The first freeze dried/dehydrated trail meal I had was about ten years ago.
The food bin from the equipment closet
Happy6 and I were doing the inn-to-inn route in Shenandoah. Our first stop, the camp store had some on sale and I bought a beef stroganoff meal.
Tent on CDT—drying out our bags.
It wasn’t very good, with off-putting seasoning.
I went years before I tried one again. On the PCT we were given some for free.
Cactus flower
Since then I’ve had more. They taste worlds better.
Camp shoes. Suitable for water crossing too
I have some observations.
Tent.
Watch the calories. They range from 200 a serving (not enough when you need at least a thousand calories for dinner) to close to a thousand for a meal.
Flavors are much better. This is true across brands.
There is a lot of variety.
Breakfasts often rely on peanut butter for a substantial part of their protein and calories.
Almost half the weight. Both sets of camp shoes felt about the same. A scale really helps.
One thing I’m experimenting with for bear country is eating my big meal at lunch and then a lunch style meal for dinner.
Tent on trail
I’m also weighing things rather than checking out how they feel or heft. Both sets of sandals felt about the same lightness. There was a significant difference.
The results from the Halfway Anywhere surveys are in. I’ve preserved the affiliate marketing links from the original lists. I’m comparing data between trails and with theTrek.co’s data as well as my choices.
Headlamp:Nitecore NU25 (1.66 oz / 47 g). What I moved to. On low it is great for use on trail. I have to admit it wasn’t so good in town. However, on the AZT we did a lot of hiking early before sunrise using these.
Bear canister:BearVault BV500 Journey (40 oz / 1.134 kg). We still have two of these but carry our upgrades.
Some of the highest rated gear includes Montbell Versalite raingear. (Almost as good as Lightheart Gear. Basically the same weight. Breathes better but not quite as reliable).
The Senchi Designs Alpha 60 Hoodie has better fit and finish than Timmermade. So I upgraded a while back and remain happy with my choice. I’ve never needed the extra warmth of the 90 weight.
Darn Tough socks dominate. The sock choices on long trails have gone from a variety of brands to basically just different types of Darn Tough. The lifetime warranty has made a difference.
The .9 gram BRS-3000T has moved to being very common and highly rated though behind the Pocket Rocket.
The Sawyer Squeeze dominates. Gear Skeptic has convinced me that it is either the Sawyer or Katadyn BeFree (the standards are not rigorous enough si just meeting “standards” is not enough). The Sawyer filters better, but much slower.
Happy6 and I do use chemical treatment more and more. That used to be very popular on trail. It sure is nice for all sorts of applications, especially overnight or when you are tired but have time.
Appalachian Trail statistics were similar to the other two long trails for gear use. The Trek maintains these. They and Halfway Anywhere have the surveys divided up.
The Garmin InReach Mini has become dominate as a GPS/emergency device.
I’ll note that mass commercial brands like Osprey are much more popular on the AT than other trails.
The CDT tends to lag behind on innovation trends—I think because people keep using gear they already own that has served them well.
Even on the wettest trail (the Appalachian Trail) hikers used down sleeping bags successfully. I’ve gone from wanting non-down for function while wet to considering it a non-issue.
Hiking pole, non-freestanding tents now dominate.
Tents like REI Quarter Dome and the Big Agnes Fly Creek that used to have a significant trail presence have disappeared from the survey responses.
They are both still great tents.
Merrell shoes, which used to be dominant, have really faded as an on-trail brand, though the Moab 3 has gotten a very enthusiastic reception by those who used them.
Topo continues to be the dominant newcomer.
Happy6 and my gear choices
Tent: Pivot Trio. A palace for two at 22.3 ounces. We now use the Dyneema groundsheet instead of Tyvek. It is useful, especially for siesta time.
We use MSR groundhogs for tent stakes. They handle hard trails so much better
Backpack: Kakwa (for horizontal bear can carry) // Hyperlite.
Packliner. Nylofume bag or trash sack. Pack liners are essential.
Sleeping Bag: Feathered Friend Egret/Swallow. We use them because they zip together and we have them. Used as a quilt or as a bag depending on temperature. We’ve used these a lot since 2019.
Sleeping Pads: Thermarest Xlite NXT short. We use the pump sack. We have other pads but have gravitated to these.
Puffy: Eos or Montbell. Happy6 uses her Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer off trail.
Shell/raincoat: Visp or Lightheart gear. We both carry rain pants as well. Visp was because I wanted to try it and it hasn’t worn out yet.
Windshirt: Zpacks or Black Diamond.
Fleece: Senchi.
Shoes: Topo Terraventure. With gaiters.
Socks. Darn Tough heavy or Farm to Feet or Darn Tough. I like more cushion than Hsppy6 uses.
Stove: BRS + Stanco Greasepot. Lighter than the alternatives and works well. The frying pan stays home now.
Water treatment: Katadyn BeFree filters and Aqua Mira tabs. The tabs are lighter than the liquid, just as fast and easier to use.
Food Storage: Bearikade. We gave them to each other as presents.
Trekking poles: Carbon cork Foxelli. We both use them now. Different colors.
PLB: we both have our own InReach Mini2 with extraction insurance.
Ice Axes: we have two Black Diamond Ravens. We will be hiking in non-ice axe seasons this year.
Snowline Microspikes. When conditions call for them.
Jolly Gear sun hoodies. Hats.
Pants for leg protection. Back up shorts. Or vice versa. It is possible to skip the back-up and just use rain pants.
Camp shoes: slides that are no longer sold or croc style camp shoes. Too bad. If I used them more and used them for water crossing I’d carry my Jimmies which are slightly lighter. Too bad the 7 ounce croc ballet flats did not fit my feet.
Misc.: sea to summit InsectShield bug nets. Bic minilighter. Toaks polished bowl long handled spoons. Sunglasses (not needed for the AT, essential for other trails).
More misc: trowel, microfiber washcloth, Mokin charger, Nitecore batteries, REI sun gloves.
Baselayers. Merino wool and/or Capilene.
Umbrella finally went in a hiker box instead of being mailed home. Haven’t worn our fitness trackers since 2019 or so.
My prior gear lists
In reverse chronological order. The further down, the older. I’ve definitely changed over time.
Thumb loops, the hood fits perfectly over a baseball cap and it wicks sweat well. My favorite colors and patterns are no longer available. The men’s cut was better for both Happy6 and I.
Crater Lake 175 grams for the weight.
The Topo pattern
That said the hoodie that is really popular on trail is the Jolly Gear hoodie.
Some Jolly Gear hoodies are very bold, others very mild in style. I own two that are mild.
Jolly Gear weighs 265 grams. It has lots of trim. Buttons. Collar. Two zipper pockets.
That is regular fabric, men’s large.
UL in men’s medium
Jolly Gear UL fabric only 210 grams
I’ve used others hoodies. Some were not really sun resistant enough. Others shredded too quickly. Some lacked thumb loops. I had one that was too warm for the trail —and that I’m wearing as I write this, a great hoodie, just not great for backpacking.
Some hoodies did not fit a ball cap well. Some were even more pricy than the ones I’m talking about. $160 is just too much.
I’ve one that sweat stained immediately which was ugly as sin.
They both lasted as well as any other brand. But they were not great enough that I felt like going back to that brand—especially at $149 each on sale.
I bought a TYR at the Columbia outlet store when my then current hoodie wore out. It weighs 208 grams. Very comfortable but a little heavier fabric than other hoodies. A touch warm on a hot day on the trail.
Past April 14th on the trail
It is great to wear around town in long sleeve weather. I’m wearing it now.
I tried the hoodie (link is to current iteration, thy routinely tweak the design) from Patagonia which weighed 180 grams. It has no thumb loops. Overall it just came up a little short. Resists stench well. I’d rate it as only kinda ok.
It is polyester so it is hydrophobic and is good for wicking sweat away. Might be perfect for someone else.
In Leadville when my then hoodie was pretty torn up I bought a Galena which is 250 grams. You can see the sweat stained pattern in this picture.
After one day. Total fail.
I’ll note that another hoodie I bought on trail (a brand I won’t name) went straight into a hiker box—it wasn’t worth mailing home after less than a week.
I don’t recommend hoodies that
Are less than 50 spf
Fall apart or snag unmercifully from day one.
Hydrophilic. Those will get and say wet. Hydrophobic all the way.
Alternatives
The alternative is the long sleeve t-shirt with a hat.
Either a bandana is used to supplement the hat and protect neck and ears or a wider brimmed sun hat is used.
I did a lot of practice hiking for the CDT with a Silkweight top and a bandana. I did not choose to hike the trail with that combination.
Sun hat—better than hat + bandana
With my new hat I’m considering the t-shirt route since with the hat I don’t need the hood. I might use one of my Jolly Gear shirts instead. Probably the UL one.
Things are still evolving.
Now for my shirt alternatives.
Merino t-shirt I used on the Appalachian Trail
I will start with this one. I finished at Bear Mountain on the Appalachian Trail in this long sleeve t-shirt. It is 165 grams.
Next is 1 gram heavier.
Silkweight t-shirt (a milspec item)
Milspec Silkweight is “new” technology—it is basically Patagonia Capaline at reasonable prices. Very durable.
Then there is Stio.
My Stio shirt. Buttons. Collar. Pockets.
Stio shirts have an almost cult-like following.
Paradox baselayer for reference.
I wear these paradox baselayers for everyday wear in shoulder season. My thanks to PMags for telling me about them.
Great, but I’m not wearing black for sun protection.
Finally 32 Degrees.
32 Degrees Cool t-shirt
32 Degrees makes lots of quality well priced gear.
For comparison with hiking shirts I just weighed one of the dress shirts I wore to work for years and it was 265 grams. The polyester dress shirts my wife and I picked up on trail at a Front Royal thrift store weighed less than that but I’ve misplaced mine so could not weigh it.
Afterword
On the Appalachian trail once I moved to merino blends that had at least 10% nylon and/or spandex/lycra in them I never had wear problems.
My tops only started getting torn up when I started encountering brush, thorns and other overgrown trail hazards on the PCT and CDT which the AT did not have.
From today’s hiking
Hiking through head high thorn overgrowth for miles takes a toll. I don’t blame the tops for that wear and tear.
Other than the brand I don’t name, I’ve had no complaints about how well hoodies lasted under the conditions I used them in.
From years past.
I’m also not sure how significant weight is for the tops I’ve used or choosing a top. I’ll have to think about it.
Miscellaneous notes
As an aside, should you want an ultragrid hoodie, try 32 Degrees $16.99. In a world of alps direct ultragrid still has a place.
There are lots of reasons to carry a trail towel. But also lots of reasons it should be small and made of microfiber.
Microfiber absorbs a lot of water, wrings out almost dry and is light. While towels made of it can cost over $40 you can also buy them at a dollar store, Walmart or Home Depot.
Smaller means cheaper and lighter.
As for reason to carry, many times on trail you will find a shower without a towel or the inside of a tent that you need to remove the condensation from.
More microfiber towels
I’ve been using microfiber washcloths as towels for 6-7 years now.
Alternative
You can use your buff. In my experience it doesn’t work as well. Same for using your shirt or a sock.
You can use a shammy or a quasi shammy (like Shamwow). They weigh more and need a little more care. I tried that but found I preferred the microfiber.
You can use a cotton washcloth. It dries much slower. Better at home but not as good on trail.
Hats
So, I ended up using my built cool hat the last trail.
65 grams
And, the hat I was looking at as a possible replacement my wife just bought for me.
90 grams
It is waterproof (just tested it under a faucet in the sink), has a polyester mesh liner and vents.
The mesh liner
Very sweet of my wife to buy this for me.
The vents
It fits my head and it provides full protection and better breathable conditions and better visibility than ball cap + sun hoodie.
Sun hoodies pulled forward enough to protect my face fully have cut off some vision. They also don’t breathe as well.
Foxelli poles
My wife also bought me a new set of poles.
Blue Foxelli Poles
They are in blue to compare with hers in green.
With the price increase on Cascade Mountain Tech and the issues with the tips, I’m looking forward to them.
Saves a gram in weight per pole. As I’ve changed how I hold my poles the contoured grips have become a plus and not a minus.
In theory, replacing the tips on Cascade Mountain Tech poles is easy.
210 grams each (7.4 ounces)
Tip replacement is normal, and I’ve done it many times. For best results, twist off the old tips with pliers after heating them in boiling water. Clean the shafts and install the new tips. So that they stay put, tap the pole a few times on a hard surface (e.g. concrete, granite rock) before using.
Boiling water did not really do the trick. One pole was damaged, the other I cut off but had trouble cleaning up.
Boiling water
I really like the poles. I do not like the problem with the tips.
CMT vs Foxelli
The CMT as they look after 170 Arizona Trail miles or so. The Foxelli after many miles.
The Black Diamond Aluminum poles
The BDs are after the Appalachian Trail and over a thousand miles on the PCT.
I had two BD replacement tips I was going to put on but my wife just ordered me a new set of Foxelli poles after I broke one and cleaning the epoxy off the other wasn’t going well.
Foxelli in blue209 grams each
The Foxelli are interchangeable in some parts with Cascade Mountain Tech.
Hiking shorts
My favorite Gerry—8.1 ounces
230 grams. Funny how that went from light to comparatively heavy. I’ve had them a long time. This pair was treated with InsectShield and was perfect until my phone got larger.
Gerry shorts from Costco are unfortunately not consistent and change specs regularly.
Pro tip. I’ve not used the rear pockets on hiking shorts.
Umbro shorts 4.9 ounces
At 130 grams these shorts I got from the Timberline hiker box only fit me after I lose weight on the trail. InsectShield treated.
My Spyder shorts from the AZT
165 grams (5.8 ounces). Light. Only two pockets. Just not as comfortable as other shorts. InsectShield treated.
My compromise shorts
At 189 grams (6.67 ounces) these shorts are the ones I carry as a compromise. InsectShield treated.
Start at Walker Pass 653.2. This is the gateway to the Sierra section. Hiking the PCT before that point is ignored for the purposes of this post.
Three for $19 sunglasses with tether
… Start with full four day supply here.
From Walker Pass it is 56 miles to Kennedy Meadows South at 703.4.
…Resupply at general store/outfitter in town, if mailing snow gear could also mail food. Note that Grumpy Bear’s and Yogi are now merged. Yogi retired.
The trail where the picture was taken
Then from KMS it is 87 miles to Kearsarge Pass 790.3. If you have trail legs that is about four days.
…Hitch into Independence and take the bus to Bishop, resupply in Bishop; gas station resupply in Independence if you are really not picky.
Ombraz sunglasses $160.
From there it is 85 miles to Vermilion Valley Resort 875.7.
…Eat a meal here, VVR has resupply options but they are very expensive (many recommend carrying food from Bishop to Mammoth).
BTW, after this point it gets easier. Tuolumne Meadows resupply at 943.7, Pinecrest (or Bridgeport) and on, all easy intervals.
Going SOBO the route is:
Mammoth-> Red‘s Meadow by bus. Spend the night to acclimate to altitude then take the shuttle to Agnes Campground/PCT at 916. Information on the bus and shuttle.
Note, the alternative Whitney Trail is at 768.2. To resupply there using the portal requires the $15 portal fee. 751 is the Cottonwood Pass/Lone Pine Access resupply.
Map of resupply points.
Using Cottonwood Pass allows doing Mt Whitney (which realistically adds two days) and resupplying without the extra two days of food.
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