AI is being offered as a tool to get you in more trouble.
Just offers to change your trail and generate a new one.
AI already gives bad advice on water.
Or whether a cartoon penguin is a real cat
I’m really not looking forward to more AI on hiking apps.
I’m rather wanting more improvements before altering things that you trust your life to.
By popularity
Left is 2016. Right is 2024. Listed by popularity.
I really like Hyperlite and because I have to deal with a bear canister I love the horizontal carry of a canister the Kakwa offers.
*three different Durston tents make up 2, 3, 4th places. ** the highest rated.
The Fly Creek tent is a front entry that is slightly lighter. Its place for backpackers has been taken by the Tiger Wall. People pretty much quit using front entry tents.
Three 2016 tents have basically dropped off the charts. In 2024 four of the tents now popular were not even around.
*Western Mountaineering bags are still used, and highly rated. Cheaper bags are more common. Lots of quilts are seen on the trail where they weren’t used before. They have pluses and minuses.
Thermarest. ———-Thermarest. No change through the years. In the past I’ve given different estimates but I think about 10% of hikers would be happy with closed cell pads and about 1% with doing without.
There are more pad alternatives now and you can try them out at any REI. They have a box full of pads for trying out.
I recommend that people try them out before buying. I use a Thermarest.
BRS is a Pocket Rocket clone. For comparison in popularity the CDT survey has Pocket Rocket -> Soto -> BRS, so very similar results. You can’t go wrong with any of those three stoves.
Note Aqua Mira is still used and highly rated but down to 1.37% of backpackers. BeFree and its “clones” (Hydropak and its authorized copycat that does test marketing) are making inroads. They filter water faster and are great except for high sediment water sources.
Aqua Mira tabs are lighter and faster than the drops. Great to carry as a backup.
Aside from the Sawyer Mini you can’t go wrong with any of these or their variants.
I’ll note that tests by the Gear Skeptic (a YouTube channel) show that backpacking filters other than Sawyer or Katadyn/Hydropak do not filter as well. The current filter standard is woefully inadequate and a Sawyer filters about three standard deviations better than the standard.
Over the years more items have been added to the survey.
The Fly Creek tents is still sold but just not used by anyone on long trails. REI tents were the ones used by those not following the mainstream. That group now uses other tents, notably Durston tents.
On the Appalachian Trail gear choices are getting more like the PCT. Which gear is most popular does shift and sometimes there are differences.
For example. You can use a hammock instead of a tent on the AT. You really can’t do that for the PCT or CDT.
Sometimes one trail or the other will lead in a gear choice like Altras or Topos being used or the most popular.
Shoe ratings for the AT:
Rank Brand Responses
For the PCT:
Note this is popularity which is different from satisfaction.
For the CDT:
Brooks were a lot more popular, then the company fixed them (made them narrow). Everyone quit using them. Brooks finally course corrected. Their shoes are coming back.
Or tents.
CDT vs AT popularity is
The AT gets a lot more rain.
First, anything used by a lot of people year after year will probably be ok. Take the satisfaction ratings with a grain of salt, but something popular will probably not be a catastrophic fail.
Second, things change, often without anything being wrong with the past.
Third, the surveys miss a lot. Between surveys the questions are often not the same.
Aside from the meaning of the questions, some groups that used to do surveys quit publishing the data and replaced it with recommendations that differed from the survey results but made for better affiliate marketing links (and they would say better recommendations).
I’m not designating or pointing out any of those groups.
Fourth, many, many, many, gear choices are strongly individual. Packs and shoes, for instance, have a fit. What fits one person comfortably and “just right” might not fit another the same way.
So the surveys are useful for information but are better as a starting place than an ending.
Your experience may vary.
Caveat. As of the writing of this essay I don’t have active affiliate marketing because I’m too lazy to keep an account active and edit all the links. However, you should treat all my recommendations as if influenced by such links.
I will probably have them some day.
First, the latest from https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/pct-hiker-survey-couples-2024/
On the PCT about 9% of couples shared a one person tent.
On the Appalachian Trail about 11% of couples shared a one person tent.
On tents: I’ve shared a Triplex, an off-set Trio, and an XMid Pro 2.
Loved the Triplex with pole caps (though a deer did eat a trekking pole handle one night). Liked the XMid though it was too small. Like the Trio.
If I was going to hike a couple thousand more miles I’d be rethinking tents.
Also on tents: the XMid tents have really turned into a dominant force. The REI quarterdome has really lost ground.
On cook kits: sharing makes a lot of sense. What you are doing is basically boiling water. You only need one pot and one stove and one fuel canister to do that.
First Aid Kits: We each carry some things. Kind of a split kit. That seems to make sense, especially since most hikers get more minimalist on first aid over time.
PLB/ InReach / Garmin: We started with nothing then just one, a Garmin. Then we upgraded to an InReach Mini 2. Then Happy6 bought me one so we would have emergency backup. We both have newer iPhones that have emergency satellite capabilities.
So, we’ve gone from nothing (Appalachian Trail) to one (PCT) to redundancy (CDT).
Toilet kit: we both carry our own trowel and toilet paper. Light and you never find yourself waiting to borrow your partner’s.
Water filter: we started with two Sawyer Minis, with smart water bottles. Pro tip. Friends don’t let friends buy Minis. The normal Sawyer or the Micro are both better.
Then Happy6 carried our filter and I carried back up chemicals. I’ve carried a backup filter on and off.
Battery Pack: we started with not enough battery. I’ve experimented a lot. Currently we carry several packs, split between us.
Bear Canister. Usually the distance between resupply makes sharing problematic. Comments on Reddit are pretty incredulous that anyone can share a canister for long.
Pads and Bags: I’m all about zip together bags and loops holding pads together. Lighter than doubles, more flexible.
I like backpacking but not enough to do it by myself. I would not be backpacking if not doing it as a couple.
We got up early after camping at a nearby RV Park. The day before we had hiked a dry trail canyon. We were about 8-10 miles from Cedar City, Utah.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1LZJPwAY9S/?mibextid=wwXIfr—video of our day two hike.
The trail head started out broad and smooth
Then it moved into the trees
Soon it drops into the water in the slot canyon.
Then to the first falls
It was a great hike. We got started before the trail opened (with permission) and were headed back as we started to meet people.
I would have worn my neoprene socks for warmth but otherwise it was perfect.
200 permits a day. They always sell out well in advance.
https://kanarrafalls.com/—the official website. I called with a question and they texted me back within minutes.
After the hike we headed back to the RV park, got our showers and headed home.
Stopped by a cemetery.
This was me at the end of day one. Day two I looked similar, with more water.
I had clean, dry clothes to wear home.
Summary of the Sierra section with CalTopo map. Breaks it down to 11 to 15 mile days.
We continue to train. I’m now doing distance with 20 pounds and starting on my pre-trail weight loss.
Updating my apps.
Printing out permits. More training.
Steps we have taken:
The problems we have are:
Positives:
Comparison pictures between seasons in the Sierra section.
So. We continue to train.
To do:
I’m getting excited to be back on the trail. Especially since the bridges have all been fixed.
Additional useful links:
*All asterisk locations are located in Kennedy Meadows (South) – at the same point in the PCT
Ok, the standard alternative to crocs for camp shoes is a flip flop which is great for showers and ok for walking around.
A flip flop is miserable for a water crossing, but light.
Bought some on trail when I lost a croc.
My next choice I got after seeing someone else using it on trail.
Swiftwater Crocs are great for water crossings, but heavy. They are lighter than “real” crocs and have a lot going for them.
I’ve used these on trail. More than once.
Then there are clones.
Croc clones with the straps still on are often lighter than Crocs and handle water crossings well. Some clones are really heavy but there are ones that are lighter than the originals.
I just used these again.
Recently I learned about ballet flats made out of rubber/plastic. Croc even makes them.
Ballet flat Crocs are lighter and an interesting compromise
I’m seriously considering these for our return to the Sierra section. They work much better with socks than without socks.
Finally there is something I’ve made and considered but haven’t taken on trail.
They are the lightest option; the lightest choice is camp sandals made from insoles and some cord
Instructions for DIY ultralight sandals. Some are even lighter than these and where Xero sandals came from 9.2 ounces though.
The big flaw with insole sandals is that you can’t really walk far in them or cross water with them. Xero solves that but at the cost of extra weight.
Right now I’m looking at the ballet flat crocs and finding them interesting. I even bought a pair to try out.
Different colors have different weights and weight is size and model dependent as well. The ~7 ounces weight is commonly reported.
They are an interesting choice that clicks all the buttons. You can wear them in the shower. You can cross water in them. You can take a night time break with them. Some people even walk some distance in them.
https://www.amazon.com/HydraPak-42mm-Filter-Cap-Preparedness/dp/B0D3XGW1J3
From the company that makes my favorite water bags. Filter is longer so it filters faster (more fibers exposed to filter water).
Katadyn is $29.95 so not much difference in price.
The filters are very similar and you can find both Katadyn and Hydropak for a fair amount more money than the Amazon price.
(Disclosure—I got this from a backpacking magazine that is often pretty useless. Not sure what possessed me to read their article).
