Kristi’s Gear Review
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Here’s a very quick download of my thoughts on the gear I carried with me throughout the trip. There’s no perfect kit and a lot depends on your budget, goal weight, and your desired level of comfort. If you have any questions or are planning your own trek feel free to reach out!
| Item | Recommend? | Notes |
| Tent: ZPack’s Triplex | Yes! | Great tent for two people. Recommend watching a video on setup before departure. |
| Pack: Osprey Eja 58 | Yes! | Love this pack. I removed the brain (top pockets) as I don’t like the extra compartments, and that also saved some weight. |
| Pack organization: Hyperlite packing pods | Neutral | The zip top opening is excellent for storing and finding all of the random stuff in your pack. I had one pod for all of my personal items, medkit, clean socks, etc. A bit pricey but I would totally do it again. |
| Sleep Pad: Thermarest Uberlite wide; then the Klymit Static V | Neutral | The Uberlite is the most comfortable sleeping pads I’ve ever used (and most expensive at $250+) but it’s light material also makes it very fragile. After a leak I couldn’t fix I returned it and purchased the Klymit Static V which is about 8 oz heavier but surprisingly comfortable and rugged for the price ($30 at a sporting goods store in Big Bear). Neither have a high R value which was OK as I used a heavier sleeping bag |
| Sleep bag & stuff sack: Feathered Friends 0-degree mummy bag with Sea to Summit water resistant stuff sack | Neutral | This was a fantastic bag for me, but I like extra warmth so know the tradeoff in weight wouldn’t be worth it for most hikers. The stuff sack worked great but I did supplement it with a plastic bag for rainy days, so you could probably save a few ounces there. |
| Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight | Yes! | I made it to Bend, OR before buying a pillow, but boy did I love it for the rest of the trip. |
| Sitting pad: Gossamer Gear thin light foam | No | Tears easily and doesn’t add much comfort so I ended up sending it home. |
| Hiking Shirt: Outdoor Research Sun Hoodie | Yes! | I love this shirt. Hiked every day in it. Some small holes developed by the end of trail where my shoulder blades hit my pack and on one shoulder, but it was still functional. |
| Hiking Shorts: Brooks running shorts with 8in inseam | Neutral | I loved the baggie running shorts I used but they’re an old style and no longer produced. Mine wore out in Northern California (they were already 5+ years old). Key for me was usable side pockets and a longer inseam to prevent chafing. |
| Hiking Pants: North Face Wander Jogger | Neutral | These were actually the 3rd pair of hiking pants I tried on trail and worked pretty well as a layer against wind or light rain. Also very comfortable to sleep in. I will be keeping these for future hikes. |
| Sleeping Shirt: Patagonia Capilene Air with hood. | Yes! | I wore this every night and it doubled as an additional warm layer for hiking on cold days as well as a my “town days” shirt. It’s pricey but worth it. It’s still in great shape. |
| Sleeping Shorts: Merino Wool boxer briefs | Yes! | Got these about 600 miles into the trip and they greatly improved my sleep setup. Having a “clean” pair to change into every night was comforting and hygienic, and the length provided a bit of warmth and more comfortable sleeping where earlier in the trip bare inner thighs could stick or lightly chafe overnight. |
| Underwear: Exofficio Boy Shorts & Smartwool briefs | Yes! And neutral | Quick drying, never chafed and still in good enough shape to keep. Didn’t get baggy after 1 day of wear like the wool underwear I also brought. |
| Bra: Branwyn wool bralette | Yes! | Amazing bra – I wore it every day and never had any discomfort, heat rash, or chafing. Great odor control and support and it’s still in really good shape. |
| Hiking Poles: Black Diamond Distance Carbon-Z | Neutral | The tips wore out so these could slip and slide a bit. They’re super lightweight and good for short hikes or airplane travel, but it would have been nice to have adjustable poles for different terrain. |
| Sun protection: wide-brimmed hat, goodr sunglasses, and stick-sunscreen. | Yes! | The wide brim and SPF protection was critical in the desert. I stopped using the hat in late August as the trail was more shaded in northern Oregon and Washington. |
| Socks: 3 pairs Darn Tough Quarter Length hiking socks | Yes! | Mine lasted well – one pair wore holes in the ankle but I turned them in for their lifetime warranty. |
| Puffy Jacket: Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer | Yes! | Great jacket and super warm for the weight. I found this one on clearance but probably worth full price. |
| Rain Jacket: REI (basic jacket, the exact model is no longer made) | Neutral | Worked great as a wind jacket and for light rain. Wasn’t worth it to me to buy a new jacket but there’s probably a fancier one out there. |
| Rain Pants: Northface (not sure of exact model) | Neutral | Sent these home from the desert then got them back for Washington. In the future would probably get them by Mt. Hood if not before. |
| Garmin InReach | Yes! | We luckily didn’t need to use this but it’s small and you can use it to text through your phone. |
| Microspikes: Kahtoola | Neutral | These were very helpful when traversing the snowfields we encountered, but I don’t have a comparator. These were the most popular spikes we saw on the trail. |
| Stove: Jetboil | Neutral | Very fuel efficient so could use the smallest fuel canister for 2-3 weeks. Great option for couples – might be too bulky for a solo hiker. |
| Gas canister puncture tool: Jetboil Crunch-it tool | Yes! | We didn’t see any other hikers carrying this tool, but it’s a safe and easy solution for proper disposal of fuel canisters. Worth the weight. |
| Shoes: Hoka Speedgoats; Topos Ultraventure; Merrell Moabs; Crocs (water shoes) | Neutral | I never had a pair of shoes I loved. The Topos (in a men’s size) came closest, but the perfect fitting hiking shoe still eludes me. Crocs were great as water/camp shoes. |
| Ankle Gaiters | Neutral | Somewhat helpful to keep dirt and debris out of my socks but by the last couple weeks I wasn’t nothing to put them on. |
| Water filter: Sawyer Squeeze | Yes! | We started with the Platypus Gravity filter |
| Power Bank: Anker 10,000 MAH | Yes! | This was enough for me to keep my phone, our Garmin, and my earphones for 5-6 days (with light conservation of power) |
| Eating utensils: Long-handled spoon, Talenti plastic jars | Yes! | I would love a cheap alternative to Talenti that can handle hot water and has a screw top lid as our Talenti’s warped over time, but it’s a nice size and durable enough for the price. Having a long-handled spoon is key (example, for getting the peanut butter at the bottom of the jar). |
| Trowel & Pee Cloth; Ziplock bags for toilet paper (one for clean and one for used) | Yes! | You should take these (pee cloth specifically for lady parts) but I’m agnostic on the brands |
| Headlamp: Black Diamond | Neutral | Key is to have a red light and carry extra batteries. I was very happy with this (which was the light I already owned). |
| Pocket Knife: Gerber Gear 2.2 inch blade | Neutral | This knife worked great for anything I needed, which was mostly opening packages in town or cutting salami. I liked having the small blade but some might prefer something a bit longer. |
| Medkit / toiletries: ziplock bags with bandaids, leukotape, lighter, emergency blanket, small roll of gear repair tape, emergency whistle, Advil, Tylenol, Benadryl, alcohol wipes and Neosporin, albuterol inhaler (for asthma) and an epidural pen. Tooth brush, travel sized toothpaste, floss, wet wipes, nail clippers, hand sanitizer, deodorant | Yes! | I used to carry a much heavier medkit but found that this was all I needed. Recommend brushing up on how to build a tourniquet, braces, etc. using clothes. Luckily we didn’t need the epidural pen but I wouldn’t lave it behind. I learned about leukotape not the trail and it’s now a permanent addition to my kit. I tried to only bring enough of each item for 2-3 weeks at a time, knowing that not every resupply stop would have everything. |
| Other small luxury items: Small paper notebook, pen, cork massage ball, skin salve, handkerchief, bug net, wool buff as a headband (cut to 2/3 normal size – even smaller would be OK), rechargeable earphones | Yes! | While not used every day, these were much appreciated. Having a little comfort was a bit spirit booster. We had also started with a deck of cards and a few other things that we sent home after the first two weeks. These are the things that I kept for the full hike (the skin salve was a gift in a care package and so wonderful for massaging my feet and tending to cuts and scrapes! I used it all by southern Washington) |
A few other notes:
- I ended up not carrying a warm hat as all of my shirts and jackets had hoods. This strategy worked well for me.
- I also started with camp soap and moleskin but quickly sent them home.
- We carried a bear box and/or Ursack for the areas that required them. Will likely use the Ursack going forward.
- I brought my iPhone 14 (used this exclusively for photos) with Verizon service which had surprisingly good coverage. Recommend syncing your photos every time you have a good internet connection in town in case your phone is lost.
- I brought my ID, health insurance card, one credit card, and a debit card. I also tried to have $50-$100 cash at all times.
- A lot depends on the weather you have the year you’re hiking, and if we had gone through the High Sierra we would very likely needed to add warmer gear and better footwear.
