Blog Post Title: Havasupai Gear List 2026: The Complete Packing Guide (What Survived & What Failed)

By -

Hiking the 10 miles into Havasupai isn’t just a walk in the park—it’s a descent into a remote desert oasis where your gear is your lifeline. Once you hike down those switchbacks, there is no turning back to grab something you forgot. The heat is intense, the dust is everywhere, and the water crossings can wreck your feet if you aren’t prepared.

After months of planning and testing, I dialed in my loadout for our 2026 trip. Some items were absolute heroes (saving me weight and stress), while others... well, let's just say I have some regrets.

Below is the complete breakdown of everything I carried, from my sleep system to the camera gear I used to document the adventure.

What I Wore (The Desert Uniform)

The hike in is hot, dry, and exposed. My goal here was sun protection without overheating. The Altra Lone Peak 9s were the MVP of this trip—the wide toe box let my feet expand in the heat, preventing blisters even after miles of pounding downhill.

  • Pants: REI Co-op Sahara Convertible Pants

  • Hat: REI Co-op Sahara 5-Panel Sun Hat

  • Socks: Darn Tough Light Hiker Quarter Lightweight Hiking Socks (Men's)

  • Towel: REI Co-op Multi Towel Mini (Kept handy for sweat)

  • Shoes: Altra Lone Peak 9

  • Sunglasses: Knockaround Premiums Sport Polarized

  • Pack: REI Flash 65

  • Shirt: Patagonia M's Cap Cool Daily Graphic Hoody (Relaxed fit for airflow)



The Sleep System (Recovery is Key)

If you don't sleep well, you can't hike well. I prioritized comfort here over "stupid light" weight savings. The Big Agnes Copper Spur is legendary for a reason—it handled the canyon breeze perfectly.

  • Pillow: Fillo Elite Wide Ultralight Backpacking Pillow

  • Sleep Socks: Darn Tough Hiker Quarter Cushion Socks (Sacred socks—only for sleeping and the hike out)

  • Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur Limited 2 Tent with Footprint

  • Pad: NEMO Tensor All-Season Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad (Zero noise, tons of warmth)

  • Quilt: UGQ Deluxe Quillow


Food & Cooking

We kept it simple. No gourmet cooking, just boiling water and rehydrating. The Jetboil Zip is a rocket engine—it had water boiling for coffee in under two minutes.

  • Food Storage: PEAK REFUEL Basecamp Bucket 3.0 (24 Servings)

  • Snacks: Space ice cream (For the novelty and sugar hit)

  • Breakfast: Quaker Instant Oatmeal

  • Coffee: Alpine Start Dirty Chai Latte Instant Coffee (A morning essential)

  • Cup: Sea to Summit Collapsible Cup

  • Stove: Jetboil Zip

  • Utensil: Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Long-Handled Spoon (Essential for eating out of deep freeze-dried bags)

  • Fire: Mini Bic Lighter



Hygiene & First Aid

This is the unglamorous stuff that keeps you in the game. Do not skip the Leukotape or Body Glide. The "Pack Out Kit" is mandatory—Havasupai requires you to pack out all waste.

  • Wipes: Sea to Summit Wilderness Wipes

  • Bug Protection: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent (3 oz.)

  • Bathroom: Coghlan's Toilet Tissue & PACT Outdoors Pack Out Kit

  • Towel: Nomadix Bandana Towel

  • The "Plastic Bag" Kit: Cut-down toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen, CuloClean bidet, Chapstick, Firestarter kit, Body Glide stick, and a compressed towel.

First Aid & Repair: I carried a group kit including Motrin, Tylenol, Imodium, Benadryl, Zofran (for nausea), Coban, duct tape, gauze, and a tick key. I also brought a repair kit with a needle, thread, safety pins, and patch kits for the sleeping pads.



Water Filtration (Critical)

The water in Havasu Creek is beautiful but full of calcium carbonate (lime). It can clog filters fast. I used the HydraPak Seeker as a "dirty water" bag to settle the silt before filtering through the Sawyer.

  • Dirty Water Storage: HydraPak Seeker 4L Collapsible Container

  • Filter: Sawyer Micro Squeeze Water Filtration System

  • Hydration: Osprey Hydraulics Reservoir (3 Liters)

  • Bottle: Smartwater Bottle (The ultralight standard)

Electronics & Camera Gear

Capturing this trip was a priority, but keeping batteries charged in the canyon is a challenge. The Anker 20k is heavy but worth it—it charged my phone, headlamp, and GoPro batteries multiple times.

  • Storage: Sea to Summit Lightweight Dry Bag (35 L)

  • Light: Petzl Swift RL Headlamp & WUBEN X1 Flashlight

  • Power: Anker Portable Charger (20,000mAh, 20W PD) & Anker 525 Power Bank

  • Cameras: GoPro MAX (360 footage), Insta360/DJI Action cameras

  • Sticks/Tripods: TELESIN 3M Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick (for drone-like shots), ULANZI Go Quick II Tripod

  • Utility: FLEXTAILGEAR Zero Pump (Tiny pump that saved my lungs inflating the pads)


"Everything Else" (Heroes & Duds)

This category holds my biggest regret and my biggest win.

The Dud: The Eyson Inflatable Life Jacket. I brought this thinking I'd need it for the deeper pools, but it was just dead weight. I never used it. The Hero: The Amazon Basics Packable Day Pack. This tiny, cheap backpack was perfect for day hikes to Mooney and Beaver Falls when I didn't want to haul my heavy 65L pack.

  • Chair: REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair (Luxury item, but sitting off the ground is nice)

  • Rain Gear: Outdoor Research Apollo Rain Jacket

  • Knife: 704 Gear Urban Ranger EDC Folding Pocket Knife

  • Clothing: Ranger shorts, Under Armour synthetic tee

  • Water Shoes: SIMARI Water Shoes (Essential for the water crossings)

  • Waterproofing: Walmart Trash Compactor Bag (A cheap, unrippable pack liner)


Watch the Full Gear Breakdown

Want to see exactly how I packed this all into the REI Flash 65? Check out the full video breakdown on the channel.

Location: Havasupai Indian Reservation, Havasupai, AZ, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trip Report: Sherwood Forest Faire

By -
Image
First Time at Sherwood Forest I have recently been introduced to the fun world of Renaissance festivals, so Jack and I took a trip to the Ren Faire in McDade, Texas. Upon arrival, a group of characters were handing out flyers to gain attention for their show, which happened to be called Blunt Force Drama. Once Jack and I finally made it through the festival gates, Blunt Force was one of the first shows running. So of course, we stopped there. The show is a melee fighting tournament mixed with adult humor. The show starts by picking judges from the crowd, and then the fighting begins. They even have adult humor commercials while you wait for the next round. I thoroughly enjoyed the fighting and the humor, but some might find it offensive (it was pretty racy). Also, I wouldn't take kids. Once the show finished, we followed Jack's policy of taking a lap around the grounds to see what shops and shows were available. This led me to find some awesome leather ar...
Read more

Tubing Down the San Marcos River

By -
Image
Tubing Down the San Marcos River Linda here for Adventures with BeeGee. We’ve been adventuring more aggressively since the Salkantay trek. My goal this August is to continue the adventuring while catching up on blog entries to ensure we preserve these great memories. On Saturday, July 20th, Jarrett, a friend of ours, and I went tubing down the San Marcos River. I realized I had been living in Austin for almost four years now and had not done this iconic Hill Country tourist activity. To be honest, we probably hadn't done it before because I only learned how to swim last year and am not the most comfortable in the water. The San Marcos River is relatively shallow, and the heat in Texas is unbearable, so if you want to enjoy the outdoors but are uncomfortable with water, this is a great option. The water is initially cold, but once the sun comes out, it starts feeling like a great relief from just lying on your tube. If you’re comfortable with water and swimming, I su...
Read more

Trip Report: Big Bend Round 2

By -
Image
Preparing for the 100-mile Extended Mountain Loop It’s been a while, but I finally found the time to make it back out to Big Bend National Park. If you are interested in our first trip to Big Bend, you can follow along here: Big Bend 2015 . I headed out for the trip around 2 pm on December 2, 2018, for what I’ve termed the Extended Outer Mountain Loop, a 100-mile backpacking trip spanning 7 days. The plan was to meet up with my dad, Bmo, in the Chisos Mountains, cache water, and then start the adventure. Planned 7-day route for Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park Background Location: 310, Alsate Dr, Big Bend National Park, TX 79834 Admission: $25 per vehicle, $14 campsites, $12 backcountry pass Elevation: 1,800 to 7,832 ft. Weather: Varied from rainy, cloudy, and sunny, 30 to 65°F Difficulty: Strenuous Website: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm   7 days' worth of food The Drive Out I didn't get to leave as early as I would have liked ...
Read more