In the second chapter of the Continental Divide Trail Thru-hiker Survey, we take a deep dive into Continental Divide Trail hikers' gear. CDT gear lists can vary wildly between hikers and (spoiler alert) it's impossible to find a perfect CDT gear list. That said, we can try.

I've organized this post in a way that I hope will give a comprehensive picture of what gear CDT thru-hikers are using. This post covers the highest-rated gear, most common gear, gear statistics based on different groups of hikers, the lowest-rated gear, hiker comments on gear, and finally, gear advice. The gear covered here includes backpacks, shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, down jackets, rain jackets, stoves, water treatment, and snow equipment.

I am sure that some of you will come up with comparisons you would like to see that I have overlooked. My hope is to make this a useful resource for CDT hikers, so if there's anything that you think is missing, please leave a comment or get in touch.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this year's CDT Gear Guide brought to you by the CDT Class of 2019.

Jump to a section

Notes on the data

This year we had 176 completed surveys – that's a 70% increase vs. last year and the most respondents in the history of the survey.

– that's a vs. last year and the most respondents in the history of the survey. Some responses have been sorted and colored to present the data in a friendlier manner (e.g. northbound vs. southbound responses).

to present the data in a friendlier manner (e.g. northbound vs. southbound responses). Not all CDT hikers meticulously document the stats of their thru-hike. Therefore, the data is not going to be 100% accurate. That said, it should be fairly close to the reality of the trail this year.

I refer to survey respondents collectively as this year's “ class “. Remember, this is a sample and not a comprehensive survey of every single CDT hiker on the trail this year.

“. Remember, this is a sample and not a comprehensive survey of every single CDT hiker on the trail this year. If you find a small and meaningless discrepancy in the data, congratulations. However, if you find a large or obvious error, please let me know and it will be corrected.

However, if you find a large or obvious error, please let me know and it will be corrected. If you're wondering what this symbol – σ – is, it's the symbol for standard deviation. If you don't know what that is, I invite you to use the Google.

If two pieces of gear have the same rating , the higher ranking is given to the piece of gear that had a higher number of users.

, the higher ranking is given to the piece of gear that had a higher number of users. I will be releasing more detailed survey posts focused on CDT Resupply, CDT Horror Stories, and CDT Advice in the coming weeks. If you would like to be notified of new surveys, click here.

LABELS differentiating hiker segments:

THRU : Thru-hikers (all)

: Thru-hikers (all) THRU-0 : Thru-hikers who did NOT complete the CDT

: Thru-hikers who did complete the CDT THRU-1 : Thru-hikers who completed the entire CDT

: Thru-hikers who the entire CDT NOBO : Northbound thru-hikers (all)

: Northbound thru-hikers (all) NOBO-0 : Northbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the CDT

: Northbound thru-hikers who did complete the CDT NOBO-1 : Northbound thru-hikers who completed the CDT

: Northbound thru-hikers who the CDT SOBO : Southbound thru-hikers (all)

: Southbound thru-hikers (all) SOBO-0 : Southbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the CDT

: Southbound thru-hikers who did complete the CDT SOBO-1 : Southbound thru-hikers who completed the CDT

If NO LABEL has been appended to a data point, then I used all data collected (i.e. it also includes section hiker data).

HIKING THE CDT NEXT YEAR? ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW TO TAKE NEXT YEAR'S CDT SURVEY!

The Highest-rated CDT Gear

In addition to asking each CDT hiker what gear they used, I also ask hikers to rate each piece of gear. No point in doing what everyone else is doing if they're all doing it wrong, right? I use this information to arrive at a top-five-pieces-of-gear list for each of the categories surveyed.

NOTES ON THE DATA:

All weights (and for backpacks, capacity) for products below are for products in a size medium and/or regular unless otherwise noted.

and/or unless otherwise noted. I only included items here that were used by AT LEAST ten hikers. Why ten? Because that's the number I arbitrarily decided on – I already told you, this isn't scientific.

The Highest-rated CDT Gear List

The total price of all this gear? $2,490 (this includes one pair of shoes). The average amount hikers spent prior to beginning their hikes? $931.95 (σ = $709.28). Clearly, most hikers had some of their gear prior to beginning their hikes.

Now, let's take a detailed look at the top five highest-rated pieces of gear in each of the following categories: backpacks, shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, insulated jackets, shells, stoves, water treatments, and shoes.

BACKPACK PRICE RATING WEIGHT LITERS MAX LOAD ACCESS Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider $345 5/5 31.82 oz / 902 g 55 40 lbs / 18 kg Top Gossamer Gear Mariposa $225 4.80/5 31.2 oz / 884 g 60 35 lbs / 16 kg Top ULA Circuit $255 4.60/5 41 oz / 1.162 kg 68 35 lbs / 16 kg Top Granite Gear Crown2 60 $200 4.44/5 36.7 oz / 1.04 kg 60 35 lbs / 16 kg Top Osprey Exos $220 4.33/5 43 oz / 1.219 kg 58 40 lbs / 18 kg Top

SHELTER PRICE RATING WEIGHT PACKED SIZE HEIGHT FLOOR DOORS Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 $380 4.90/5 38 oz / 1.077 kg 17.5 x 5.5 in / 44 x 14 cm 38 in / 97 cm 20.17 ft² / 1.87 m² 1 Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 $400 4.71/5 40 oz / 1.133 kg 5.5 x 18 in / 14 x 46 cm 39 in / 99 cm 28 ft² / 2.6 m² 2 Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 $450 4.71/5 50 oz / 1.417 kg 6 x 19.5 in / 15 x 50 cm 40 in / 101 cm 29 ft² / 2.69 m² 2 Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 $330 4.43/5 33 oz / 936 g 4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm 38 in / 97 cm 19.71 ft² / 1.83 m² 1 Tarptent Notch $314 4.40/5 27 oz / 770 g 16 x 3.5 in / 41 x 9 cm 43 in / 109 cm 15.75 ft² / 1.46 m² 2

A NOTE ON SHELTERS

For the weight of each shelter, I have used the packed weight – that is, the weight of the shelter including stuff sacks, guy lines, and stakes.

SLEEPING BAG PRICE RATING WEIGHT TEMPERATURE FILL FILL WEIGHT Western Mountaineering Versalite $605 4.94/5 32 oz / 907 g 10°F / -12°C 850-fill goose down 20 oz / 565 g Feathered Friends Egret 20 $510 4.60/5 27.2 oz / 771 g 20°F / -6.67°C 950+ goose down 17.3 oz / 491 g Enlightened Equipment Revelation 10 $325 4.53/5 25.95 oz / 736 g 10°F / -12°C 850-fill duck down 13.63 oz / 386 g Katabatic Sawatch 15 $500 4.50/5 24 oz / 680 g 15°F / -9.44°C 900+ goose down 15 oz / 425 g Western Mountaineering UltraLite $500 4.45/5 29 oz / 822 g 20°F / -6.67°C 850-fill goose down 16 oz / 454 g

SLEEPING PAD PRICE RATING WEIGHT R-VALUE TYPE PACKED SIZE THICKNESS Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm $215 4.61/5 15 oz / 425 g 6.9 Air 9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Small) $145 4.55/5 8 oz / 227 g 4.2 Air 9 x 3.5 in / 23 x 9 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite $195 4.50/5 14 oz / 397 g 2.3 Air 6 x 3.6 in / 15 x 9 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite $185 4.49/5 12 oz / 340 g 4.2 Air 9 x 4.1 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated $140 4.25/5 16.9 oz / 479 g 3.3 Air 8 x 3 in / 20 x 8 cm 2 in / 5.08 cm

STOVE PRICE RATING WEIGHT TYPE DIMENSIONS INTEGRATED POT SIMMER CONTROL Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0 $50 4.94/5 3.2 oz / 91 g Canister 3.6 x 2.0 x 1.8 in / 9.1 x 5 x 4.6 cm No Yes MSR PocketRocket 2 $45 4.66/5 2.6 oz / 74 g Canister 7.25 x 5 x 4 in / 19 x 12.6 x 10.2 cm No Yes BRS-3000T $17 4.64/5 0.88 oz / 25 g Canister 1.97 x 1.18 x 1.3 in / 5 x 3 x 3.3 cm No Yes Jetboil Flash $100 4.56/5 13.1 oz / 371 g Canister 7.1 x 4.1 in / 18 x 10.4 cm Yes Yes Jetboil MiniMo $145 4.50/5 14 oz / 397 g Canister 5 x 6 in / 12.7 x 15.2 cm Yes Yes

WATER TREATMENT PRICE RATING WEIGHT TYPE DIMENSIONS MEDIUM REMOVES Aquamira $15 4.60/5 3 oz / 85 g Drops N/A Chlorine dioxide Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses Iodine $12 4.50/5 3 oz / 85 g Drops N/A Iodine Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses Platypus GravityWorks $100 4.50/5 10.9 oz / 309 g Gravity 3 x 7.4 in / 7.6 x 18.8 cm Hollow fibers Protozoa and bacteria Bleach Cheap 4.33/5 N/A Drops N/A Sodium hypochlorite Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses Katadyn BeFree $25 4.11/5 2.3 oz / 65 g Bottle 11.3 x 3.5 x 2.8 in / 29 x 9 x 7 cm Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria

TREKKING POLES PRICE RATING WEIGHT (PAIR) SHAFT MATERIAL HANDLE MATERIAL COLLAPSED LENGTH LOCKING MECHANISM Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Z $190 4.70/5 15.8 oz / 447 g Carbon fiber Cork 16.6 in / 42 cm Push-button Lock Leki Micro Vario Carbon $200 4.70/5 16.9 oz / 479 g High modulus carbon Foam 15 in / 38 cm External Lever Lock Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork $130 4.54/5 18 oz / 510 g Aluminum Cork 27 in / 69 cm External Lever Lock Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork $180 4.42/5 17.1 oz / 485 g Carbon fiber Cork 24 in / 61 cm External Lever Lock Black Diamond Trail $100 4.39/5 17 oz / 482 g Aluminum Foam 25 in / 63.5 cm External Lever Lock

ICE AXE PRICE RATING WEIGHT MATERIAL LENGTHS SHAPE C.A.M.P. USA Corsa Nanotech $160 4.78/5 8.8 oz / 250 g 7075-T6 aluminum steel alloy shaft/Sandvik Nanoflex steel 50, 60, 70 cm Bent Black Diamond Raven Pro $110 4.57/5 13.8 oz / 392 g Stainless-steel head and spike/aluminum 7075-T6 shaft 55, 60, 65, 70 cm Straight Petzl Glacier Literide $100 4.33/5 11.3 oz / 320 g Heat-treated steel/aluminum 7075 50 cm Straight Black Diamond Raven $85 3.95/5 15.9 oz / 452 g Stainless-steel head/aluminum shaft 60, 65, 70, 75 cm Straight C.A.M.P. USA Corsa $120 3.73/5 8.8 oz / 250 g 7075 aluminum alloy 50, 60, 70 cm Straight

A NOTE ON SHOES

Even if you knew for certain that each pair of your shoes will last you 700 mi / 1,125 km, buying yourself four pairs of shoes at the start of the hike would be a risky decision – what if the shoes aren't as comfortable as you thought? What if your feet swell?

Remember, you can buy shoes using this thing called the internet and have them mailed ahead on the trail (to a post office, hotel, local outfitter, trail angel, etc.) once you know that you're going to need a new pair. If you encounter an emergency situation, you can always buy locally or simply wait around for your shoes to show up in the mail.

CDT TRACTION SYSTEMS

A total of 50.68% of Continental Divide Trail hikers used the Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System. An additional 32.43% reported not using any traction system at all. The remaining 16.89% of hikers used a variety of other devices, none of which had more than three reported users. Kahtoola MICROspikes: $70 | 11 oz / 312 g |elastomer/stainless steel | 4 sizes available







The Most Common CDT Gear

Now that we've looked at which pieces of gear hikers liked best, let's examine which pieces of gear were the most commonly used by CDT hikers. Remember, this is the most commonly used gear – simply because something was common, this does not necessarily translate to it automatically being the “best” (or even good).

The only piece of gear to occupy both the highest-rated and most common position is the Sawyer Squeeze. That said, there is still a lot of overlap between the highest-rated and the most commonly used pieces of gear.

The Most Common CDT Gear List

The total price of all this gear? $1,990 (this includes one pair of shoes). The average amount hikers spent prior to beginning their hikes? $931.95 (σ = $709.28). Clearly, most hikers had some of their gear prior to beginning their hikes. A side-by-side breakdown of the highest-rated and most common CDT gear will follow this section.

Now, for a detailed look at the top five most common pieces of gear in each of the following categories: backpacks, shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, insulated jackets, shells, stoves, water treatments, and shoes.

BACKPACK PRICE RATING WEIGHT LITERS MAX LOAD ACCESS Osprey Exos $220 4.33/5 42 oz / 1.190 kg 58 40 lbs / 18 kg Top ULA Circuit $255 4.47/5 41 oz / 1.162 kg 68 35 lbs / 16 kg Top Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest $345 4.29/5 32.11 oz / 910 g 55 40 lbs / 18 kg Top Granite Gear Crown2 60 $200 4.44/5 36.7 oz / 1.04 kg 60 35 lbs / 16 kg Top Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider $345 5/5 31.82 oz / 902 g 55 40 lbs / 18 kg Top

TENT PRICE RATING WEIGHT PACKED SIZE HEIGHT FLOOR DOORS Zpacks Duplex $600 3.85/5 19.4 oz / 550 g 7 x 13 in / 18 x 33 cm 48 in / 122 cm 28 ft² / 2.6 m² 2 Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 $350 4.27/5 37 oz / 1.048 kg 4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm 39 in / 99 cm 28 ft² / 2.6 m² 1 Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 $380 4.90/5 38 oz / 1.077 kj 5.5 x 17.5 in / 14 x 44 cm 38 in / 96 cm 20 ft² / 1.9 m² 1 Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 $400 4.71/5 40 oz / 1.133 kg 5.5 x 18 in / 14 x 46 cm 39 in / 99 cm 28 ft² / 2.6 m² 2 Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 $450 4.71/5 50 oz / 1.417 kg 6 x 19.5 in / 15 x 50 cm 40 in / 101 cm 29 ft² / 2.69 m² 2

A NOTE ON SHELTERS

The weight provided for the Zpacks Duplex does not include the two trekking poles or the eight stakes that are required to set it up. All the rest of the shelters have their “packed weight” provided – this includes poles, stakes, and stuff sacks.

SLEEPING BAG PRICE RATING WEIGHT TEMPERATURE FILL FILL WEIGHT Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 $300 4.0/5 22.54 oz / 639 g 20°F / -6°C 850-fill duck down 16.08 oz / 456 g Western Mountaineering UltraLite $500 4.45/5 29 oz / 822 g 20°F / -6°C 850-fill goose down 16 oz / 455 g Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20 $315 4.14/5 21.19 oz / 601 g 20°F / -6°C 850-fill duck down 15.46 oz / 438 g Enlightened Equipment Revelation 10 $325 4.53/5 25.95 oz / 736 g 10°F / -12°C 850-fill duck down 19.31 oz / 574 g Western Mountaineering Versalite $605 4.80/5 32 oz / 907 g 10°F / -12°C 850-fill goose down 20 oz / 565 g

SLEEPING PAD PRICE RATING WEIGHT R-VALUE TYPE PACKED SIZE THICKNESS Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite $185 4.49 12 oz / 340 g 4.2 Air 9 x 4.1 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Small) $145 4.55 8 oz / 227 g 4.2 Air 9 x 3.5 in / 23 x 9 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm $215 4.61 15 oz / 425 g 6.9 Air 9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.4 cm Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol $45 4.46/5 14 oz / 397 g 2.6 Foam 20 x 5 x 5.5 in / 51 x 13 x 14 cm 0.75 in / 2 cm Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated $130 4.38/5 16.9 oz / 479 g 3.3 Air 9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm 2 in / 5 cm

SHELL PRICE RATING WEIGHT FABRIC PIT ZIPS POCKETS Outdoor Research Helium II $160 4.05/5 6.4 oz / 182 g 2.5-layer Pertex waterproof breathable laminate No 1 zippered chest Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 $25 3.82/5 9 oz / 255 g Three-layer polypropylene No None Marmot PreCip Jacket $100 3.92/5 11.39oz / 322.9g Marmot NanoPro Waterproof/Breathable Yes 2 zippered hand Montbell Versalite $200 3.83/5 6.4 oz / 182 g Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper Yes 2 zippered hand Arc'teryx Beta SL Hybrid $425 4.86/5 11.3 oz / 320 g Gore-Tex Paclite 2L, Gore-Tex Pro (3-layer), & Gore C Knit (100% nylon) Yes 2 zippered hand / 1 zippered chest

STOVE PRICE RATING WEIGHT TYPE DIMENSIONS INTEGRATED POT SIMMER CONTROL MSR PocketRocket 2 $45 4.66/5 2.6 oz / 74 g Canister 7.25 x 5 x 4 in / 19 x 12.6 x 10.2 cm No Yes BRS-3000T $17 4.64/5 0.88 oz / 25 g Canister 1.97 x 1.18 x 1.3 in / 5 x 3 x 3.3 cm No Yes Jetboil Flash $100 4.56/5 13.1 oz / 371 g Canister 7.1 x 4.1 in / 18 x 10.4 cm Yes Yes Jetboil MiniMo $145 4.50/ 5 14 oz / 397 g Canister 5 x 6 in / 12.7 x 15.2 cm Yes Yes Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0 $50 4.94/5 3.2 oz / 91 g Canister 3.6 x 2.0 x 1.8 in / 9.1 x 5 x 4.6 cm No Yes

A NOTE ON STOVES

5.83% of hikers used an alcohol stove.

WATER TREATMENT PRICE RATING WEIGHT TYPE DIMENSIONS MEDIUM REMOVES Sawyer Squeeze $35 3.92/5 3 oz / 85 g Squeeze/Straw 2 x 5 in / 5 x 13 cm Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria Aquamira $15 4.60/5 3 oz / 85 g Drops N/A Chlorine dioxide Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses Bleach Cheap 4.33/5 N/A Drops N/A Sodium hypochlorite Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses Katadyn BeFree $25 4.11/5 2.3 oz / 65 g Bottle 11.3 x 3.5 x 2.8 in / 29 x 9 x 7 cm Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria Iodine $12 4.50/5 3 oz / 85 g Drops N/A Iodine Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses

ICE AXE PRICE RATING WEIGHT MATERIAL LENGTHS SHAPE Black Diamond Raven $85 3.95/5 15.9 oz / 452 g Stainless-steel head/aluminum shaft 60, 65, 70, 75 cm Straight C.A.M.P. USA Corsa $120 3.73/5 8.8 oz / 250 g 7075 aluminum alloy 50, 60, 70 cm Straight C.A.M.P. USA Corsa Nanotech $160 4.78/5 8.8 oz / 250 g 7075-T6 aluminum steel alloy shaft/Sandvik Nanoflex steel 50, 60, 70 cm Bent Petzl Glacier Literide $100 4.33/5 11.3 oz / 320 g Heat-treated steel/aluminum 7075 50 cm Straight Black Diamond Raven Pro $110 4.57/5 13.8 oz / 392 g Stainless-steel head and spike/aluminum 7075-T6 shaft 55, 60, 65, 70 cm Straight

A NOTE ON SHOES

Even if you knew for certain that each pair of your shoes will last you 700 mi / 1,125 km, buying yourself four pairs of shoes at the start of the hike would be a risky decision – what if the shoes aren't as comfortable as you thought? What if your feet swell?

Remember, you can buy shoes using this thing called the internet and have them mailed ahead on the trail (to a post office, hotel, local outfitter, trail angel, etc.) once you know that you're going to need a new pair. If you encounter an emergency situation, you can always buy locally or simply wait around for your shoes to show up in the mail.

Highest-rated vs. Most Common CDT Gear

How do the highest-rated and most common CDT gear lists stack up against one another? It appears that most hikers opted for lighter gear, but that those who carried heavier gear were often happy with their choices. The eternal struggle between comfort and weight in the world of thru-hiking marches forward.

HIGHEST-RATED CDT GEAR MOST COMMON CDT GEAR Total cost $2,490 $1,990 Total weight – Big 3 6 lbs 5.82 oz / 2.887 kg 5 lbs 3.94 oz / 2.380 kg Total weight – Big 4 7 lbs 4.83 oz / 3.312 kg 5 lbs 15.94 oz / 2.720 kg All CDT gear 9 lbs 2.25 oz / 4.146 kg 11 lbs 3.37 oz / 5.085 kg

NOTE: The shelter used in the “Most Common CDT Gear” list requires two trekking poles and eight stakes to be set up (not included in the base weight). The highest-rated tent is freestanding and does not require trekking poles.

The Base Weights

THRU THRU-1 THRU-0 NOBO SOBO BASE WEIGHT (START) 15.31 lbs / 6.95 kg 14.71 lbs / 6.67 kg 17.03 lbs / 7.72 kg 15.89 lbs / 7.21 kg 13.27 lbs / 6.02 kg BASE WEIGHT (END) 15.05 lbs / 6.83 kg 14.63 lbs / 6.64 kg 16.33 lbs / 7.41 kg 15.66 lbs / 7.1 kg 12.80 lbs / 5.81 kg % CHANGE 1.7% 0.5% 4.1% 1.4% 3.5% SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE 17.61°F / -7.99°C 17.54°F / -8.03°C 17.81°F / -7.88°C 17.15°F / -8.25°C 18.88°F / -7.29°C BACKPACK SIZE 52.37 L 51.84 L 54.03 L 53.37 L 47.56 L % USING FREESTANDING SHELTER 40% 37.84% 46.15% 45.05% 21.21% % STOVELESS 20.69% 21.10% 19.44% 18.87% 30.30% $ SPENT ON GEAR (PRE-TRAIL) $931.95 $898.47 $1,028.57 $1,012.25 $650.00

Overall, base weights changed by very little on the CDT. The average sleeping bag temperature was under 20°F / 6.6°C for all categories, and the average backpack size hovered at around 52 L overall.

If you're a first-time, would-be thru-hiker, take this information to mean that you should probably pay attention to what's going into your pack before setting off on the trail (hikers who didn't finish had, on average, higher base weights than those who did). That said, this could be due to experience. Experience? Yeah, you know, like hikers who completed the trail went into it having already hiked? Let's look at how hikers with experience stack up with those on their first thru-hikes.

FIRST-TIME HIKERS EXPERIENCED HIKERS BASE WEIGHT (START) 17.90 lbs / 8.12 kg 15.07 lbs / 6.84 kg BASE WEIGHT (END) 15.23 lbs / 6.91 kg 15.12 lbs / 6.86 kg % CHANGE 14.9% 0.33% SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE 17.52°F / -8.04°C 17.94°F / -7.81°C BACKPACK SIZE 56.38 L 52.14 L % USING FREESTANDING SHELTER 46.88% 36.17% % STOVELESS 12.5% 22.55% $ SPENT ON GEAR (PRE-TRAIL) $1,130.63 $849.19

Interesting to see that the experienced hikers actually ended up with a heavier finishing base weight than they started with. I guess hikers were a bit underprepared for some of the conditions they encountered on the CDT.

Remember that gear selection is personal; you're the one carrying your pack and you're the one who will suffer the consequences or reap the benefits of your gear selection. If you're happy to carry something and/or it improves the quality of your hike, then nobody has the right to tell you that you shouldn't have it (and if they do, tell them Mac said to get fucked).

The luxury items

Continental Divide Trail hikers obsess over their gear lists and what goes into their packs, but most everyone has something that could be considered a luxury item by someone else. Some people believe their phone to be an essential and multifunctional piece of gear while others may scoff at the idea of using one to take photos, listen to music, and use GPS in the wilderness (personally, I could not survive a thru-hike without a phone).

The most popular luxury item on the trail this year? A pillow. 19.5% of CDT hikers listed their luxury item as a pillow. Some of the most popular pillows?

What else was popular (and not so popular) among this year's thru-hiking luxury items?

Many hikers listed their cameras as their luxury items (for some, this is probably mandatory)

A journal or notebook (and one would assume a pen, as well)

Kindles were a (surprisingly) popular response

The lowest rated gear

Now that we've looked into what gear CDT hikers liked best and what the most common gear was on the CDT this year, let's look at what hikers DIDN'T LIKE. What should you avoid (or at least think about carefully) before purchasing?

NOTES ON THE DATA FOR LOWEST RATED GEAR:

Similar to the highest-rated gear above, here I only included gear that was used by AT LEAST 10 hikers.

hikers. To be considered for the “lowest-rated” list, a piece of gear needed to have a rating of BELOW 80% (4 out of 5 and below).

(4 out of 5 and below). If no item in a particular category met the 10-hiker and under 80% criteria, that category has been omitted below.

I've attached comments from hikers to each piece of gear.

GEAR RATING NAME COMMENTS Backpack 3.50/5 Zpacks Arc Haul Not durable Shelter 3.85/5 Zpacks Duplex Condensation / Not stormworthy Shelter 3.80/5 Nemo Hornet 1P Not enough interior space Sleeping Pad 2.70/5 Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol, Short Uncomfortable Shell 3.82/5 Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite 2 This jacket was the second-most-common shell on the CDT this year. Shell 3.92/5 Marmot Pre-Cip This jacket was the third-most-common shell on the CDT this year. Shell 3.83/5 Montbell Versalite This jacket was the fourth-most-common shell on the CDT this year. Shell 3.40/5 Patagonia Torrentshell Water Treatment 3.92/5 Sawyer Squeeze 63% of CDT thru-hikers used the Sawyer Squeeze – the most common complaint? The flow rate diminished significantly over time.







CDT thru-hiker gear advice

To wrap up this portion of the gear breakdown (posts on couples' gear and gear broken down by gender are on the way), I have advice from this year's CDT Class on gear choices and gear lists for future CDT hikers.

Keep it simple. There is too much hype on gear with marginal differences. Lots of stuff will work if it is light and durable. Most gear can be replaced along the way if not.

along the way if not. The CDT is colder than I anticipated , even having read past hikers comment on the cold. I sleep cold and wish I had gotten a 10-degree bag instead of a 15 so I wouldn't have had to get additional clothes for layering. Your bag will seem excessively warm in New Mexico but you'll need it in Colorado and for sections of Montana and Wyoming.

, even having read past hikers comment on the cold. I sleep cold and wish I had gotten a 10-degree bag instead of a 15 so I wouldn't have had to get additional clothes for layering. Your bag will seem excessively warm in New Mexico but you'll need it in Colorado and for sections of Montana and Wyoming. I used a different system in the snow in Colorado then switched back to my original system. Carried snowshoes for the Southern San Juans. Fleece is way better than down.

in Colorado then switched back to my original system. Carried snowshoes for the Southern San Juans. Fleece is way better than down. I put a priority on buying reliable gear . All of my gear performed great but if I did this trail again I would budget more for ultralight gear. I would also bring a professional-grade camera.

. All of my gear performed great but if I did this trail again I would budget more for ultralight gear. I would also bring a professional-grade camera. Bring tenacious tape, super glue, gorilla tape, shoe goo, extra lighters, and rolling tobacco for the times people run out and lose their minds on the side of a mountain .

. Wish I took a sun umbrella for New Mexico.

The Continental Divide Trail Survey Collection

If there is ANYTHING you can think of that would make this information more useful (or any more gear-related cross-referencing you would like to see), then please LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know.

HIKING THE CDT NEXT YEAR? ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW TO TAKE NEXT YEAR'S CDT SURVEY!

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links which means at no additional cost to you, I may receive small commissions for purchases made via these links. This helps to pay the bills and keep the site up and running. Thank you for your support!

You'll Like These Too: