This list is broken into two parts. The first includes gear used on the backpacking part of my
hike and paddle across Alaska. It focuses on quality, lightweight gear. The second lists additional items I had during the river portion of my journey. I was not sponsored by manufacturers. These are honest reviews.

The Big Three

The Big Three in backpacking are your shelter, backpack and sleeping bag. That combination may weigh anywhere from 4 to 25 lbs or more. I like to go light in backpacking. Chosen wisely and used correctly, lightweight gear makes backpacking more fun. A light pack is simply more enjoyable to carry. It is also much easier on your body and can help reduce the chances of injury. Lighter packs allow a hiker to cover more miles in a day and so carry less food for a given distance.

I had several bear-proof caches along the way. In these I had expendables like food, Aqua Mira, batteries for my GPS, bug dope, vitamins, medicines, toilet paper, plastic bags, maps of the stretch ahead, blank tapes, etc.

Gear evaluations are always subjective. What works great for one person sometimes works poorly for another, and vice versa. It always pays to do your own research and testing before heading afield with new gear.

If you see anything you think needs to be changed, please let me know. Thanks!

See links above for other gear lists I used on the Pacific Crest Trail and Desert Trail, and also other lists.
Item Brand Name Wgt Oz. Comments Rating
Shelter Henry Shire’s Tarptent: Squall (Original)

34 oz.
w/floor, stakes, etc.

 Great shelter. Light and roomy.I slept dry and bug free every night. With tarptents and tarps it’s important to find a site protected from high winds and with good drainage.(My current favorite ultralight, bug-proof, one-person shelter is the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo.) Also outstanding is the Tarptent Moment. Outstanding
Pack Golite Infinity 39 This was a good pack with weak fabric. Golite customer service was outstanding and they happily replaced it with a Golite Pinnacle which I used on the CDT and PCT. I now favor ULA backpacks. Good
Sleeping Bag Feathered Friends Rock Wren 29 800 fill down. A quality bag with a PTFE shell (not really needed on this trip) that kept me toasty every night. Stored in a plastic bag inside a stuff sack inside my pack. I had no trouble keeping it dry. Compressible and light. Excellent! Outstanding
Trash Compactor Bag Generic 2 My sleeping bag went inside one of these and then inside a stuff sack. Turkey roasting bags are lighter, but I was going to be so far in the boonies I chose the tougher trash compactor bags. Good
Hiking Pole REI Four Winds 8 An adjustable hiking staff (trekking pole) that I used for the front pole of my shelter. Fairly light and strong. I rarely used the camera mount beneath the grip. Instead, I used my mini-tripod I carried. Compass failed immediately. Two poles would be better. Good
Sleeping Pad TorsoLite 10 Too small leaked. Many like them, I didn’t. The manufacturer stood behind this pad 100% and replaced it upon my return. A Therm-a-Rest ProLite Plus is a better choice for me. Poor
Medicine Cabinet Various N/A Antacids, antibiotics, antibiotic cream, Ibubrofin, vitamins, moleskin, glucosomine (for my oncoming arthritis,) Immodium, lip balm, sunscreen. Duct tape is good at protecting hot spots on feet if you catch them early. Clean and dry your foot first. Even better is Leukotape P Good
Jacket Patagonia Micro Puff Jacket 21 A warm, lightweight, comfortable jacket. A very good design with a good hood and pockets. One of the very best items I carried. Outstanding
Boots Danner Pronghorn
Gore-Tex 8″		 50 oz. (pair) My toughest decision. They weren’t up to the wet, rough hike and eventually leaked. Danner gets an “outstanding” for replacing them without fuss. I have used the replacement boots extensively since on fall trips and they’ve performed well. If I were to do this same trip I might just “hike wet” wearing trail running shoes. Poor
Rain Jacket Red Ledge Thunderlight Parka 13 Inexpensive, fairly light, a good design and they’ve worked well for me. I used one on the Appalachian Trail and the CDT. They’ve gotten heavier and I now favor the lighter jackets, like the Outdoor Research Men’s Helium II Jacket Outstanding
Rain Pants Red Ledge Thunderlight full-zip pants 10 Another great value in a light, effective garment. I like the full side zip for getting on over boots and for venting as necessary. Outstanding
Pants Columbia Titanium Nylon Convertible 19 Another great article of clothing. Mosquito proof, fast drying, lightweight and comfortable. I only zipped off the legs and wore them as shorts once due to mosquitoes, rain, cold, or a combination of the three! Outstanding
Shirt REI Sahara Tech Shirt 11 Like the pants, these were light, bug-proof, comfortable and fast drying. The pockets were perfect for a pencil, spoon, my small bottle of mosquito repellant, my compass, toothbrush, a small lighter, etc. Outstanding
Long Underwear Top Patagonia Midweight Capilene Zip-Neck 9 Worked perfectly. Cheaper brands will work fine if you’re on a budget, but Capilene is top-of-the-line. Outstanding
Long Underwear Bottom Patagonia Midweight Capilene 7 Worked perfectly. See above. Outstanding
Underwear Patagonia Capilene and Generic N/A I have since found Under Armour Boxerjock with 6″ legs are really hard to beat for reducing chafing. Good
Socks Smartwool Trekking Heavy Crew 4 oz per pair I usually carried 4 pair. I like to keep one clean, dry pair just for sleeping. I’m also a huge fan of Darn Tough socks. Outstanding
Liner Socks Generic, thin polypro. 2 oz per pair I wore one pair and washed/dried the second. I think liner socks are a good idea, especially for wet walking. Good
Balaclava Midweight balaclava 2 Perhaps the best warmth to weight ratio of any item you carry. Outstanding
Baseball cap Generic 3 Good for keeping the sun off my face and the rain and sun out of my eyes. I used a (gasp) cotton cap. When it was raining I had my rain parka hood up. Good
Gloves Mountain Hardwear Fleece 3 Good gloves. As long as they fit, I can’t get too excited about one brand over another. Good
Rubber Bands Generic 1 I used these a lot, most importantly for tightly blousing my rain pants around the tops of my boots for stream crossings. Really helped keep my feet dry on some days. Good
Insect Repellant Repel 100 2 I carried two small, 1 fluid oz. bottles of 100% DEET between supply caches. Nothing beats DEET and contrary to popular belief appears to be safe if used correctly. Normally 30% DEET is sufficient. I chose 100% and used it very sparingly. Bring a head-net too if you like. Outstanding
Camera Optura 600 18 oz. w/ battery and tape. This is a great camera. It takes high quality stills and very good digital video. Ten power optical zoom for both. Now long obsolete! Shop for a better camera. Outstanding
Camera Extras Misc N/A Extra batteries, tapes, remote, telephoto lens, filters, manual, cleaning cloth, carrying pouch (usually carried on my pack chest strap for fast and easy access,) heavy-duty “ziplocs” to protect camera. Outstanding
Camera Tripod UltraPod 1.5 I used this tripod a lot and was very pleased with it. Usually I’d just set my camera and tripod on a rock or my pack. If I need more height, I’d often wedge my hiking pole against my pack and then velcro this tripod to the top of the pole. Outstanding
Solar Panel Brunton Solaris 12 13 with case. Compact, light, no babying required. Folds up to 5″ X 9.” Outstanding
Charging Misc Misc N/A This includes the cords to plug my satellite phone to the solar panel, and my camera battery charger and cord. Rated “Good” despite the fact that I had to repair (and later replace) my Impact brand charger cord. It was a good and lightweight charger other than that, though. Good
Satellite Phone Motorola 9505 Iridium 14.4 with battery Iridium is the only service that covers all Alaska and the globe. Worked every place I tried it except one steep canyon. I bought a prepaid card from Roadpost. Friendly folks but not great at answering questions. The new model phone is the Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone Good
Dry Box Lock & Lock 8.5 Looks like a “Tupperware” container but better snaps. Lasted all summer, light and inexpensive. Kept things dry. Stored my satellite phone, cords, tapes, camera charger and extra battery, etc. Outstanding
Repair Kit, Possibles bag Misc +-3 Included duct tape (wrapped around my water bottle) a small tube of super glue, safety pins, P-38 can opener, 3 small cable ties, Classic Swiss Army knife, needle (dental floss for thread,) fine copper wire, tiny filter straw for drinking water, rubber bands, a length of fly line with leader material and a several flies and spinners, a spare book of matches, candle stub, 20′ parachute cord, etc. Smallest items stored in an empty floss box. Duct tape was wrapped around water bottle. Outstanding
Multi-Tool Leatherman Juice S-2 4.4 A good, small, lightweight multi-tool which includes important items like pliers, scissors and knife. Outstanding
Polarized sunglasses Prescription 1 I had two pairs of prescription eyeglasses. Always good to have a back up. This pair were polarized sunglasses. One of the few things I wish I had brought but didn’t was a hard lightweight case to carry them in. Good
Food Misc. 256
(16 pounds)		 When I started I was carrying about 2 1/2 pounds per day. After the first cache I was only carrying about 2 lbs. a day and starting each segment of my hike with about 8 days of food. Naturally the food weight would decrease to nearly nothing as I neared the next cache. I had a good variety of dry, energy rich foods that I enjoy. Good
Lighters Generic, 2 1 I carried two mini lighters. One of them with my stove and one separately in my shirt pocket. Good
Spoon Generic Lexan .3 Lightweight, strong. I didn’t carry a fork and my Leatherman had a knife. Outstanding
Pot MSR Titan Kettle 4.6 .85 liters. Titanium is great but expensive. Its main advantage compared to aluminum is strength. Had this pot been available in aluminum at half the price, I would have gone that route. Excellent design overall. It has a tight fitting lid, vent hole, pour spout and plastic covered lid handle. Handles can get hot so watch out. Good
Stove Brasslite Turbo F < 1 oz I like alcohol stoves for solo trips. I don’t cook a lot, and only boil about a quart of water per day average. A good wind screen is important for alcohol stoves such as the setup I used on the Appalachian Trail: an MSR windscreen skewered with two tent stakes at the proper height to form a pot stand. I didn’t have one on this trip and it was my biggest packing mistake. I now favor the Caldera Cone system.

Good
Fuel Denatured Alcohol or HEET 17 The amount and type of fuel I carried varied depending on which cache I had just picked up. One 20 oz. soda bottle full of denatured alcohol or HEET was plenty for a week or more. Since alcohol only weighs about .8 oz per FLUID oz., the total weight is about 17 oz. Outstanding
Cooking Bags O.P. Sak 1 About 1 ounce for three sacks. I bought these to do some “freezer bag cooking” which is basically putting your fast cook rice or noodles in a plastic bag, pouring in water, sealing it up and letting it steep. These bags were said to be super tough and odor proof. I poured boiling water in the first one. It leaked. Same with the second one. I didn’t bother trying the third. I got by with just my cooking pot and regular zipper bags, no problem. Someone at Watchful Eye Designs came close to calling me a liar when I told them the new bags leaked. In the end they refunded all of my money, and gave me some free samples. Terrible
Compass/Mirror Sunto 1 Because of all the topography, my GPS and maps, I rarely had to use my compass, but had one in my shirt pocket at all times. The mirror could have been used to signal aircraft and it was interesting to watch my gray beard grow! Good
GPS Garmin Geko 301 3.5 Worked well. Now I use a mapping GPS the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx It’s great being able to see exactly where you are on a topo map! Outstanding
Maps USGS, FAA 6 I carried 1:250,000 series topographic maps. I’d planned my route and drew it out on the maps with highlighter before the trip, except for some stretches between Anaktuvuk Pass and the Noatak River where I had a general idea. I carried FAA Sectional maps for “the big picture” and to make it easier to plot my coordinates I was getting from my GPS. I had also downloaded and printed detailed topo maps of difficult passes. I used the backs of the topo maps to keep a daily log of my trip. Good
Water Treatment Aquamira Drops 3 Very light and compact. The water tastes great. Simple to use. No pump handles to break. Comes in two bottles. Mix a few drops from each in the cap. The only drawback is that you have to wait 15-30 minutes to drink. Outstanding
Water bottle. Generic 1 Quart 3 oz.
with duct tape		 I like tough, cheap, light plastic bottles. I had about 20 feet of duct tape wrapped around the bottle for various repairs, and used every bit. (Pack repair, sleeping pad repair, etc.) Good
“Zipper Bags” Hefty N/A I am a big fan of heavy duty bags of the Ziploc design. Choose the freezer bag style or whatever is the thickest (check to see how many mils they are.) I use these for sorting out small items, keeping toilet paper dry, I use gallon-size ones for maps, “freezer-bag-cooking” (see Cooking Bags above) etc. I don’t like to carry a lot of extra stuff backpacking, but always carry some extra zipper bags. Good
Toilet Paper Generic 1 Stored in a zipper bag. Properly chosen tundra works well, too! Good
Toothbrush/Floss Generic 2 I sawed the handle of my toothbrush off halfway. Smallest tube of toothpaste I could find. Floss also served as sewing thread. Good
Wristwatch Casio Databank 150 1.2 Even though I was in the middle of nowhere it was still nice to have a watch. It’s easy to lose track of the day of the week and date without one. On cloudy days it’s nice to know what time of day it is, too. This watch also stores numbers and has a calculator which I found handy when figuring mileages, averages and the like. Outstanding
ID/Cash/Credit Card N/A 1 Twice during my trek I had opportunities to purchase supplies: at Anaktuvuk Pass and Noatak. Plus, you just never know. I should have carried my debit card, too, for when I got to Kotzebue at the end and I needed some more greenbacks. (Didn’t know my CC PIN!) Good
Fishing/Hunting License State of Alaska N/A I did some fishing all along the trip. I had my hunting license in case I decided to bag a caribou on the Noatak. I also always carry the applicable regulations (fishing regs only until I got to the boat on the Noatak) as there is always some law I need to check in the field. N/A
Grocery Bags Generic 1.3 I always carry a few of these thin, light plastic bags. I use them for trash, to carry wet socks in on a rainy day, etc.; I even used them as a vapor barrier between soaked boots and my dry socks/feet. Good
Stuff Sacks Various +-5 I had a sleeping bag stuff sack and two stuff sacks I used for my shelter, extra clothes, and the like. These latter stuff sacks went in the side pockets of my pack. Good

Gear I picked up and used when I reached the Noatak River.
Item Brand Name Wgt Oz. Comments Rating
Inflatable Canoe Soar Pro Pioneer 80 lbs. Larry Bartlett was kind enough to loan me this boat. It’s about 16′ long and 4′ wide, more of a narrow raft than a canoe. It was a very good boat: much lighter and more compact than my conventional raft, easier to row, better in the wind and much more stable than a conventional canoe, with a rated capacity of 1,500 lbs. Outstanding
Rowing Frame Oar Saddle 11 lbs. with straps This was a real eye-opener for me. My conventional frame works great, but it is big, bulky and heavy. The Oar Saddles fit like a saddle over each tube. They are more compact and lighter than a conventional frame with very little sacrifice in performance. For a wilderness trip like this where weight and bulk matter, they were perfect. Outstanding
Oars 7 1/2′ Carlisle 9 lbs. (two oars) Worked well. I’d consider 7′ oars on my next trip, though, because the Noatak was a piece of cake for his setup, and shorter oars would be slightly easier to hold in the “rest” position. Also, I foolishly didn’t bring a spare oar although luckily I didn’t need one! Good
Pump Sevylor Riverboat Pump 1 lb. 11 oz. The Pro Pioneer held air well so I didn’t need to use this pump too much, but when I did it worked great. Good
Repair Kit Pristine Ventures +- 1 lb. Comes with the basic repair kit items, plus 8-oz supply Clifton Adhesive, industrial sewing needle and repair thread, spare material, compact screw driver, Gator Clamps, permanent marker, spare air valve, zip-ties, and spare air valve/hose adapter. A good kit is priceless if you need it! Outstanding
Life Jacket Kent +- 2 lbs A basic life vest. Wore it all the time on the river, but the only time I really used it was as a sleeping pad. Good
Hip Boots Cabela’s Ankle Fit 6 lbs. I’ve had these boots for a long time and have gotten great use out of them. I should have replaced them before this trip, though as they were just starting to crack. Good thing I had repair materials. Rated outstanding because they have served well for many years. Outstanding
Bear Barrels w/Wrench Generic +- 60 lbs I got a one-time exemption from the good folks at Gates of the Arctic National Park to cache my gear briefly at the headwaters of the river. To protect if from bears, I bought a 55 gallon drum and borrowed a smaller steel food storage drum from the NPS and stowed everything except my oars inside. If I had dropped it off myself I probably would have used an electric bear fence. Good
Rifle Stainless Ruger 30-06 w/ Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x
scope and scope cover		 8 lbs total. Much to the horror of most folks, I didn’t have a firearm until the Noatak. Ended up not firing a shot the whole trip. Rated Outstanding because I know this is a great setup and this gun got rained on, a lot, with no ill effects. Outstanding
Ammunition 30 rounds Federal Fusion 165 gr. 2 lbs I was considering taking a caribou along the river. This is not the best grizzly ammunition, but still has 2850 foot pounds at the muzzle, which is about where the bear would be if I had to shoot one! Untested
License, Hunting Regs, Harvest Tickets State of Alaska N/A Ended up not using them, but I wanted the option. I always carry the regulations. N/A
Game Bags T.A.G. Bags, Pristine Ventures 2 lbs for six 28″ x 60″ bags I’ve never used these but have heard good things. Untested
Binoculars Leupold 7 x 25 9.5 These are old, veteran green armored binos. Light and handy. Outstanding
Dry Bags 3, Various Manufacturers N/A NRS Bill’s Dry Bag
is a good value. 		Good
Water Filter Sweetwater Guardian 13 oz. Brought this one for the river segment. Ended up just using Aqua Mira. I rated it “Good” from prior experience, but much prefer the Aquamira Water Drops. Good
Cooking Misc. Aluminum Foil, salt, pepper, margarine, etc. N/A On the river I had a few extra luxuries, like more spices and foil for cooking fish. I FOUND a folding grill though, which worked great for cooking fish over hot coals. I’d split them in half, first. Good
Mittens Dachstein Wool

6 oz. Great mittens, warm, durable. Outstanding
Gore-Tex Mitten Shells Manzella 6 oz. Should have replaced these before the trip because they leaked. Poor
Running Shoes Generic 1 lb 9 oz. After hiking most of the summer with one pair of footwear it was a real treat to have camp shoes. The rating is for the idea of camp shoes, not the particular model. Good
Fleece Pants Patagonia, Full Side Zip 16 oz. Warm and easy to get on and off. Outstanding
Fleece Jacket Patagonia Synchilla 19 oz. Don’t know the exact model, but Patagonia makes great (if somewhat overpriced) fleece jackets. This one has PEF breathable windstopper in it. Outstanding
Down Parka REI 2 lb. 9 oz. This is an old, loyal down parka. Not the lightest, but very warm. You cannot be dressed too warmly on a cold windy day on a river in Alaska! Good instead of outstanding because of the weight compared to better down. Good
Space Blanket Generic 12 oz. These are the 8 1/2′ by 9 1/2′ reinforced blanket. Very useful for emergency bivouacs, signaling your air taxi, covering gear, etc. (Do NOT rely on the thin space blankets that tear easily.) Outstanding
Nylon Tarp Generic N/A On river trips it’s nice to have a good tarp. This one is about 10 X 12 with good reinforced grommets along the side. Good for covering game, gear, your boat, as a cooking area in rainy weather, etc. Good
Fishing Poles Eagle Claw & Generic N/A I brought one old Eagle Claw combination fly/spin rod that I’ve had for 25 years, and one fly rod. One day my fly rod inexplicably broke in half while casting. I must have stepped on it while landing a fish. Incredibly, my old Eagle Claw also broke about one half hour later! After experimenting, I repaired both rods successfully by overlapping the broken ends, splinting them with tent stakes, then wrapping them tightly with duct tape. Looked ugly, but I landed dozens of big char and salmon after that with them! I give them a good because of many years of good service. Good
Reels Generic, 2 Spinning and one Fly Reel N/A I had a spare spinning reel although I ended up not needing it. Good
Lures and Flies Various N/A Green and orange pixies with brass and silver blades, Mepps and Vibrax spinners of various sizes For flies I did the best with large green flies with brass heads of the wooly bugger family, and orange flies such as Polar shrimp. I pinched all hook barbs. Treble hooks should be replaced with new, single hooks (cutting off hooks leave sharp edges that injure fish.) Good
Fishing Misc. Leaders, extra line, sinkers, hemostat, measuring tape, vest, fly boxes, regulations, etc. N/A Nothing special, the usual fishing stuff. Good
Camera Dry Box Pelican 1060 16 oz. While backpacking I used ziplocks to keep my camera dry. On the river, where weight wasn’t a big issue, I used this dry box. It made my camera fast to access and was very effective. Outstanding
Books and Magazines Jack London, etc N/A It was a luxury having lots of reading materials on the river. Good
Spare Knife/Light Wenger Microlight Esquire
Swiss Army Knife		 < 1 oz. A good, tiny backup knife that includes a blade, tweezers, scissors, an LED light and more. Outstanding
Information and Notes Various N/A I researched out hunting, fishing, hiking and river information well before my trip. I condensed and printed out this information. It included a map of Kotzebue, phone numbers, etc. Outstanding
Headlamp Petzl N/A It was light out 24 hours a day until late August. For the end of the trip, I had an old Petzl headlamp. Still a good light (I’m a big fan of headlamps instead of flashlights so I can keep my hands free) but the new LED headlamps are the way to go for light weight and long battery life. Good


Alone Across Alaska DVD cover
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Running time, 90 Minutes

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