What do I take camping in the summer?

As a instructor I am often asked what equipment to take, what will work and what won't. It's a difficult question. On the one hand, a lot depends on the situation and personal preferences, on the other hand, general recommendations should not be discarded either. To give you another guideline in preparing for a hike, and at the same time not to impose anything, I’ll just tell you what I take on summer hikes in the Crimea and the Carpathians.

I stuff all my things into a 95 liter backpack from the Kyiv company "Adventure". He is already 4 years old, but he is holding up great.

I have a special cover for my backpack that protects it from rain. Don't believe manufacturers' claims that their backpacks are waterproof. Only sheet iron does not get wet!

The most common rug is from Izhevsk, sold in any store. I carry it inside my backpack to give it shape. In addition, this way the rug suffers less from branches and bushes.

Polish sleeping bag "Campus" - summer, light 1.2 kg. For hikes in spring and autumn, I take a warmer sleeping bag - “Pinguin Expert”, weight 2 kg, PolarGuard 3d insulation.

I have three tents. Czech "Hannah Arktan" - extreme series, metal arches, almost 4 kg, 3-seater, 2 vestibules. The second is the Polish (I think) “Loap” - a simpler tent, plastic poles, the same weight, 3 places, 1 vestibule. Well, the ultra-light "Hannah Stash" - weight 1.2 kg, 2-seater, mounted on trekking poles.

Now about smaller things (but no less important).

In summer, my main shoe is sandals.  These are the super light, super open Teva hiking sandals.  They keep your feet dry and comfortable both in the heat (feet don't sweat) and in the rain (they dry in 10 minutes). 

Just in case, I carry sneakers with me everywhere. Regular trekking "Salomon" ones. I only take them out when it gets really cold.

For 2 years now I have been walking everywhere with trekking poles. These are something like folding ski poles. They are very, very helpful on hikes. Firstly, the poles remove some of the load from the legs (from 5 to 10 kg each pole). Secondly, they help maintain balance on difficult slopes, slippery mud and other rough terrain. 

To further help my legs drag themselves around the world, I use elastic knee pads. These are something like elastic bandages, only more comfortable. They protect knee joints from overload and cold wind. And the knee pads look very original.

There are also three pairs of socks - regular and warm. But most often they remain unused - warm.

I have almost all of my clothes in a single copy. 

One thermal T-shirt "Commandor" (dries quickly directly on the body). One shorts, one sweatpants, one Polartec fleece (warm jacket). One hat from the sun. One jacket made of waterproof and breathable GoreTex membrane fabric, of course with a hood. In bad weather, I also take waterproof Vaude pants made of membrane fabric.

In spring and autumn, I take fleece gloves and a warm hat with me. It gets chilly at night. 

As a team leader, I carry several attributes of power with me everywhere: a compass, a map, a GPS, a first aid kit, a repair kit.

I also love photography and always keep a camera handy. I have a digital Olympus "mu", splashproof, small and light. No longer new, truly battle-tested.

Kirill Yasko, July 2006

P.S. This article was written by me a long time ago. Since then, I have updated and supplemented it several times until I was convinced of the uselessness of this activity. Over the past years, I have accumulated so much equipment, and my views have changed so much, that I had to compile a Chronology of my equipment and write about the evolution of the contents of my backpack.