My Summer Camping Gear

Below is a typical gear list that I’d pack for a 1-2 day summer camping trip in the hills. This is a 7kg kit, including the trekking poles. As a 46 year old woman, I try to keep my pack weight as light as I can, but I wouldn’t call myself an ultralighter by any stretch of the imagination. I do own a fair bit of ultralight gear but I can happily carry up to around 17kg+ without too much hassle.

Backpack
Atom Packs Prospector 60L. I don’t generally use the full capacity of this pack during the summer, as it’s closer to around 40L or so. These are amazing ultralight packs, handmade in Keswick in the Lakes. Pricey, but you can totally customise them and they’re tough AF. Very repairable too, in case the worst happens (and Atom Packs themselves provide a reasonably priced repair service). I previously used a Granite Gear Blaze, which I did really love, but the Prospector is quite a bit lighter, and a far simpler pack.

Tent
Hilleberg Niak, one of Hilleberg’s three season tents. I own several tents but this is one that I typically take for solo trips outside of winter. I also commonly use a Hilleberg Anjan, especially if my partner is with me, which is a lovely spacious tunnel tent.

Extra stakes
I always bring a few additional stakes with, usually these “nail style” ones, in this case a combination of MSR Carbon Core and Big Sky TubeSteaks. My tent’s own stakes are decent but it doesn’t hurt to have a different style of stakes with for different types of ground.

Sitting mat
A Z-Lite foam mat. I generally keep this in one of the pack’s side pockets so it’s close at hand when taking a lunch break or any other time I may need it whilst on the go. Sometimes, if the forecast is looking particularly nice, I’ll actually bring my Helinox Zero ultralight chair. This is worth the 500g for sitting watching the sky darken on warm evenings.

Hydration
I use a Katadyn BeFree for filtering water, and then bring a soft Osprey 500ml flask, which sits in one of the pack’s strap bottle pockets, and usually has water plus electrolytes in it.

The Nalgene bottle is for decanting filtered water into if I need to grab a full litre of it. The Nalgene bottle is also useful because you can put boiling water into it, handy if, for some reason, the filter fails. I know they’re kinda heavy but I have a sentimental attachment to it!

Poles
I always use poles as I am an old fart with a dodgy knee. These are the Fizan Compact Pro. I’ve been using them as my main poles for a year or so now (I own quite a few sets of poles), and have been really happy with them. They’re surprisingly tough for ultralight poles, and I like the extended grip on them for undulating slopes, as I don’t have to keep adjusting the length for going uphill.

Cook set
A Toaks 650ml pot, an MSR Pocket Rocket stove, a MSR canister stand (I always use a stand to stabilise the canister), and a lighter. I actually usually always have at least one other source of ignition though; the Pocket Rocket does have a piezo ignition on it which is generally reliable in the summer, but I also bring along a flint as well.

First aid
I carry two kits. One small one, which goes in one of my hip belt pockets, and has basic things I may need whilst on the go: blister blasters, a Swiss Army Bantam knife, a tick removal tool, and some basic medications like antihistamines and Ibuprofen. My more comprehensive kit, which lives inside my pack, has bandages, a burn kit, and more medications, including my prescription ones, plus a few other bits and pieces.

Overlooking the head of Loch Affric on the Affric Kintail Way

Toiletries
Deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste tablets, nail clippers, ear plugs in a Liteway toiletry bag. Surprisingly heavy at 260g but these are things I cannot do without!

Practicalities
A can of Smidge, a midge net, and sunscreen. I keep all of these in a hip belt pocket.

Toilet kit
A trowel, toilet roll, dog poo bags (in case I need to pack out), sanitising wipes.

Power
A Belkin 26k bank. Because of the power needs for the photography/videography gear I carry, I always take a beefy power bank.

Sleep system
Big Agnes Rapide SL mat. I own several mats, but this is my favourite and the one I use all summer. Out of all the mats I’ve ever owned (and I’ve literally lost count), this one is, by far, the most like an actual mattress. I personally find it not quite warm enough in winter though, but for the rest of the year this mat is king.

I use an Enlightened Equipment Enigma 40F quilt, which is rated to 5ºC, throughout the summer. It’s really lightweight and packs down tiny (I don’t usually keep it in its stuff sack here, I usually ram it into the bottom of the pack), and a Sea To Summit Aeros Premium Large pillow. The pillow is quite a luxury item as it’s quite big and weighs 140g, which is probably double the weight of my others, but if I use a small pillow I tend to get really stiff shoulders so this is a luxury I am happy to take.

Repair kit
I have a small basic kit with repair patches, Tenacious Tape, and extra guy lines.

Clothing
Spare socks, in this case Darn Tough ones (ALWAYS BRING SPARE SOCKS! There are few things worse than having to persevere with wet ones, they feel awful and are more likely to give you blisters), a Rab Syncrino base layer top and a pair of Patagonia Terrebonne joggers. I like to change out of my hiking clothes and into these items once I am pitched up. They’re soft, clean and more comfy than the clothes I wear for hiking. I also bring a Mountain Equipment Lumiko hooded fleece for when the temperature dips after dark. This is a very lightweight fleece that’s perfect for summer evenings and mornings. I don’t generally bring a down jacket in summer unless I am in Scotland.

Not pictured
My headlamp (a Petzl Bindi), Garmin Messenger and my camping sponge (for condensation, spills, etc). Also my usual waterproof wear: a Fjallraven Keb Eco Shell and an Enlightened Equipment rain kilt. Also, obviously, food and the small 2L dry bag I use as a bin bag.