12,000 Miles and Counting: Peg Leg’s Backpacking Gear That Survived the Triple Crown and Beyond

When I first got into thru-hiking back in 2017, I was under the impression that once you bought all your gear, you were set for life. Before 2017 I had never gone backpacking. I went into my local REI and spent well over $1,500 on gear. I needed everything: a backpack, a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, shoes, and all of the little odds and ends as well.

At the time I thought that this gear would last me forever. It felt like an investment in this new hobby. But as I continued thru-hiking over the years and the miles began to add up, I realized that most hiking gear isn’t meant to last more than one thru-hike. Many items won’t even hold up for that long.

All of my gear “pack-sploded” in town on the CDT. Shown is my Pa’lante Desert pack, stuff sacks, Zpacks tent and food bag, and Topo shoes. 

After my first long hike in 2017, I didn’t go on another 1,000+ mile walk until 2022, when I embarked on the PCT for the second time. This time I got a new backpack and tent and some other ultralight gear to significantly decrease my pack weight.

Once again, I thought that all of these purchases were well worth it because I would have this gear “forever.” Most of that new gear did survive the entire Pacific Crest Trail in 2022.

It wasn’t until the following year, as the miles added up on the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT), that many of those items began failing. Yet despite the long miles, there were still many pieces of gear that I had had the entire time and that were still going strong.

It was around that time that I began realizing that, while some gear can’t hold up for more than one thru-hike, other pieces are more hardy.

9 Lives, Sidequest, and me on the CDT. Using some of the gear that I’ve put thousands of miles on!

In 2024, I completed my Triple Crown of thru-hiking. I have now hiked the PCT, AT, and CDT — along with some more miles as well. And some of my gear actually survived the entire Triple Crown!

After years of thru-hiking and completing over 12,000 miles, I’m here to tell you which gear items held up for the entire Triple Crown. And which items were able to hold up for one or more trails. Hiking gear is incredibly expensive, so knowing which items might offer a longer life is important when it comes to saving money as a thru-hiker.

Drying out all of my gear after a flash flood. You can see my Zpacks Plex Solo tent, quilt, and sleeping pad.

11,000 – 12,000+ Miles: The Gear That Survived the Triple Crown and Beyond

Petzl Headlamp With Rechargeable Battery

I have been using the same headlamp for over 12,000 miles. It was the very first headlamp I ever bought, back in 2017 before my first thru-hike. It always held charge well and had enough battery to survive even day after day of night hiking. Even on nights when I walked for 10+ hours in the dark, it still had battery left afterwards.

Originally, my headlamp came with AAA batteries, which I replaced in every town. But over time I realized it would be cheaper and easier to get a rechargeable battery piece. I still have this headlamp today and it works as great as it did on the day that I bought it.

Wearing my Petzl headlamp on top of Mt Massive, the 2nd highest point in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado.

Anker 20000 Power Bank 

In 2017 on my first thru-hike, I didn’t even bring a power bank with me. That was how inexperienced I was at the time. Instead, I just used my phone as little as possible and brought a digital camera for photos. When I got to town, that was my opportunity to charge up.

In 2022, I finally realized how critical a charging bank was. I purchased the Anker 20000 power bank because of its ideal balance charge retention, charging speed, and weight.

Over the years I’ve watched many hikers have issues with their Nitecore power banks failing randomly. But my Anker 20000 power bank survived the entire time. Only this year, when I was caught in a flash flood on the CDT, did this power bank finally die. And that’s only because it was fully submerged in water for a long while. Other than that, this power bank held up through 11,000 miles.

The new 20000 Anker power bank that I had to buy after the flash flood. But the older model is actually my favorite. It holds charge much longer and weighs a bit less.

Zpacks Plex Solo Tent

On the PCT in 2017, I used a slightly heavier freestanding tent. In 2022, I decided to make a major upgrade and purchase the Zpacks Plex Solo tent, which is a DCF one-person tent weighing 13 ounces.

I read online that oftentimes, DCF tents only hold up for one thru-hike. But after hiking the entire PCT, my tent was still going strong. I kept using it throughout the entire 5,600-mile Eastern Continental trail in 2023. At the finish of that trail the tent was still having no issues and worked perfectly. So I brought it out this past year on the Continental Divide Trail.

The Plex Solo is pretty expensive when you first look at the price. But considering that it held up for 11,000 miles, I think the price is well worth it. Only towards the end of the CDT did I start noticing small pinholes forming in the DCF. I will be retiring the tent this year, but it held out for much longer than I could have ever expected. $600 may seem like a lot of money to spend on a tent, but if you are able to use it for three-plus long thru-hikes, it’s certainly worth the money.

My Zpacks Plex Solo tent on the CDT. By this point, I had already put over 10,000 miles on this tent.

MSR PocketRocket Stove

On my first ever thru-hike, I actually used a white fuel stove. Which can be good in certain areas and weather but is rather bulky and complicated to use. On the PCT in 2022, I switched to the MSR PocketRocket when my white gas stove failed.

The PocketRocket is reasonably priced and fairly lightweight. And even after using it every single day, sometimes more than once per day, for the entire Triple Crown, it still works.

You can find slightly cheaper off-brand models online. But I don’t think it would necessarily be worth it in the long run. My MSR stove was clearly a quality piece of gear, and it stood the test of time. Even after 11,000 miles, the stove still works perfectly without any issues. 

Cooking dinner using my MSR PocketRocket stove.

REI Joule Sleeping Bag*

When I first got into thru-hiking in 2017, I purchased the REI Joule sleeping bag. It isn’t the lightest bag on the market, but it was quite affordable and worked perfectly for me. I wound up using it for my entire 1,300-mile hike in 2017. Then I used it again on the entire PCT in 2022. I even used it for the first 4,000 miles of the Eastern Continental Trail in 2023. After that I switched over to a more ultralight quilt, which saved me a lot of weight and lot of space in my backpack.

But back in 2017, as a new thru-hiker who wanted an affordable bag that could withstand big mileage and still be fairly light, the Joule was perfect. It is still in great shape even after using it for more than 7,000 miles. The only reason I stopped using it was because I wanted to try a lighter and smaller quilt.

Personally, I prefer the more ultralight quilts nowadays. But when I was still getting into backpacking, a traditional mummy bag worked perfect for me.

*Ed. note: The REI Joule has, sadly, been discontinued. Sigh. The Magma is REI’s current line of down backpacking mummy bags.

3,000 – 6,000 Miles: The Gear That Survived 1 – 2 Thru-Hikes

Even though a handful of my gear items survived the entire Triple Crown (and more), that is not typical for all backpacking gear. Many pieces will only hold out for one or two thru-hikes, tops. That doesn’t mean that those items are poor quality — surviving one long thru-hike, let alone two, is still quite an accomplishment!

Most backpacking gear is not made with the intention of holding up for over 3,000 miles. I had many fantastic pieces of gear that held out for 3,000 – 6,000 miles. Which is quite a long life considering the wear and tear that thru-hikers put their gear through when using it every single day for months on end.

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Inflatable Sleeping Pad

I have probably gone through seven or eight sleeping pads during my thru-hiking career. In my experience, you typically have to replace your sleeping pad 1-2 times on a long hike. This is usually because of the pad getting punctured by some sort of plant or organic material along the trail. Oftentimes you can find the hole and patch it to extend the life of your pad. But that is not always possible.

Of all the pads I’ve tried, I have found the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Sleeping Pad to last the longest. On the CDT this year, I had the same Xlite for the entire 2,700-mile trail. This is the same sleeping pad that I carried last year for 1,700 miles across Alabama and Florida. Which means this pad held up for almost 4,500 miles in total! And it still works great.

Granted, that will not always be the case with Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads. On the ECT last year, I went through 2-3 pads over 5,600 miles due to either punctures or delamination. But, if you are very careful about where you camp, it is possible to make your sleeping pad hold out.

One of the patches that I put on my Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad by myself. That extended the life of the pad to hold out for more than 4,500 miles.

Sure, factory errors and delamination are possible. Luckily, Cascasde Designs (Therm-a-Rest’s parent company) has great customer service and will replace your pad for free if it fails due to factory error. Or you can pay $20 to have the company professionally patch your pad. Considering the cost of sleeping pads, I think that’s a great option. At least you know that your $220 piece of gear is under some form of a “warranty.”

Another patch that I put onto my sleeping pad. I did this when the pad was 1,700 miles old, and the patch held for 3,000 miles more!

Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie

During a thru-hike, your gear gets an incredible amount of wear and tear. But so do your clothes! On my first long hike, I went through a couple different shirts over 1,000 miles. Then, in 2022, I tried a Patagonia long sleeve hoodie for the first time. I was shocked to see that the shirt easily held up for an entire thru-hike.

I have used a Patagonia Cool Daily hoodie on every hike of the Triple Crown, and each time it has held up for the whole trail. Even after wearing it every single day, I have only ever gotten a small hole or two in the shirt. By the end of a hike, the shirt may be sun-bleached or dirty, but it is always in one piece. Over the course of a thru-hike, I typically go through 2-4 pairs of shorts, but only one Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily hoodie!

Hiking down the trail in my Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily hoodie. I wore the same style of hoodie on the whole Triple Crown. 

Topo Terraventure Shoes

Typically, you don’t have to replace very many pieces of gear mid-thru-hike. Sure, gear can randomly fail, or you can lose it. But the only item you’re guaranteed to repeatedly replace over the course of a thru-hike is your footwear, and that cost can add up quickly.

I’ve hiked around people wearing every type of shoe imaginable: Altras, Hokas, Topos, Merrells, Salomons, etc. Over the years, I’ve witnessed many thru-hikers replacing their shoes every 200-500 miles. That would mean purchasing 5-8 pairs of shoes for one 2,000-2,600-mile thru-hike.

Brand new Topo Terraventure shoes.

Personally, I have always been a huge fan of Topo Terraventure shoes. Not just because I love the way that they fit and feel, but because I always get around 800 miles out of one pair of Topos. This means I only need to replace my shoes 2-4 times, depending on the length of the trail. Last year, I only went through about seven pairs of Topo Terraventures on the 5600-mile ECT.

When you do the math in comparison to other shoe brands, I saved well over $1,000 by using Topos. If I were replacing footwear as often as my peers, I likely would have gone through almost twice as many shoes. 

Two pairs of Topo Terraventures. My hiking buddy had worn his for so long that they had to be duct-taped together. This model can last really long, in my experience.

Backpacks 

I cannot say that I used any one backpack for the Triple Crown. In fact, I have used three different packs over the last 12,000 miles of backpacking. But each one held out for one or more thru-hikes and was very high quality.

Osprey: In 2017 I purchased a 65-liter Osprey backpack. Sure, it was heavier and bulkier than other backpacks. But at the time, so was my gear! I was carrying so much additional weight in miscellaneous gear that the more cushioned Osprey pack was perfect. It’s still in great condition to this day as well.

ULA Catalyst: When I embarked on the PCT again in 2022, I tried out the ULA Catalyst. It weighs slightly less than the Osprey but still has a 65L capacity. This meant I could still comfortably carry my heavy and bulky gear; it even fit a bear canister inside horizontally. That was very convenient for the Pacific Crest Trail. I used that pack for the entire 2,500-mile hike.

I brought it onto the Eastern Continental Trail the followingyear and used it for 4,000 miles. After over 6,500 total miles of backpacking, the ULA Catalyst was still in great shape. I ultimately decided to switch to a lighter and smaller backpack to help encourage me to downsize. But the ULA Catalyst was still working just fine.

Pa’lante desert pack: My next pack was the Pa’lante desert pack, which weighs just over a pound. It has a much smaller capacity, which I preferred. The reduced volume helped me to downsize the rest of my gear considerably. I used this pack for the rest of the Eastern Continental Trail (1,700 miles) and the entire Continental Divide Trail (2,700 miles). This means the Pa’lante desert pack has so far held up for about 4,500 miles. It’s still in great shape and could easily be used on another long thru-hike. 

Rocking my Palante desert pack along the trail.

Choosing a backpack for a thru-hike is a tough decision that no one can make for you. Personal preference when it comes to style, whether or not it has a frame or hip belt, and the weight capacity are all critical factors. But there are many fantastic brands that make high-quality packs that can withstand the test of time.

The same goes for the other “big three” gear items, your tent and sleeping bag or quilt. Many companies make quality gear that can hold up for 1-2 thru-hikes, or maybe even more. Do your research and listen to other long-distance hikers who have truly tested the gear in the only way anyone can: by taking it out on these long trails and using it every single day.

My Zpacks Plex Solo tent setup, with all of my other gear underneath it inside the tent.

Thru-hiking can be a very expensive hobby, depending on the type of gear you purchase and how you use it. I think many individuals try to cut corners to save money on gear. Which may be a great plan in the short term, but not necessarily for the long haul, especially if you think you plan to do more than one long hike.

If your goal is to just do one long trail in your lifetime, you can probably get away with using some slightly cheaper and less high-quality gear. But if you intend to do more than one long trail, or even the Triple Crown, I would suggest investing in higher quality gear. It may cost more upfront, but you will be less likely to have to replace it during the middle of one of your thru-hikes.

Featured image: Photo via Peg Leg. Graphic design by Zack Goldmann.