I am going to be completely honest with you, I did not want to go to trek.... AT ALL. I was completely dreading it. I prayed to know if I should go and every single time, I got to the same answer..."You should go." GAHH... who just willingly goes on a huge hike in the middle of Wyoming? The night before I left, I tried to convince myself that I didn't need to go but I knew in my heart that I needed to go because something was there for me to learn. SO, I packed my 5 gallon bucket full of little knick-nacks, necessities, and what I thought were essentials. My bucket was the heaviest thing EVER and I later found out that some of the things really didn't need to be packed ANNNNDDD on the flip side, there were some things that would've been really useful. Without further ado, here is my little guide of trek must-haves.
1. A water bottle. You're probably thinking, "Duh. Who goes to trek and doesn't bring a water bottle?" Let me explain myself. I decided that it would be really nice to bring a CamelBak because I could have my water and space for little things like sunscreen, bugspray, and a mini first-aid kit all in one backpack. It was actually really nice having a CamelBak. However, It was so inconvenient to fill when I ran out of water. It easily took me two or three minutes to fill (probably an entire minute to just unscrew the lid lol). Next time, I will bring both so when I run out of water in my backpack, I can have an easy-to-fill water bottle on hand. Plus, if your CamelBak pops, you'll have a backup.
2. A sleeping pad for camping. Yes, I was the one that slept on hard ground with nothing but a small sleeping bag. And fortunately for me <insert sarcasm>, I was laying on either huge hills or holes the entire time. Save yourself the trouble (and back aches) and pack an inflatable or foam sleeping pad.
3. Travel size scriptures. Honestly, I only used my scriptures once or twice each day for my personal reading. It will save so much room in your bucket if you ditch your huge triple combination and invest in a set of the travel sized versions. I was actually worried about packing the small set because of the small text but it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating.
4. More than one apron. Okay ladies, I only packed one apron and when I returned home, I looked like I had rolled around in dirt, sweat, and my dinner. I was constantly sitting on the ground, dropping my food (typical Macady), and leaving my apron on the dirty floor of my tent and my apron was beyond disgusting. Do yourself a favor, and throw an extra one in your stash of belongings. ON THIS SAME NOTE: Don't believe that you won't an apron. It was so awesome to have those two extra pockets to throw my chapstick, sunscreen, working gloves, and gum wrappers in.
5. Compression/exercise leggings. I brought multiple pairs of bloomers and one pair of compression leggings. The leggings were so much more comfortable than the bloomers. Go for comfort, not authenticity. Besides, nobody sees them because they are hidden underneath your skirt.
6. Wipes. Wipes. Wipes. I wouldn't have survived without baby wipes. You will want to pack a LARGE package of wipes. At the end of each day, my legs, arms, feet, hands, face, EVERYWHERE was filthy and it was so nice to clean up a little. I probably used close to 15 or 20 wipes throughout each day. I was covered in dirt and sweat and anything you could possibly imagine that is in Wyoming.
7. A rain poncho + hooded coat. Even if the weather forecasts say that there will be no signs of precipitation... Just throw a poncho and a warm HOODED coat in your backpack or bucket. I was not expecting it to hail (like gum ball sized hail... the big kinds you get at restaurants) in the middle of JUNE but it did and it was cold and hit you like a million little nails. Please pack these two things... you will thank me later.
8. SNACKS! Don't pack tons of junk food, (I hope you realize this is coming from someone who could eat Sour Patch Watermelons on a daily basis). Now, I am not saying don't pack any sweets because we all need a little sugar every once in a while but mostly pack snacks that will actually fill and energize you. My favorite trek snacks were beef jerky and trail mix (and the one box of SP Watermelons...).
9. A bonnet/hat. Let's be honest with each other, neither of these options are stylish by any means BUUUTTT... they were so helpful. I wore a bonnet practically all day, everyday. When I came back home and seen my face for the very first time in a week, I was surprised to see that I was not sunburnt AT ALL. I give complete credit to the bonnet because I forgot to apply sunscreen most of the time (OOPS!). Besides, it helped hide my awful, tangled, dirty hat hair.
10. A handheld mirror. None of the girl's in my tent (including myself) packed a mirror and we were constantly asking each other if our hair looked ok or if our bonnets were on right. A mirror doesn't take up tons of space and it would've been a LIFESAVER.
Hopefully this article will help you to pack more efficiently for trek. After going once and realizing what I should've packed, I am hoping that this will be a benefit to you so that you can have the best trek experience ever. Good Luck!
XOXO, Macady <3
1. A water bottle. You're probably thinking, "Duh. Who goes to trek and doesn't bring a water bottle?" Let me explain myself. I decided that it would be really nice to bring a CamelBak because I could have my water and space for little things like sunscreen, bugspray, and a mini first-aid kit all in one backpack. It was actually really nice having a CamelBak. However, It was so inconvenient to fill when I ran out of water. It easily took me two or three minutes to fill (probably an entire minute to just unscrew the lid lol). Next time, I will bring both so when I run out of water in my backpack, I can have an easy-to-fill water bottle on hand. Plus, if your CamelBak pops, you'll have a backup.
2. A sleeping pad for camping. Yes, I was the one that slept on hard ground with nothing but a small sleeping bag. And fortunately for me <insert sarcasm>, I was laying on either huge hills or holes the entire time. Save yourself the trouble (and back aches) and pack an inflatable or foam sleeping pad.
3. Travel size scriptures. Honestly, I only used my scriptures once or twice each day for my personal reading. It will save so much room in your bucket if you ditch your huge triple combination and invest in a set of the travel sized versions. I was actually worried about packing the small set because of the small text but it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating.
4. More than one apron. Okay ladies, I only packed one apron and when I returned home, I looked like I had rolled around in dirt, sweat, and my dinner. I was constantly sitting on the ground, dropping my food (typical Macady), and leaving my apron on the dirty floor of my tent and my apron was beyond disgusting. Do yourself a favor, and throw an extra one in your stash of belongings. ON THIS SAME NOTE: Don't believe that you won't an apron. It was so awesome to have those two extra pockets to throw my chapstick, sunscreen, working gloves, and gum wrappers in.
5. Compression/exercise leggings. I brought multiple pairs of bloomers and one pair of compression leggings. The leggings were so much more comfortable than the bloomers. Go for comfort, not authenticity. Besides, nobody sees them because they are hidden underneath your skirt.
6. Wipes. Wipes. Wipes. I wouldn't have survived without baby wipes. You will want to pack a LARGE package of wipes. At the end of each day, my legs, arms, feet, hands, face, EVERYWHERE was filthy and it was so nice to clean up a little. I probably used close to 15 or 20 wipes throughout each day. I was covered in dirt and sweat and anything you could possibly imagine that is in Wyoming.
7. A rain poncho + hooded coat. Even if the weather forecasts say that there will be no signs of precipitation... Just throw a poncho and a warm HOODED coat in your backpack or bucket. I was not expecting it to hail (like gum ball sized hail... the big kinds you get at restaurants) in the middle of JUNE but it did and it was cold and hit you like a million little nails. Please pack these two things... you will thank me later.
8. SNACKS! Don't pack tons of junk food, (I hope you realize this is coming from someone who could eat Sour Patch Watermelons on a daily basis). Now, I am not saying don't pack any sweets because we all need a little sugar every once in a while but mostly pack snacks that will actually fill and energize you. My favorite trek snacks were beef jerky and trail mix (and the one box of SP Watermelons...).
9. A bonnet/hat. Let's be honest with each other, neither of these options are stylish by any means BUUUTTT... they were so helpful. I wore a bonnet practically all day, everyday. When I came back home and seen my face for the very first time in a week, I was surprised to see that I was not sunburnt AT ALL. I give complete credit to the bonnet because I forgot to apply sunscreen most of the time (OOPS!). Besides, it helped hide my awful, tangled, dirty hat hair.
10. A handheld mirror. None of the girl's in my tent (including myself) packed a mirror and we were constantly asking each other if our hair looked ok or if our bonnets were on right. A mirror doesn't take up tons of space and it would've been a LIFESAVER.
Hopefully this article will help you to pack more efficiently for trek. After going once and realizing what I should've packed, I am hoping that this will be a benefit to you so that you can have the best trek experience ever. Good Luck!
XOXO, Macady <3