| CLICK HERE for the stories and photos at my Desert Trail thru-hike journal.
This is a list of gear I used on my thru-hike of the Desert Trail. Some figures might be slightly off. If you see any egregious errors please let me know. I changed some items along the way. This list reflects what I used the most or worked the best. If I were to do this hike again, I’d use a wide-brimmed sun hat with a chin cord for wind, at least to Burns or so. I was going to carry a lighter down jacket, and am very glad I didn’t. It can get very cold on the Desert Trail.Please see the links to the right for more information. Thank for visiting! |
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| BIG 4 | Weight | ||
| Backpack | ULA CDT w/options |
19.7 | oz |
| Shelter | Hexamid Solo Tent, stakes, guylines | 10.5 | oz |
| Sleeping Bag | Marmot Hydrogen |
23 | oz |
| Sleeping Pad | EvoPad 83x20x1/2″ (Cut in 3 pieces: 1/2, 1/4, 1/4. Stacked for sleeping in 2 layers. One small piece used for pack backpad, the other for a sit-pad.) | 14.3 | oz |
| Subtotal | 4 lbs 3.5 ozs | ||
| CLOTHING PACKED | Weight | ||
| Hiking Socks | Darn Tough 1/4 Sock Merino Cushion |
2.4 | oz |
| Thermal Bottom | Patagonia Capilene Midweight part of sleep system |
7 | oz |
| Jacket | MontBell Alpine Light Down Jacket |
16 | oz |
| Underwear | Under Armour Boxerjock  |
4.8 | oz |
| Rain Shell | Outdoor Research Zealot | 7.7 | oz |
| Sleeping Socks | Possumdown “Leisure socks” | 2 | oz |
| Balaclava | Turtlefur | 1.4 | oz |
| Subtotal | 2 lbs 9ozs | ||
| COOKING | Weight | ||
| Stove/Pot/Stand | None until the Blue Mountains | 0 | oz |
| Fuel | None until the Blue Mountains | 0 | oz |
| Utensils | Lexan Spoon | 0.2 | oz |
| Ignition | Mini Bics (2) | 1 | oz |
| Can Opener | P-38 (2) Will be caching some canned food | 0.3 | |
| Food | Varies | ||
| Water | Varies | ||
| Subtotal | 0 lbs 1.5 ozs | ||
| HYDRATION | Weight | ||
| Water Carriers | Platypus Hoser 3 Liter | 3.8 | oz |
| Water Bottles | Two 1 quart Gatorade bottles | 3 | oz |
| I often carried full gallon jugs out of caches in addition to my other water | |||
| Treatment | Aqua Mira ‘A’ and ‘B’ bottles | 3 | oz |
| Subtotal | 0 lbs 9.8 ozs | ||
SOME “ESSENTIALS” |
Weight | ||
| Guidebook | Desert Trail Guidebook (Tabor) | 5.8 | oz |
| Maps, Info | Info sheets, Benchmark (DeLorme -style) maps | 0.7 | |
| Compass | Tiny button compass | 0.2 | oz |
| Pocket Knife | Victorinox Classic | 0.7 | oz |
| Subtotal | 0 lbs 7.4ozs | ||
| SANITATION AND HYGIENE |
Weight | ||
| Toilet paper | Small amount | 1 | oz |
| Toothbrush | Cut in half | 1.5 | oz |
| Toothpaste | Small tube | 1 | oz |
| Floss | Tiny one (sewing needle carried inside) | 0.5 | oz |
| First Aid/Medicine | Immodium, Ibuprofin, Antacids, Antihist, Lip Balm | 1 | oz |
| Sunscreen | Small tube | 1 | oz |
| Subtotal | 0 lbs 6 ozs | ||
| MISCELLANEOUS | Weight | ||
| Sleeping Bag Sack | Cuben with turkey roasting bag liner (estimated weight) | 0.4 | oz |
| Pack Liner | Hefty 18 gal? Trash compactor bag | 2.2 | oz |
| Spare Glasses | With case and sunglass clip-ons | 2.5 | oz |
| Cordage | Parachute Cord 10 feet | 0.8 | oz |
| Tripod | Ultrapod | 2 | oz |
| Clamp | iStabilizer Mount Smartphone Tripod Mount | .6 | oz |
| Duct Tape | 5 feet | 0.3 | oz |
| Food Sack | Zpacks Large “Blast” Food Bag | 0.4 | oz |
| Wallet | Ziplock snack bag | .1 | oz |
| Monocular | Brunton 7×18 | 1.8 | oz |
| Subtotal | 0 lbs 11.1 ozs | ||
| ELECTRONICS | Weight | ||
| iPhone | GPS, Camera, Phone, Internet, more. | 5 | oz |
| iPhone cable | iPhone to Solar Charger | 0.6 | oz |
sCharger-5 |
Solar Charger | 8.4 | oz |
| SanDisk m250 MP3 Player | w/case Radio, Audio Journal, MP3 w/battery | 1.8 | oz |
| Lights | Photon II Microlight x 2 | 0.3 | oz |
| Subtotal | 15.2 ozs | ||
| Total Base Weight (before Blue Mtns) | 9 lbs 8 oz. | ||
| WORN OR CARRIED | Weight | ||
| Underwear | Underarmor Boxerjock | 4.8 | oz |
| Gaiters | Dirtygirl | 1.2 | oz |
| Long Sleeve Shirt | Campmor (Nylon) | 8.8 | oz |
| Pants | Mountain Hardwear Mesa | 12.7 | oz |
| Socks | Darn Tough, 1/4 Sock, Cushion | 2.4 | oz |
| Shoes | ASICS Men’s GEL-Kayano 16 | 28 | oz |
| Sunglasses | Prescription | 1 | oz |
| Sun Hat | Ball cap | 2.8 | oz |
| Bandana | Neck shade, multiuse | 1.2 | oz |
| Trekking Pole | 1 Titanium Goat AGP (doubles as shelter pole) | 3.4 | oz |
| Subtotal | 4 lbs 0.1 ozs | ||
| ITEMS ADDED IN NORTHERN OREGON | Weight | ||
| Rain Mitts | eVENT Rain Mitts | 1.2 | oz |
| Rain Pants | Montbell Versalight | 9.7 | oz |
| Insect Repellant | DEET | 1 | oz |
| Gloves | Possumdown gloves | 1.5 | oz |
| Stove/Pot/Stand | Caldera Keg | 6.3 | oz |
| Bottle and alcohol fuel | Generic | 6 | oz |
| Total BASE WEIGHT (after Blue Mtns) | 11 lbs 2 oz. | ||
Awesome post Bruce. This gives me some good ideas of some different things I should be backing on my hiking trips.
Thank you Kyle.
You ate ambient temp meals from Mexico to Oregon (eg, no stove/fuel until Blue Mtns)?
Yup, stoveless until the Blues. It wasn’t as much of a hardship as you might think, though, because of all the caches. I had a variety of good food buried in those caches including some canned goods. I didn’t have any of the standard pasta or rice or freeze-dried foods for which to boil water. (I picked up all caches later.)