Quick Tips: My Top Three (Not So) Essential Backpacking Items

a fourth non-essential but also very essential item: a trail pup! This is my friend Deric with his fur-baby, Ziggy

Hi there, party people! As September comes at us with full force, I want to wish you a marvelous end of summer! September is one of the gem months, meaning it allows summer to still linger while it treats us with the colorful canopies of changing leaves. It’s the perfect time to get your last few camping trips in before the end of the summer season.

Anyway, I learned and re-learned three things from this past backpacking season. I’m here to share three essential-non-essential items with you in this quick little blog :-) 

My Three Not-So-Essential Backpacking Items Are:

1. Nail clippers

2. Buff

3. Truffle Sauce 

1. Nail Clippers

I’ve raved about nail clippers in the past. To me, they are a non-negotiable. Every trip I go on, somebody uses them! They’re handy to have when your toes get ravaged in your boots. An ingrown or broken nail can make or break a trip! Your feet are what carry you up and down the trail. Be kind to them and all your toes! 

We put our poor feet through so much! Treat your toes with a fresh clip on the trail!

2. Buff

This is such an old photo (2018!), but the goat is cute!

Another backpacking item I use constantly is my Buff. Again, I have written about the Buff, a.k.a. the tubular bandanna, before. I still hold to the sentiment. It is the best “non-essential” item I own because of its versatility. Feeling cold? Put the Buff over your ears! Feeling hot? Dip the Buff in a creek and drape it over yourself. Sweating? Wipe off with the Buff. Hairband broke? Use the Buff as a scrunchie. The functions are near endless.  

3. Truffle Sauce

Feeding Lauren a spoonful of mashed potatoes topped with Melinda's black truffle sauce.

I made a miraculous discovery one day at Winco, my local grocery establishment. When I tell you my entire existence shifted into a better, more wholesome, and fulfilled one, I am not exaggerating. I found a 2-oz bottle of Melinda’s Black Truffle sauce. Everything changed. The flavor profile enhances every snack and meal on the trail. It’s the perfect size to pack into camp and really will change the way you eat on the trail. Of all the essential backpacking items, this one is by far the tastiest.

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These are three items that you could arguably not bring on the trail, but they have become essentials on my backpacking gear checklist. What are some items you bring onto the trail with you that you can’t live without? Let me know by commenting! Happy camping!