The Preparation Process - Gear, Food and Clothing

While this was our first experience at "Backpacking", we are experienced campers and outdoorsmen. That being said, your pack weight is probably one of the most important things on this hike and it is important that you spend as much time thinking about what NOT to put in your pack as you do about what to put in it. I did not have much in the way of backpacking gear so I made a post on Facebook asking friends for some loaner gear and I couldn't believe how many people would reply. If you are only going for a few days and won't do it again, it doesn't make much sense to spend $500-$1000 on gear only to put it in the closet later. You are better off asking friends to raid their closets for the same gear.

Remember, the nights rarely get below 70 degrees at the Kalalau campground so don't spend much time packing "warm" items. Instead, think about ways to keep your pack "light" and "dry". While the rains are not generally heavy, they are most certainly consistent and will happen.

Here is a brief rundown of our gear:

1 Osprey 50 litre pack with rain fly.
1 Full Size Osprey Hydration Day Pack
1 Full Size North Face Hydration Day Pack
3 Rain Jackets (Marmot, Mountain Hardware and Jagged Edge)
1 North Face 3-person three season tent. 2-Pole construction
2 Thermarest self-inflating sleeping pads.
1 King size sheet. Much less bulk than 3 sleeping bags and we were plenty warm.
1 Jet-Boil Canister Style Cooking Stove w/2 fuel canisters
1 MSR Water Filter
Trekking Poles, Leatherman, Cloths line, Whistle, Spot GPS and First Aid Kit

Here is a brief rundown of our clothing:

All 3 of us hiked out in lightweight shorts and hiking shirts. Remember NO COTTON. Think Hot and Wet.
My wife and daughter wore their bathing suit tops under their shirts and made for convenient swims.
Dry socks are pretty important to eliminate blisters. We took 2 pairs each and that was sufficient.
We each took thin thermals to sleep in but they were not needed.
You will want at least one change of clothes for the camp site. You will get very sweaty on the way out.
Shoes: I wore Salomon Wings, daughter wore Keen water shoes and wife wore Vibram FiveFingers.
You should take a pair of flips for the campsite. You will want out of your shoes as soon as you get there.
In short, one of the benefits of hiking in Kauai is that the weather is so good. It will always be 65-85.

Here is what we took for food:

Instant mashed potatoes. The Idahoan brand is just add water and doesn't taste to bad.
Instant oatmeal. Two packs per person each morning was sufficient.
Lipton soup mixes. Again, just add water makes for an easy meal.
Salami, pepperoni, laughing cow cheeses and pita bread. None need refrigeration and were nice treats.
Dried fruit and nuts.
Tiger's Milk Bars - In general, energy bars are great to take because they melt but we put these in the freezer the night before and they made the trip just fine.
Gatorade powder to mix with the water.


When we left, my pack weighed 35 lbs and each of the girls packs weighed 25 lbs. A lot of that was water and food. We ended up taking too much food and gave quite a bit away to a very happy camper who had found himself in the opposite position. Remember, there is quite a bit of fruit in the valley (Guava, Bananas and Mangoes), so you won't starve to death if you run out.

We were over packed and over prepared as usual but I thought we did a pretty good job as a whole. Below are pictures of all the gear laid out and then with all three packs loaded.