When I was getting ready to go to Havasupai for the first time I really didn’t know exactly what to pack. I had camping gear but nothing really for backpacking. I had to search the internet to find out what other people brought on their trip. I did a ton of research and read a lot of reviews before settling on the things I bought. Hopefully this list below will help others out there so they don’t have to scour 10 different websites and read dozens of reviews to figure out what to pack. All of the items below are things that I personally have. Some are things that I didn’t take on my first trip but have since purchased and taken on my second trip.

It’s tough to get everything right the first time around. I learned a few things the first time and even the second time I wen’t so hopefully you can use what I learned and pack right for your first trip.

I’ve linked every product to Amazon so you can read reviews and get more info on each item.

Stove

For boiling water it doesn’t get any better than a JetBoil. I used this all throughout the day every day to make meals. I heated up water to make tea, oatmeal, hot cocoa, and dehydrated meals (MRE’s). I don’t know what I’d do without it. I think it’s just one of those things every backpacker has. Make sure you get fuel. You’ll only need one small fuel can (7.4 oz. gross weight) which fits nicely inside the JetBoil so it doesn’t take up any more room. If a few people are sharing your JetBoil then you should probably bring an extra fuel can.

Water Filter

I got mixed responses from a bunch of different people about bringing a water filter. I decided to go ahead and bring it and use it anyway. There is a natural spring there where you can fill up your water containers and many people say it’s safe to drink (which I believe) but I still drank through my Sawyer Mini water filter anyway. On my second trip I just drank the water straight from the spring without filtering it. This is great if you have to drink from any other source of water that you don’t know is safe though. It’s nice and small and doesn’t take up hardly any room.

Cup

This Toaks titanium cup is awesome. I used it for practically everything when it came to meals or drinks. It’s so light and strong that I expect it will last forever. I used it for all my drinks, oatmeal, cereal–you name it.

Spoon

This is another item that was really useful. It works out great because it’s really the only utensil you’d need. I’d definitely recommend getting the long Toaks titanium spoon because its good for eating dehydrated meals (MRE’s) right out of the bag. Also, definitely go with the polished bowl on the spoon. The rest of the spoon is smooth but almost rough at the same time and I can’t imagine eating with that finish. I read a lot of reviews on this spoon before purchasing it on Amazon.

Empty Water Jug

This is something I didn’t even think to bring on my first trip but realized (after seeing someone else with one) that it would be a really good idea. Bring one of these one gallon water jugs. Make sure it’s empty though because you’re going to have to hike with it. Just strap it to your backpack–it won’t add any weight. By having one of these, you won’t have to go to the spring to fill up as often. You can fill up and have water for quite awhile. It seemed like I was always going to get more water from the spring. If you’re camping far from the spring, this will save you a bunch of trips. If you want something even larger that can hold more water, there are even collapsable water jugs made for camping like this one. On my second trip this turned out to be a great idea! Tell everyone in your group to bring one for themselves.

The first time I went to Havasupai I brought mostly dehydrated meals (MRE’s) from Mountainhouse and Backpackers Pantry. I have to be honest though, I got pretty tired of them. I wish I would have brought more of a variety of food and snacks.

Here’s what I brought on my second trip:

I brought one MRE for each dinner and brought a lot more snacks like beef jerky, dried fruit, flat pouches of tuna (not the can), packs of instant mashed potatoes (just addd water), a couple granola bars (I get sick of these too if I eat too many), almonds, oatmeal, and fruit roll up type snacks. You’ll burn a lot of calories so don’t worry about bringing foods with a lot of calories. You’ll need all the calories you can get. I definitely lost a few pounds there. If you’re on a diet right now, don’t even worry about sticking to it for your trip. Also, if you forget to pack something, you can buy more food at the market there in the village. The prices are higher but it’s nice to get some extras that you didn’t think about before.

For a lot of the time you’ll be wearing your bathing suit and a tank top or light shirt. Girls will want some light weight shorts to hike to the falls in as well. Don’t overdo it with clothes. You really only need one pair of shorts and a couple shirts and a couple pairs of underwear. You can wash anything that you aren’t wearing in the creek and wear it the next day. There’s really no reason to add more weight and take up more space in your pack. I wore the same shorts every day and brought one quick dry t-shirt and one tank top.

For nighttime, bring a light weight nylon jacket. These are great because they are so thin and lightweight that they can roll or fold up really small.

For the main hike, I’d recommend some good hiking shoes. For the hikes to the falls, I wore my Merrell Trail Glove shoes. They’ve got lots of mesh so water flows out easily. You’ll be crossing the creek a few times so you don’t want to have to change shoes just to do that. It’s really convenient to wear shoes that you can hike around in and go in the water without ever taking them off.

Don’t forget to also bring sunglasses and a hat.

How much can you expect to spend on all this gear?

Really, you can find backpacking gear in every price range. I wen’t a little higher end on my stuff because I wanted gear that would last a very long time. For example, my backpack alone is a $300+ backpack. You certainly don’t need to spend that much to get the job done though. For all the gear I have listed above, I spent somewhere around $1k. Don’t let that discourage you though because you really can do it for much less.