Gear. Other than perhaps food, it’s every hiker’s favorite topic of conversation. Sonnets have been written about less.
Much of what is written about gear today focuses solely on finding the lightest possible items, with little (if any) discussion of the skills required to use that gear safely and effectively. I’m certainly an evangelist for lighter nearly always being better, but it’s a principle that is far from being written in stone.
The psychology of gear has a lot to say (rightfully!) about which pieces ultimately end up in my pack. Below is an overview of everything I currently trust enough to carry. The list is broken into two main sections:
- Everything Carried (minus consumables, i.e. food, water, and fuel, which can fluctuate wildly within a hike)
- Everything Worn
With only a handful of minor changes over the years, this reflects the gear that I’ve carried/worn on each long-distance trail since my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016. Of course, conditions occasionally warrant specific modifications. For example, on dryer stretches—like those found in the desert regions of the Arizona, Pacific Crest, or Continental Divide Trail—I’ll throw in an additional 2-liter water bag.
For colder or higher altitude sections with long stretches of snow travel, I'll add a pair of Thermasilk long underwear bottoms or a pair of Goosefeet Gear down pants, plus a set of ankle-length neoprene socks to prevent frostbite and non-freezing cold injuries to my sandaled feet. In areas where it's required, I'll take a small bear canister for food storage.
I can’t say enough about the small cottage industry manufacturers—Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD), Hyperlite Mountain Gear, Zpacks, et al—that specialize in making very light, very thoughtfully designed pieces of gear that have been stripped down to the essentials and nothing more. It’s an ethos that perfectly matches the experience of the trail.
They’re also often on the forefront of working with the very latest in advanced production materials that promise weight savings, improved durability, or occasionally both. In many cases, I’ve emailed directly with the owners to make various customizations before ordering—something you’d be hard-pressed to do with the big gear companies.
If you’re interested in finding out more about any particular piece, click on the provided hyperlink, leave a comment at the bottom of the page, or contact me at [email protected].
Category | Item | Notes | Weight (oz) |
---|---|---|---|
Packing | Backpack | Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 2400 | 29 |
Shoulder harness pocket (2) | Zpacks (0.5 oz. each) | 1 | |
Pack liner | Trash compactor bag | 2.4 | |
Shelter | Tarp | Hammock Gear cuben fiber Hex Tarp | 11.2 |
Hammock | Homemade Hammock | 14.7 | |
Sleeping | Sleeping quilt | Feathered Friends Flicker UL 20-degree, regular | 26 |
Hammock underquilt | Hammock Gear Phoenix 20 underquilt | 15.4 | |
Sleeping socks | Thin liner socks | 0.9 | |
Glove liners | Black Diamond Screentap fleece mittens | 2.1 | |
Pillow | Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight pillow | 2 | |
Clothing Carried | Insulating jacket | Montbell Plasma 1000 Alpine Down Parka (medium) | 8.7 |
Rain jacket | Montbell Torrent Flier | 6.3 | |
Wind pants | Montbell Dynamo wind pants | 2.7 | |
Long underwear top | Terramar Thermasilk long sleeve top (medium) | 3.2 | |
Wind shirt | Montbell Tachyon Anorak wind shirt (large) | 2 | |
Warm hat | Zpacks micro-fleece hat | 0.9 | |
Extra hiking socks | Darn Tough Light Hiker Quarter socks | 2.3 | |
Extra hiking liner socks | Injinji Run Lightweight No-show toe socks | 1.1 | |
Cook Gear | Titanium pot | Evernew 0.9L w/lid | 3.8 |
Titanium spoon | Toaks Titanium Long Handle w/Polished Bowl | 0.3 | |
Alcohol stove | Zelph Modified Starlyte | 0.4 | |
Fuel bottle | Small gatorade bottle | 0.8 | |
Fuel measurement cup | Small plastic cup | 0 | |
Wind screen | Caldera titanium sidewinder cone | 1.3 | |
Lighter | Mini Bic | 0.4 | |
Stuff sack | Zpacks cuben fiber | 0.2 | |
Essentials | Water bottle | Smartwater (24 fl. oz.) x 2 | 2.2 |
Water treatment | Platypus QuickDraw Microfilter | 2.2 | |
Water treatment bag | 2-liter Evernew | 1.5 | |
Small towel | Lightload | 0.6 | |
Camera | iPhone 13 Pro | 6.6 | |
Wallet | Zpacks waterproof zip case | 0.2 | |
First aid kit | alcohol wipes, tylenol, ibuprofen, bandaids, butterfly closures, immodium, antihistamine, vitamins, Imitrex, ear plugs, blister care in ziploc | 2.2 | |
Repair kit | Cuben fiber tape | 0.2 | |
Food bag | Zpacks large food dry bag | 1.4 | |
Headlamp | Zebralight H52w + 2 lithium AA batteries (1 spare) | 2.9 | |
Knife | Swiss Army Classic | 0.7 | |
Small compass | Silva Forecaster 610 | 0.4 | |
Extras | Toothbrush | Travel size w/case | 0.6 |
Toothpaste | Travel size (0.85 fl. oz.) | 1 | |
Emergency firestarter | 2 tabs | 0.1 | |
Backup matches | Paper book | 0.2 | |
Hand sanitizer | Travel size (0.5 fl. oz.) | 0.8 | |
Lip balm | All Good Coconut w/SPF | 0.3 | |
Sunscreen | Sun Bum Face Stick | 1.2 | |
Charging plug | Anker Powerport 3 Duo 36W wall charger | 3.5 | |
External battery | Skullcandy Fat Stash 10000mAh | 7.3 | |
Money/Identification | Credit card, ID, insurance card, cash | 0.5 | |
TOTAL base weight (oz) | 175.7 | ||
TOTAL base weight (lb) | 11.0 | ||
Clothing & Items Worn | Hat | Herkimer coffee ball cap | 2.4 |
Trekking poles | Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-poles (120cm length; each wrapped with a few feet of duct tape wrap) | 10.4 | |
Shorts | Kuhl Shift Amphibia shorts | 8 | |
Longsleeve shirt | Arc’teryx Cormac Sun Hoody | 4.8 | |
Emergency whistle | (built into pack sternum strap) | 0 | |
Calf compression sleeves | Cep calf sleeves 4.0 (size 4) | 1.3 | |
Socks | Darn Tough Light Hiker Quarter socks | 2.3 | |
Liner socks | Injinji Run Lightweight No-show toe socks | 1.1 | |
Sandals | Chaco Z/1 Classic with custom Terreno Sole | 37.3 | |
Underwear | ExOfficio Give-N-Go 9″ boxer briefs | 2.5 | |
Watch | Garmin Epix (Gen 2) | 2.3 | |
Sunglasses | Native Kodiak | 0.9 |