Gear

Like most hikers, I switch my gear out for different hikes and different seasons. I am mostly a 3-season backpacker, though I hike year round. The winter gear I do have (ice axe, snowshoes, micro spikes) are largely for navigating high-elevation passes during shoulder seasons. I am starting to keep records of the gear I use for various long distance hikes on LighterPack.com. Clicking on the links below will take you to gear lists for those specific hikes, broken down by weight, category, etc. If you like data and analytics (I do! I do!), you will enjoy the ability to isolate and drill down on various categories in LighterPack. These lists will look similar to the embedded, go-to gear list I included below.

I’ve included links to Amazon and other vendors for all items so you can see their cost and even purchase them, if you like. Some of the links are affiliate links, which means I get a tiny commission if you follow the links to the respective website and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the cost to you, but it is a great way to support me in continuing to create content for this site and on YouTube. Lastly, for what it’s worth, I buy my own gear and am not sponsored by any gear companies. While equipment is always a personal choice, I know that I find the experienced opinions of others very helpful in aiding my own decisions. The gear I use today is the culmination of my own countless hours of research and years of experience testing and using items over thousands of miles of trail.

Art Loeb Trail Thru-Hike Gear List on Lighter Pack (2021)

Bartram Trail Thru Hike Gear List on Lighter Pack (2021)

Benton MacKaye Trail Thru Hike Gear List on Lighter Pack (2021)

Continental Divide Trail (CDT) Thru Hike Gear List on Lighter Pack (2022)

Continental Divide Trail (CDT) Thru Hike Gear Overview on YouTube (2022)

Continental Divide Trail (CDT) Gear List on Lighter Pack (2019)

Continental Divide Trail (CDT) Gear Overview on YouTube (2019)

Foothills Trail Thru Hiking (and Linville Gorge 40-Mile Loop) Gear List on Lighter Pack (2021)

My Current Go-To Hiking & Backpacking Gear

While the above gear lists will show you what I used on those particular hikes, I thought it might be useful to maintain a list of what I’m using/loving currently when it comes to the staples of my hiking kit. I embedded this list from Lighter Pack below. You can also view the below list directly on my LighterPack page. Doing so gives you a bit more ability to drill down on the categories if you’re into that kind of thing. I may not take all of these items on every trip, but they all continue to be used quite regularly and I am happy with them.