Jonte and I hiked the full Waitukubuli National Trail in Dominica (2023). It was a wild, super-rewarding, and epic long-distance trail. Perhaps you consider hiking this trail, or sail into the Caribbean and traverse the Caribbean Islands budget and adventure style. Exploring the Caribbean hiking and camping is the most adventurous and budget friendly way to explore this islands. In this blog post, I share what backpacking and hiking gear we brought and what you should bring to the Caribbean Islands if you're looking to hike and camp in the Caribbean.
Long Distance Hiking in the Caribbean?
As a thru-hiking enthusiast, the Caribbean might not be the first region that comes to mind when you think of your next long-distance hike. However, Dominica is home to a super cool, adventurous long-distance jungle trail crossing the whole country: Dominica's Waitukubuli National Trail. Also Martinique has quite a few longer multi-day hiking trails. Alltrails is a great hiking app that has all the Caribbean hiking trails well documented and reviewed. I've sailed across the Caribbean islands 4 winters, epic! Hiking the Waitukubuli National Trail is the most rewarding and also most budget friendly way to traverse Dominica, the nature island of the Caribbean. And get a sense of Caribbean islands culture and nature in a pure, raw and wild form. The long-distance trail goes from the south of the island to the north. It has 14 segments, all totally different, and it offers spectacular views, rainforests, river dipping, wildlife, local villages, wild fruits, and tropical flora and fauna. Most people can hike it, but it does require some preparation.
Locally, finding hiking gear is hard, if not impossible. Bring in advance what you may need. But for this hike, you really don’t need much.
Read More: How to Hike the Waitukubuli National Trail
One Day Recommended Trail: Boiling Lake (Dominica).
What to bring for multi-day hiking in the Caribbean
You don't need to buy new advanced gear for hiking the Caribbean. For this multi-day jungle hike, we packed light and resourcefully simply with the things we had. We arrived by sailboat, so we could only bring so much. Some of it, like the tent, mat and backpack, had been bought second-hand 1000s of miles before. Other items were just what we had or found.
What we brought from overseas:
- A good lightweight water proof tent (Big Agnes Copper Spur)
- Summer sleeping bags
- Sleeping mat (Thermarest)
- Satelite Tracker (Garmin In Reach mini)
- Trail Shoes
Garmin Inreach Mini2
All the rest was re-purposed, multi-purpose, or sourced locally.
I didn’t have a brilliant backpack, so I used the camera gear bag instead. I also didn’t have a light waterproof jacket, so I brought my sailing jacket. It served as a pillow, too :). I wasn’t sure if I should bring it or not, given the weight, but I’m really happy I did. Sometimes, it rained, and it was a little bit chilly. You don’t need any fancy hiking or climbing gear. On the tough segments, there is rope work that we have found in good condition.
Osprey Eja 48 Backpack
Recommended Gearlist Caribbean Hiking
- Backpack (Favourite: LOVE Osprey Eja (Female) (1220 grams), and Osprey Exos (Male). Ultralight with back support and breeze.
- Mat (Favourite: Thermarest NeoAir (330 grams)
- Tent (Favourite for 2 persons: Big Agnes 2 Person 2 Doors
- Sleeping bag
- Trailrunning shoes
- Toothbrush & Tongscraper
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 Shirt daytime
- 1 Shirt Nightime
- 1 Thermoshirt or Fleece
- 2 Underwear
- 1 Legging
- Waterproof Phone Cover
- Wallet Waterproof
- Bin bag and/or backpack cover (to waterproof)
- Headlamp (My new favourite: Mactronic UL)
- Sunglasses
- Hat (Get a local made one)
- Rainjacket
- 2 x 1.5 L Waterbottle.
- Waterfilter
- Tape
- Battery Pack (The only item we should have brought and didn't)
- Sattelite Tracker (Garmin In Reach mini)
- A phone
- Charging cables
That's it! Stay light and reach start.
Therm a Rest Neoair Sleepingpad
- Ultralight (330 grams for Regular Small 168cm)
- Compact
- Insulates well
- Super comfortable
- Available in different sizes
Here’s a video where Jonatan walks through his pack.
He's an advanced thru-hiker and has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail, Kingstrail, Camino de Santiago Ruta Francesa, GR20 Corsica, Annapurna Circuit Nepal and a few more 1-2 week hikes. He's a no-nonsense, resourceful packer. He just knows what not to bring which makes his pack ultralight by nature.
Here's a video where I walk through my hiking gear back (and the non-essentials I shouldn't have brought;). I have hiked a couple of long-distance trails over 1-2 weeks and am still learning what hiking gear you really don't need. I'm planning to hike a 900-KM long-distance trail solo this summer (GR11) in Europe with my dog. Stay tuned! I'll make some Youtube videos about it. I'm currently levelling up my beginner backpacking hiking gear pack and decision-making skills.
We had simple trail sneakers, 1 set of clothes, a few underwears, a few bottles to refill, and a hat (and I got a hand made one in the Kalinago territory)
See here my favourite hiking gear.
Hiking film about our Jungle Adventure
Curious what this long distance trail is like? We documented our Waitukubuli National Trail adventure on film: 12 Days on Foot. Leave us a comment if you watch it. We are super curious who actually does and what makes the trail and film interesting to you.
Here you can find tips on how to hike the Waitukubuli National Trail yourself.