Planning a thru-hike on the Lone Star Hiking Trail takes more than just lacing up your boots and hitting the dirt. With unpredictable Texas weather, long water carries, and rugged terrain, it’s essential to be prepared. In this post, I’m sharing my complete packing list for a Lone Star Trail thru-hike—everything I brought for five days on trail and any changes I’ll make next time I get out there. Whether you’re gearing up for your first backpacking trip ever or just looking to see what other people packed for their LSHT thru-hike, this is for you!

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Pack/Shelter/Sleep System

Backpack & Rain Cover- Gregory Jade 63 with rain cover
Pack Liner – Nylofume pack liner
Tent + Footprint – REI Half Dome II
Sleeping Bag – Women’s Nemo Disco Down Bag
Sleeping Pad – Tame Lands Sleeping Pad
Sleeping Bag Liner – FE Active Sleeping Bag Liner
Camp Pillow – Hikenture Camping Pillow

Read More – My Most Used Backpacking Gear List

Safety/Emergency Supplies

Adventure Medical Kit .5
– Bandaids
– Alcohol wipes
– Moleskin precut into different sized pieces
– Tweezers
– Medications (headache, stomachache, birth control, etc.)
– Neosporin packets
– Burn cream
– Anti-itch cream
– a small amount of tape
Yexati Flint and Steele Fire Starter Kit
Sabre Pepper Spray
Knife

Read More: The Hiking Essentials Checklist: Gearing Up for a Safe Adventure

Cookset

Camp Stove – BLUU Mount 1.4L (no longer in production)
Fuel Canister
Jetboil Jetset Camping Utensils (I only packed the spoon)
Loksak Food Storage Bags
ScorchedEarth Washcloth
Campsuds Soap
Lighter
Talenti Jar

Hydration

I started my hike out with a full Smart Water bottle and a full Sawyer squeeze refill bag, totalling almost 2 liters.

Smart Water Bottle
Sawyer Water Filtration System

Food Supply

The food I bring on hiking trips varies every single time, but here’s what I chose to take on this trip if you’re looking for some ideas:

2 oatmeal packets
2 scoops of protein powder in snack snack-size ziplock
2 Lenny & Larry’s chocolate chip cookies
2 Salud hydration packets
2 Nature’s Bakery fig bars
4 individual peanut butter packets
8 small flour tortillas
3 Tuna Creations packets
1 ProMeal chocolate coconut bar
1 pack caramel chocolate peanut butter Frooze Balls
3 Honey Stinger gels
2 Thunderbird bars – chocolate almond butter sea salt, & hazelnut coffee matcha
1 bag of trail mix – half a sandwich ziploc bag size
3 Jack Links beef sticks
2 Wild Zora prepared meals
2 servings of instant mashed potatoes in a ziplock bag
1 ramen packet with dehydrated carrots, peppers, and a seasoning packet
1 bag of Nerds gummy clusters

Electronics

2 Battery Packs:
– Anker Portable Charger PowerCore 20100mAh
– Anker Nano Power Bank 20K – 30W Fast Charging
iPhone and Charger
Apple Watch & Charger
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

Clothing

Miscellanious

Tiny notepad and pen
South to East Mosquito HeadNet
Sleeping Eye Mask
Sit Pad
TrailBuddy Trekking Poles
Headlamp & charger
Frogg Toggs
Dry bag for packed clothes
Grocery Bag for trash pack out
Sunglasses
Carabiner
Extra headband
External photo storage USB
ID & Credit Card
Car Key

Editing my Packing List for the next Lone Star Trail Thru-Hike

Before I share what I would or wouldn’t change about the packing list above, I have to tell you the conditions I was working with on my hike.

I started my hike midday on May 21st, 2025. The weather forecast for the first four days of the hike was over 90 degrees, and the humidity was over 80%. The last two days would have had a little bit cooler weather due to overnight thunderstorms and rain throughout the day, but about the same, if not more humid.

Due to the extreme heat, I could have left my sleeping bag behind. I didn’t pull it out even once. I just slept in my sleeping bag liner each night. Although I didn’t use my sleeping bag, I will probably never go on a trip without it because it just feels like a part of my pack.

When I attempt the trail a second time, I will probably leave my camp stove behind and only pack food that can be cold-soaked or eaten without being cooked. During this hike, I struggled with getting enough water to drink, let alone having enough to cook with.

I recently purchased a Cnoc Outdoor 2L water bag, and I’ll probably take it vs. the Sawyer water bag next time I go. It’s a 2L bag, which will allow me to get more water than the 1L Sawyer bag, and it’s easier to use than the Sawyer bag.

Depending on when I attempt the trail again, I may leave the BodyGlide Stick behind. It melted during my hike and made a mess in my pack waist pocket. I also didn’t find it to be helpful. I may attempt a different brand in the future.

I’d leave behind the sleep mask, too. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to sleep if there was a light around or the night sky was too bright, but I put it on the first night and realized having it on actually caused a little bit of anxiety over the sounds I was hearing and I took it off pretty quickly. I feel safer not having earplugs in or an eye mask.

Other than leaving behind the four items mentioned above and changing out my BodyGlide stick, I think I did a pretty great job packing for this trip. There wasn’t anything I needed that I didn’t have, and there wasn’t a whole lot I’d drop if I had the chance.