Gear takes up so much thought, but I thoroughly enjoy it. You really have to take into consideration every little detail – which can be exhausting, BUT it can also be a fun puzzle to solve! I prefer to look at it as the latter.

I really wanted to stay lightweight during this trip. I am not an “ultralight” hiker by any means… primarily because I can’t afford to be 😂 However, I will be doing what I can to keep my base weight down.

There are a few things I did to cut my base weight:

All of these items will be worn all day, so they will not take up any room in my pack:

I will also be utilizing trekking poles. While these are not clothes, they don’t go inside the pack so I have categorized them as being “worn”.

I will be using a ULA Circuit 68 L on the Long Trail. It is a common pack and I am hopeful that it will serve me better than last time.

My sleeping bag and tent (with rain fly) are the first items I pack, since I only need them at the end of the day. These lighter items go at the bottom so that the heavier items (like food) can be placed in the middle. The heaviest things you carry should be placed in the middle to reduce stress on your back and maintain better balance.

The tent and sleeping bag were used the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail, plus some other (much shorter) trips. So, they have lasted me a long time. 

Packed clothing will include an extra set of socks, rain gear, cold-weather clothes, and sun protection. The rain pants pull their weight by contributing rain gear and cold-weather categories.

These items get tucked into any crevices around the tent + sleeping bag. They really don’t end up taking up much space. On rainy or cold days, I may keep some of these items in the pouch or cords on the outside of my pack for easy access.

Food carries will be relatively short, as there are plenty of towns along the way. The goal is to reduce food weight by only packing out 2-3 days of food at a time. (Unless there is a must-see town, I would prefer not to go into town every day). With my timeframe, the variability in hitching and the risk of town vortexes are not something I want to deal with all the time. As much as it would be nice to see the sights, I’m out there to spend time in the woods – not in town.

I use a 2 L Sea To Summit Lightweight Dry Sack to hold a variety of smaller or water-sensitive items.

The front pouch contains my bathroom kit, food for the day, the CNOC 2 L bag, and any occasion-specific items I might need. For example, a headlamp, rain gear, or cold-weather clothing may be placed here if it looks like I might need them (or just finished using them but don’t want to make an extra stop just to put them away).

In my side pouches , you can find tent poles (right) and a SmartWater bottle (left). A sawyer squeeze is placed inline from the SmartWater bottle and attached to my Osprey mouthpiece to drink fro, as I walk. If I am not using my trekking poles, I can also slip them in the side pouches alongside these items.

My hip belt contains snacks that I would want while hiking. I don’t like stopping, I enjoy hiking. While breaks are nice, I tend to break only when stopping to fill up on water (since I have to stop and take off my pack anyway). I don’t want to stop every time I’m hungry… because that would be a lot. I also carry my cell phone here, because it also functions as my camera. I will occasionally listen to music or podcasts, but not too much.

Attached to my pack you can find a bandana (shoulder strap loop), a Kula cloth (side compression strap), and my sleeping pad (top compression strap).

I know there will be changes as I head out on trail (as is the case for almost everyone, I would think). I will keep my list as updated as possible, but this post outlines my initial strategy.

I also want to mention that this is a great time to let me know what kind of details you would like to hear about from the trail! Leave a comment if you have any questions!

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I am always looking for a new goal (or three!) to accomplish! I write about my experience with thruhiking, van life, vet school, and how to balance a nomadic and professional lifestyle. My goal is to show that you can do whatever you set your mind to with the right combination of grit and patience!

Sounds like you have a pretty good gear set up! I’m going SOBO in September, and it seems we have pretty similar ideas as far as gear and storage goes. Hope you have a blast out there, stay cool and stay safe!