Gear List

Scroll down for a detailed spreadsheet of what I carried with me on the CDT.

My pack’s base weight was about 12.5 pounds without food and water. Gabriel’s base weight was around 13 pounds and includes ~2 pounds of our tent system. We use a Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo, a single-wall, fully enclosed (bug free!), tent with enough room for a 6’4″ person to not bump into the ceiling. The trekking poles I carried weigh a pound, and are used as the poles for the tent.

Here’s our first, beloved green, Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo on its second to last adventure:

Labor Day weekend 2013, a trip with PCT friends Daybreaker and Seahorse. We camped on the slopes of Luahna. Mount Saul in the background.

We could probably lighten our gear systems and simplify the list below (carrying 101+ items mentally feels like a lot of stuff). But some of the “extras” are carried for safety, such as a robust first aid kit and extra layers. And while I’ve deemed other items luxurious, I’ll be carrying them because they contribute daily to my enjoyment of the trail (both book and pillow are helpful for falling asleep and sleeping well).

My general rule is my pack base weight needs to be less than the weight of our cat.

The Gear List

Function	Gear	Weight (oz)	Where	Comment
Electronics	Camera	6.9	ALL
Electronics	Camera charger	0.8	ALL
Electronics	Smartphone	5.2	ALL	For journaling and photo loading
Electronics	Cell phone	3.6	ALL
Electronics	Charger cord	1	ALL
First Aid	Bandage	–	ALL
First Aid	Gauze	–	ALL
First Aid	Tape	–	ALL
First Aid	Band-Aids	–	ALL
First Aid	Tweezers & scissors	–	ALL
First Aid	Neosporin	–	ALL
First Aid	Hand warmers		ALL
First Aid	Benadryl	–	ALL
First Aid	Ibuprofen	–	ALL
First Aid	Tinidazole for girardia	–	ALL
First Aid	Cephalexin for serious infection	–	ALL
First Aid	Doxycycline for tick bite/Lyme disease	–	ALL
First Aid	Oxycodone for serious injuries	–	ALL
First Aid	First aid kit TOTAL	10.5	ALL
Food	Hand sanitizer #1 in food bag	0.7	ALL
Food	Long spoon	0.6	ALL
Food	Orange spoon	0.2	ALL	Back up spoon, cause ya never know
Food	Blender Bottle ~28 oz volume	4.4	ALL	Heavy water container, but it’s also my bowl and “cook system”
Food	OPSAK for trash	0.6	ALL
Hydration	Platypus 2L	1.4	ALL
Hydration	Platypus 2L	1.4	ALL
Hydration	Gatorade bottle ~.95L	1.8	ALL
Hydration	Platypus sippy tube	1.8	ALL
Hydration	Aqua Mira	2.9	ALL
Light	Spare light	0.2	ALL
Light	Petzel e+LITE	1.1	ALL	Switch to Black Diamond Spot for longer nights in Montana or if we decide to start night hiking (weighs 3.3 oz)
Luxury	Patagonia Reflip flip flops	6.1	ALL
Luxury	Mukmuk the Canadian marmot	2.1	ALL
Luxury	Marmot stamp & ink pads	1.5	ALL
Luxury	Pillow	0.6	ALL
Luxury	Book	5	ALL
Luxury	Patagonia Strider shorts	3.7	ALL
Navigation	Silva Ranger compass	2.3	ALL
Navigation	Maps	1.5	ALL
Navigation	Guide info	0.5	ALL
Organization	Clothing stuff sack	1.5	ALL
Organization/Food	Snack stuff sack	0.7	ALL
Organization/Food	Food bag	1	ALL
Organization/Other	OPSAK	0.6	ALL
Organization/Repair Kit	Stuff sack	0.2	ALL
Organization/Toiletries	Grooming stuff sack	0.3	ALL
Organization/Toiletries	Toiletries stuff sack	0.5	ALL
Other	Sharpie and pencil	0.4	ALL
Other	Notepad	2.1	ALL
Other	Wallet-ID, cards, $$	1.1	ALL
Other	Bandanna	1.4	ALL
Other	Sea to Summit bug net	0.9	Colorado onwards
Pack	Pack liner-trash compactor bag	2.4	ALL
Pack	Gossamer Gear Mariposa pack	22.7	ALL
Repair Kit	Lighter	0.7	ALL
Repair Kit	Knife	1.4	ALL
Repair Kit	Flagging	0.05	ALL
Repair Kit	Duct tape	0.6	ALL
Repair Kit	Patch tape	0.6	ALL
Repair Kit	Needle & thread	0.2	ALL
Repair Kit	Cording	0.7	ALL
Repair Kit	Zip ties	0.1	ALL
Shelter	Tyvek ground cloth	5.6	ALL
Shelter/Other	Black Diamond Mountain trekking poles-modified	16	ALL	Not in pack base weight, carrying these
Sleeping/pack frame	MEC 0.5 cm evazote sleeping pad (yellow!)	6.1	ALL	May switch to 0.25 cm evazote pad & ThermaRest NeoAir XLight-short, this system weighs 10.4 ounces, but is much cushier
Sleeping	Sea to Summit ultra-sil dry sack	2.2	ALL	Thanks Laura for this bag oh so many years ago!
Sleeping	Feathered Friends Hummingbird sleeping bag	25	ALL	Thanks friends from CLC/Forterra for this gift in 2011!
Snow	CAMP Corsa ice ax	9	Colorado	Thanks Carla! I will miss my beloved BD Raven Pro, but appreciate carrying less weight.
Snow/Cold/Rain	Patagonia Nano Puff vest	7.3	Colorado, Montana
Snow/Cold/Rain	GoLite rain pants	7.8	Colorado, Montana
Toiletries	Dental floss	0.2	ALL	I will be on a flossing challenge this hike.
Toiletries	Hair brush	0.3	ALL
Toiletries	Ear plugs (windy times)	0.05	ALL
Toiletries	Trowel (SMC tent stake)	1.1	ALL
Toiletries	TP	0.4	ALL
Toiletries	Nail trimmers	0.5	ALL
Toiletries	Tooth brush	0.6	ALL
Toiletries	Sunscreen	2.6	ALL
Toiletries	Tooth paste	0.8	ALL
Toiletries	Hand sanitizer #1 in food bag	2	ALL
Toiletries	Hair ties	0.05	ALL
Warmth	Montbell UL Thermawrap jacket	7.2	ALL
Warmth	Smartwool hat	2.5	ALL	Thanks Nathan for finding and delivering the hat to me after I lost it near Red Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness!
Warmth	Montbell UL windshirt	2.4	ALL
Warmth	Campmor fleece mitts	3.6	ALL
Warmth	OR Helium jacket	6	ALL
Warmth	OR PL 100 gloves	1.5	ALL
Warmth/Sleeping	REI balaclava	1.8	ALL
Warmth/Sleeping	Patagonia Capilene III tights	5.8	ALL
Warmth/Sleeping	Icebreaker 200 long sleeve shirt	7.9	ALL
Warmth/Sleeping	Smartwool sleeping socks	1.9	ALL
Wearing	Straw hat	2.3	New Mexico
Wearing	Watch	0.8	ALL
Wearing	Columbia Sportswear long sleeve su nshirt	6.2	ALL	Thanks Jeff and Ilana for the great gift!
Wearing	Shoes weight varies/pair, max weight	24.4	ALL
Wearing	Suncloud sunglasses	1	ALL
Wearing	Nylon socks	1	ALL	Adding Seal Skin Socks for Gila River and Colorado at Doc Campbell’s
Wearing	Patagonia M’s Gi III pants	9.8	ALL
Wearing	Exofficio undies	1.1	ALL
Wearing	Patagonia sports bra	2.6	ALL
Wearing-Extra	Brooks Run Happy running hat	1.8	ALL
Wearing-Extra	Socks	1.2	ALL
	Weight of all items on list	288.95	18.06 pounds
	Base Weight (including luxury items)	199.65	12.48 pounds
	Base Weight (no luxury)	180.65	11.29 pounds
	Base Weight (in Colorado-including luxury items)	223.75	13.98 pounds
	Colorado Extras	24.1	1.51 pounds	If needed, snowshoes would add 4 pounds 😛
	Luxury Items	19	1.19 pounds
	Wearing	65.2	4.08 pounds	Includes pole weight (16 oz)