatbands for perspiration control   Lightweight sandals or moccasins for camp wear.  Pajamas or other sleep clothes. 

Health/Medical Items - Toothbrush, toothpaste, insect repellents, sunscreen and over the counter headache/pain reliever (aspirin/tylenol,motrin). Toothbrush/paste, soap, washcloth, comb, and toilet paper (packed in a plastic bag, so it won't get wet.  Prescription drugs for a Scout must be delivered by a parent to the trip leader in a marked container with written dosage instructions.  Remember all toothpaste, soap, deodorant, etc., must go into a bear bag at night.

Misc. Equipment  - (Scouters/adults will always have compasses and maps), Scouts should carry a compass, whistle, and Scout handbook.  Other equipment and optional gear is listed on the Backpacking Checklist.  Other optional gear could include; camera, notebook and pencil, extra garbage bags (for a tablecloth or for trash - these bags are light and have a myriad of uses), sewing kit, safety pins, fishing rod and license, binoculars, plastic wash basin, spare batteries and bulb for flashlight and a walking stick.  Bring extra line (heavy cord, light rope) to use as a clothesline to dry or air things (clothes & sleeping bag), or hang bear bags. 

Scouts - A BSA Class II Medical Evaluation (signed by physician), dated within three years, must be on file with the Troop for every Scout participating in hiking, backpacking and camping type activities.  The BSA Class I Personal Health and Medical History (signed by a parent) must be submitted to the Troop annually for each Scout. 

Adults - A BSA Class III Medical Evaluation (physical) must be on file with the Troop for each adult for participating in hiking, backpacking and camping type.