Date: 2016-09-06
To: Houston, TX
Miles today: 0.0

When planning any long distance hike the right gear is crucial. Based on your budged try to purchase the best quality gear you can get as it will make a difference. Below I have listed most of my gear by the item, the technical item name and the brand followed by a quick review. If you have any specific questions please shoot me an email. Tent                    Copper Spur UL 2                              Big Agnes Loved my tent!! Many hikers had the newer Fly Creek tents however having two vestibules made getting in and out much more convenient and was better for ventilation. Tent footprint           Copper Spur UL 2 Footprint                    Big Agnes Expensive and a little small, better off saving money and making your own with Tyvek sheet or another material. Backpack           Crown VC 60 Ki Pack - Women's              Granite Gear Great, minimalist pack, very light weight and having a top loading bag makes you efficient at packing and usually carry less unnecessary things. Super jealous the new ones will have a hip belt and a brain. Sleeping Bag           Sawtooth 15°F/-9°C Long-LZ Down(650 Fill) MarmotGood, kept me warm and compacted to a very small size. Sleeping Pad           Insulated Air Core (Long, Rectangular)   Big Agnes Do NOT get this pad, I replaced it once before hiking and the new one started leaking air one month before I finished hiking (sleeping on hard ground was horrible). Many other hikers I met had similar issues and while it is comfortable when it works the quality just isn't there for long term usage. Sleeping Bag Liner   100% Premium Silk Sleeping Bag Liner   Sea to SummitIt kept me warmer, served as a good blanket when the nights were too hot to sleep in my bag and I was able to wash it along with my clothing so it kept my bag cleaner. Dry Stuff Sack           Event Compression Dry Sack               Sea to SummitEssential when you have a down sleeping bag. Pillow                    Ultra-light Air-Core Pillow              Cocoon I started out just using my clothing bag and would wake up with puffy eyes that looked like I was just punched. Having your head properly elevated at night is much better and this pillow allowed me to remove the inflatable bit so that I could wash the cover with my clothing. Hiking Shoes           Speedcross 3 CS Trail - Running Shoes   SalomonSalomon is an amazing brand with a superb return policy, thank you!! I ended up wearing three pairs the entire hike, the first for 727.5 miles, the second for 883.5 miles and the third to Katahdin at 578 miles. I did try one pair of XA Pro 3D Salomon's and was not a fan as the Speedcross had better tread and grip. Camp Shoes           Ultra II Ladies                             VivobarefootExpensive, light weight, full foot coverage and much better looking (in my opinion) than Crocs so I was happy with them. Trekking Poles           Trail Pro Shock Trekking Poles               Black DiamondNot a fan, mine turned in to poker sticks about half way in. Other hikers with Leki poles seemed to fair much better. Water Filtration   Mini Water Filtration System              SawyerI started with both the Sawyer Mini and Aquarmira chemical drops. Definitely get the full size Sawyer as it filters much faster and the Aquarmira is good for a back up or if you want to double filter but unnecessary. Stove                    Gigapower Stove - Auto                    SnowpeakGood for it's price but slow, if you can afford it get a Jetboil. Cooking Pot           Titanium Trek700                             SnowpeakGood size (I could fit two ramen packets or one ramen packet with a knorr pasta side just barely) overall and quality.Bear Bag           S29 AllWhite Bear Bag                    UrsackWonderful bear bag! It is very tough and would carry about 6 days of food. The only down side is it is expensive and not water proof so make sure to put the food in ziplocs or other bags inside (I used the lopsak bags seen below). Food storage bags   OPSAK Odor-Proof Barrier Bags 21" x 12" LopsakThey seal to make them odor proof doesn't last long, good size and I used them then entire trip to keep my food dry inside of the bear bag by simply rolling the top to seal it.                 2 - Underwear           Sport Mesh Hipkini                             ExofficioComfortable and great for swimming. Underwear           Lacy Black Bikini                             ExofficioNot as comfortable but it was nice to have one pair of "pretty" underwear. 2 - Sports Bras      Classic Dri-Fit                        NikeBuff                    Coolmax UV                                      Buff Great for a snot rag, sweat band or to sleep in (it kept my dirty hair out of my face). Rain Jacket           Minimalist Rain Jacket                    MarmotThe gore-tex aspect kept me warm and the pit zip help for ventilation. It is a bit heavy and in warmer weather you get hot very fast. Rain Pant           Regen Rain Pant                             ColumbiaWorked well but I did not use them often and mailed them back in Virginia. Fleece                    Fleece 1/4 Zip                             REIGreat extra layer for cold weather. Mailed back in Virginia and just kept the puffy. Puff Jacket           Nano Puff Jacket                             PatagoniaNice outer layer, kept it the entire time. Long sleeve shirt   NTS 250 Pattern Crew Top - LSH              SmartWool Great shirt to sleep in for cold weather. Mailed back in Virginia and replaced with a cotton shirt.Long sleeve shirt   Midweight Space Dye LS                    REIGood for cold weather or when the weather was unpredictable to have an extra layer on top of my t-shirt. T-shirt                    NTS 195 Tee - Women's                    SmartWoolWonderful shirt, very comfortable the only problem was mice liked it too and when hanging overnight in a shelter they got in to it and put holes everywhere. I ended up getting rid of it and replacing it with a quick dry athletic shirt, mostly due to budget or else I would have got another one. Gloves                    Switchback Gloves                             REII never used the thick, bulky outside but only the small inner glove linings which I mailed back in Virginia. Beanie                    NTS 250 Pattern Cuffed Beanie              SmartWoolEssential to keep your head warm and this beanie worked great, I'd recommend keeping one the entire trip as the weather can be unpredictable. Sleeping Pants           Mid 250 Bottoms                             SmartWoolVery comfortable and good quality, I wore them the entire time!Pants                    Stretch Zion Convertible Pants - Men's prAnaExpensive but great hiking pants the only problem was I lost weight and they became so loose that even with a belt they were uncomfortable to wear. I ditched them in Vermont to get rid of the weight. Shorts                                                             NikeI found some awesome running shorts at a thrift store in Virginia and wore them almost every day when my pants became too big. I wish I had two pairs!3 - Socks           Socks Micro Crew Cushion (Boot Cut)      DarnToughIt is ideal to have two pairs for hiking and one for sleeping. It's not very easy to get them replaced on the trail but you will find them in most outfitters and they are good socks.