The Thru-Hiker’s Gear List

An follow-up / expanded version of this article, The Thru Hikers Gear List Vol.2, appeared in April, 2018. It includes gear recommendations from nine more of the world’s most accomplished long distance hikers including Andrew Skurka, Justin “Trauma” Lichter, Heather “Anish” Anderson and Ryan “Dirtmonger” Sylva.

There are a lot of thru-hiking gear lists on the internet. However, because individual hikers vary so much in terms of goals, fitness, style, age and experience, a lot of these compilations don’t have much in the way of wide-ranging relevance. Equipment that works for one hiker, may not necessarily be right for many or most others.

Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a resource that documented the gear choices of a diverse, yet very experienced group of thru-hikers. And when I say “very experienced”, I am understating. The six people that have contributed to this post are amongst the most accomplished and knowledgable long distance hikers in the United States.

The group consists of three men and three women ranging in age from 29 to 78. Though the chronological spectrum may be sizeable, all six backpack in a lightweight fashion, are as tough as nails, and not coincidentally, share a contagious sense of enthusiasm and wonder for the outdoors. That’s actually why I asked them to be involved; I’ve always admired folks that irrespective of how much experience they have, never lose their childlike spark. It’s a surefire sign of a wilderness lifer.

Note: For more information on the contributing hikers, click on the names and check out their websites. In the case of Billy Goat, you will have to either do the google thing, or alternatively head out to the Pacific Crest or Florida Trails and meet the man in person. If you stay in one place long enough, he’s sure to come along eventually.

The Six Hikers

• Kristin “Lost” Gates – The first woman to traverse Alaska’s Brooks Range. She has also kayaked the Yukon River, trekked through Lapland, completed the Triple Crown by the age of 23 and spends her winters performing backcountry operations by dog team in Denali National Park. Recently voted the female hiker most likely to have her own action figure.

• Renee “She-Ra” Patrick – Speaking of action figures, the “Princess of Power” is a Triple crowner, cross-country skier, packrafter nonpareil, ambassador for the Continental Divide Trail and Coordinator for the Oregon Desert Trail.

• Christ “Rockin” Rosander –  For the past three decades, this grandma extraordinaire has covered pretty much every inch of California’s High Sierra range. When not hiking, climbing, skiing or cycling, she runs a great programme called, “Think Outside“, which teaches young kids about the Pacific Crest Trail.

• Paul “Mags” Magnanti –  I haven’t met too many people more passionate or knowledgable about the outdoors than Paul Magnanti. Irrespective of the distance, season or environment, Mags simply loves exploring the wilds on foot or by skis. Beneath the curmudgeon-like exterior beats the heart of a softie, who volunteers much of his free time in support of trail organisations such as the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.

• Clint “Lint” Bunting – Since 2003, Lint has hiked around 30,000 miles on America’s long distance trails. This includes completing the Triple Crown of hiking three times over. One of the hiking world’s most colourful characters, when he’s not out on the trail, he has a thriving career as a Chippendale dancer.

• 

  Lint – Ultralight Pioneer (linthikes.com)

• George “Billy Goat” Woodard: At 78 years young, this amazing gentleman doesn’t really need an introduction. Over the past three decades he has spent approximately 150 days a year walking America’s long distance trails. He is the Treebeard of the hiking world – in looks, mannerisms, longevity, favourite expressions (“don’t be hasty” – click on video below) and connection to the natural world.

Ok. Enough with the intros. Here are the thru-hiking gear suggestions of all six hikers, along with some tips and recommendations from yours truly:

Backpack

Heavy backpacks are designed to carry heavy loads. Unless you are in training for a post-thru hike career as a porter in Nepal, go with a pack that weighs less than three pounds (1.36 kg) and has a carrying capacity of no more than 65 liters. That should be sufficient to get both you and your gear from Mexico to Canada or Georgia to Maine.

• Kristin – GoLite jam 2 (no longer made).

• She-Ra– Six Moons Designs Fusion 50

• Rockin‘ – Gossamer Gear Gorilla, GoLite Jam 2

• Lint – MLD Burn, MLD Prophet

• Mags – ULA CDT and ULA Catalyst

• Billy Goat:  ULA Ohm

• Swami – MLD Burn, Gossamer Gear Kumo, HMG Southwest Pack 2400

• Bonus Recommendations: Gossamer Gear Mariposa, Osprey Exos 58, Granite Gear Blaze AC 60, Exped Lightning 60, HMG Windrider 3400

Shelter

Three things to look for when choosing your thru-hiking abode: 1. Lightweight (no more than 3 lbs / 1.36 kg); 2. Stormworthy, and; 3. Meets your individual needs in regards to comfort – four to six months is a long time to go backpacking, and about a third of that time will be spent in or under your shelter. 

• Kristin:  Tarptent Moment DW

• She-Ra:  Six Moons Designs Deschutes Cuben Fiber

• Rockin:  ZPacks Hexamid Duplex, ZPacks Soloplex

• Lint: Gossamer Gear Spinn Shelter Tarp

• Mags:  Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker, ZPacks 8.5×10 Cuben Tarp

• Billy Goat:  Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape (with bug net)

• Swami:  MLD ProPoncho, MLD SoloMid XL, Tarptent ProTrail and HMG Square Tarp

• Bonus Recommendations: One Person – Tarptent Notch, MLD Grace Tarp, Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL 1, MSR Hubba, REI Quarter Dome 1, Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo, Six Moon Designs Deschutes / Two People – Tarptent Double Rainbow, Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL 2, MLD Duomid, Yama Mountain Gear Cirriform.

Sleeping Bag / Quilt

Quality, lightweight sleeping bags (and quilts) aren’t found at the bottom of the REI Bargain Bin. Therefore, if you are going to splash out big bikkies for one item in your backpacking kit, sleeping bags are a good choice. Trust me on this one. When you are are freezing your you-know-what’s off at 10,000 ft in the Rockies or High Sierra during a June snow storm, you will be very glad you spent the extra $100-$200 on a top quality bag.

In regards to options, if you choose to go with feather down, look for something that has at least 800 fill power and doesn’t weigh more than 2.5 lbs (1.13 kg). If you would rather go with a synthetic fill, excellent lightweight quilt options can be found at Mountain Laurel Designs and Enlightened Equipment (see Bonus recommendations).

• Kristin: Feathered Friends Hummingbird Nano 20, GoLite Ultralite Quilt 20 (No longer made)

• She-Ra: Western Mountaineering Ultralite

• Rockin: ZPacks 10°F quilt 

• Lint:  Enlightened Equipment Enigma Quilt 

• Mags: Feathered Friends Hummingbird, Jacks R’Better Sierra Sniveller

• Billy Goat:  ZPacks 10° and ZPacks 40° (plus separate down hood)

• Swami: Katabatic Gear Palisade 30 and Katabatic Gear Sawatch 15

• Bonus Recommendations: Down – Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20°, Western Mountaineering Summerlite, Marmot Helium 15, Marmot Plasma 15, ZPacks 20°F, Western Mountaineering Alpinlite, Katabatic Alsek 22, Montbell Down Hugger 800 or 900 / Synthetic – Mountain Laurel Designs Spirit Quilt 28°/ 38°/ 48°, Enlightened Equipment APEX Quilts

Sleeping Mat

When it comes to choosing a sleeping mat, the key is to know what level of comfort you require in order to obtain a good night’s rest. If you are one of those people who can sleep on anything, go with a closed cell foam mat. If you happen to be at the other end of the “sleeping comfort” spectrum, then chances are you will require an inflatable model in order to obtain a good night’s sleep.

With the introduction of the NeoAir and other lightweight inflatable models in recent years, the weight penalty formerly associated with taking a blow-up mattress (as opposed to a foamie) is not what it was. If you are worried about getting a puncture, add a 2 oz piece of thin foam such as the Gossamer Gear ThinLight 1/8 for insurance.

• Kristin:  Therm-a-rest Z Lite

• She-Ra: Therm-a-rest RidgeRest, Therm-a-rest NeoAir (sml), Gossamer Gear AirBeam (no longer made)

• Rockin: Therm-a-rest NeoAir X-Therm

• Lint:  Gossamer Gear NightLite (Torso Length)

• Mags:  Therm-a-rest Neoair, Blue Foam Pad

• Billy Goat:  Therm-a-rest Z Lite (six folds)

• Swami: Therm-a-rest NeoAir (sml), Therm-a-rest Z Lite, Therm-a-rest RidgeRest

• Bonus Recommendations: Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core SL (Inflatable); Sea to Summit Ultralight Sleeping Pad (Inflatable) 

Footwear

Due to the discrepancy in individual cases (i.e. foot types, pack and body weights, medical histories, etc.) giving specific thru-hiking footwear recommendations is never an easy proposition. Here are four general tips:

1:  Buy your shoes a size too big. Your feet WILL swell.

2: Of all the items in your backpacking kit, new footwear is the one that you shouldn’t buy sight unseen online. No matter how many hikers recommend you a certain shoe, until you try it on in person, you won’t know whether or not it suits you.

3:  Avoid footwear with waterproof liners, which cut down on a shoe’s breathability. This can cause your feet to sweat excessively which can in turn lead to blisters. 

4: If you choose to carry camp footwear, pickup the lightest, thinnest flip flops you can find. No sports sandals, which almost weigh as much as Trail Runners. Cheapo models that weigh less than 3 oz are widely available online or in major department stores for less than $10.

• Kristin:  Vasque Mindbender (No longer made)

• She-Ra:  Oboz Emerald Peak, Oboz Luna

• Rockin:  La Sportiva Bushido

• Lint:  Altra Lone Peaks

• Mags: Brooks Cascadia

• Billy Goat: Brooks Adrenaline

• Swami: Brooks Cascadia, La Sportiva Wildcat.

• Bonus Recommendations: Merrell Moab Ventilator, Saucony Peregrine, Altra Olympus.

Stove

Personally speaking, when temps are regularly below freezing I carry a stove. Otherwise I go sans cooking. If you are hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, be sure to check on fire restrictions before departure (i.e. During high fire danger periods alcohol stoves may be banned). If you are interested in trying stoveless backpacking, here is a brief overview of the hows, whys and wherefores.

• Kristin: Pepsi Can Stove

• She-Ra:  Toaks Titanium Backpacking Wood Burning Stove

• Rockin:  Jetboil Sol Ti (no longer made)

• Lint:  Stoveless

• Mags: Pepsi Can Stove or Stoveless.

• Billy Goat:  MSR Pocket Rocket

• Swami:  Stoveless, Toaks Titanium Siphon Alcohol Stove (Note: I tried the Toaks stove for the first time early 2016 and became an instant convert. Significant upgrade in fuel efficiency – I estimate 25% – over the homemade/Pepsi Can versions I had previously used).

• Bonus Recommendations: Trail Designs Caldera Cone and Keg-F systems, Jetboil Flash Lite.

Water Purification

All methods of water treatment have pros and cons. Filters can clog, batteries can fail and chemicals can take up to 4 hours to be effective against cryptosporidium. That said, every year multiple thru hikers have their journey either derailed or at least negatively affected by water borne diseases. While I personally believe that most of the sources on the triple crown trails are fine to drink as is, there are definitely some that aren’t. In short, carry some form of water treatment and if in doubt, treat.

Note: Good hygiene habits are of equal, or even more importance than water purification when it comes to avoiding intestinal disorders. More hikers get the trotskies from sharing food or not cleaning their hands properly, than they do from failing to purify their H2O. 

• Kristin:  Aquamira

• She-Ra:  Sawyer Mini Water Filter, Sawyer Squeeze

• Rockin:  Sawyer Mini Water Filter

• Lint:  Bleach

• Mags: Aquamira

• Billy Goat:  Cast iron gut

• Swami: Aquamira

• Bonus Recommendations:  SteriPEN Adventurer Opti

Insulation Layer

Regular season hikes of the PCT and CDT are generally a little drier and colder than the AT. Therefore, I’d suggest carrying a lightweight down jacket for the former two hikes, and a synthetic insulation layer/s for the latter.

• Kristin: Feathered Friends Helios Jacket

• She-Ra:  Montbell Alpine Light Down Parka

• Rockin:  Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer

• Lint: Montbell UL Down Parka (now called the Superior Down Parka)

• Mags: Montbell Superior Down Parka , Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody (synthetic)

• Billy Goat:  Western Mountaineering Flight Jacket

• Swami:  Montbell Superior Down Parka, Patagonia R1 Hoody, Montbell Therawrap Jacket, Montbell Thermawrap Vest, Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket, Feathered Friends Helios Jacket

• Bonus Recommendations: Western Mountaineering Flash Jacket, Uniqlo Ultralight Down Jacket

Outer Layer

No garment is completely waterproof given extended exposure to inclement conditions. Working on the principle that damp is better than soaked and being comfortable rather than dry is the priority, I generally look for rain jackets with the following features:

a. A good DWR (durable water repellant) finish
b. Relatively lightweight (below 10 oz)
c. Quick-drying
d. Pit zips for ventilation
e. Adjustable wrist cuffs
f. Adjustable hood with a stiff brim.

• Kristin: Patagonia Torrentshell Raincoat

• She-Ra*:  Outdoor Research Helium 2

• Rockin*:  Marmot Essence Jacket

• Lint*:  Marmot Mica Rain Jacket

• Mags: DriDucks Ultralite Rain Jacket

• Billy Goat:  DriDucks Ultralite Rain Jacket

• Swami*: Montbell Peak Shell, DriDucks Ultralite Rain Jacket

• Bonus Recommendations: Consider taking an umbrella. For a weight penalty of between 5 and 8 oz, they offer a great combo of shade, ventilation and rain protection. Not so good when it’s blowy. I put an asterisk beside the hikers that regularly carry an umbrella with them on long hikes.

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