GEAR I LIKED

1. MY TENT: BIG AGNES FLY CREEK UL 2

Big Agnes should pay me for this gorgeous shot of their tent. Call me, BA.

Weight: 2 lbs 13.9 oz

Price paid: $257.55

Why I liked it: It was very easy to set up, even in sandy, rocky terrain. Others who did not have freestanding tents would sometimes have trouble pitching their tents, whereas I never had issues. The two-person size is ideal for one person who does not want to feel like they’re sleeping in a coffin. I was able to lay out my gear inside my tent and still have space to sleep. But, when we needed to make it a two-person set up, we could squeeze two people in there. Also, it’s definitely not the lightest shelter out there, but I thought it was pretty darn light.

Why I didn’t like it: It wasn’t as durable as some other shelters. I got a hole at the foot of the tent while setting it up one night, and my zippers deteriorated over the course of the hike. (I will note that Big Agnes has totally hooked me up now that I’m off trail, and they are repairing my tent free of charge as I type this. Great customer service.) I also envied my hiking friends’ cuban fiber tents since they didn’t have to throw over an extra rain fly on a wet night. Finally, some might find the door’s location awkward, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

2. MY SLEEPING BAG: MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR PHANTOM FLAME 15 SLEEPING BAG

Cowboy camping at Arrowhead Lake. Indigo said my sleeping bag made me look like a caterpillar.

Weight: 2 lbs 5 oz

Price paid: $0.00 (I was generously gifted this bag)

Why I liked it: It was WARM. On the majority of nights, I was toasty in my bag, especially if I wore my puffy and hat. In my opinion, a 15 degree is just the right amount of warmth for the PCT.

Why I didn’t like it: It was much heavier than my peers’ sleeping quilts, and it was my bulkiest item.

Posing at the 1,000 mile mark. I’m on the far right sporting my hiking shirt. Photo credit to Theo “Blis” Davis.

Weight: N/A

Price paid: $18.99

Why I liked it: I had never hiked in a long sleeve, collared shirt before, but I wanted something that protected my skin from the sun. This shirt was great for that as it has a 30+ UPF rating. The collar also helped to protect my neck when I popped it up. Additionally, despite it being long sleeve, I was rarely too hot in this shirt, and I found it to be quite breathable. It was also quick-drying which is important when you are the queen of back sweat or when you try to do “laundry” in a river. I would routinely lay out this shirt in the sun at lunch to dry it.

Why I didn’t like it: I’m not the most fashionable person, but this is not the nicest shirt to look at. Also this is not the shirt’s fault, but as I lost weight, it became very baggy on me.

It worked, but I wish I had gone with something more long-lasting.

Weight: 2.9 oz (with batteries)

Price paid: $18.99

Why I liked it: This is a fairly lightweight headlamp for its brightness and price. Also the red light feature was great for saving battery power and not blinding you early in the morning.

Why I didn’t like it: I was disappointed with how often I had to change out the batteries. Supposedly on this headlamp, an indicator light will turn on when it’s time to change the batteries, but I found I had to put fresh ones in earlier because the light got so dim. In retrospect, I should have bit the bullet and gone with a more expensive, rechargeable headlamp.

5. MY RAIN JACKET: OUTDOOR RESEARCH MEN’S HELIUM II JACKET

Sam and I scored the same deal on this jacket.

Weight: 5.8 oz

Price paid: $86.12

Why I liked it: It is an incredibly lightweight rain jacket, and keeps you pretty dry. Pretty dry is about as dry as you can hope to be when it’s raining on the PCT. Also, I got the men’s version because they were having a sale, but I ended up appreciating the sizing. The sleeves were long on me which added more coverage and the waist was tighter which kept me drier and was useful as I lost weight. Also the color is bomb!

Why I didn’t like it: The hood. The hood is dumb. Unlike a normal rain jacket which tightens around the front of your face, this jacket hood tightens by pulling it towards the back of your head. I could never keep the hood on when it was windy.

6. MY SUNGLASSES: TIFOSI JET WRAP SUNGLASSES

Walking around the smokey Crater Lake rim sporting my sporty shades.

Weight: 0.9 oz

Price paid: $30.48

Why I liked them: These glasses protected my eyes incredibly well in the Sierra when we were staring at bright white snow all day. They’re not polarized, but they have 100% UV protection. I also appreciated the wrap design because it prevented light from entering on the sides.

Why I didn’t like them: The design is super sporty and makes you look like the Terminator. I always made a point of taking them off when hitchhiking so I didn’t look threatening.

7. MY SPIKES: KAHTOOLA MICROSPIKES

Your best friend on an icy mountain slope.

Weight: 11 oz

Price paid: $59.95

Why I liked them: The microspikes are great for giving you traction on icy, snowy slopes. I have no idea how I could have done the Sierra mountain passes without these. Also they could be worn on granite rock which was a major plus because the Sierra Nevadas are just that: snow and granite. People with crampons had to take them on and off a lot more than we did.

Why I didn’t like them: The rubber broke on my and my friend’s pair. The traction we got from the spikes was vital when doing dangerous passes, so this gear failure was not welcomed. But, I will note that when I called Kahtoola and let them know that this happened, they immediately sent me and my friend new pairs of microspikes.

8 AND 9. MY WATER FILTER: SAWYER SQUEEZE AND ADAPTOR

I cannot recommend the adaptor piece more. Made my life so much easier on trail.

Weight: 2.9 oz for the Sawyer Squeeze; 0.2 oz for the adaptor piece

Price paid: $28.32 for the Sawyer Squeeze; $3.99 for the adaptor piece

Why I liked it: Overall, I was satisfied with the filter. Compared to pump filters and iodine tablets, it is a much more convenient system — pretty much as convenient as it can get. It would take me about five minutes to filter a liter of water (as best as I can recall). Plus it was fairly light and small. I also paired it with this adaptor piece (HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS EXTRA PURCHASE) so I could screw the output side of my filter directly on to my water bladders and bottles and not have to worry about delicately holding it in place (see this video for a better display of what I mean).

Pro tips for the Sawyer Squeeze: Not only should you backflush routinely (every time you go into town is a good rate), but you should tap the filter on the side of a sink after doing so to get out all the gunk that has built up inside of this. It makes it filter faster, and you won’t be horrified like me in WA when you learn how to do this and a swamp of black muck comes out of your filter. Here’s a video of how to backflush using a Smartwater bottle.

Why I didn’t like it: Eventually it became very slow (probably due to me not tapping it against a sink when I backflushed). Also, you need to sleep with it if you anticipate below freezing weather at night because the water inside of it can freeze, expand, and shatter the filtration system. There is no way for you to know if this has happened. Finally, the washers that create a seal to the input side of the bladder can get lost easily, especially if you screw your input side directly on to a Smartwater bottle. Be warned: carry an extra (I hear they sell them at hardware stores).

Left: A beat up Smartwater bottle and a brand new Platypus 2L; Right: A properlly labeled Evernew 2L

Weight: 1.5 oz for Evernew x 2; 1.3 oz for Platypus; 1.4 oz for Smartwater

Price paid: $17.26 x 2 for 2 Evernew 2L bladders; $12.95 for 1 Platypus 2L bladder; a buck or two for a Smartwater bottle x 3–4

I carried 2 Evernew 2L bladders and 5 1L Smartwater bottles with me when we started in Tehachapi — this is too much water by the way (you drink a liter every 3–4 miles depending on the weather, plus more for camp and cooking). Eventually, I dropped a water bladder and 3 Smartwater bottles (total storage capacity 4L). I had to replace my water bladder twice.

Why I liked them: Both of brands of water bladders are fairly durable. I liked the Evernew ones slightly better because it had the cap on a leash (d o n o t l o s e y o u r c a p), but they were effectively the same product in my opinion. Smartwater bottles are great because they are very durable and slender, so I could put one in my front strap water bottle ties and keep for easy access all day. I highly recommend you pair a Smartwater 1L bottle with the cap from its 0.75 L brethren so you can use the active sport flip cap.

Why I didn’t like them: The water bladders break, unlike Smartwater bottles. Also the cap on the Platypus is easy to lose.

13, 14, AND 15. MY DRY BAGS: OUTDOOR RESEARCH ULTRALIGHT DRY SACKS (15L, 10L, 2.5L)

These used to be much cleaner and brighter in color.

I used my 15L one to stuff my sleeping bag, the 10L one to store my extra clothing (which I used as a pillow), and the 2.5L one to store my wallet and electronics.

Weight: 1.9 oz for the 15L; 1.7 oz for the 10L; 1 oz for the 2.5L

Price paid: $13.21 for the 15L; $17.02 for the 10L; $12.50 for the 2.5L

Why I liked them: Light, waterproof when not torn (see below), easy to roll and clasp. Plus, the different colors, helped me differentiate them. Also, you can machine wash these if you want them to dazzle.

Why I didn’t like them: Unfortunately, my 15L and 10L got rips in them somehow early on into my hike. I tried to patch them up with duct tape, but it didn’t seal them. In hindsight, I should have patched them with Tenacious Tape, which is a must-have item in your repair kit.

Literally wearing everything I had with me (including my sleeping bag) at the top of Mt. Whitney.

Weight: 2.8 oz (with the pom cut off)

Price paid: Preowned

Why I liked it: It was cozy and kept my head warm! I would even wear the hat to sleep on really cold nights (and the top of Mt. Whitney).

Why I didn’t like it: It wasn’t the lightest option out there (cutting off the pom helped though).

~c~o~z~y~

Weight: 7.1 oz for the bottoms; 6.4 oz for the shirt

Price paid: Preowned

Why I liked them: They were cozy!! The shirt was already one of my favorite winter running shirts, and I knew I’d love the soft, warm fabric at night. I ended up hiking in this shirt once we got to Washington because my Sahara shirt was too cold. This wouldn’t have been a good hiking shirt for the previous sections because it would have been way too hot. I also loved the bottoms because they were very soft and warm as well. I ended up sending these home in NorCal because it was too hot to sleep in them and having them sent back to me in Washington.

Why I didn’t like them: They were heavy. I could have gone for something lighter, but I really did like these pieces and didn’t want to spend more money.

19 AND 20. MY GLOVES: SMARTWOOL SMARTLOFT GLOVES THEN GENERIC FLEECE GLOVES

Left: What I sent home regretfully. Right: What I looked at when I desperately wanted my old gloves back.

Weight: 1.6 oz for the SmartLoft; 1.3 oz for the generic fleece gloves

Price paid: SmartLoft were preowned; ~$25 for the fleece gloves

Why I liked them: I used the SmartLoft gloves exactly once over the course of almost 1,000 miles before sending them back home in hot, hot, hot Northern California. On that one day I used them in the Sierra section, it was nice to have them, but not necessary. The reason why I switched to the fleece gloves in Washington is because I’m an idiot and thought I still wouldn’t need them in Washington … where it ended up snowing on us. I was extremely glad I picked up these fleece gloves in Leavenworth, WA before that snow storm.

Why I didn’t like them: I had no issues with the SmartLoft gloves because I only used them once, and they did fine. The fleece gloves did cause me trouble. They weren’t waterproof, which was a major issue during the rain and snow. Plus, they started to develop holes quite soon after I bought them.

21. MY CAMP SHOES: XEROSHOES (SENT HOME)

I ended up sending these home.

Weight: 6 oz

Price paid: $71.61

Why I liked them: During the Sierra section, we were crossing creeks multiple times a day and trekking through snow. So our feet were constantly wet for a couple weeks. I really enjoyed having something else to wear around camp after a long day. My feet were like raisins from being wet all day, so I think it was healthy to air them out during the evening. Plus, these are a very lightweight pair of sandals.

Why I didn’t like them: After the Sierra section, I didn’t really need them anymore since my feet were no longer always wet. It was still nice to change into something besides my hiking shoes at the end of the day, but it was a luxury I didn’t want to carry any longer, so I sent them home in Northern California.

22. MY MOSQUITO NET: SEA TO SUMMIT MOSQUITO HEAD NET

Ironically, I never used my mosquito net for mosquitos — only gnats.

Weight: 0.8 oz

Price paid: $2.14

Why I liked it: It was a relief to put this on when gnats were attacking my mouth, eyes, and ears. Interestingly enough, I never used this when there were mosquitos because it was truly the gnats that came out in full force. Plus, this is an incredibly light piece of gear, so why not carry it?

Why I didn’t like it: Bugs could still get right up to your ear outside the net. Using my hat bill helped them not be able to reach my eyes and mouth.

23. MY ICE AXE: PETZL GLACIER ICE AXE

I fricking love Forester Pass.

Weight: 12.4 oz

Price paid: $87.51

Why I liked it: It felt super badass to carry an ice axe, and it’s like your seat belt when walking on steep, snowy mountain faces. I also found it was useful when clearing the snow to set up my tent. REI has good information on how to size yourself for an ice axe. You’ll want a straight, not curved axe. I also recommend getting a leash with your ice axe so you don’t lose it if you drop it.

Why I didn’t like it: It was just one more heavy thing we had to carry in the Sierra section.

24. MY BEAR CANISTER: BEARVAULT BV 500

Pro tip: Put lots of easily identifiable stickers on your bear canister because everyone will have one that looks exactly like yours.

Weight: 2 lb 9 oz

Price paid: $55.96

Why I liked it: Um. It kept bears from eating my food.

Why I didn’t like it: It was bulky, heavy, and a pain to open (I’m just really bad at opening them). If you have a ULA Circuit, I found the best way to store it was to put my tent into it during the day and keep my food in a separate bag in my pack. Then after dinner, I would put my food back in the canister. I know what you’re going to say: “But then then bears smell food on your tent!!” Yes. Well, you try putting 8 days of food strapped to the top of your pack. It was my best option.

25. MY WATCH: SKMEI SOLAR WATERPROOF WRIST WATCH

8:26am Snickers timestamp.

Weight: N/A

Price paid: $0 (the watch arrived with a factory defect, so the eBay seller gave me a full refund, and I was able to fix it myself)

Why I liked it: I think it is absolutely crucial to bring a watch with you on the trail. I looked at my watch multiple times a day, which would have been annoying if I had to take out my phone each time. Plus it had an alarm feature that allowed me to not drain my phone battery at night.

Why I didn’t like it: It had a weird “chime” setting that would make the watch beep every hour. I accidentally turned it on a bunch of times when trying to set my alarm. It was very annoying when I realized it was on at 10pm (waaaaay past hiker midnight).