Wyoming Trading Post
Trails

How to Pack for a Four-Day Horse Camp Trip in the Bighorns

A complete pack list for a self-supported four-day horseback trip into the Cloud Peak Wilderness, with weights, packing order, and what to leave behind.

By Wyoming Trading Post Editors Updated October 13, 2026
An alpine lake in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming, held in a rock basin below a bare granite headwall with old snow still lying in the gullies.
An alpine lake in the Bighorn Mountains. Snow in the gullies through July is normal at this elevation, and it is the reason the practical Cloud Peak season starts late and ends early. , Photo by John David Stutts, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.

A four-day horseback trip into the Cloud Peak Wilderness is one of the more accessible Wyoming wilderness packs. The terrain is forgiving, the trail network is well-mapped, there are no grizzlies to plan around as there are in the Absarokas, and you can cover the country without committing to the multi-week logistics that the Wind Rivers require. It is also one of the better trips for first-time wilderness packers because the standard gear list is substantial without being overwhelming.

This is a pack list for a party of two riders and two pack animals, four days out. Packed and balanced, it comes to about 370 lbs on the two pack animals, about 224 on one and 144 on the other, which leaves room on the lighter horse for a successful hunt or fish to ride out.

A common packer’s rule of thumb is that a fit pack horse carries about 20 percent of its body weight over several days, so a 1,200-lb horse tops out around 240 lbs including the saddle. Many packers prefer mules for the hardest country. One pack animal per rider is a sensible ratio for a trip like this.

Two rules shape everything below. Under the Bighorn National Forest’s 2026 special order, every party must register before entering the Cloud Peak Wilderness, groups are capped at 10 people and 15 head of stock, and no wood stove, campfire, or fire of any kind other than a self-contained chemical stove is allowed above 9,200 feet, where it is also illegal to possess or carry any part of a tree. This trip camps above that line, so it cooks on propane.

The trip parameters

Assumed:

  • Two riders, two saddle horses, two pack horses.
  • Trailhead: West Ten Sleep Lake, Cloud Peak Wilderness.
  • Route: Mistymoon Trail past Lake Helen and Lake Marion to Mistymoon Lake, a day ride toward Florence Pass, and back the same way.
  • Season: late July through early September (peak conditions).
  • Weather expectation: 35-75°F daytime, 25-50°F nighttime, possibility of afternoon thunderstorms and one overnight low rain event.
  • Group experience: intermediate (have packed before, know how to throw a diamond hitch, comfortable with stock care).

What goes in each pannier, by category and weight

A wilderness pannier is an oblong canvas-and-leather or hard-sided box, and this list keeps each one at or under about 100 lbs. For two pack horses you have four panniers plus top loads. The packing order matters: heaviest items low and forward, lightest items high and rear, balance left-to-right within 5 lbs per side. Canvas and leather panniers are not bear-resistant, so food goes in a certified container.

Pannier 1 (left side, pack horse A), kitchen and group gear, 100 lbs

  • Wall tent, 10x12 with poles and stakes, 28 lbs
  • Self-contained propane camp stove with fuel canisters (no wood stoves or fires above 9,200 ft in Cloud Peak), 18 lbs
  • Cook pots and windscreen, 4 lbs
  • Lodge 6-qt deep camp Dutch oven, for stew on the propane stove (no coals above 9,200 ft), 18 lbs
  • Cast-iron skillet, 12-inch, 8 lbs
  • Coffee pot, 8-cup enamelware, 2 lbs
  • Set of enamelware mugs, plates, bowls (4 of each), 4 lbs
  • Utensils, kitchen knife, tongs, spatula, 2 lbs
  • Bahco Laplander folding saw, for trail blowdown, under 1 lb
  • Axe, single-bit, 26-inch handle, 4 lbs
  • Shovel, folding, 2 lbs
  • Matches and lighter in a waterproof case, spare fuel canister, 3 lbs
  • Misc kitchen: dish soap, sponge, drying towel, salt and pepper, oil, 6 lbs

Pannier 2 (left side, pack horse B), food, 57 lbs

It is easy to pack far more food than a party eats. The breakdown below is portioned by the meal rather than padded per day, with a small margin held back for whatever comes off a line or out of a rifle.

  • Group breakfast (4 days × 2 riders): bacon (2 lbs), pancake mix (2 lbs), eggs in carrier (2 lbs), oatmeal (1 lb), coffee (2 lbs), 9 lbs total
  • Group lunch (4 days × 2 riders): jerky (3 lbs), cheese (2 lbs), crackers (2 lbs), trail mix (2 lbs), dried fruit (2 lbs), 11 lbs
  • Group dinner (4 days × 2 riders): freeze-dried meals or chuckwagon Dutch oven meals (8 lbs), pasta (2 lbs), rice (2 lbs), canned chili (4 lbs), butter (1 lb), 17 lbs
  • Snacks and bars, 3 lbs
  • Soft drinks or whiskey for camp (1 small bottle, 24 oz), 2 lbs
  • Spices, salt, sugar, hot sauce, 1 lb
  • Coffee, ground, additional, 1 lb
  • Margin for catch (fish or upland game from the trip), 5 lbs reserved
  • Total food on trip: 49 lbs
  • Small dry-bag overflow capacity for any food we want to keep especially clean, 5 lbs
  • BearVault BV500 bear canister, 3 lbs
  • Total: 57 lbs

Pannier 3 (right side, pack horse B), feed and stock supplies, 59 lbs

This plan counts on native graze in season and carries supplemental pellets only: 64 lbs for four horses over four days, about 4 lbs per head per day. If the grass is thin, carry more.

  • Certified weed-free pellets, 64 lbs in all for four horses, split between two panniers (32 lbs here; the rest in pannier 4)
  • Picket line, 80 ft of 1/2” rope plus tree-saver straps, 6 lbs
  • Hobbles, 4 sets, 3 lbs
  • High-line straps, 2 sets, 2 lbs
  • Hay nets, 4, 2 lbs
  • Stock first aid: vet wrap, gauze, antibiotic ointment, bute, banamine in sealed packets, 4 lbs
  • Spare horseshoes (front and rear, both styles in use) and nails, 4 lbs
  • Hoof boot (Easy Boot or similar), 2 lbs
  • Hoof pick, rasp, nippers, 2 lbs
  • Spare cinch latigo and saddle string, 2 lbs

Pannier 4 (right side, pack horse A), feed continued + personal gear, 96 lbs

  • Certified weed-free pellets, additional, 32 lbs
  • Personal gear bag, rider 1: clothing, sleeping bag, toiletries, 30 lbs
  • Personal gear bag, rider 2: clothing, sleeping bag, toiletries, 30 lbs
  • Saddle pad spares, 2, 4 lbs
  • Total: 96 lbs

Top loads (manty-tied on top of each pack horse), 30 lbs each

  • Pack horse A top: bedroll, two-person (rolled in canvas tarp with two Pendleton blankets and a sleeping pad inside), 28 lbs
  • Pack horse B top: bedroll, second two-person, 28 lbs

Saddle horse loads, under 15 lbs each

Each rider carries on the saddle horse:

  • Rifle scabbard with rifle (if hunting season), 9 lbs
  • Saddle bags with day items: jacket, water bottle, snacks, headlamp, multi-tool, first aid pouch, map, compass, GPS, satellite messenger, 6 lbs
  • Slicker tied behind cantle, 2 lbs

Total trip weight

  • Pack horse A (panniers 1 and 4): 100 + 96 + 28 = 224 lbs (under the ~240-lb rule of thumb)
  • Pack horse B (panniers 2 and 3): 57 + 59 + 28 = 144 lbs (room for a catch or a quarter of game)
  • Saddle horse 1: 17 lbs (rider gear) + 175 lbs rider = 192 lbs (about 16% of a 1,200-lb horse)
  • Saddle horse 2: similar
  • Total camp weight excluding riders: about 400 lbs

What to leave behind

Three categories of gear that newcomers commonly pack and almost always regret carrying:

Excess clothing. Two changes is the right answer. One on the body, one in the pannier. Wool base layer, jeans, fleece or wool sweater, rain shell, hat, gloves. Cold-weather extras (down vest, beanie, neck gaiter) only if forecasted lows below 30°F.

Camp chairs and tables. Tempting to add. Not worth the 8-15 lbs each. A flat rock, a stump, or an empty pannier doubles as seating.

Lanterns. Headlamps with a few hours of fresh battery do everything a lantern does at a tenth of the weight and zero fire risk in a tent.

Excess food. As above, portion by the meal.

Excess water. Cloud Peak’s streams run reliably through the guide season. Two quart bottles per rider is enough; you don’t need to carry more than that.

Backup electronics. A phone (charged, in a waterproof case), a satellite messenger, and one set of fresh AA / AAA batteries for the headlamp. Skip the e-readers, GoPros, drones, and second cameras unless they have a specific job.

High-altitude tundra in the Bighorn Mountains, with low alpine vegetation, scattered rock outcrops, and distant peaks under a clearing sky.
Bighorn Mountains tundra above timberline. Most of the Solitude Loop sits at this elevation, where afternoon thunderstorms force riders to be off the high ground by early afternoon in summer. Photo by John David Stutts, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.

Packing order and the diamond hitch

The actual loading sequence on each pack horse, in order:

  1. Saddle pad on the back. A wool or felt pack pad, larger than a riding pad.
  2. Pack saddle (Decker or sawbuck) on top. Cinch tightened in stages.
  3. Left pannier hung on the left side.
  4. Right pannier hung on the right side. Weight balance verified by lifting both, should feel equal within 5 lbs.
  5. Top load placed centered on top, between the panniers.
  6. Manty tarp thrown over the entire load and pulled tight.
  7. Diamond hitch thrown with a 40-foot lash rope and lash cinch, drawing the load down tight onto the saddle.
  8. Final adjustments to ensure nothing slips and the load is symmetrical.

The full packing process for two pack horses takes 30-45 minutes the first morning of the trip, and 20-30 minutes on subsequent days as muscle memory takes over. If you cannot tie a diamond hitch from memory, learn it before the trip, from Elser and Brown’s book or a Back Country Horsemen clinic.

What the trip actually looks like

Day 1: Vehicles to the West Ten Sleep Lake trailhead by 9 AM. Register, tack up saddle horses, pack pack horses, on the trail by 11. Ride north on the Mistymoon Trail (#63) past Lake Helen and Lake Marion and make camp in that basin, a short first day. Fish until dinner.

Day 2: On to Mistymoon Lake, about 6.5 miles from the trailhead in all. Set camp at least 100 feet from the water.

Day 3: Layover at Mistymoon. Fish, and day-ride east past Gunboat and Florence lakes toward Florence Pass, then return to camp.

Day 4: Pack out the way you came, about 6.5 miles. Vehicles by mid-afternoon.

This is a moderate trip. Riders accustomed to the saddle handle it well. New riders will be sore by day 2. The total mileage, under 20 miles with the day ride, is right for a four-day window with one layover day.

Final notes

Three things that make Cloud Peak trips successful that newcomers often miss:

  1. Pre-trip stock conditioning. Pack horses ridden lightly for the four weeks before the trip carry better than horses pulled out of the pasture and loaded the morning of departure.

  2. Stock stays at least 100 feet from any lake or stream, and off live trees. The Cloud Peak order bars hitching, tethering or hobbling stock within 100 feet of water, or tying them to a live tree, except while loading. Keep the picket line well away from camp too, and move it after one night to avoid soil compaction.

  3. Carry out everything you carry in, plus some of what others left. Cloud Peak is heavily used by stock parties, and even small additional cleanup makes a difference. Leave No Trace is the right standard, and parts of it, like the water setbacks, are written into the wilderness order.

The Bighorns reward parties that prepare. A four-day Cloud Peak trip, run well, is one of the better long-weekend horseback trips available anywhere in the lower forty-eight. Pack accordingly.

Shop links (Amazon affiliate) for the gear above:

The view east from the summit of Cloud Peak in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming, looking down a shattered rock wall onto two green alpine lakes with a snowfield beside them.
Looking east off the summit of Cloud Peak itself, 13,167 feet. The lakes below sit in the basins the Solitude Loop threads. Note the rock: there is no soil to speak of up here, which is why stock stays low and riders leave the horses at a picket line before going up. Photo by PJsg1011, via Wikimedia Commons. CC0.
A rider leads a string of four loaded pack horses across an open grass bench, panniers and top loads tarped, with a bare ridge rising behind them.
A Forest Service packer with a four-horse string in the Hells Canyon Wilderness of Oregon. The rig is the same one this list assumes: panniers hung on each fork, a top load centered between them, the whole thing tarped and lashed. Count the spacing between animals. That gap is deliberate, and it is what keeps a spooked horse in the middle of the string from taking the two behind it off the trail. Photo: U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Further reading

  • Smoke Elser and Bill Brown, Packin’ In on Mules and Horses (Mountain Press Publishing, 1980; multiple revised editions). The standard reference for backcountry horse packing.
  • Back Country Horsemen of America, Leave No Trace guidance for stock users.
  • Bighorn National Forest’s Cloud Peak Wilderness special order and website, for current conditions, regulations, and trail closures.

Sources

  1. Bighorn National Forest, Forest Special Order 02-02-26-01, Cloud Peak Wilderness regulations (2026)
  2. The Outbound, Mistymoon Trail (West Ten Sleep trailhead to Mistymoon Lake, about 6.5 miles)
  3. Back Country Horsemen of America
  4. Smoke Elser, Packin' In on Mules and Horses (Mountain Press, 1980, revised editions)