After two previous thru-hike attempts, you’d think I have my gear dialed in. And I do! But every year, gear comes out in pretty new colors and there’s always shiny new things to try. Here’s my gear as it stands today, but feel free to check back to see what exchanges I make as I research new gear and new colorways.
My gear is divided into categories:
BIG 3 is the three most important categories – tent system, sleep system, and backpack system. I’m using “system” here to indicate that the tent is more than just one piece – it’s the body, the rain fly, the foot print, the poles, the tent stakes, and the bag for the tent stakes. This category collectively is typically composed of the heaviest items in the backpack, and therefore the foundation of a backpacker’s base weight.
WEAR is gear not carried in or on the backpack, and is considered standalone “worn weight.” It is not included in the calculation of total base weight.
CLOTHES | packed includes the plethora of extra clothing I always bring.
TECH includes anything and everything electronic.
KITCHEN includes all the items I need to eat, as well as my water filtration system.
CLEAN is how I plan to stay fresh and pretty for myself, and the camera.
AID is a little packet of all the things I hope I don’t need on trail.
SECTIONAL gear is not included in the base weight, and incorporates items needed only through certain parts of the trail, not throughout the trail in its entirety.
indicates “worn” gear, and doesn’t contribute to base weight calculation.
indicates “consumable” items and doesn’t contribute to base weight calculation.
