Updated November 29, 2025
Headed on a hut to hut hike and unsure what to pack? Check out my packing list for everything you need for a hut hiking trip!
Table of Contents
- What is a Hut to Hut Hike?
- Why Choose a Hut to Hut
- Ultimate Hut to Hut Packing List
- Hut Specific Gear
- Hiking Specific Gear
- Hiking Clothing
- Extras
What is a Hut to Hut Hike?
First things first – what exactly is a hut to hut? This is a kind of backpacking where you don’t sleep in a tent at night, but rather some sort of accommodation. This can include hostels, bunkhouses, hotels, inns, or huts (called refugios in Italy or alpine huts in Austria). This is much more common in Europe.
For the sake of this post, when I talk about hut to huts, I am talking about any kind of long distance hike where you don’t camp (not limited to just hikes where you have a specific accommodation called a “hut”).
We’ve done hut to hut hiking (or the equivalent) in Austria and England, with plans for doing it in two more countries by the end of 2026.
To read more about our hut to hut in England, check out our guide to Hiking the Cumbria Way.
Why Choose a Hut to Hut
Hut to hut hiking is a great option for folks for many reasons.
You are not able to carry the gear for traditional backpacking
Traditional backpacking gear can be heavy. If you have a limitation on the weight of the gear you can carry, hut to hut might be the way to go. My normal backpacking bag is approximately 10-15 pounds heavier than what I carry for my true backpacking trips. This is because I don’t carry my tent (2.5 lbs), sleeping back (1 lb), cooking gear (2 lbs) among other things. If you love hiking, but don’t love a heavy pack, hut to hut hiking is a great option for you.
You’re hiking in a region where you’re not allowed to tent or wild camp
Some places just straight up do not have options for wild camping. In England, you have to stay in a campground or a bothy. At that rate, we’d rather spend a little more money to have a dry bed in a room that comes with breakfast.
You love hiking but don’t love roughing It
I love a backpacking trip. But I also love a hot shower and eating hot food at the end of a rainy hiking day. The hut to hut is the perfect balance of being able to do all the hiking you want, while also enjoying creature comforts at the end of the day. For our Cumbria Way trip, we were so happy that we chose to stay in inns, bunkhouses, and hotels because it rained the whole time. We were also starving and loved being fed a giant English breakfast prior to tackling double digit days.
Decided that a hut to hut is right for you? Read on for my ultimate hut to hut packing list!
For more details on the difference between hut to hut hiking and backpacking, check out my guide to Backpacking vs Hut to Hut Hiking: What You Need to Know [COMING SOON]
Ultimate Hut to Hut Packing List
After multiple hikes like this, I’ve curated this list for all of the things I had on every hut to hut.
While this list is similar to my backpacking gear list, it’s not quite exactly the same. There’s enough differences between traditional backpacking and hut to hut hiking that you will need some different gear. Of course, your packing list will differ based on weather, region, and hut rules, but this should be a good starting place. If you have any questions, you can always send me a DM @torytalkstrails.
As always, follow the principles of leave no trace when you're out exploring! Pack out all trash, leave wildlife alone, and generally leave it better than you found it - for more information visit the Leave No Trace Center.
Hut Specific Gear
You’ll need some different gear for the huts that you’d never consider for a backpacking trip! You’ll want to make sure to check the rules of each specific hut you’re staying at to see what you need to pack. Some huts will require you to bring specific items so do your research.
- Sleeping bag liner: Most huts require this to sleep in the hut. They often provide pillows and blankets but want you to have the liner as well for cleanliness.
- Shower shoes that double as inside hut shoes: A lot of huts will ban hiking boots at the door (as they should!) Make sure you have another pair of shoes that can double as shower shoes to wander around the hut in. I love my EVA Birkenstocks as they dry super quickly after the shower and are super easy to slip on over socks if it’s cold.
- Lightweight camp towel: Huts and bunkhouses do not provide towels for visitors, so make sure to pack a quick dry towel. I love this one from DryFox as it is super light and it dries in about two hours if hanging. I also like this one from PackTowl. We usually only pack one towel between the two of us.
- Lightweight fleece: I throw a lightweight but warm fleece in my bag that I save for the hut. Make sure this stays dry! I usually make sure that this is in my dry bag.
- Sleep clothes: I usually pack some long merino wool for my bottom layer and a comfy tshirt that I could also use for hiking in a pinch if needed as my sleep clothes. Remember that you’ll be bunking down with strangers, so don’t depend on using underwear alone as your sleep set.
- Non hiking socks: I use another pair of Smartwool or DarnTough socks to sleep in.
- Headphones: Unfortunately, huts can be loud when you’re trying to sleep. My wired headphones saved my sleep score when I was
- Adaptable charger: Make sure you buy and pack a charger that works in the country that you’re traveling in.
- Charging cords: Depending on what time you get into the hut, you could only have your sleep time to charge devices. I love this multi-use charger that has four different ports and will charge my phone, my camera, and my GoPro at the same time.
- Shampoo/conditioner: if you stay at inns or hotels, you won’t need to pack this. But traditional huts or bunkhouses won’t have this amenity available. I am super specific about my shampoo and conditioner so I always bring my Prose shampoo/conditioner in little travel bottles.
- Deodorant: I don’t know about you but I don’t pack deodorant for a backpacking trip. But when you’re in and out of towns, I have a higher standard for not smelling so I definitely pack my deodorant.
Hiking Specific Gear
- Hiking shoes: Both Peter and I have converted full time to using trail runners and we both love Topo trail runners. I have had over four pairs now and put about 400 to 500 miles on each pair. They have a super wide toe box so are great for steep descents and not getting blisters over long mileage days.
- First aid kit: I pack a full first aid kit as well as travel with my normal travel meds, such as Dramamine, Advil, Claritin, Tums, and melatonin.
- Trekking poles: A lifesaver for me and my bad leg, but honestly I recommend for all hikers. For the Cumbria Way, we each had one pole and that was super helpful on the rocky ups and downs. We did not have poles for Austria and had regrets.
- Garmin watch: Does it even count if you can’t get the data? Kidding, but I love being able to track and record my hikes and see how far we’ve gone in a day (and more importantly, how far we have to go!)
- Backpack: You’re not going anywhere without a backpack. We’ve used the REI Coop Trail 25L pack for all of our hut to huts so far. It’s held up really well and has a lot of pockets for alllll the snacks. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a waist belt which can be hard on the shoulders after multiple back to back hiking days.
Hiking Clothing
Good clothing can make or break your comfort on trail. Check out my recommendations below!
- Sun shirt: This an absolute essential for me for hiking. I love a sun shirt with a hood, such as this shirt from Smartwool or this shirt from REI Coop. It helps keep me protected from the sun and can double as an extra layer if needed.
- Lightweight puffy:
- Hiking pants: I prefer to hike in pants over shorts and I always look for pants with great pockets, dry quickly, and don’t smell after multiple days on trail.
- Hiking shorts: I love my zippered pocket Kuhl shorts. They’re comfy enough to sleep in if needed, keep your belongings zipped safe in the pocket, and are long enough that they don’t chafe. These are my go-to backpacking shorts (but if you’re looking for more options, check out my guide to the best hiking shorts for women).
- Moisture wicking shirts: I like to wear a moisture wicking shirt as my base layer under my sun shirt.
- Merino wool socks: I love Smartwool or DarnTough socks. If it’s a trip of three days or less, I will bring as many pairs as days. If longer, I will bring 1 pair for every two days, plus one.
- Rain Gear: I pack both a rain jacket and rain pants. Even if it’s not raining, both of these layers provide additional protection from cold and wind.
- Wool Hat: It can get cold on the trail or even in the hut. This Carhartt beanie also doubles as an eye mask if you pull it down low enough!
- Baseball cap: Even with the world’s smallest head, I am willing to forego looking cute for keeping rain out of my eyes. I have a Sweaty Betty cap with a bungee back (to keep it on my small head on windy days) but this North Face cap is a good dupe.
If you want more detail on the clothes I pack for backpacking, check out my guide to the best clothing for backpacking!
Extras
Sometimes you just need a little something extra to make the trip great!
- Kindle or book: Yes, this is extra weight. But Peter and I love reading before bed so we will always travel with a book to read. It’s the way we end our days at home and so it helps keep our sleep routine the same. I even take my Kindle backpacking with me!
- Camera: Yes, I hiked all 80 miles of the Cumbria way with 1.5 pounds of camera gear. It was 10000% worth it. With a backpack clip, it was super easy to have the camera clip on and off the pack.
- Dry bags: I always pack at least one dry bag in my backpack that has my electronics, charging cords, and anything else that I absolutely need to stay dry.
Got additional questions about what to pack for a hut to hut? Leave me a note in the comments or send me a DM on Instagram @torytalkstrails. Happy hiking!