A backpacker on a wide dirt path with cactus on both sides. A snowcapped mountain is visible in the distance.
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Beginner Backpacker’s Guide to the Trans-Catalina Trail

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Located only 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles – the second most populated area in the United States – California’s Trans-Catalina Trail is an extremely popular backpacking trip for first time backpackers. The 38.5 mile trail requires only the most basic navigational skills, has no technical climbs, passes by potable water spigots as well as food resupply options ever few miles, has developed campgrounds with toilets and picnic tables, and even stays within cell service range for large stretches at a time. Through the trek across the island chaparral feels isolated and rugged, the reality is that you’re never more than a few miles from a civilization.

Planning your own trip to Catalina Island? Check out our Trans-Catalina Trail Guide!

Despite the abundance of trail amenities, the success rate for first time backpackers on the Trans Catalina Trail is lower it should be. Beginner backpackers too often carry the wrong gear and haven’t accounted for elevation gain/loss and/or the effects of heat in their daily mileage goals. Fortunately, all these things are easily mitigated with a little advanced planning.

Table of Contents

  • Backpacking Essentials
  • Clothing and Toiletries
  • Backpacking Food
  • Optional Items

First Time Backpacker’s Packing List for the Trans-Catalina Trail

You don’t have to ben an ultralight devotee to pack lighter – nor do I recommend first time backpackers purchase expensive UL gear before they decide whether or not backpacking is a passion they’re ready to invest in. But weight is an important consideration for all backpackers, especially beginners. If you’re a first time backpacker who’s never backcountry camped before, its easy to conflate preparedness with a ‘kitchen sink’ mentality because you can’t gauge an item’s necessity from experience, nor have you learned how to multi-purpose your gear for the ‘just in case’ situations you might be worrying about.

Unfortunately, the bulk of those items adds up and while it’s tempting to think of comfort and weight on opposite ends of a sliding scale, it’s not that simple. At a certain point, your gear no longer exists to serves you; you become a slave to your gear, hauling it up and over every ridge line with ever growing feelings of resentment.

I have never seen such heavy packs as those I saw waiting for the ferry to Avalon. One man said his pack weighted 45 lbs (20kg) (spoiler alert: he ended up bailing at Two Harbors because his knees were hurting. Of course they were!). Contributing to this weight was a canister for fuel per night (noo!), enough paracord to knit a hammock, and full size toiletries. Our pack weight for a comparable trip was less than half that, including camera equipment and extra water.

Backpacking Essentials

You don’t need to be a gear expert before your first backpacking trip, but knowing a little bit about the essential backpacking gear will save to frustration (not to mention money) in the long run.

Backpack. A 45L or 50L pack provides ample room for week long trips without providing too much room. Larger packs (60+ L) are not only heavier, they encourage overpacking. We carry the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 45 + 5 SL and 50 + 5 which are perfect for up to 30 lbs of gear.

Tent/Shelter. A freestanding backpacking tent – a tent that remains erect all on its own – is the easiest to pitch and is what I’d recommend for newer backpackers, but the ground of the campsites along Trans-Catalina allow you to stake down a semi-free standing or tent-pole tent if that’s what you have available. These types of tents require the tension from staking out the corners and/or use trekking poles instead of tent poles to maintain their structure. There is no place to hang a hammock at Parson’s Landing. Only carry as much tent as you need. If you’re one person, you only need a 1P tent (2P max). If you’re two people, you have the option of splitting the weight of a 2P or 3P tent between you.

Sleeping Bag. There are three basic styles of backcountry sleeping bag: the classic rectangle, the mummy, and the ‘spoon’ (also falling into this category are the semi-rectangular or modified mummy). Mummy bags are designed for extreme temperatures, as they conform to your body to conserve heat. I backpacked with a mummy bag for years and, while warm, slept poorly the entire time because I found it too constricting. Rectangle bags are very roomy, but often heavier for the warmth their provide. Spoon bags are the perfect balance between weight/warmth ratio and comfort, particularly if you need to bend one knee out while you sleep. There’s also sleeping quilts, but I typically just unzip my sleeping bag entirely if I want the functionality of a quilt. Down bags are lighter but more expensive. Synthetic bags are heavier, but more economical.

Sleeping bags have a temperature ratings to describe how warm you’ll feel at various temperature ranges. The “Comfort” rating is the one you want to look at it; Limit and Extreme tell you the temperatures at which you’ll start to feel cold and the coldest temperature the bag will allow you to survive. Temperatures generally do not dip below freezing on the Trans-Catalina, so a 30° (for cold sleepers) or 45° bag (for warmer sleepers) is sufficient for most people during the shoulder seasons.

Sleeping Pad. A sleeping pad serves the dual purpose of insulating you from the ground temperature as well as cushioning your hips and shoulders. Self-inflating sleeping pads are heavy and bulky. Closed-cell foam mats are light weight but not very comfortable. Get an insulated air sleeping pad instead. Sleeping pads are rated by “R-value” which describes how well they insulate you from the ground. It doesn’t get that cold on the TCT, so R-value in the 3 range would be sufficient. I carry the REI Helix Insulated Sleeping Pad (R = 4.9) and have never slept better.

Pillow (optional). Not everyone needs a pillow to get a good night sleep, but if you do you’ll find the weight of an inflatable pillow is well worth it. Compressible foam pillows are fine for front-country camping, but the bulk becomes a nuisance in a backpack. Seasoned backpackers often create their own headrests by stuffing clothing and other items into a jacket and that can certainly work, but I’ve carried a 3 oz Sea-to-Summit pillow that tucks into the pillow pocket of my Nemo Disco sleeping bag for hundreds of miles and there is absolutely nothing that compares to sleeping soundly in the backcountry. If you’re backpacking on a budget, a car wash sponge can be a very economical option.

Headlamp. A basic headlamp is fine for the Trans-Catalina, and because there’s plenty of charging and resupply opportunities along the trail it doesn’t make a big difference where it’s battery operated or rechargeable. Just make sure you have one and that you keep it pointed towards the ground when walking through camp. It’s inconsiderate to shine your headlamp into tents and/or to blind other campers by shining it at their face. In fact, unless you’re wearing it specifically for a situation where you need to be hands-free, don’t wear it on your forehead: hang it around your neck or hold it in your hand to help you navigate around the campground after dark and use the lowest light setting possible. Red-light setting is best for camp, but not all models have this.

Trekking poles. A good quality pair of trekking poles are worth their weight in pain-killers for the wear and tear they take off of your joints, particularly your knees on the downhill stretches, of which there are plenty on the Trans-Catalina Trail. Trekking poles also help you maintain balance while carrying a pack. There are lots of trekking pole varieties: choice of material (carbon-fiber vs aluminum), collapsibility (telescoping vs Z-fold), hand grip material (cork, foam, rubber) and different locking mechanisms. Don’t sweat the small stuff here – a lot of this is personal preference. Find an affordable pair that feels comfortable in your hand. I recommend the telescoping variety as I’ve seen the locking mechanism of some very pricey Z-folds break through ordinary use. Black Diamond REI Flash Carbon Trekking Poles

Personal Items

Once you have the basics out of the way, start considering your personal items. This is where I’ve seen weight really get out of hand with first time backpackers (and even those with more experience). I promise, you do not need a new clean hiking outfit for every day of the trip. You really don’t. Here’s the packing list that you really need to hike the Trans-Catalina Trail for a four night trip (and what I specifically took on mine). No more, no less.

  • Clothing. The key to packing well is to pack layers. Natural fibers like wool (NO COTTON) don’t smell for many days and synthetic fibers (which do) dry very quickly – that’s the entire reason to own them – so you can do a quick wash as needed. Mix and match the following layers paper-doll style to suit the conditions as needed.
  • Socks. Two pairs – one to wear and one to spare. I made the switch to wool toe socks a few years back to prevent toe blisters and I will never look back. Do not hike in cotton socks! They will never dry.
  • Undergarments. For a trip of this length, you could pack a clean pair of underwear each day, rather than carrying enough extra pairs to wash. Choose light weight, non-cotton underwear. If you wear a bra, opt for a sports-bra style with wide seamless straps like the Brooks Crossback Sports Bra. The backpack straps will be putting a lot of pressure on your shoulders where the bra-straps sit; this avoids chafing.
  • Sunscreen. This is one toiletry not to forget. The sun can be brutal on the Trans-Catalina Trail.
  • Personal Toiletries. The list of essential items here will vary to a degree based on the individual, but the key here is to only take the quantity of any given item needed for the duration of the trip. Leave full-size toiletries at home. Even “travel-size” toiletry items can be many-times more than what’s needed. Repackaging your toiletries into smaller containers reduces both weight and bulk. Key items include tooth brush/paste, deodorant, chapstick, and medications. I also carry a small travel-sized hair brush and mini dry-shampoo. Others may want facial cleanser or hand lotion. Carry what you know you need on a daily basis, but leave anything optional behind (and remember there stores along the way in case you realize you do need something you don’t have. That’s the real beauty of the Trans-Catalina Trail for first time backpackers). If you menstruate, I highly recommend carrying a back-up product of preference even if you don’t expect to need it (exercise, travel, and altitude can all change your cycle) and equally recommend switching to a disc (or cup) if you’re thinking seriously about backpacking long term.

*Note of caution on yoga pants and leggings. There are hiking-specific leggings with abrasion resistant materials (the Smartwool Active Wind Tight is awesome and I love these for cool-weather backpacking), but your favorite pair of athleisure-wear might not be up to the task. Many pairs do not breathe well, become hot and sweaty, and can’t withstand being snagged along the trail. Nothing is fun about trying to squirm into a frayed, smelly, damp pair of leggings three days into the trip. Admittedly, finding a well fitting pair of women’s pants can be an absolute nightmare (I have finally settled on the REI Trailmade pant!) and leggings do have their place in the backcountry. But make sure you’re hiking in a pair suited for multiple days in the elements, otherwise relegate them to day-hikes only.

Kitchen GEar & Food

  • Backpacking Stove or Jet Boil. While it’s not strictly necessary to have a stove on the Trans-Catalina trail, I think backpacking is a lot more enjoyable with hot tea/coffee to start the day and a warm meal to end it. For primarily just-add-water meals, the JetBoil Flash is the easiest to use. It’s a completely self-contained – just add a canister of fuel and you’re set. On the other end of the spectrum is a backpacking stove, like the MSR Pocket-Rocket, a light weight stove on which you can cook an myriad of things in the separate pot and/or skillet you need to bring along with.
  • Fuel. You cannot bring fuel abroad the Catalina Express ferry so much purchase it on the island from the Catalina Conservancy. One 4oz fuel canister is plenty of fuel for 1-2 people using a JetBoil to boil several liters of water a day. If you plan to do a lot of cooking over a campstove, then you may need one 8oz fuel canister.
  • Backpacking meals. One of the features of the Trans-Catalina Trail are the numerous opportunities to purchase food. This reduces the amount of meals you need to pack and carry, but doesn’t account for all of them. We create our own backpacking meals using a combination of readily available freeze-dried and grocery store ingredients to reduce weight.
  • Utensils. If opting for boil bag meals, either in the form of store-bought backpacker meals or those you make yourself, a light weight, long handled spoon (or spork) is all that you’ll need. If you plan on doing more intensive food prep in camp, you’ll obviously need more, but it’s not essential.
  • Water bottle (or water bladder). I prefer the convenience and transparency of a good old-fashioned water bottle compared to water bladder. Water bladders allow for easy and continuous sipping while hiking, but make it more difficult to gauge how much water is left and may also require repacking of the pack to remove, fill and replace the water bladder when it gets low. Trail runners or those needing to make quick miles may find the need to briefly stop and drink from a water bottle a nuisance; I see it as as a welcome break to enjoy the surroundings.
  • Cup (optional). Part of the pleasure I get from backpacking is sipping a cup of tea (or coffee) early in the morning amidst spectacular scenery, which is best enjoyed from a proper cup.

OPTIONAL ITEMS FOR THE TRANS-CATALINA TRAIL

  • Swim suit. The campgrounds of Little Harbor, Two Harbors and Parsons Landing campground are beachside, so if you plan to take a swim, make sure you bring something that will dry quickly and/or that you can change out of to prevent chafing.
  • Towel. Weather depending, the sun may dry you off quick enough, but we’ve found a small, light weight backpacking towel comes in handy rain or shine.
  • Cell phone charger. There are several places to charge electronic devices along the pay, particularly at Airport in the Sky and at Two Harbors. If you want to charge your electronic devices at the various ports, you’ll need something to connect your USB cords to a wall outlet.
  • Power bank. Keeping your phone on airplane mode will extend its battery life, but for charging this or any other electronics at camp you’ll want a small power bank. Always remember to fully charge your electronic devices (cameras, phones, etc) prior to your trip.
  • Small Bills. If you want to take a rent a locker at Hermit Gulch or take a warm shower either there are at Two Harbors, you’re going to need quarters. In Hermit Gulch, the ranger will make change and there’s a coin machine in Two Harbors. You’ll need cash in the form of $1 or $5. All other restaurants and shops on the island take Visa/Amex/Mastercard.

And that’s everything a first time backpacker needs to hike the Trans-Catalina Trail!

Planning your own trip to Catalina Island? Check out our Trans-Catalina Trail Guide!

Have questions about hiking the Trans-Catalina Trail as a first time backpacker? Let us know!

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