Rick McCharles
After being drenched several days in series on the John Muir Trail by the remnants of Hurricane Dean, I finally got a chance to dry out my gear in the hot morning sun.
It gave me a chance to take photos of my current gear set. This is about as light as I have ever hiked on a multi-day trip. I used everything I carried on big trips in the Yukon and the JMT.
Sleeping system: MSR Hubba tent, down sleeping bag, silk sleeping bag liner, 3/4 length therm-a-rest, dry bag stuff sack “pillow”, headlamp.
Tent and sleeping bag are stored in a kayak dry bag with purge valve. (Heavy, but worth it, I think.)
Outdoor clothes: unlined nylon pants, wicking t-shirt, ultra lightweight wind jacket, Gortex jacket, long brim baseball cap.
Tent and camp clothes: fleece pants, shirt and “touque” (hat), down vest, tent socks.
Shoes and socks. I, as usual, took only 1 pair of shoes and 1 pair of outdoor socks. Ultimately this turned out to be a mistake. Due to the unusual, unexpected amount of rain I eventually got blisters. (Very rare for me.)
Hydration: Nalgene water bottle, extra soft drink water bottle, MSR water filter. (I would use chemicals next time.)
Food: Large bear vault, spoon, JetBoil stove, extra fuel canister. (Started with 7 days grub.)
Navigation / Entertainment: Topo maps, hiking guidebook, novel, iPod Nano (books on MP3), All-in-one Map Tool. I know, this is VERY HEAVY and could be reduced.
Defecation: Toilet paper, lighter, disinfectant gel, Camp Suds, paper soap.
Personal items in hip pack: Cash, Swiss Army Knife, sun screen, note pad, pen, Tylenol, mini-toothpaste, mini-toothbrush, mobile phone, etc. Camera and extra batteries.
Finally, and importantly, bandanas and a Buff. Multi-purpose.
Everything fits into my lightweight Virga backpack by Granite Gear.
I will make very few changes for my next long hike. This works for me.
Compare this with Caroline’s gear list for the PCT: As The Crow Flies blog.
Just goes to show that you don’t have to be loaded like a mule to do a multi day.
Hi Rick, Good list, I have a few pics here that show our clothing set up. Has worked well for a few years.
Most of our clothing is from Mountain Designs (in Australia only) great stuff!
http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-hiking-clothes-for-multi-day-hike.html