Packing List for Hiking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

This packing list for hiking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park includes all the gear and clothing we recommend bringing along for your camping trip. Before your trip, check the weather to make sure you are bringing the appropriate items along. Weather conditions in the Guadalupe Mountains can vary significantly depending on the time of year and elevation of your hike. The weather ranges from highs in the 90’s (°F) in the summer to lows in the 30’s in the winter. Additionally, strong winds are common in the fall and winter and can result in frigid wind chills. Whether you’re heading to Guadalupe in the summer, winter, spring, or fall, we’ve got gear recommendations for all seasons.

Packing List for Hiking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Hiking Gear

• Day Hiking Backpack: Osprey makes excellent backpacks that come in a variety of sizes, support types, and colors. For a pack with suspension and breathability for your back, the Women’s Osprey Tempest 20L (Amazon | REI) or Men’s Osprey Talon 22L (Amazon | REI) are great options. For a lightweight multi-purpose day pack, check out the Osprey Daylite Plus.
• Hydration Bladder: Be sure to stay hydrated and bring plenty of water on your hike. While hiking, I find that I tend to drink more water if I’m using a hydration bladder (Amazon | REI) versus a water bottle.
• Trekking Poles: If you plan to hike Guadalupe Peak or any other high elevation trails, we recommend bringing trekking poles. The popular Guadalupe Peak trail is 8.4 miles roundtrip with a steep 3,000 ft climb to the peak followed by a steep descent back to the trailhead. Trekking poles will help reduce the impact on your knees, especially while hiking downhill. Jordan and I both use Alpine Summit Trekking Poles which are a great bang for your buck. Cascade Mountain Tech Trekking Poles are also well known for being a great value, however, I found that the padding on the Cascade Mountain Tech wrist straps prevented me from tightening the straps enough to fit correctly on my small hands. Alpine Summit poles didn’t have that issue and were overall very similar to the Cascade Mountain Tech poles.  
• Headlamp: We always carry headlamps in case of an emergency. We also use them around camp at night. Our favorite is the Petzl Tikka Headlamp (Amazon | REI). We like headlamps that have the red light option for stargazing! (Red light helps preserve your night vision.)
• Sunscreen and Lip Balm with SPF: Many of the hikes in the Guadalupe Mountains are exposed with little to no shade. Be sure to pack and apply sunscreen and lip balm with SPF. For lip balm, we’re fans of Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 since it completely seals with a screw on cap and won’t melt all over your gear.
• Bug Spray: Apply your bug repellent of choice before your hike to help keep the mosquitoes and ticks away. DEET can be applied to your skin, though it should be kept off of your hiking gear as DEET can damage plastic and certain synthetics. Sawyer Permethrin spray is an insect repellent option that can be used to treat your clothing and backpack prior to your trip. Be sure to plan ahead when using Permethrin so the items you spray have plenty of time to dry before use.
• Food: For day hiking, energy bars, granola bars, nuts, dried fruits, and jerky are our snacks of choice.
• Phone/Camera
• Trail Maps
• First aid
• Knife

Hiking Clothing

• Quick-Dry Shirt: Choose quick-dry materials for your clothing and avoid cotton. Cotton retains water which can make you feel colder in cold weather and make you feel sweatier and cause chaffing in the heat. I typically will wear a tank top and layer on a long sleeve shirt like the Brooks Dash 1/2 Zip (Women’s | Men’s) for extra sun protection when needed.
• Fleece Sweater: For added warmth and coziness with breathability, pack a fleece sweater like the Outdoor Research Vigor (Women’s | Men’s).
• Insulated Jacket: Guadalupe Mountains National Park can be chilly depending on time of year and if you hike to high elevations. My favorite insulated mid layer jacket for warmth and breathability while hiking is the Arc’teryx Atom LT (Women’s | Men’s).
• Rain Jacket: A rain jacket, like the Marmot Precip (Women’s | Men’s), can be used as an outer shell over top of insulating layers or on its own to block wind and rain. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is infamous for very strong bouts of wind so be prepared!
• Hiking Pants/Leggings/Shorts: In warm weather, I like to wear athletic leggings or running shorts. Jordan wears running shorts or Prana Brion shorts. For colder weather, we both wear Prana pants (Prana Halle pants for women & Prana Brion pants or Prana Zion pants for men).
• Hiking boots/trail running shoes: For day hikes, we typically prefer to wear trail running shoes over hiking boots, but for steep hikes (like the hike to Guadalupe Peak), it’s nice to have the sturdiness and ankle support of a hiking boot. For trail running shoes, Jordan and I both wear Salomon Speedcross (Women’s | Men’s). For hiking boots, I love my Salomon X Ultra Hiking Boots (Women’s | Men’s), and Jordan has been wearing the Merrell Moab Hiking Boots (Women’s | Men’s) for years.
• Moisture-wicking undergarments
• Hiking socks: Good socks are important for foot comfort and preventing blisters. Smartwool PhD Outdoor Socks (Women’s | Men’s) are our favorite hiking socks. 
• Warm Beanie: Depending on the time of year, the weather in the Guadalupe Mountains can be cold. A beanie is a quick, lightweight layer that provides a lot of extra warmth.
• Gloves: Gloves protect your hands while hiking in cold temperatures, especially when using trekking poles. We like North Face Etip gloves (Women’s | Men’s) so we can keep our gloves on while taking pictures with our cell phones. 
• Lightweight, breathable Hat: For warm weather, swap out your beanie for a lightweight, breathable hat that provides extra sun protection. I really like the Brooks Chaser Running Hat and the Brooks Sherpa Running Hat since they’re very lightweight and packable.
• Bandanna or Buff
• Sunglasses: With classic designs and polarized lenses, Suncloud Sunglasses are a good bang for your buck.

Camping Gear

• Tent: We use a 4-person Coleman tent when we are camping with friends or want some extra wiggle room. When weight matters or if campsite or car space is limited, we use our backpacking tent.
• Sleeping bag: Our sleeping bag models have been discontinued, but nowadays we would recommend the Big Agnes Sidewinder, which is available in both men’s and women’s versions (and in different lengths!). It’s insulated with Responsible Down Standard and its unique design provides comfort for side sleepers.
• Sleeping bag liner: We are big fans of sleeping bag liners for three main reasons – they help reduce wear and tear on your sleeping bag, they provide extra warmth when it’s cold, and they can be used instead of a sleeping bag in hot weather. We would like our sleeping bags to last as long as possible, sleeping bag liners help by keeping our bags clean so we don’t have to wash them. After our camping trips, we wash the liners and don’t have to wash our sleeping bags.
• Sleeping pad: Sleeping pads provide cushioning and insulation, both of which are important for a good night’s sleep. We like the comfort that air pads provide over foam pads. I love the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra Sleeping Pad. When inflated, the pad thickness is a cushy 3.25 inches and the 4.5 R-value helps to keep cold sleepers like me warm.
• Pillow: For a camping pillow, we recommend the Nemo Fillo Elite. It provides good neck support and packs down to the size of an apple! In addition to camping, we bring it on airplanes and on our road trips too!
• Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, glasses/contacts, etc. If you’d like to freshen up during your camping trip, bring along Sea to Summit Wilderness wipes to hold you over until your next shower. There are no showers in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Camp Kitchen Gear

• Food: There are no dining options in Guadalupe Mountains National Park so be sure to bring plenty of meals and snacks for your trip. For dehydrated meals, Mountain House Freeze Dried Meals are our go-to. I get serious cravings for Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai too. These dehydrated meal options are all lightweight, tasty, and convenient. Just add boiling water into the bag and your food will be ready in a few minutes.
• Cookware: We’ve used the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Camper Cooking Set for years for all of our camp cooking.
• Utensils: The TOAKS Titanium Long Handle Spoon is lightweight and long enough to scrape the last bits of nosh out of a Mountain House bag.
• Lighter/matches
• Stove: The MSR PocketRocket Ultralight Backpacking Stove has served us well for many years. The Jetboil Flash is also very great for quickly boiling water to use with dehydrated meals or coffee.
• Fuel: A 3-season Isobutane or Isobutane/Propane blend will work for most hikes, but if you are going for a winter trip, make sure to get an all-season blend fuel.
• Water Bottle: While hiking, I prefer to use a hydration bladder, but while hanging out at camp, I prefer to drink from a bottle. After a long day of hiking, it’s nice to not have to bite down and drink from the hydration bladder hose anymore. We like Hydro Flasks with the straw lid.

Camp Clothing

• Sleep Shirt and Bottoms: We pack moisture-wicking tops and bottoms for sleeping during our camping trips. For cold nights, Smartwool Merino 250 Base Layer Tops (Women‘s | Men’s) and Smartwool Merino 250 Base Layer Bottoms (Women’s | Men’s) are a top pick for warmth, breathability, and resisting odors.
• Camp Shoes: Bring along another pair of shoes in addition to your hiking boots to serve as camp shoes. Your feet will appreciate the break from hiking boots after a long day of hiking, and wearing camp shoes will give your hiking boots time to air out. For hot weather, I love my Teva Hurricane Drift Sandals (Women’s | Men’s) as camp shoes. Crocs are a great option too. For cold weather, Teva ReEmber Moc’s are amazingly cozy.
• Sleeping Socks: The compression of hiking socks can sometimes feel restrictive while sleeping. I prefer the fit and warmth of Acorn Fleece Socks at night.

Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and this means that we may earn a small commission on any purchase made at no extra cost to you. You can learn more about our affiliate policy here. As always, all ideas and opinions expressed in this post are entirely our own. Thank you for your support!