Inside the Gear Closet: My 2021 Backpacking Kit
Since its beginnings in 2019, one of the biggest missions of Outdoor Evolution has been to bring authentic, honest, and useful articles and reviews to our readers. Even before OE came to be, founder Darwin on the Trail was giving the outdoor community his thoughts on his favorite (and least favorite) pieces of gear on his Youtube channel. We’re excited to continue our tradition with a new article series: Inside the Gear Closet. In these articles you’ll find gear we like and gear we don’t like. Each review will be accompanied with some personal thoughts on that gear and some of the trips it was used on. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out our actual Gear Closet, where we often sell lightly used gear at a great price!
Once again, welcome back…
Here at Outdoor Evolution we love talking about gear. Hence this new series of articles (of which this is the second), Inside the Gear Closet. The first article in the series was all about bikepacking gear - something I am still mostly a novice at. I tried to talk you through my personal journey as I entered the world of bikepacking gear. This time around, I’m taking the opposite approach and will be going into my backpacking setup. I’ve probably thought more about backpacking gear than most other things throughout my life, save basketball, movies, and breakfast food.
I’ve been on my fair share of thru-hikes; seeing my gear setup evolve over the years has been one of the coolest parts of my continued backpacking career. I set out for my first thru-hike on the AT in January of 2016 with a 48L Osprey Kestrel carrying about 45 pounds of gear, food and water. For the PCT in 2018, I stayed with a framed backpack, but upped the capacity while lowering the weight with the classic, 58L Osprey Exos. That was a really formative hike for me, and by the end of my 2,650 mile journey along the PCT I was ready to lighten up. I totally overhauled my gear that offseason and began the Arizona Trail in March 2019 with a frameless pack - the Zpacks Nero - and a base weight just under 10 pounds.
I’ve been frameless ever since, but have seen my base weight fluctuate up and down. Shaving every ounce off your base weight can be intoxicating when you’re looking at a lighterpack spreadsheet, but I’ve found after a week or two on trail there are some things you’d rather have regardless of if they take you from 10.3 pounds to 10.7 pounds or not. I’ve never been competitive about having the lightest pack out there. I am just always trying to optimize my setup. A wise, older thru-hiker drew out a graph for me on my very first hike. The x-axis is how heavy your pack is. The y-axis is how comfortable you are. There is a fine line on that coordinate plane that every hiker tries their best to walk, myself included.
The 2021 hiking season is right around the corner. For me it will begin at the end of the month, when I set off on the Grand Enchantment Trail, a remote, rugged, backcountry route that winds through deserts, canyons and mountains from Phoenix to Albuquerque. The diverse terrain will require me to change a few of my tried-and-true gear items, while my staples are staying relatively the same.
This is exciting for me. I love talking backpacking gear, and I’m very eager to share this with you all. Time to check out some gear!
Home
Pack - Waymark Thru 38L
I am still sticking with a frameless pack. This trail will challenge that, with some resupplies as long as 6 or 7 days, but based on my experience with this pack I think I can handle one or two of those. I did a 7-day carry on my thru-hike of Te Araroa in New Zealand with this pack last year and it was just able to squeeze it all in. That was the hike on which this pack really proved itself to me. Not only did it hold up for a 3,000km thru-hike, it was the bag that I lived out of in another country for over four months. Durable, tough, surprisingly roomy, and simple; this is still the pack that checks off more boxes for me than any other. I can’t wait to take it out for another spin!
My tent, last year in New Zealand
Shelter - Zpacks Plexamid
I have always been a tent-camper. No disrespect to those who prefer a tarp or hammock, I just personally love the security of a tent. After carrying the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 for a while, I switched to the Plexamid to help cut down on my base weight in mid-2019. This particular tent has over 200 nights on it now and is definitely starting to show it. I’ll be able to get the 40 or so nights on the GET out of this one, but after that it’ll probably be time to get a new tent again (RIP my wallet). This one has been great though. Simple to pitch, holds up really well in rain and wind, and definitely roomy enough for a guy like me at 5’7”. I love how open it can feel when both storm doors are tied up. Starry nights can be fully experienced from the comfort of my tent.
You can get a Plexamid directly from Zpacks
Sleeping Set-up - Enlightened Equipment Enigma/Thermarest NeoAir Xlite
Yeah, I’m on the quilt life. If you want a detailed quilt comparison of the Enigma versus two other popular UL quilts, look no further than this article we put up a few months ago! As for me, I love my Enigma which is still keeping me warm after over 300 nights. Proper washing is all it really takes to make these things last for a while. The NeoAir is great and super comfortable, my only gripe is that it takes me a good 20-30 breaths to get it fully inflated.
You can find the NeoAir on Amazon
You can get a custom Enigma directly from Enlightend Equipment
Closet
What I’m Wearing
Shirt - Columbia Deschutes Running Shirt. I first bought this shirt in an outfitter in Bishop, CA on the PCT when the base-layer, every-day t-shirt I began the trail with finally had too many holes to wear comfortably. I loved it and it quickly became my favorite shirt I ever hiked in. That shirt lasted a good 2,000 miles before it wore out, and then I couldn’t find another one anywhere. Luckily, I found it on Amazon a few months ago and got another one!
Shorts - Patagonia 5” Running Shorts. For my shorts, the shorter the better. I also love that these shorts have really durable mesh in them. I’ve definitely had some running shorts that have holes in the mesh after only a few hundred miles.
Socks - Darn Tough Vermont Quarter Hiking Socks. Tried and true. The only socks I’ve ever hiked in or ever will hike in. They last forever, and when forever is up Darn Tough will replace them with their lifetime guarantee.
Clothes in the Bag
Long sleeve - Arctery’x Modus AR Hoodie. Lightweight, really warm, and a hood that fits really snug. This hoodie is perfect for cold mornings on the trail and sleeping in at night.
Long leg - REI merino base layer pants. In general I don’t really carry a lot of REI branded gear anymore. I just find that it doesn’t last as long and isn’t as reliable. These base layer leggings are an exception. They keep me really warm and have lasted forever!
Also in the clothes bag are an extra pair of socks, some lightweight Outdoor Research gloves, and my Appalachian Gear Co Alpaca hat.
I store my clothes in a Zpacks Medium Drybag
Puffy - Patagonia Nanopuff
Finding the right jacket has always been challenging for me. I really hate how heavy down jackets are but I love how warm they are. This Patagonia nano puff has been a great synthetic alternative. At only 11.6 ounces it definitely checks off my weight box, and still keeps me pretty warm. I use my jacket as a pillow and this one is slightly lacking in comfort. The best part about it is that I can waterproof it and it works great as a rain jacket. Particularly on this hike - in the desert - I’m comfortable not carrying a true rain coat and just using this when it does rain.
Hydration
Bladder - CNOC 2L Vecto
I started using this bladder about two years ago and I just replaced it with a brand new one. CNOC has gone through a few iterations of this and I think it’s just about perfected now. 2L plus two 1.5L Essential Water bottles gives me a 5L carrying capacity which should be enough for a desert hike in the Spring.
You can get your own Vecto directly from CNOC
Filter - Sawyer Squeeze
I’m going to be honest with you - I don’t really filter a lot. I 100% do not condone this behavior, this is a do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do situation. Still, I carry one for those extra-gross water sources, and the Sawyer Squeeze remains my go to. Simple, super light, and threads directly onto my Vecto. My hydration system is easy and straightforward.
Kitchen
I carry 750 ml Snowpeak Titanium Pot, Snowpeak Titanium spork, and a little BRS stove. It’s a pretty standard kit that you can find on most people’s gear lists. Does the job, cooks my food, keeps me happy.
Office
A 2021 thru-hike requires all sorts of electronics and office materials. Things need charging, even out in the backcountry. I always try to minimize my office more than any other section of my kit. Really want to keep it down to the bare essentials here. My office includes
Cords for chargin
I keep my office items in a small, Hilltop Packs Diddy bag
Fanny Pack
The Fanny Pack - Waymark Zipp
The fanny pack is truly a game-changer if you’re carrying a frameless pack. Usually frameless means no hip-belt pockets. Although Waymark does have a hip-belt pocket for my particular pack (which I carried in New Zealand), I switched to this fanny pack and I’m glad I did. It’s roomier, easier to fish around in for my odds and ends, and rides really well even with a pack on as well. Here’s what’s usually in my fanny pack, give or take a few items depending on the day.
Phone
Spork
Small Swiss-army knife
Headphones
Roam Wallet
Lip balm
Mask :(
Other Miscellaneous Items
Shoes - Altra Lone Peak 3.5’s
Yes you read that right, I am still hiking in the 3.5’s! This shoe was released by Altra in 2018 and in my opinion is the greatest trail runner ever made. I don’t like the updates that Altra has made to this shoe in the years since, so back in 2019 I f found an online retailer that had these at a discount and I bought a whopping ten pairs. Two years later they’re still lasting me, and I’m still loving them. Now when those ten pairs run out what will I walk in? I am still avoiding that decision!
Trekking Pole - CNOC Cork Trekking Pole
This is a brand new piece of gear for me. After hiking many thousands of miles on my Leki Malalu Lite poles, I sadly lost them on a trip this past Fall. So I’m going to give this CNOC pole a try, and also give it a go with only using a single trekking pole. I only need one to pitch my tent, so I want to see if I can get everything I need out of a pair of poles with only one on this trip.
You can get a CNOC Trekking Pole directly from CNOC
Gaiters - Dirty Girls
An absolute necessity for desert hiking, a lightweight pair of gaiters keeps all the fines and little bits of desert. If you’re looking for a pair of gaiters, look no further than Dirty Girls. They have a convenient velcro piece sewn on to attach to the gaiter trap of an Altra, and work to perfection. They last forever too, this is my second pair in over 5,000 miles!
I always have so much fun figuring out the exact details of my kit for every new hike. This is the first time I’ve shared my setup publicly and in this much detail - and it made it even more fun for me. I hope it was fun for you all to read along. Here’s a link to my full kit on lighterpack. Don’t hesitate to email me with any questions - I’m always happy to talk gear!
--Einstein
