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I Finally Did the Barranca del Cobre Zip Line and Here's What I Packed
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items Planning a trip to Copper Canyon in Chihuahua and stressing about what to bring, what to book, and how not to look like a clueless tourist? I spent three weeks prepping for my Barranca del Cobre adventure and made every rookie mistake so you can skip...
Sections
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Zip Line and Adventure Booking Picks for Copper Canyon
Gear That Survived the Canyon Without Falling Apart
Clothing Layers That Actually Made Sense in Chihuahua's Climate
Food and Snacks I Wish I Had From Day One
Tech and Comfort Items That Made Camp and Travel Way Better
Zip Line and Adventure Booking Picks for Copper Canyon
I almost booked the wrong zip line tour and would have ended up on a kiddie cable over a ditch. These are the actual experiences worth your money in Barranca del Cobre.
Grab tickets for this one first. It's the longest zip line in the world and the view over Copper Canyon made my stomach drop in the best way. For anyone who thought they were afraid of heights but secretly wants to test it.
Copper Canyon
Ride this before the zip line so you can scope the canyon from a calm vantage point. I went after and my legs were still shaking, which made the cable car feel way more intense than it should have.
Teleférico de las Barrancas del Cobre
Book the primera express class, not the regular. I sat in economy on the way there and switched for the return. The difference is night and day, bigger windows, fewer crowds, actual food. Worth every extra peso.
Chepe Express Train Fares, Book Online
Tack this onto your itinerary if you have a spare day. The waterfall is massive and barely anyone from the US knows about it. My guide said most tourists skip it, which is exactly why it felt special.
Cascadas de Basaseachic National Park Tours - Book Now
Soak here after the zip line day. My shoulders were so tense from gripping the harness that the hot springs felt like someone hit a reset button on my whole body. Get there early before tour buses arrive.
Recowata, the hot springs of Creel, Chihuahua.
Try this if zip lines alone aren't enough adrenaline. You clip into iron rungs bolted into the canyon wall and traverse across. My palms were sweating the entire time but finishing it felt incredible.
An Overdose of Adrenaline in the Copper Canyons of Mexico
Keep an open mind and hire a local guide, not a big tour company. I learned more in 40 minutes from a Raramuri guide than I did from three YouTube documentaries. Respectful visits only, this is someone's home.
Meet Petra: The Woman Who Lives In A Cave
Gear That Survived the Canyon Without Falling Apart
I packed cheap stuff for my first big outdoor trip and paid for it. One pair of shoes gave me blisters by hour two. These are the replacements that actually held up on rocky trails and zip line platforms.
Swap out whatever sneakers you were planning to wear. The trails around Copper Canyon are loose gravel and sharp rock. These gripped everything and my feet stayed dry when we crossed a stream I didn't expect.
Review: Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX review
Use this as your daily canyon bag. It's light enough that you won't hate yourself on steep climbs but has enough pockets for water, snacks, and a rain layer. I clipped it to my chest strap on the zip line with zero issues.
Worst Daypack? Product Review: Osprey DayLite Plus
Bring these if your knees complain on downhill sections. Mine started screaming about two hours into a descent and I wished I'd had poles from the start. They collapse small enough to strap onto your pack.
Trail Trekking Poles
Wear it as a neck gaiter when the sun is brutal, then pull it up over your nose on dusty trail sections. I went through two bandanas before someone handed me one of these and I never went back.
CoolNet® Neckwear
Keep this full at all times. Water refill stations are sparse once you're on the trails. I ran out once and had to ration for two hours. The wide mouth makes it easy to dump in electrolyte powder without spilling everywhere.
32oz Wide Mouth Bottle
Pack this even if you think you'll be back before dark. I thought the same thing and ended up hiking the last 45 minutes in near darkness. The rechargeable battery lasted my whole trip on one charge.
ACTIK® CORE - Multisport Headlamps
Toss your phone and wallet in here before any water crossing or rainy stretch. Canyon weather shifts fast. I watched someone's phone slip into a stream and that was all the convincing I needed.
Ultra-Sil Dry Bag
Clothing Layers That Actually Made Sense in Chihuahua's Climate
The canyon goes from scorching at the bottom to genuinely cold at the rim. I packed for one temperature and froze at sunset. These layers saved the second half of my trip.
Stuff this into your pack every single morning. At the canyon rim the wind picks up fast and cuts right through cotton. Weighs nothing, packs down to the size of a fist, and blocked wind better than my heavier jacket.
Patagonia Men's Houdini® Windbreaker Jacket
Wear these for hiking days. They dry fast and don't chafe when you're sweating through steep climbs. I packed five pairs for an eight day trip and washed them in the sink. Dried overnight every time.
Men's Give-N-Go® 2.0 Boxer Brief
Layer this under everything when temperatures drop at the rim. It regulates heat so well that I wore it hiking in the morning and kept it on for a chilly dinner without overheating or freezing.
Women's Classic Thermal Merino Base Layer Crew
Get these instead of jeans. I watched a guy in denim struggle up every rocky section while these stretched with every step. They dry fast too, which matters when you sit on wet rocks without thinking.
Stretch Zion Relaxed Pant
Wear this all day, every day in the canyon. The sun at altitude is no joke and I got burned through my hair on day one. This hat has a cape that covers your neck without making you look completely ridiculous.
Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure
Pair these with the Salomons and your feet will thank you. I used cotton socks on day one and had two blisters by lunch. Switched to these and hiked five more days with zero issues. They have a lifetime warranty too.
Men's Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks
Bring these if your hands burn easily. The backs of my hands got torched on the first zip line ride because I forgot sunscreen there. These block UV and still let you grip ropes and rails.
Outdoor Research ActiveIce Sun Gloves | REI Co-op
Food and Snacks I Wish I Had From Day One
Restaurant options near the canyon are limited and trail snacks from local shops were mostly chips and candy. I started packing my own food on day three and my energy levels completely changed.
Toss a few in your pack each morning. They don't melt in the heat like chocolate bars and they actually fill you up. I ate one at the canyon bottom and had enough energy to hike back up without bonking.
Sampler Variety Pack
Squeeze one onto a tortilla from a local shop and you've got a legit trail lunch. Compact, calorie dense, and way better than the sad granola bar I was relying on before I discovered this combo.
Justin's Squeeze Pack Classic Almond Butter - 1.15oz
Dump a packet into your Nalgene every morning. Plain water wasn't cutting it in the canyon heat and I got a headache by noon on day two. This fixed it within an hour and tastes like actual fruit, not medicine.
Skratch Labs Hydration Drink Mix Lemon Lime
Snag these for a savory option when you're sick of sweet snacks. By day four I couldn't look at another granola bar. These are salty, meaty, and don't crumble into a million pieces in your pack.
EPIC Venison Sea Salt & Pepper Bars 12 count
Keep a bag in your jacket pocket for quick energy. The sweet and salty mix hits different when you've been hiking for three hours. I rationed one bag across two days and regretted not bringing more.
Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Cashews
Drop one in your water bottle if you don't want the calories from Skratch. I alternated between the two depending on how hard the hike was. These dissolve fast and the watermelon flavor actually tastes good warm.
Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets Mixed Flavors
Pack a big bag of these before you leave. They're light, don't spoil, and give you quick sugar when your legs feel like concrete. I shared mine with a Raramuri kid on the trail and he gave me a thumbs up, so they're universally approved.
Just Mango Slices
Tech and Comfort Items That Made Camp and Travel Way Better
Nights at the canyon rim get cold and boring fast if you're not prepared. I sat in my hotel room staring at the ceiling the first night because I forgot to pack anything useful. These fixed every evening after that.
Bring this because outlets in canyon area hotels are unreliable. My phone died at 2pm on day two with no way to charge it until I hiked back. This thing charged my phone four times before needing a refill.
Anker PowerCore Essential 20000 PD USB-C
Use this for downtime at camp or on the El Chepe train. I finished two books on the train alone and the glare free screen works in direct sunlight. Way lighter than carrying actual books in your pack.
Kindle Paperwhite 1 (5th Gen) Repair
Sit on this at viewpoints and cold benches. I didn't bring it for sleeping, just as a portable seat, and it was the smartest packing decision I made. Canyon rock is freezing in the shade.
Z Lite Original Foam Sleeping Pad | Therm-a-Rest
Wrap up in this on chilly El Chepe rides and cold hotel rooms. The heaters in budget lodges near the canyon are decorative at best. This blanket packs tiny and kept me warm enough to actually sleep.
Travel Blanket COOLMAX® EcoMade
Wear these on the long bus and train rides. The road from Chihuahua city to the canyon is bumpy and loud. I put these on, played some ambient music, and the six hour ride actually became relaxing.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless
Strap this to your chest for the zip line. Holding a phone while flying over a canyon at 60mph is a terrible idea. I got incredible footage and my hands were free to grip the harness like my life depended on it.
GoPro HERO12 Black Action Camera
Keep this in your pack as backup. I never fully trusted the tap water at smaller stops along the canyon and bottled water wasn't always available. Thirty seconds of UV light and I drank without worrying.
Katadyn Steripen Adventurer Opti UV Water Purifier