Gear For Backpacking Alaska Ultralight & Fully Prepared
Last Updated: December 2, 2025
By Alan Dixon
By Jaeger Shaw
Your Shortcut To Backpacking Alaska In Ultralight Style
Simply put, backpacking Alaska is the pinnacle of hiking. While traversing this vast landscape, you will experience a profound, life-altering sense of grandeur, solitude, humility, and oneness with nature. Instead of crowds, you will encounter grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou, elk, and musk ox. From hiker to hiker, we implore you to visit Alaska!
But there’s a catch. Compared to the Lower 48, backpacking Alaska presents unique challenges in almost every regard. Meet those challenges and you’re likely to have the trip of a lifetime. Fail on any axis and your trip could have a very different outcome! This guide will help you to prepare for the challenges from an ultralight backpacking perspective with optimal gear and food, and have the very best and safest Alaska trip possible.
Table of Contents
- The Six Alaskan Backpacking Challenges
- Core Four Backpacking Gear For Alaska
- Food Optimization
- Unconventional Gear & Supplies
- Ultralight Apparel & Accessories
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
About the author: Alan Dixon “Adventure Alan” has guided, backpacked, and pack rafted in Alaska most summers for the last 15 years, including trips to the Alaska Range, Denali NP, the Brooks Range, Gates of the Arctic NP, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Wrangell St. Elias NP, and the Talkeetnas. He’s been a pioneer of ultralight backpacking since the 1990s, launched this website in 1999, and co-founded Backpacking Light in 2001. He’s backpacked and climbed all over the world for almost 60 years.
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June 23, 2020 at 6:41 AM north of the Arctic Circle. Severe weather can happen at any time of year in AK — even mid-summer. But with the right (and light) gear you can do just fine.
The Six Challenges Of Backpacking Alaska
Backpacking in Alaska creates a number of specialized challenges that require specialized solutions. In addition to trail-less routes, week+ long food carries, unpredictable weather, endless daylight, raging rivers, consistently wet feet, grizzly bears, and clouds of mosquitoes, you must be entirely self-reliant. Broadly speaking, these are the six types of challenges you will face:
- Longer Trips, Limited-To-No Resupply: Nearly all of the best hiking in Alaska is accessed via bush plane. These flights are expensive and can only take off and land in specific areas. As such, we believe a 10 day trip is the optimal length to maximize backcountry time and get the most bang for your buck on the trip; seven days minimum. In addition, longer trips may be required for having enough time to travel between your drop off and pick up destinations. However, a 10 day trip is longer than most backpackers go without resupply, and creates potential for extremely heavy packs. We’ll cover in detail how to minimize pack weight (our packs are under 25 lb for 10 days) without spending $1000+ per food drop.
- Rugged Terrain, No Trails: Backpacking in Alaska means forgoing trails (there are none) and embracing cross country travel. You will be required to master off-trail navigation, and should be experienced with GPS as well as map and compass. What’s more, there will be thick brush, numerous boggy and tussocked areas, in addition to rock, scree, talus, and late-season snow in the mountains. Finally, due to the lack of trails and rugged terrain, you won’t be traveling as fast or making the miles you do in the lower 48.
- By far the greatest hazard is river crossings. Alaska is full of large rivers, many of which can be uncrossable on foot due to time of year or recent storms. Fording safety is beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say, you really, really need to know what you are doing when assessing if a river is safe, let alone crossable. Then you must execute your ford with excellent technique.
- Unpredictable Weather: There is risk of cold weather with snow at any time of year, including mid-summer. This is not theoretical; we’ve had summer snow on our last two trips. You must be prepared for extended rain, high winds and unprotected campsites without any tree cover. And get used to sleeping in daylight, even at “night.”
- Bears and Mosquitoes: Alaskan wildlife is bountiful, and while visiting, you are no longer the apex predator. Precaution must be taken with regard to grizzly bear safety, including staying super alert while hiking, especially in brush; proper food storage, and bear spray. But perhaps an even greater challenge is presented by the prolific local mosquito population. Your gear and clothing must protect you from the possibility (in peak season) of a non-stop swarm of mozzies. Only a fully enclosed tent, and proper clothing selection in conjunction with insect repellent treatment and topical creams will keep you sane and prevent bites.
- Self Reliance: With no trails, no roads, essentially no helicopters, and very few landing areas for planes, an emergency rescue or quick exit from an aborted Alaskan trip is unlikely. And if the weather is bad (visual flight rules apply) it might take two or three days before a plane can reach the nearest landing strip. As such, you must be truly self-reliant. It’s critical that you recognize hazards to prevent emergency.
Photo: Alison Simon
A 23 Pound Pack for 10 Days?
Key Gear & Weight Savings Techniques for Backpacking Alaska
For a 10-day Alaska trip without resupply, packs can get heavy. This sections explains our approach to minimizing pack weight. For example, on our last 10 day trip, our packs were under 25 pounds. That includes, food, fuel, bear food storage, bear spray, satellite messenger, etc. Read on to find out about our key gear selections that are both lightweight and fully capable of meeting the challenges of Alaska north of the Arctic Circle.
The Best Core Four Ultralight Gear for Backpacking Alaska
Alaska is very demanding on backpacking gear, and 99% of what’s out there simply isn’t good enough, light enough, or reliable enough. Don’t let sub-par gear ruin what could be the trip of a lifetime! What follows are suggested styles from key categories that have served us well. We call out the traits that matter most, and explain how a particular item fills that niche.
Mid-Size Ultralight Pack Optimized for Weight Transfer
With the additional weight of carrying 7-10 days worth of food, pack comfort is extra important for trip enjoyment. The 31 oz Durston Kakwa 55 in Ultra 200x is the most comfortable ultralight pack we’ve used for heavy loads. This is mostly due to its frame design and excellent weight transfer to hips — rated to 45 lbs comfort limit — an area where most other UL pack’s struggle. The rugged Ultra 200X fabric is waterproof, albeit not seam taped. On our last trip, the pack sustained three days of hiking in rain and snow without a pack liner (but in very wet climates we’d suggest using one). Despite being a midsize pack (technically 61L in size medium), we fit all of our food and gear in. The front mesh pocket is large enough to pack an entire tent for purposes of drying. And lastly, it has a super useful pocket arrangement, including built-in shoulder strap pockets large enough to carry bear spray.
Large Ultralight Pack, Optimized for Volume & Weight Transfer
While fitting a complete set of fully optimized ultralight gear and 10 days worth of calorically dense food into a mid-sized pack is absolutely possible, we understand that not everyone will try to achieve this. So for a high volume, expedition-sized ultralight pack, we recommend the ULA Ultra Circuit. This workhorse fits 75L worth of gear and supplies, yet weighs just 40 oz, half as much as comparably sized Ospreys. For considerable load transfer, it’s built with a burly twin stay frame + sheet with an aerated back panel. Catalyst features the same hyper-durable, waterproof Ultra 200X fabric as the aforementioned Durston Kakwa, but enhanced with Ultra 400X in high abrasion zones around the lower half. The UltraStretch mesh front pocket is durable and swallows all of your day-use gear. This pack is the larger sibling to the mid-sized ULA Circuit, the most popular pack on the PCT.
Pro Tip: Add in an accessory bear spray shoulder strap pocket.
Fully-Enclosed, Wind-Stable Ultralight Tent
Alaska can be rainy and mosquito pressure intense mid-summer. Either (or both) can have you in a tent for a very long time. As such, a good tent is one of your most important pieces of gear for safety and sanity. In addition, the tent needs to be highly wind-stable, because on the tundra there are no sheltered areas to pitch a tent. The Durston X-Mid Pro 2+ Tent is close to the ideal tent to meet these challenges. At 32.5 ft², it is roomier and more livable for long periods than most UL 2-person tents, while also being one of the lightest weighing in at just 21 oz (610g). Put another way, it’s super roomy, with one of the highest weight/volume ratios for a fully enclosed tent with mosquito netting. In addition, it’s quite wind stable with its “dual-pyramid” design, strain-aligned DCF panels and 8 tie-out points. In particular, we like the ridge-line being double staked-out out top and bottom on both ends. This is the most critical area to be taut and solid. The tent did fine during a Siberian extreme weather event of fierce winds that had other tents in our group popping stakes. Finally, it has generous mosquito netting on the long sides of the tent affording good views and ventilation during tent confinement under bug pressure.
Pro tip: Bring enough stakes to utilize every guy out point.
Ultralight Quilt, Not a Sleeping Bag
Quilts are the most effective way to sleep in the backcountry, and backpacking in Alaska demands nothing less than the very best. The Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20 with 950 fill power down and 7d nylon is the best tool for the job and our pick for best overall quilt. This versatile sleep system offers a stellar warmth-to-weight ratio, cold-spot-preventing U-baffles, A-grade materials, and a flawless minimalist design. We strongly recommend this quilt. Truly an excellent piece of ultralight backpacking gear, and a great weight-savings opportunity for AK.
High R-Value-To-Weight-Ratio Sleeping Pad
With an R-Value of 5.4, and weighing only 14.1 oz, NEMO Tensor All-Season clocks the highest R-Value-to-weight-ratio among 3-season pads, besting the esteemed Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT, despite being an ounce heavier in total. This is achieved with two suspended layers of thermal mirror film – ultralight insulation, but ultra efficient. You also get the industry standard, comfy 3.5″ thick NEMO Spaceframe baffles and an overall quiet sleep experience. A high R-value pad is extra important in AK to diversify the insulation of your sleep system in case your quilt is exposed to moisture and cannot be dried. That is, even if your bag is damp, all the insulation under you is still warm and dry.
Save the Most Weight & Space By Optimizing Your Food
By a huge margin, you can save more weight by optimizing food than any other item — it’s not even close. With the right food, you can save up to 10 lb off your pack (vs. most backpacker’s food) and not go hungry. Our personal food strategy delivers a full 3,500 calories per day. And while you may not get down to our 11-12 lb of food for 10 days, any reduction is food weight is a great opportunity to significantly lower your pack weight with little or no downside. Your back and legs will thank you!
Very Calorically Dense Food
Pack weight matters in Alaska. So, ahead of all gear considerations, food is the #1 area where you can reduce your pack weight and volume the most. We take around 1.2 lb of food/day in Alaska, while still getting a full 3,500 calories/day. With little downside, this saves 10 pounds of pack weight vs. a normal backpacker’s 2 lb/day +1 day extra of conventional food. The key to our weight reduction is high calorie food (150+ calories/oz) that is also low volume and low carb. For inspiration on high calorie-to-weight ratio foods and low-volume-to-weight-ratio foods, check out our 3 day keto backpacking food list.
This strategy allows us to fit into a smaller lighter 55L pack, vs. a 70L pack. And we can fit all our food into a single Ursack Major XL bear bag (required in most AK areas). Bottom line, a heavier and larger pack will make every aspect of your trip more challenging. E.g. wading through tussocks with a heavy pack is far from ideal. Reducing food weight is the easiest way to counteract this and have more fun every day.
Ursacks & Adotek Grizzly Lockers Strongly Preferred Over Bear Canisters
Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee-approved food storage is required to help prevent bears from getting into your supplies and becoming habituated. After food, the next best way to save pack weight and volume is by choosing an IGBC approved bear bag instead of a hard-sided bear canister. When optimizing for caloric density, we fit 10 days of food in a single Ursack Major XL (8.8 oz, 950 in3). Compare this to a BearVault BV500 (41 oz, 700 in3) and you can see the huge advantage of the Ursack.
The Adotek Grizzly Locker, released in 2024, is a new edition to the food storage marketplace, and outperforms Ursack in most ways. It is lighter weight, and made with waterproof Dyneema fabric, but not available in XL sizes yet.
Note: Tens day’s worth of conventional backpacking food will not fit into a single Ursack Major XL (because it’s not close to calorically dense enough nor low enough volume). In that case, we recommend an Ursack Major 2XL (10.9 oz, 1830 in3) or sharing an additional Ursack XL among the group for overage. After a few days, the remaining food should fit into individual Ursacks. Two backpackers sharing one Ursack Major 2XL can save $100 and six ounces vs two Ursack Major XLs.
Unconventional Gear & Bear/Mosquito Deterrents for Backpacking Alaska
In addition to a fully optimized kit of core backpacking gear (tent, pack, sleep system), you will require a number of Alaska-specific items. These will help keep your extremities warm while living for days on end in potential rain, sleet, or snow. They will protect you against bears, mosquitos, and blisters. Some are unconventional, while others see frequent backpacking use in other regions too. But no Alaska gear list is complete without the following:
Japanese Fishing Gloves
For sleet, snow, and cold rain, we recommend the SHOWA TEMRES 282, designed for winter-use in the Japanese maritime industry. These gloves are at home in truly nasty weather, are 100% waterproof and never wet out from the exterior. As out-of-place as they look in the backcountry, their performance is simply superior to Gore-Tex or similar alternatives from traditional outdoor brands. The SHOWAs are plenty warm enough and surprisingly, even a bit breathable! While you won’t type in these gloves. they functional enough for non-technical use like packing up wet/cold/possibly frozen gear in the morning, or gripping trekking poles in heinous conditions. They run small, so size up.
Alternate pick: If you prioritize dexterity and versatility, or the foreseeable weather forecast calls for cool-to-moderate conditions instead of mostly cold and wet, there is a better pick than the SHOWAs. In that scenario, we recommend pairing Glacier Gloves Alaska River fingerless windproof fleece gloves with ultralight rain shell mitts, such as those made by Zpacks, Enlightened Equipment, or Mountain Laurel Designs. The fingerless glove + shell system is modular, far more dexterous, and highly preferable for all-day wear. That said, it is less optimal for use in snow, sleet, or prolonged very cold weather.
Bread Bags as Camp Shoes!
Alaska is wet. With bogs, tussocks, sponga, and sometimes endless river wading, your shoes and feet will be soaked most of the time. The weather is usually cold. As such you’ll want warm and dry footwear in camp. At only a few grams, bread bags (yes, literal plastic bags from a loaf of bread or bagels) are the lightest and best solution. You can purchase them in bulk online and share with all of your hiker friends.
In a magic trick, bread bags turn you cold wet trail shoes into warm dry camp shoes. Take off your wet shoes and remove the insoles. Take off your wet socks, put on dry socks, and then cover them with a bread bag and finally slide them back into your shoes. Voilà, instant warm, dry, and happy feet!
Eye Mask For Sleeping In Endless Daylight
In summer above the Arctic Circle there is endless daylight (and even below the Circle it never gets truly dark). People respond in different ways. Alan loves it, but it drives his partner Alison, and others, bonkers, robbing them of their rest. We recommend a high quality 3-D eye mask to ensure a good “night’s” sleep. They will help you maintain a normal circadian rhythm. Hikers need at least eight hours of sleep!
Skin Care For All Day Wet Feet
Along with your feet being wet all day comes maceration (the softening of skin that can cause blisters and other problems including trench foot). We highly recommend moisturizing your feet with Creamy Petroleum Jelly in camp during the evening, in the morning before you hike, and potentially at midday during lunch. Make sure your feet are fully dry before applying, and take special care for toes and heels. A single three ounce tube should be sufficient for two people to share on a 10-day trip.
Bear Spray, Readily Holstered
An essential piece of safety gear, bear spray has some challenges. First is getting it to the start of your trip. Like stove fuel canisters, you can’t take bear spray on commercial flights. As such, you’ll need to buy it in a town like Anchorage or Fairbanks. (Smaller commercial AK flights like Wright Air, and bush planes will allow it on flights.) And some bush plane companies like Coyote Air in Coldfoot may have “donated” bear spray left by previous customers (call and ask). Second, is safely carrying bear spray in the backcountry. It should be easily reached and deployed at all times. The best places are your pack hip belt or shoulder strap pocket. Some bear spray comes with a clip to attach to a hip belt. Otherwise you’ll need to buy one. Our preferred way is to carry it in a shoulder strap pocket. When in brush, make sure that the safety clip is not dislodged and/or lost (have it pointed backwards and the clip retained in some way). And we like to tether the bear spray to our pack with some cord to make sure it never falls off while scrambling. Just make sure your tether is long enough to easily use the spray. And finally, when away from your pack (collecting water, potty break, taking photos etc.) make sure you take your bear spray with you.
Most bear spray canisters fit nicely into any shoulder strap water bottle pockets.
Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion
Picaridin is more effective than DEET and without harsh chemicals. As such, Sawyer Picardin Insect Repellent is our go-to skin protection against mosquitos. We prefer the lotion to the spray-on, because it last longer. Ergo, you don’t need to carry as much, since you’re only applying once or twice per day, and only to exposed areas such as face and hands. Buy the four ounce container and decant it into an empty hand sanitizer bottle. Notably, the lotion is more effective and longer lasting than the spray-on applicator.
Permethrin Insect Repellent Clothing, Factory Treatment Preferred
For most of Alaskan summer, barring storms or high wind, mosquitoes will be annoying to downright maddening. Without proper mitigation strategies, most folks will be miserable. Luckily, there is an answer! Treat your clothing with permethrin insect repellent (brand name Insect Shield). While humans cannot sense it, feel it, or be harmed by it, mozzies avoid its presence. Fewer of them will land on you, and those who do will quickly fly off. Factory treated clothing is preferable, more effective, and lasts up to 70 washes. Factory-treated Insect Shield clothing can be purchased from retailers like REI and Amazon, as well as directly from brands like Ex Officio and Rail Riders.
For clothes that you already own, Insect Shield offers a per-item treatment service. Ship them your apparel, they work their magic, and then send it back to you. There is also an at-home spray-on application that is less optimal, but still works well (less strong, lasts only six washes). Permethrin treatment allows you to wear thin, stretchy base layers (like a sun hoodie) which otherwise might not provide adequate bite protection.
Mosquito Proof Head Net
It’s quite annoying when mosquitos land on your face, and a head net is the best way to guarantee absolute mechanical protection. The Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net with Insect Shield is mosquito-proof, cinches at the neck, and is treated with permethrin for redundancy. While most people seem to prefer packing a head net, they are somewhat annoying to wear. So depending on your personal mosquito tolerance, a good face coat of picaridin may be the lesser of two evils. Our staff has mixed preferences here.
Best Ultralight Apparel System & Accessories For Backpacking Alaska
Alaska represents the ultimate test for your clothing and accessories, and there is little margin for error. So just like with the core four, we are extremely particular about what makes the cut. Our clothing system (sun hoodie, alpha direct hoodie, windbreaker, synthetic puffy, rain jacket) prioritizes warmth-to-weight, moisture tolerance, breathability, and quick dry properties to account for long hard days of hiking and camping in damp conditions.
Accessories are held to an equally high standard. For example, your stove system must be fuel efficient, pressure regulated and wind resistant. Your trekking poles must be reliably sturdy. And don’t even think about waterproof boots, because keeping your feet dry is a hopeless pipedream.
Ultralight Synthetic Puffy Jacket For Damp Conditions
Like the sleeping pad, a synthetic (not down) puffy jacket is an insurance policy to have reliable insulation in intermittently damp AK conditions. While a synthetic puffy is a bit heavier and less compact than down, it’s better at handling modest moisture. Think hanging around in camp in intermittent light rain, or a rest stop with drizzle. The Enlightened Equipment Torrid is the lightest and best synthetic jacket out there so it’s very close to down in warmth-to-weight performance. We’re particularly keen on the pullover version, which has an excellent kangaroo pocket.
Alternate: Zpacks Goose Down Jacket
If you are careful to keep it dry, down is still a great (and lighter) option. We have used the incredibly high warmth-to-weight ratio Zpacks Goose Down Jacket on a number of AK trips with great success.
Alpha Direct Fleece, The Quickest Drying, Lightest, Most Breathable Mid-layer
A hoodie made with Alpha Direct fleece is lighter weight, has a higher warmth-to-weight ratio, higher breathable, less water absorption, and a faster dry time than any competing alternative like traditional fleece. However, it is also less durable than average, and has zero wind resistance. In Alaska we pair it with an ultralight windbreaker or breathable rain shell for maximum modularity, versatility, and surprising warmth — just the ticket for hiking in cold rain and wind. Read more about this incredible textile in in our guide to the Best Alpha Direct Hoodies.
Ultralight Windbreaker, To Pair With Alpha Direct Fleece
Unlike a traditional fleece pullover, the aforementioned Alpha Direct fleece should be thought of as part of a system, rather than a standalone garment. Due to Alpha Direct’s total lack of wind resistance, it’s important to carry a windbreaker jacket with you to wear overtop. Combined, these two mimic the insulation of a thinner-than-average sweater weight puffy jacket. (You can also use your rain jacket instead of a windbreaker and achieve a similar effect. Only in warmer temperatures an/or higher exertion levels this can be less comfortable because rain jackets are less breathable/stretchy, and can feel clammier.) The Patagonia Houdini weighs just 3.7 oz, is comfy, reasonably breathable, and offers light-duty rain resistance. Learn more about creating an ultralight layering system by pairing an Alpha Direct Hoodie with a windbreaker.
Ultralight Highly Breathable Rain Jacket
In Alaska, you may find yourself wearing a rain jacket for days on end, so this is no place to skimp. Something highly breathable with pit zips can make a world of difference to comfort, and we recommend the Zpacks Vertice or Montbell Versalite, because they’re the most breathable ultralight rain shell with over 50k MVTR rating. The three layer fabric feels less plasticy, and is a huge upgrade over 2.5L shells.
Ultralight, Reasonably Durable Rain Pants
Alaska is hard on gear, and rain pants are prone to take a beating, especially in brush. While higher breathability, more waterproof models exist, this 20D montbell Gore-Tex pair is more reliable and can be easily taken on/off without removing shoes.
If forecast is extra cold/wet: You migth want a 100% waterproof, 0% breathable pair, like the Lightheart Gear silnylon rain pants.
If not bushwhacking: If bushwhacking, brush, and overall durability is not going to be a major concern for your particular itinerary, we instead recommend the Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants, which are even lighter weight, more waterproof, and significantly more breathable. Albeit much less durable.
Non-Waterproof Trail Running Shoes
Hiking in trail running shoes is far, far superior to boots, and this holds as true, or more so, in Alaska as it does everywhere else. In Alaska, boots are a recipe for disaster, all but guaranteeing blisters. Conversely, trail runners are lighter, faster, grippier, comfier, more breathable, significantly reduce the likelihood of blisters, and create superior water egress after fording or walking through boggy terrain. Contrary to popular assumptions, no waterproof boot (even with gaiters) is capable of keeping your feet dry and comfortable for a week long trip in the Alaskan backcountry. As trail runners go, the HOKA Speedgoat series has been our preferred model for a few years now, thanks to its comfortably thick foam mid-sole, high-traction outsole, and secure fit.
Pro Tip: The boggy terrain is prone to ruining shoes via discoloration and lingering swamp smell. If possible, avoid wearing new shoes. If you have an older pair with viable tread, use those instead.
Pro Tip: consider adding gaiters
SuperStove For Max Fuel Economy & Wind Resistance
A SuperStove is the most wind resistant, fastest boiling, and fuel efficient option. SuperStove is our name for the combination of a pressure regulated, high BTU output, cupped head burner with a heat exchanger pot, and it outperforms all other stove types in all conditions by a large margin. Even the best JetBoil is not close! Because of fuel efficiency derived weight savings, it’s also your lightest and most compact cooking option — especially for trips like 10 days in Alaska!
On a single 8 oz fuel canister, a SuperStove can cook breakfast and dinner for two people for ten days in cold windy Alaskan Conditions. In addition, the burner, pot, and 8 oz canister fit into a compact package that conserves valuable pack space.
Note: Our preferred SuperStsove is the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe burner with the Fire Maple Petrel G2 These two synergize to create a hyper-efficient, highly weather-resistant stove system, all for a very reasonable price.
High Strength Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
A sturdy pair of carbon fiber trekking poles is mandatory for traveling off trail in rugged terrain. Avoid thin “noodles” which might be slightly lighter but are prone to breakage. Busting a pole mid-trip is devastating. Small baskets are important to prevent sinking into tussocks and other spongey surfaces. The Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber poles are astoundingly affordable, far sturdier than average, come with baskets, and we recommend them highly.
Satellite Messenger
A SatComm device is an important Alaskan backpacking tool and critical for coordinating with your bush plane company. While rescue is far slower and less likely here than almost anywhere else, it’s not out of the question. Furthermore, routine check-in messages offer your loved ones peace of mind as you travel through some of the most remote terrain in the world. They also offer weather forecasting and route tracking. Garmin inReach Messenger is the latest contender in the satellite communicator genre, and offers best-in-class battery life, signal receptivity, and nearly all of the most desirable features for just $300 and four ounces. As such, it takes our top slot award, narrowly beating out ZOLEO and inReach Mini 2.
Navigation Via GPS, Map, & Compass for Backpacking Alaska
Given that there are no trails in the Alaskan backcountry, having strong navigation and map reading skills is mandatory. You will need to plan your route topographically, and adjust on the fly. How to do these things is beyond the scope of this article, but we recommend the combination of GPS apps like Gaia or CalTopo, in conjunction with map and compass as a backup. If you subscribe to your first year of Gaia GPS by clicking the button below, they’ll give you 20% off!
20k mAh Worth of Power Bank to Recharge
For spending 7-10 days in the backcountry, the ability to recharge your devices is critical. We recommend a pair of Nitecore NB10000 Gen 3 power banks. This model in particular weighs just over five ounces, and delivers the best mAh-to-weight ratio. Nitecore has proven itself time and again for ultralight electronics, and this battery is their magnum opus. Using two 10k batteries is preferable to one 20k because it adds a level of redundancy to the system. And for whatever reason, it also saves weight (two 10k mAh batteries are 10.6 oz vs 11.5oz for a single 20k mAh battery).
Photo: Alison Simon
Frequently Asked Questions About Backpacking In Alaska
Where to go backpacking in Alaska ?
Backpacking north of the Arctic Circle is always great. Everyone should experience endless daylight at least once. Lately, we’ve been favoring flying into areas that are mostly free of brush, as nobody likes thrashing through a ton of dense willow, or worse yet, alder. So the northern, less brushy areas of Gates of the Arctic and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are some of our favorite places to backpack in Alaska. The options for trips here are nearly endless. These areas are accessed from Coldfoot by Coyote Air.
After Denali, the Brooks Range/Arrigetch gets by far the most backpacking traffic. And most of that is on a single very popular hike out of Circle Lake to the crest of the Arrigetch Mountains. For reasons of overuse and Leave No Trace, we suggest you avoid this oversubscribed hike. There are so many places in AK that are just as good or better where you will see nobody. Consider the Noatak River Valley or Wrangell St. Elias as just the tip of the iceberg.
When to go backpacking in Alaska?
Early-to-mid August is likely the best time to go for much of Alaska. By this time the snow has melted out making most mountain travel possible. River levels have dropped so travel along riverbeds (usually good) has opened up and river crossings are likely at their most feasible for the season. Usually the main mosquito hatches are done and bug pressure is declining. We have camped under a tarp without mosquito netting! Finally, conditions are about as dry as they will get, and what was wet and boggy in June and July is firmer and more walkable. Early-to-mid August is idyllic, but by the end of the month, things cool down and the probability of poor weather and snow starts to increase.
June and July are also possible. June has the advantage of being a bit cooler so the mosquitoes aren’t yet out in full force. And of course summer solstice (June 21) north of the Arctic Circle is a special thing. We had a “midnight” rainbow one solstice! July has tons of daylight and is your best bet for warm weather. Like August, the snow has mostly melted out, the rivers are down, and things have dried out some. But July tends to be peak mosquito season for much of AK. That being said, they are usually manageable with strategic campsite selection, a livable (larger volume) tent, and excellent mosquito protection (full coverage treated clothing and bug juice). Finding even a modest wind will significantly reduce mosquito pressure.
What about drinking water?
Alaskan backcountry water is about as pure as it gets. As such, we and most of our hiking friends do not filter most water most of the time. That being said, NPS and other governing organizations will always recommend that you do treat or boil water. Whether or not to treat is your decision, and of course, treating is always the safer option. Our two favorite systems for AK are Sawyer Squeeze Filters, and Aqua Mira. Water is plentiful while backpacking in Alaska, so there is little need to carry excess. Save weight and refill as you go.
What about supply drops?
Unlike backpacking in the lower 48, and many other places in the world, resupply in Alaska is difficult and expensive. Because there are no roads and no trails, resupply is done via bush plane. As such, it has many of the same issues as a passenger bush flight. That is, limited places where food/supplies can be dropped, limited flights available to make a drop, and expensive (it costs the same to fly supply drops as it does to passengers). Even an “add-on” food drop to your regular bush flight might cost $1,000 or more. So unsurprisingly, we prefer taking a 7-10+ day trip without resupply vs. paying loads extra for mid-trip food drop. That being said, longer trips may require supply drops. If you are considering it, do your research to minimize cost.
What about Pack Rafting?
We have done a fair amount of packrafting in Alaska. And for folks that are already skilled in whitewater packrafting, it’s a great (and sometimes the best) way to travel in certain parts of Alaska, but by no means all of it. Much of Alaska is still better on foot. That being said, we would not recommend packrafting to most folks. Packrafting in whitewater is quite specialized, and requires a level of skill and experience that most hikers and paddlers lack. It adds a significant level of risk, even for skilled paddlers (see previous note about self-reliance and lack of rescue). And finally, carrying a 10-day pack with the additional load of a raft and paddling gear though thick brush and/or over high mountains is no easy task.
Getting to the “trailhead”?
As we stated earlier, there are no trails and only a few roads. So getting to your trip start is usually achieved via bush plane. There are a limited number of bush plane companies in Alaska, with a limited number of planes and qualified pilots. So we recommend you reserve your bush flights early — possibly six months or more before your trip. Also, there are only a few locations bush planes fly out of.
We’ve used Coyote Air in Coldfoot, AK (serves Gates of the Arctic and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), Brooks Range Aviation out of Bettles, AK (serves Brooks Range/Arrigetch area), and McCarthy Air out of McCarthy, AK (serves Wrangell St. Elias). Finally, bush flights are expensive! Even a short bush flight might cost $2,000 to $4,000 one way. As such, it pays to research (1) where it’s possible to fly to and be picked up from and (2) how to minimize cost. Obviously the more folks on a plane, the lower cost per person.
Also, you will likely need an interim flight between your commercial flight to Alaska (Anchorage or Fairbanks) to your bush plane airport. This is usually done via a scheduled small “puddle jump” plane like a Cessna Grand Caravan. We normally use Wright’s Air out of Fairbanks. The advantage of these flights is greater availability and lower cost than a bush plane.
Should you hire a guide for backpacking Alaska?
There is no shame in not knowing what you don’t know. So, if you aren’t feeling confident in your Alaska backcountry travel skills — off trail navigation, river crossings, packing, etc. a guided trip is an excellent option. Especially for your first visit. Our pick for the best guided backpacking trips in Alaska is with Andrew Skurka. These trips focus on many of the ultralight backpacking techniques described here (your body will thank you), and are highly instructional, teaching you all of the skills for self-sufficient, backcountry travel in Alaska. Book early as the number of trips and available spots are limited.
Backpacking Alaska, In Conclusion
Backpacking Alaska should be on every serious hiker’s bucket list and we strongly encourage you to visit. But from planning logistics and packing, to cross country travel and backcountry camping, expect that every aspect of the trip will test your mettle. Meet these challenges and be rewarded with up-close views of some of finest natural scenery and wildlife anywhere in the world. Fail to meet them and thrust yourself into prolonged discomfort and/or danger.
Contrary to popular belief, it is safe and highly possible to ultralight backpack in Alaska. On a recent 10-day trip, we carried ~25 pound packs and never went hungry. This is achieved through the combination of optimal gear and calorically dense food.
Thank you for reading this guide where we hope to have inspired your next big ultralight backpacking adventure. Please drop us a line in the comments section if you have questions; we’d love to hear from you!
Happy hiking!
-Adventure Alan & Co.
