West Coast Trail – Packing List – What to pack for the West Coast Trail

So, you’re doing the West Coast Trail. The first question I asked myself, what do I pack for my west coast trail adventure? What do I need to bring with me on this epic hike? I mean, I’m carrying a good 40% of my weight. What’s worth it to bring? What is a want vs need? It was tough and took quite a bit of back and forth. Bringing on the way over, but not necessarily putting it into the bag. Tough decisions but we have answers. Read on to see what we packed and what you might consider packing for the west coast trail.

We packed our bags as a team at the Airbnb the night prior. We had brought everything (and then some) that we thought we would need on the way over, however we wanted to ensure we were not doubling up on items.

The following is what I packed, or at least ensured we had for the team, and what I found to be super essential. Between the five of us, we shared the packing of Food, Food Devices

PACKING LIST: H’s STUFF

KEY TIPS

• Laundry – do it first thing when you get to camp so it has the time to dry. Also, keep in mind with your camping spot where you are situated in relation to the sun and where it is setting. We had a few days where clothes did not get fully dry. There is nothing worse than putting on wet clothes. Also, bring paracord and close pegs.
• Shorts – I honestly barely work shorts on the trail. Only 1 day. Majority of the time there is the fog, or it’s cold out. Should have only brought 1 pair.
• I wore a lot of layers. Some days it was beautiful and sunny out. Other days I felt like we were in a scene from the Walking Dead. I’m not the best in the cold, so I found wearing layers allowed me to keep on or take of items when I got to hot or too cold.
• Waterproof Pants – we did not bring waterproof pants, mainly the forecast for our time on the trail called for minimal rain. If you are going and there looks to be rain, I would highly recommend bringing a pair.
• Gaiters – K & I did not bring gaiters. We were fortunate as we honestly did not need them. But if it’s wet, its muddy. So again, dealer’s choice + check the forecast ahead of time.
• Stuff Sacks or Dry Sacks for Clothes and Misc. Personal Items – I use a lot of the stuff sacks to organize my backpack and I found this made my life a lot easier. I could pull items out of my back pack, know which sack there were in and through them in the tent. It comes down to the level of organization you want.
• In the future I would scrap the burner, camping pots and the propane as this can be a very bulky item and instead go with a more compact system. Jetboil and MSR offer some good options, however they are a bit more on the pricey side. We were fortunate with our group that we could split up the burner, pots and the propane between the 5 of us.

FOOD

• Snacks – pre-package/ portion your snacks for each day on the trail. You’ll want to eat more on the harder days and then you’ll realize you are running short very quickly.
• As a group, I pre-made and pre-packaged our dinners ahead of time. Essentially portioning out the ingredients involved, what it was, what seasoning was included, and how much water to add. We had a lots of freeze dried stews and soups to enjoy, as well as falafel burgers, and other goodies.
  • Day 1 Dinner – Whole wheat pasta soup = whole wheat and veggie pasta, sun dried tomatoes; mixed dehydrated veggies w/ chilli peppers, cumin, and dehydrated soy protein. Mixed the sauce stuff first & boil with the water and then add the noodles.
  • Day 2 Dinner – Bulgur and black lentils with dehydrated vegetables and curry spices. Side of leftover pasta boiled and then tossed with coconut oil and salt & pepper.
  • Day 3 Dinner – TACOs – taco mix = dehydrated black beans, dehydrated soy protein, sun dried tomatoes, smoked paprika, some other chilli spices, dehydrated veggies and dehydrated onions; corn tortillas and dehydrated hummus [this dinner was apparently one of the best].
  • Day 4 Dinner – Burgers & Many Beers at Chez Monique’s
  • Day 5 Dinner – Soup – Mix of dehydrated black beans and bulgur, red curry paste, dried onions and veggies, and soy protein.
  • Day 6 Dinner – Stir Fry – Dehydrated kidney beans, couscous, sun dried tomatoes, mix of dried veggies and onions, bunch of spices.
  • Day 7 Dinner – Stew + “Burgers” – Quinoa with dehydrated kidney beans, dries veggies + onions + carrots + sun dried tomatoes. Seasoning of curry spice, yellow curry packet, salt/ pepper and bay leaves. Dehydrated Falafel Burger Mix.
  • Day 8 – Back to reality. Had lunch at the Market in Bamfield post Hike Completion.
• Breakfast – quick oatmeal with added or a high energy protein bar
• Coffee – KEY
• Tea + Hot Chocolate = special treats
• Smores [Graham crackers, marshmallows + chocolate]. Recommend bringing more chocolate that you think you might need. Chocolate after a long day = highlight.
• Beverages – nothing better than sipping on a scotch in the middle of no where. Dealers choice on what to bring. But make sure you pack enough for the entire trip.

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