Okay, so you’ve done a lot of day hiking, and now you’re ready for your first overnight hike! Woohoo! Exciting yet a little nerve-wracking. What do you bring? What do you not bring? What can you expect? Are you prepared? What if you forget something!
I wouldn’t call myself a hut pro, but I’ve done a handful of hut stays now and learned a few things along the way. It’s an incredibly fun experience and after my first stay I was very eager for more. Here’s all I know about preparing for your first overnight hike!
1. Overpacking is normal
Be prepared—you’ll likely overpack the first time. It just happens. The more hut stays you go on, the more you’ll learn to dial in your gear and figure out what’s a must-have, what’s nice to have, and how to pack more efficiently.
2. Your body will feel it
Carrying a heavier pack makes a big difference. If you can, do some pack training before your planned overnight hike. Load up your backpack with some gear and go for shorter day hikes or even a walk in a nearby park. This will help you get used to the weight and prepare you for what to expect.
3. Pick the right track
Choosing the right track is key. If you’re not used to carrying an overnight pack, pick a trail with minimal or easy ascents. I did my first overnight hike on a local trail I’d hiked before, so I knew what to expect and stayed close to home. Family-friendly hikes are a great option—they tend to be less technical, have lower elevation gains, and lead to nicer huts.
Here are a few huts I’ve been to and recommend for your first overnight hike:
- Packhorse Hut (Canterbury)
- Rod Donald Hut (Canterbury)
- Woolshed Creek Hut (Canterbury)
- Hooker Hut (Aoraki/Mt Cook, Canterbury)
- Mason Nicholls Hut, Lake Daniell (West Coast)
- Big River Hut (West Coast)
- McKellar Hut (Southland)
4. Pick the right hut
I recommend choosing a bookable hut so you’re guaranteed a bed. Serviced huts with amenities like mattresses, a water supply, toilets, and possibly cooking facilities make things easier for your first time. *I always suggest carrying a cooker like a Jet boil with you in case the cooking facilities aren’t working** Serviced huts are generally more family-friendly as well. They’re larger, well-maintained, and often cleaner. (I can’t do small backcountry huts with cobwebs hanging above my head!)
Choosing a ‘fancier’ hut isn’t essential but I find it makes the first few times more comfortable. You can test out your gear and get a feel for the experience.
5. Consider the time of year
Winter hiking can be magical, but it’s also more dangerous with icy tracks, snowfall, and freezing temperatures. Spring or summer is a great time of year for your first overnight hike. You’ll need fewer extra clothes and layers and there is less risk on the trails.
6. Go with friends!
Hiking with friends makes the experience more fun and memorable. You can help eachother out, the company is great and you can share gear and lighten the load for everyone.
7. Check the weather (and check it again)
The weather is everchanging in mountainous areas and all over New Zealand in general. It is no uncommon to have 4 seasons in one day. My advice is check the weather forecast multiple times including up until the minute you leave.
Rain and a little wind are okay, but it’s crucial to understand the forecast. Is it a drizzle that you can gear up for or is it a larger weather system that’s going to affect river crossings. The DOC website often has updates and warnings for river crossings. Canceling a trip due to bad weather is disappointing but never worth risking your safety.
8. Tell someone your plans and carry a PLB
Share your itinerary with a friend or relative, including your start time, expected finish time, and when they should hear from you. Always carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) for emergencies.
A PLB should be carried any time you’re going hiking. The Mountain Safety Council has a good list of where you can rent them which you can find here: https://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/learn/skills/communications/plb-hire . Many of the retailers that rent PLB also sell hut tickets (more on that below).
How to pack for your first overnight hike
Everything you carry into the hut, needs to come out so it’s good to be mindful of what you’re taking otherwise your pack can get very heavy. Clothing choices are personal and you want to bring what is most comfortable. Here is what I generally have in my pack for spring/summer hiking to a serviced hut:
Clothing:
- Sports bra
- 2 pairs of underwear
- 2 pairs of socks (1 for hiking, 1 for the hut)
- 1 pair of leggings or shorts (weather-dependent)
- 1 hiking T-shirt
- 1 T-shirt for the hut
- 1 thermal or fleece long-sleeve
- 1 puffer jacket
- 1 waterproof jacket
- Lightweight sandals or slippers for the hut
- Lightweight pants for the hut (optional)
- Sunglasses
- Hat
Gear:
- 50–65L pack with liner and rain cover- I love Lowe Alpine packs. They fit great and are very breathable!
- Water bladder (I use a Hydrapak)
- PLB (I use Zoleo for communication or GME)
- Jet boil with a gas canister
- Matches/lighter and fire starters (don’t put matches in with fire starters, the starters make them soggy and unuseable)
- Utensils, bowl, mug, and pot
- Tea towel/dishcloth and a rubbish bag of some sort
- Headlamp with spare batteries
- Earplugs (a must-have!)
- First aid kit (band-aids, painkillers, antihistamines, tape, emergency blanket, etc.)
- Toilet paper
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Sleeping bag
- Inflatable pillow
- Battery pack (nice to have)
What to eat on an overnight hike
What to bring to eat is completely up to you. It takes a bit of trial and error to find what you like the best, how much food to bring while trying to keep the weight down. I find it depends on where you’re going as to what kind of food I’ll bring. On a multi day hike, I made it easy and took all dehydrated meals. On a short flat walk to a hut (in the winter), our group shared a container of pasta, broccoli and chicken that we heated up. We saw a group bring in sausages and make a real hearty meal!
Although we want our packs to be as light as possible it’s super important to bring enough food. Nothing is worse that feeling hungry on the trail when you need that energy. Here are a few things that I suggest taking:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal (like Quaker Oats single-serve packets), porridge, dehydrated meals from brands like Real Mealz or Backcountry Cuisine. Coffee- the powder Avalanche brand are quite good or drip coffee from Epic Coffee.
Lunch & Snacks:
Muesli bars, energy bars, protein cookies (I like ‘Justine’s cookies), beer sticks, crackers, hummus, bliss balls, rice cakes with nut butter and dehydrated fruit. Apples or bananas are fine but add weight (and bananas bruise easily). Peanut butter sandwich, 2 minute noodles, pita wraps with coleslaw and salami.
Dinner:
Dehydrated meals are my go-to—lightweight, convenient, and mess-free. My favorite is chicken carbonara from Backcountry Cuisine. Fast cooking rice, noodles, couscous, pasta, packaged tuna, salami, hard cheese like gouda or cheddar.
Booking huts
You can book bookable huts through the DOC website. Make sure to keep a copy of your confirmation email to show the hut warden if need be. For non-bookable huts, you can purchase hut tickets from DOC visitor centers or retailers. There is a list here. You’ll want to make sure you purchase the correct ticket type.
Some huts have hut wardens. Volunteers who check and make sure anyone staying does in fact have a hut ticket or has booked. This helps to ensure those who have prepared properly have a mattress to sleep on. They also oversee the hut, keep it clean, sometimes stock up the wood shed, things like that. At the busier huts you may find they’ll do a bit of a talk in the evening for everyone to lay out some guidelines.
A few things to expect
Be courteous to others and the hut. This means share the space, clean up and be polite to others. You don’t have to engage with those around you and you can do your own thing but it is nice to connect with others or lend a helping hand when needed. Little things like being aware of those around you, maybe asking if the parents with a young child want a bottom bunk instead of the top, offer the extra boiled water etc is just a nice thing to do.
Huts are often busy on weekends, so expect to meet new people and children. In some huts it can get a little loud as well as at night. Bring EARPLUGS! Don’t panic if you’ve forgotten something. Although it’s not to be expected, other hikers are usually more than happy to help you out.
Stand the mattresses back up after use. Basically, put them back how you found them.
Usually the first thing I do when I get to a hut is take my boots off (don’t walk around in the hut with your boots), pick my bed and make a cup of tea or coffee!
Hut stays are a really cool experience. It’s amazing feeling the disconnect from the outside world and just relaxing. Prepare correctly and enjoy yourself!
