Welcome, adventurers, to the third part of my Long Trail thru-hike preparation series. My last post was about logistics for getting to and from the trail.
This week, I will be going into the dreaded GEAR LIST (insert lightning strike and maniacal laughter). If you are into backpacking, you probably know nothing gets the community more riled up than looking, judging, and arguing over gear lists.
Firstly, a little background on my hiking style. I am not an ultralight hiker. My 3-season base weight hovers around 15 lbs. With that being said, I do believe that lighter is generally better. I do a fair share of ounce counting, and I go as light as possible on my gear where I can. When you add my base weight with 5 days of food and carrying water, my total pack weight hovers around 28 lbs.
In general, the most important things are that you have the proper gear to keep you safe and that all of your gear gets put to use. If you go backpacking regularly and consistently don’t use a piece of your gear, there is no sense in bringing it. This excludes things like first aid or emergency equipment where you would only use under certain circumstances.
If you are interested in seeing the exact weights of my Long Trail pack, please check it out at Lighterpack (a great tool if you are trying to organize and keep track of your gear for a hike).
With all that out of the way, my gear list and reasoning are below.
If you have any questions or comments, or if you want to tell me my gear list sucks and I am an idiot, please reach out to me.
Big Four
- Pack – Hyperlite Mountain Gear Northrim 3400 (Not the lightest pack, but comfortable; only 35 oz. and made of waterproof Dyneema Composite Fabric, making this perfect. I have brought this through days of gnarly rainstorms, and it has kept my stuff completely dry. Plus, the added durability HMG put into the Northrim one gives me peace of mind.)
- Shelter – Zpacks Free Duo w/ 4 stakes (Just a fantastic tent. Light, roomy, and freestanding, very easy to pitch, and single-walled so you can keep the inside dry if you have to set up in rain. Being single-walled with Dyneema, it can have condensation issues if not ventilated properly, but the pros far outweigh the cons.)
- Sleeping bag – Feathered Friend Swallow UL 20 degree (light and, most importantly, warm; Feathered Friends knows how to make a great product. Made with goose-down, this bag has kept me warm through some very cold nights.)
- Sleeping pad – Therm-A-Rest Neo Air Xlite (A hiking classic. Weighing in at less than 13 oz and with an R-value of over 4, this is a great product. Doesn’t take too much to blow up or deflate and is very sturdy).
Worn Clothing/gear
- Hat — Purdue Baseball cap (Boiler Up!)
- Sunglasses — Sungod Renegades
- Buff — Buff High UV Coolmax
- Short-sleeve base layer — Six Moon Designs
- Shorts — Patagonia Strider Pro
- Underwear — Smartwool 150
- Socks — Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew (Best socks in the world, I cannot imagine how many blisters I would get without these)
- Shoes — Altra LP 5
- Gaiters — Dirty Girl
- ABC watch — Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire (How I track my hiking stats and upload GPX data)
- Trekking poles — BD Alpine Carbon Cork
Backup/Sleep Clothing
- Rain/Wind jacket — Raidlight Hyperlight MP+ (Fantastic poncho that zips in front, keeps me dry without too much sweat. Hard to find, I believe they are made in Europe)
- Mid-layer — Kuiu Peloton 97 Hoodie (Kuiu is a company that makes hunting gear, but this mid-layer is warm and only 5 oz.!!! It is also perfect for layering)
- Hiking pants — Arc’teryx Gamma LT
- Spare underwear — Smartwool 150
- Spare socks — Darn Tough
- Camp shoes — Mayfly Imago (many backpackers would probably say camp shoes are unnecessary, and maybe they are, but after a day of hiking, I need to take my shoes off)
- Down jacket — M.H. Ghost Whisperer UL (1000 down-fill at just over 6 oz? What more could you want?)
- Long johns — Fjällräven Thinwool
- Beanie — All-Paca Beanie (fantastic cottage company based out of NC. They make great products, and this beanie is no different.)
- Gloves — Icebreaker Quantum Gloves
Electronics
Author’s Note: Because I am very picky about organization, I carry a lot of dry bags. I think most hikers would probably say this is overkill, and honestly, they are probably right. For peace of mind, though, I’m willing to endure the small weight penalty.
- Phone — Google Pixel 5
- Headphones — Type C Razer
- Battery pack x2 — Nitecore NB10000 (only 5.35 oz. so I bring two along)
- Headlamp — Nitecore NU25 w/ Litesmith adapter
- Wall charger — Anker PowerPort Mini Dual Wall Charger
- Charging cable x3 — Garmin Charging Cable, Type C w/Micro USB Adapter, & Type C
Storage
- Food storage — Ursack Allmitey
- Chest pack — Zpacks Chest Pack (I can keep all my snacks for the day in this for easy access while hiking)
- Shoulder pouch — H.M.G. shoulder pouch
- Dry bag x2 — H.M.G. Pod 70L (One is for the tent & sleeping pad, and the other is for the sleeping bag & pillow)
- Dry bag — H.M.G. Pod 55L (for clothing)
- Dry bag — Zpacks Medium-Plus Stuff Sack (for hygiene & electronics)
- Dry bag — LiteAF First-Aid Pouch
Hygiene
- Hand Sanitizer — Dr. Bronner’s Lavender
- Insect repellent — Sawyer Picaridin Lotion
- Anti-Chafe — Vaseline mini
- Toothbrush — Zpacks Toothbrush
- Toothpaste — Crest
- Floss — Oral B Glide Pro-Health
- Lip Balm — HURRAW! Sun Lip Balm SPF 15
Miscellaneous
- Pillow — Sea to Summit Aeros Down
- Towel — STS Airlite Towel
- Trowel — Deuce #2 (Please dig a cat hole, Leave No Trace is extremely important)
- Tripod — Pocket Tripod Pro
- Fire Starter — Bic mini lighter
- Kindling — Vaseline soaked cotton balls
First-Aid/Repair
- Knife — Swiss Army Classic SD
- Neosporin — 1oz tube
- Antiseptic wipes — Antiseptic wipes
- Gauze pads — Gauze pad
- Bandage — Bandages x4
- Tape — Tenacious tape
- Pain Relief — ibuprofen
- Misc. — Imodium
Previously: Long Trail: Preparation Part 2 (Logistics)
Next: Long Trail: Day 0 (The Night Before)