If you’re one of the lucky few that have managed to get reservations at the Havauspai Indian Reservation or if you’re planning to get one in the near future, you will eventually come across the question of: What do I need to pack and how do I make it light?
We have been preparing for this trip for about 3 years (not by choice). We first got reservations in 2020 but then everything shut down due to COVID and finally re-opened this year in 2023! Since this was our first backpacking trip ever (we’ve gone camping before), we researched and prepared like crazy!
Weather
The first thing you will need to consider when you start your packing list is what will the weather be like during your trip. Will it be cold, rainy, snowing or will it be hot and scorching? We went between April 10 – April 13, 2023 and the weather was pretty perfect. It wasn’t too hot during the day during our hikes and it wasn’t unbearably cold either at night. We each just wore shorts and tank-tops/sports bra during the day and long pants, a shirt, and a jacket at night. This helped us to pack lighter in terms of clothes.
However, if you’re going during the colder season, you’ll need to allot space for warmer clothes. Another thing to keep in mind is how windy it is. Every few weeks or so leading up to our trip, I would check the weather on Accuweather to make sure we were properly prepared.
Physical Fitness
Another thing to keep in mind when packing, is your physical fitness level. Whether you decide to do the full hike (10 miles one way), use a mule for your things, or helicopter in, you will still need to do some form of hiking. And hiking with a backpack of 20-30 lbs is no easy feat. Keep that in mind as you pack and evaluate everything that you’re packing.
What to Pack
This list is based on how we packed during our trip in April. Some are essential and some were just our personal preference to have.
- Backpack
You will definitely need a backpack for this trip. If you don’t have one already, you should make a trip to your closest REI to get fitted for one that best suits your build. Also, don’t get a pack that is too big as you will get tempted to fill it completely and might overpack. For us, Brea used an Osprey Kyte 46 and I used a Gregory Amber 44. In the end, they both ended up being about 25 lbs each.
Each backpack weighs ~25 lbs
- Tent or Hammock
This one will be your own personal preference but you can either decide to sleep in a tent or in a hammock. If you get a tent, make sure you get an ultralight one. We purchased a 2-person tent from SlingFin and it weighs about 2 lbs. and 14 oz. Every ounce will matter!
- Sleeping Bag, Sleeping Pad, Pillow
Again, we can’t stress enough – make sure everything is ultralight!
We purchased this sleeping bag on Amazon and it kept us relatively warm at night. It did get chilly around 2-3AM though. This sleeping bag only weighs 1.7 lbs. One downside is that you won’t really be able to cuddle with your partner since you’re both zipped up like a mummy.
The sleeping pad is also important to consider because it is the only barrier between what you’re sleeping on and the ground. So if you get a thinner one, you’ll feel more of the ground. The sleeping pad I chose wasn’t as thick as other ones but only weighs 14.4 ounces. It was also very easy to set up and pack away. The one Brea chose is the Therm-a-rest Trail Pro one from REI. It is more padded but is also more pricey. It also weighs more at 1 lb and 13 ounces.
For our pillows, we bought the ultralight Trekology pillow which weighs 3.88 ounces. This is an air pillow so if you need more padding, there are foam pillows as well. - Cookware and Food
There are no restaurants near the campground so you will need to carry in all the food you’ll need as well as the cookware. We used the MSR Pocket Rocket stove and it worked very well. It was small and easy to set up. You’ll need to bring fuel canisters as well. We brought 2 3.9 oz fuel canisters but only needed 1 for the both of us. All we really did was boil water for the dehydrated meals so we didn’t use much fuel at all.
For food, we brought only dehydrated meals and a few snacks (nuts). We brought 2 dehydrated meals per day for the both of us since each meal had 2 servings (so we had 6 packs all together). We did not account for our last day since we knew we would be hiking out pretty early. There are also 2 frybread stands at the beginning of the campground so we also ate there for a few of our meals. They were delicious and filling!
Since this was our first time trying dehydrated meals, we choose different brands as well as different types of food. Don’t expect too much from these meals though. Out of all the ones we brought, we only really liked 2 of them (the scrambed egg and lasagna one). But we did finish everything because we didn’t want to have to carry it back out.
- Water Bottle and Filtration System
In the campground, there is a spring with drinking water. However, we still filtered the water just to be safe. We used the Sawyer squeeze with a Smart Water bottle since it can screw on top of it. One thing we regret not bringing is a collapsible gallon jug for the water because we had a .5 mile walk each time we wanted to refill.
- Hiking Shoes & Water Sandals
You will be doing a lot of hiking so the hiking shoes you wear are imperative! Make sure you try them out before your trip. Also, if you plan to hike to Beaver Falls, you’ll have to cross 3 rivers. We bought Teva water sandals and they worked well in the water as well as during our hike. - Hiking Sticks
Another item that really helped us during the hike were hiking sticks. There are many brands out there but the ones we used were TrailBuddy and Cascade.
- Gloves
If you plan to hike to Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls, you’ll probably want to get some gloves. There are several ladders and chains you’ll have to climb. And depending on the condition, they might be wet and slippery. We actually just used our Spartan gloves and they worked out great. - Headlamp and Lights
The campground has no light and will be extremely dark at night. You’ll need a headlamp if you’re walking around at night (coming back from a hike, visiting a waterfall after sunset, getting more water, using the restroom, etc). We used headlamps from Black Diamond but found that other people had much more brighter headlamps. Also, if yours uses batteries, make sure to bring extra just in case.
We also brought 3 solar lights for our camp area and inside our tent.
- Odor Proof Bag / Rat Sack, Trash Bags
There are critters inside the campground that will go through your bag if they can smell food. Make sure you get odor-proof bags and hang them up from trees. As I was walking to the restroom one night, I saw a raccoon so they’re definitely around.
Bring extra trash bags for all your trash and other things. We only brought 2 trash bags and regretted not bringing more. - Portable Chargers
Most likely you’ll be using your phone and/or camera a lot during this trip so you’ll need a way to recharge your devices. We brought 2 Anker chargers and that was able to charge both of our iPhones and Apple watches for all 3 days. It was also able to charge our DSLR camera. - Cameras and Tripod
If you are debating about bringing your camera or not, just do it! This is a once in a lifetime kind of trip and you’ll regret it if you don’t bring it. We had our iPhones as well as a GoPro10, Insta360, and a Sony a7riii camera. We didn’t want to bring our big tripod we had since it weighs a lot and just brought a Joby GorillaPod. All together, all the camera equipment plus the tripod probably ended up weighing about 8-9 lbs (remember our total weight in each backpack was 25 lbs.)
- Toiletries
These items are optional but we decided to make them essential haha. We brought hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, compressed paper towels, compressed toilet paper, and body wipes. The compressed paper towels and compressed toilet paper came in handy a lot of times. They are very small in size and you just add water to use them. The compost restrooms do have toilet paper most of the time – but not all the time. - First Aid Kit
Always be prepared! We brought a small first aid kit with us that had antibiotics, band-aids, ace wraps, medicine (tylenol, advil, ibuprofen) - Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Hat
Especially if you are hiking during the hotter season, you’ll need a lot of sunscreen both for your body and your face. Wear a hat for extra protection. - Clothes
Again, this will depend on when you visit Havasuapi. We each brought tank-tops, shorts, swim suits, pants for hiking, and a jacket for nighttime. In hindsight, we probably packed too little in terms of clothes and wished that we brought 1-2 extra clothes each. - Tent Lock
We got 1 tent lock just to be on the safe side although everyone was pretty friendly and no one really bothers you at your campsite. - Games
There’s not much to do at night so to keep ourselves entertained, we brought the Dice version of Settlers of Catan and Uno. We played these on the 2nd and 3rd night (the first night we were just too tired).
Optional things we brought included: a trowel (we didn’t really need it), small foldable table (we got a campsite with a picnic table instead), clothes line (this didn’t really work well with our setup)
You can bring more or less than the above. It just all depends on what your priorities and comfort level are. We even saw a group who brought a camp shower! But just remember – everything you bring in, you have to bring out.
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