5 Luxury Items You Couldn’t Pay Me To Leave Behind (And 2 I’ll NEVER Bring)

Luxury on the trail might seem counterintuitive, but when you’re miles from civilization, there are a few high-end items you simply can’t afford to leave behind. Minimalism may be the mantra of thru-hiking, but certain comforts enhance my experience so much that I will never even consider leaving them at home for the sake of a few saved ounces.

Not mentioned in this article, but worth bringing up is Bean Dip (my stuffed marmot) and my sun umbrella. Both kept me sane in different ways.

I’m not saying you should follow this list to a tee (you totally should, it’s great), but in a sea of articles about saving weight and being ultralight, I want to remind you that sometimes the comfort you’ll gain with a lighter pack is less than the comfort you’ll gain from having nice things with you. 

1. A Down Hood

You’re going to notice a bit of a theme: a lot of items on this list relate to keeping me warm. I used a hood from Hammock Gear and loved absolutely every second of looking like a ridiculous, warm, cozy astronaut. The hood kept my head toasty — even when cowboy camping — but it also muffled noises at night and helped keep my bug net away from my face.

Yeeeaaaaaah, you’re jealous of how cool I look.

This hood is like my personal cocoon on the trail. It’s lightweight, packs down tiny, but instantly upgrades my comfort and peace of mind in any capricious weather. It gave me warmth, the illusion of privacy, and a tiny reprieve during the stress of a thru-hike. This bad boy will keep me looking like an overstuffed deep-sea explorer for many hikes to come.

2. A Nice(ish) Camera

So many people say that phones have progressed to the point of taking camera-quality photos. Those people are liars (or maybe I’m just bad at using my phone). After hiking the Colorado Trail with just an iPhone and spending the next rest of my life annoyed at my bad-quality photos, I’ve decided to always bring along a nicer camera.

Crumbs brought a camera on the CDT, too, and took some of the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen. If that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.

It helps me to be more intentional with capturing photos and gives me a good excuse to take breaks on steep climbs. I bought my first camera for $50 on Facebook Marketplace, and she served me well through the JMT and CDT before finally dying on me this spring. I plan to buy a new one but am still looking for a relatively inexpensive camera that I won’t feel too bad about subjecting to rain, dust, and the occasional drop-off from small cliffs.

3. The Perfect Fleece

We return to another item that keeps me warm: my SAMBOB fleece hoody. Some people are able to strip their warm layers in the morning before they start hiking, anticipating the warmth that moment will bring; I am not that person. I basically lived in my fleece until noon every day on the CDT, and it was the first thing I put back on as soon as I reached camp.

I live in this thing on and off trail.

In addition, this hoody was durable and perfect for life on trail. It maintained its coziness and warmth despite repeated use and exposure to the elements. Plus, it doubled as my town clothes while hanging out off-trail. 

4. A Sleeping Pad Inflator

Blowing up my sleeping pad is my least favorite chore in the entirety of camp chores. Sure, you could use an inflator sack for a little less weight, but why would I reduce the effort from 10 to 5 when I could take it straight to a 0 with my tiny little sleeping pad inflator? It took a quick charge in town and would last me for about two weeks before it would start to take a little too long to inflate the pad.

I am pointing and laughing at Hamilton, who has to blow up her pad by mouth. Ha ha ha. Ha.

Plus, as a bonus, it uses different nozzles for different pad types and I had a different sleeping pad than everyone else in my tramily, so I never felt guilty about not sharing. 

5. Sweatpants

Okay, this is the final warmth-related luxury item, I promise. I don’t have any cool, technical, lightweight sweatpants. Instead, I just use a comfortable, cheap pair I found at a TJ Maxx. They pack down somewhat small and make getting out of my quilt much easier. On a trail as overgrown as the CDT, they were also leg-savers for cold mornings tramping through spiky plants. 

Plus, I can’t imagine the countless glissades in the San Juans (and the rest of Colorado) without warm pants between me and the snow.

If I could only keep one of these luxury items, it would probably be the sweatpants. To my core, I don’t understand how people survive a thru-hike (or even an overnight backpacking trip!) without them. Pry these out of my cold, dead fingers.

Now for two common luxury items that you couldn’t pay me to bring. Again, that doesn’t mean that you should leave them at home, I just personally don’t derive much comfort or happiness from either of them.

1. A Pillow

While a soft pillow might seem like an obvious comfort in the backcountry, I’ve found that they’re overrated on the trail. The inflatable pillows just don’t do it for me; my ear always gets oddly vacuum-sealed to the fabric, and the stiffness is never as nice as I want it to be.

For a while, I brought a tiny pillowcase that I would stuff with my rain gear. Recently, I realized that the silly little pillowcase was functionally no different than a stuff sack. These days I shove the rain gear in a tiny stuff sack and enjoy a comfortable, malleable “pillow” every night.

Rain gear serves as my pillow, sitpad, backpack frame, and bug protection.

2. A Book

Truly, I don’t understand the appeal of a physical book on trail. I’d be stressed about water damage, peeved about the extra weight and volume in my pack, and I wouldn’t even be able to read it after the sun goes down, which is when I do the majority of my reading.

Reading at night helps calm me down and decompress, especially on days when my brain won’t turn off.

Personally, I like the app Libby, which lets you check out audiobooks and e-books from your library. I’ll listen to books while I hike and read on my phone at camp in the evenings. If you swear by physical books or e-readers (the latter of which would terrify me with the constant specter of water damage), don’t let me stop you. But, if you haven’t heard of the wonders of Libby, let me enlighten you.

It sometimes feels like you must trim every extra ounce from your pack to thru-hike successfully — but really, it’s about choosing a few key comforts that genuinely improve your time on the trail. While ultralight principles are important, there are moments when the benefits of a well-chosen luxury item outweigh the slight additional weight.

Whether it’s extra clothes that keep you warm or gear that makes everyday tasks easier, these items help you maintain a higher quality of life on long hikes. The right gear for you isn’t about following trends; it’s about tailoring your load to support your unique experience.

Featured image: Graphic design by Zack Goldmann.