BIG THREE
| Item Type | Item | Weight (oz) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pack | Gossamer Gear G4-20 | 20.4 | My favorite feature of this frameless, 42L pack is the backrest, which can be removed and used as a sit pad. |
| Shelter | Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 | 38.8 | I like the flexibility of a free-standing tent, and Big Agnes has awesome customer service. When my rain fly broke on the third day of my AT hike, they sent me a brand new tent to my next resupply town! It is a bit heavy though, so for my next big thru-hike I'll probably switch to a trekking pole tent. |
| Sleeping Bag | Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20 Short | 27 | This is one of the few lightweight down bags made in size short to accommodate people under 5'6" like myself. When it's cold, I use the Big Agnes UL Orno 0 Short (30.4 oz). |
| Sleeping Pad | Therm-A-Rest Women's NeoAir XLite | 12.8 | The women's-specific pad is lighter and more insulating than the men's version. Also, the noisiest pad in town. |
CLOTHING
| Item Type | Item | Weight (oz) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoes | Altra Lone Peak | n/a | |
| Hiking Top | Thrift store Hawaiian | n/a | If I've said it once I've said it 1000 times...hiking is all about fashion! Plus, it's comfy and dries quickly. |
| Hiking Bottom | Purple Rain Adventure Skirt | n/a | I find hiking in skirts more comfortable than in shorts, and this skirt has big pockets. |
| Puffy Jacket | Montbell EX Light Anorak 900 | 5.2 | The kangaroo pocket is great for keeping warm without the added weight of zippers. |
| Midlayer | Melanzana microgrid hoodie | 8.5 | My favorite piece of gear, hands down. Worth the drive to Leadville! |
| Rain Jacket | Montbell Women's Versalite jacket | 6 | This jacket is quite similar to the super-popular OR Helium II, but with the added benefit of pockets |
| Rain Pants | Outdoor Research Helium Rain Bottoms | 4.9 | Most often used for in-town laundry day. |
| Baselayer Top | Smartwool 150 long-sleeve crew neck top | 5.9 | |
| Baselayer Bottom | Ibex Merino 2 Woolies leggings | 6 | |
| Socks | Darn Tough Women's Light Hiker Micro Crew Cushion | n/a | So worth the money--Darn Tough will provide you with a replacement pair of socks for life any time your current pair gets a hole. |
| Gloves | Zpacks PossumDown gloves | 1.4 | These aren't waterproof, but they're great for cold, dry days. |
FOOD/COOK SYSTEM
| Item Type | Item | Weight (oz) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stove | MSR Pocket Rocket 2 | 2.6 | So small and easy to use! |
| Pot | Snow Peak Trek 700 Titanium | 4.7 | The one con of this pot is that the metal handles get hot when water's boiling, so I make sure to use my bandana as a pot grip. |
| Spoon | Vargo Titanium Long Spoon | 0.6 | Long is key for reaching the bottom of those Backpacker Pantry bags. |
| Food Bag | Ursack Major Bear Bag | 7.3 | Heavier than a standard stuff sack, but in most areas you can just tie an Ursack around the trunk of a tree instead of doing a bear hang. The convenience is worth the weight! |
| Water Bottles | 1L Smartwater Bottles | 1.4 (empty) | I screw my Sawyer directly onto the top, so I can spend no time filtering |
| Water Filter | Sawyer Squeeze | 2.4 | Just the right choice |
| Lighter | Bic mini lighter | 0.4 |
GEAR
| Item Type | Item | Weight (oz) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trekking Poles | Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Women's Trekking Poles | n/a | The cork as opposed to rubber are really comfortable and gave me few issues. The poles made it through the whole AT without issue |
| Bandana | Generic | 1 | I like to have one bandana to keep with my cooking set-up, and another for generic use (river baths, etc.). |
| Stuff Sacks | Various Sea to Summit Ultra Sil Dry Sacs | n/a | I use the stuff sacs for my sleeping bag, clothes, and my miscellaneous items |
| Headlamp | Black Diamond Revolt | 3.6 | Theoretically this headlamp is rechargeable, which is why I purchased it, but I haven't trusted the charge and have always gone with traditional batteries. |
| Sunglasses | Zeal Incline | 0.8 | I haven't been a big sunglasses user so far but I'm trying to get into it. |
| Trowel | The Deuce #1 UUL | 0.45 | Just essential. |
| Toothbrush and toothpaste | Drugstore toothbrush and mini Crest toothpaste | 1 | Nothing fancy. |
| Comb | Drugstore comb | 0.1 | Again...nothing fancy. |
| Hand Sanitizer | Purell MIni | 1.2 | |
| PLB/Sat Device | Garmin inReach Mini | 3.5 | This is an expensive piece of gear but worth having. The inReach Mini connects to your phone and allows you to send texts using satellite network. My parents insisted! |
| Phone | iPhone 8 and case | 6.6 | |
| Charger | iPhone charger | 1.5 | |
| Headphones | Apple earbuds | 0.4 | |
| Charging Battery | Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger | 6.6 | This amount of charging capacity got me through five-day resupplies with no issue. |
| Multi-tool | Swiss Army Knife Classic | 0.8 |
FIRST AID
| Item | Weight (oz) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sewing Needle and Thread | negligible | For popping blisters. |
| Duct Tape | 0.6 | Mainly for patching holes in puffy jackets, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. |
| Leukotape | 0.5 | For all things feet. |
| Anti-diarrhea tablets | 0.05 | A very important just-in-case. |
| Nail Clippers | 0.5 | Feet are just so important to take care of! |
| Ibuprofen | 0.6 | Vitamin I!! |