Roaming the hills and setting off into the sunset, isn’t that what life is really about? Breaking free of that sea of cubicles that traps most of use five days a week. There is something to be said for leaving that smart phone and laptop behind and breathing the fresh air and feeling that wind in your hair. What better way to get some sanity back in your life then to head out onto the trail?

Before you go plodding down the open trail to some adventure there are a few pieces of essential backpacking gear items that every good backpacker should have to make the trip one to remember.

There is nothing worse then not having what you need, breaking gear, or poor quality gear when backpacking into the middle of nowhere.

Backpackers depend on top quality gear and take great care and consideration of what items are worthy to be hauled on our back. Once you have lugged a backpack a few miles up and down some hills, every item you bring along had better quality and use.

So, what are the five essential backpacking items that should be found in ever pack?

1. First Aid Kit
The first of the five backpacking gear essentials is a proper first aid kit. Make sure you get a kit with some depth, you may need more then just a small bandage. A first aid kit that comes with normal gauze and tape, but also pill for any kind of sickness and wipes for rashes and infections.

2. Water Filter
Probably one of the most important essential backpacking items is a good water filter. You don’t want to and probably can’t haul all the water you will need, a good water filter will fix that problem.

3. Multi-Tool
You never know what could go wrong or break, there is always a need to have multi-tool available on your side.

4. Flash-Light
You don’t want to be stumbling and fumbling around in the dark, make sure you have a light, compact, and durable flashlight to keep the monsters away.

5. Light-Weight Stove
Burn baby burn, a good backpacking stove will warm your bones and make that food and in turn the trail seem more at home.

These five essential backpacking items are known for their quality and durability, and will be worth their weight and trouble of hauling them down the trail.

Choosing the right gear for backpacking is always a challenge. Before my trips I usually pack and unpack all my gear at least three times. Pulling gear out and setting them to the side, then putting them back in again. It’s never easy to decide what deserves your hard working and burning calories.

Having the proper first aid kit is one of the most important pieces of gear any backpacker can carry. Murphy’s Law will always follow us to the end of the trail we travel, being prepared for it should be first priority.

Water is also the elixir of life, and water is heavy to carry. Taking more then two bottles of water backpacking loads a person down to much, water filters are a must have. A good multi-tool and flashlight are going to be needed to make your backpacking trip go smoothly.

One thing is true, warm food and drink when out on the trail will keep the spirits up and the legs pumping hard. Having a lightweight but quality backpacking stove is a piece of gear a overnight-er that must be hauled along.

What do you think of these five backpacking essentials? What things would add or remove from this list? What’s the one piece of backpacking gear that is your favorite?