CT2023 Gear

Well I didn’t have to pack
I had it all right on my back
Now I’m five hundred miles away from home

“500 Miles”, Rosanne Cash, The List

I deny being a gearhead, and seem to be falling further behind the major backpacking equipment trends each year. One example: most thru-hikers on the CT have moved to hoodie sunshirts– I really should look into these for next year. Several of my equipment list items are the exact same pieces from my 2012 Gear List.

Here are some changes from my most recent published gear list:

No solar panel. For the first time in several years, I did not deploy a solar panel on top of my pack. Colorado Trail towns were all only a few days apart, and charging was fairly easy.

Inflatable sleeping pad. For the first long trail I carried an inflatable mattress (Thermarest NeoAir, small) instead of a foam pad. It kept me warmer and felt more comfortable, and worked better with my down quilt straps, but a slow leak developed early in the trip, and I had to re-inflate once or twice each night. This was exactly what I feared might happen, even though Colorado does not have all the pointy spiky plants that New Mexico is known for, and I deployed the mattress over a sturdy ground sheet.

The mattress did tend to make a loud crinkling sound with any movement at first, but that seemed to quiet down, or I got used to it.

Finding a leak on the trail was impractical. After the hike, submersion in a bathtub did not find any leaks. Using soapy water in a spray bottle, I found FOUR leaks!

Down vest. My new Western Mountaineering down vest is heavier than the previous model, but well stuffed with insulation, and much warmer. My older vest had really gotten flat over the years. I typically wore the vest at night while sleeping, and stayed toasty warm all night.

Rain kilt. I feared regular monsoon rains in Colorado, like my 2014 trip, but that did not happen. I still used the rain kilt regularly in a novel way– sleeping in it at night. I used to have a cuben fiber rain kilt, but discarded it quickly, because it rustled every time I took a step– way too noisy, not suitable at all for hiking. This ZPacks Vertice rain kilt worked much better.

Insulated hood. On the advice of another hiker, I obtained an Enlightened Equipment insulated hood. Luxury, warm head.

I still have not gotten around to replacing my backpack. This is long past due.

Category	Item	Notes	Weight in grams	Weight in oz
worn/carried
	shirt	Smartwool Merino 150 Base Layer Long-Sleeve	173	6.1
	pants	RailRiders Eco-Mesh Pant	310	10.9
	trailrunner shoes	Altra Lone Peak 6 (size 11.5) with Superfeet Green insoles	680	24.0
	hiking gaiters	Dirty Girl	34	1.2
	hiking socks	Darn Tough CoolMax micro crew	60	2.1
	bandana	cotton/poly bandana	30	1.1
	trekking poles	Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-pole with carbide tips minus straps, 120cm	263	9.3
	sun glasses	cheap generic polarized	20	0.7
	hat	Sunday Afternoons Adventure hat	82	2.9
Total worn/carried			1652	58.3
~	~	~	~	3.6pounds
pack	pack	Zpacks Arc Haul backpack (nylon gridstop, 2016)	711	25.1
	pack liner	trash compactor bag	60	2.1
	cell phone holder	Zpacks shoulder pouch nylon	19	0.7
	phone	Android phone: Pixel 5 (camera, GPS, etc) with Spigen case and Supershieldsz screen protector	193	6.8
	headphone	2x X11 single Bluetooth earbud and charger	9	0.3
				0.0
Cook/water	water bottles	2 x 1 liter soda bottles	72	2.5
	cook stove	none (no-cook this trip)	0	0.0
	butane lighter	Scripto Tiny Lite	12	0.4
	cook pot	none (no-cook this trip)	0	0.0
	spoon	lexan	9	0.3
	water purifier	Platypus QuickDraw	81	2.9
	water purification backup	10 MSR Aquatabs	1	0.0
	food bag	Zpacks Roll Top Blast	40	1.4
	bear rope	Zpacks 1.5 mm Z-Line Cord	21	0.7
				0.0
Shelter	tarp/tent	ZPacks Plexamid tent	404	14.3
	tent stakes	Zpacks 6 6” Ultralight titanium stakes	37	1.3
				0.0
Sleeping	sleeping quilt	Enlightened Equipment Enigma 10F, Zpacks stuff-sack	705	24.9
	pillow	Zpacks inflatable	39	1.4
	sleeping pad	Thermarest NeoAir 2022 small	254	9.0
Clothes	head net	“Sea to Summit” mosquito net, doubles as clothes bag	23	0.8
	camp shirt	Icebreaker merino short sleeve	139	4.9
	rain kilt	Zpacks Vertice rain kilt	132	4.7
	warm top	Western Mountaineering down vest M 2022	204	7.2
	warm hat	LLBean Trail Model fleece hat	36	1.3
	neck gaiter	NMVFO volunteer reward	31	1.1
	rain jacket	Zpacks Vertice rain jacket	167	5.9
	wind jacket	Zpacks Ventum M	45	1.6
	warm gloves	Port Authority fleece	35	1.2
	hood	Enlightened Equipment insulated hood	66	2.3
	spare socks	SmartWool mid-calf merino	91	3.2
				0.0
Accessory bag	accessory bag	no-see-um mesh bag 7″x9″	8	0.3
	first aid kit	Band-aids, molefoam, aspirin, loperamide, sudafed, super glue, …	61	2.2
	sewing kit	home assembled	20	0.7
	magnifying glass	credit card size fresnel lens	2	0.1
	wallet with id	all-Ett sport sailcloth wallet (5g) plus cards	36	1.3
	backup fire starter	Bic mini lighter	14	0.5
	pen	ballpoint refill cartridge + spare	1	0.0
	flashlight	Petzl e+Lite	27	1.0
	backup compass	Suunto Clipper compass	4	0.1
	usb cable	6inch microUSB to USB-C cable	13	0.5
	usb charger wall wart	Anker 511 USB C Charger 20W	30	1.1
	repair kit	Gorilla tape, foil tape, cuben fabric tape, spare trekking pole tip, etc	25	0.9
	knife	Victoronix Swiss Army Classic	20	0.7
Toiletry bag	toiletry bag	no-see-um mesh bag 5″x6″	4	0.1
	tooth care	dehydrated dots of toothpaste, toothbrush with trimmed handle, gum brush, floss	17	0.6
	soap	Dr Bonner liquid in 0.5oz dropper bottle	24	0.8
	insect repellent	100% DEET repackaged in 0.5oz dropper bottle	23	0.8
	sun screen	liquid, repacked in 0.5oz dropper bottle	24	0.8
Outer pocket or inside pack	toilet paper	backup	12	0.4
	toilet clean	homemade hiker bidet + spare	6	0.2
	toilet shovel	The Deuce #3	27	1.0
	satellite comm	Garmin mini (spousal ease-of-mind)	106	3.7
	power bank	INIU 20W Fast Charge 10500mAh	205	7.2
	usb cable 2	1 meter right-angle USB-A to USB-C cable	42	1.5
Total base weight			4387	154.7
				9.7 pounds