I’d like to be ultralight. My shoulders definitely want me to be.

After two thru-hikes in as many years, you’d think I would have my gear dialed in. Maybe I will by the end of this one. Right now, travelling to the airport with my pack on my back, I feel that despite discarding a few items that traveled almost unused from Campo to Canada last year, much like its owner, my pack has gained weight in the off-season.

I know that many of my hiking brethren are avid gearheads. That’s not me, though. I have never made a complete lighterpacks list. I’ve only twice ever weighed my pack (fully laden with water and 5 days food in Amicalola Falls State Park, at the start of the AT: 35lbs. And Kennedy Meadows General Store with water, 8 days food, crampons, microspikes, ice axe, and winter clothes: 50lbs), and I’ve also never done a gear layout for the ‘gram. Well, not until recently.

That gear layout photo you see is a little incomplete. Some items can not be shipped to the UK from the USA for fear of horrendous import tax charges, so they are still in the USA, waiting at my hotel for collection (I hope). Some other items are sharp, so they had to be sent ahead. The fact that my flight would have been £119 more expensive if I wanted to add checked luggage has me looking for a soap box to stand on, so I only took cabin baggage.

So, ladies and gentlemen, with a few exceptions, please behold my gear list for my Continental Divide Trail attempt 2024…

Starting in the middle, then working clockwise from the lower left:

Foam Pad:
from Atom Packs

Inflatable Matress:
Thermarest Neo Air xlite NXT

Quilt:
Enlightened Equipment Enigma Apex Custom

Pack:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 55

Shelter:
Durston X Mid Pro

Camp/ Water Crossing shoes:
Crocs

Shoes:
Topo Athletic Traverse

Gaiters:

Pack Liner:
Life Venture ultralight dry bag

Rain Jacket:
Montbell Storm Rider

Rain Pants:
Outdoor Research Foray

2x bungee loops

Socks:
Darn Tough Coolmax

Sock Liners: Injinji Toe Socks

Fly Net

Handkerchief

Sunglasses:
Ombraz

Thermal top:

Thermal bottoms:
Arc’Terex

Fanny Pack:
Atom Packs Roo 2L

Puffy:
North Face Thermoball Eco

Sun Hat

OP Sacks

Repair Kit

Cork ball

First Aid

Gauze filters for Sawyer

Gossamer Gear bamboo spoon

Bamboo toothbrush with bristle guard

3L CNOC

Water filter syringe

Sawyer Squeeze

Water purification tablets

Toothpaste tablets

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Otterbox phone case

Dead cat for phone microphone

Air pump

Samsung Galaxy Bud Pro 2

Garmin inreach Explorer+

Anker 20k mah

Anker 13k mah

Mini Bic lighter

Sony A7riii camera

Sony 24-105mm f/4 G OSS

Lens cloth

SD card pouch

Extendable mini tripod with phone mount

Dual camera battery charger

Spare battery for camera

Anker 60w multi fast charger

Anker mini USB-C charger

Various cables

Nitecore

2 X Dyneema stuff Sacks

Bear Hang Kit

Passport/ money / cards in zip lock

What I’m wearing:
Black Diamond Alpineglow Pro sun hoody
Decathlon running shorts
Darn Tough Coolmax socks
Silk Roads Cycling buff

The items waiting at my hotel

Soto Windmaster stove with triflex arm
Toaks cookpots with lids
Fero rod
Fold out fuel cannister stand
Flipfuel cannister refill device
Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork trekking poles
10x MSR Mini Groundhog tent stakes
Sun bum sunblock, face stick, and lip balm
Gossamer Gear sun umbrella
Deuce of Spades
TP

Winter gear (waiting to be sent from the UK)

Petzl Leopard crampons
Katoula microspikes
Ice axe ( I have no idea what one. I’ve been using the same one since 2009, and the name has mong since worn off)
Dexshell waterproof windproof beanie
Outdoor Research sensor gloves

Bear can to be sent when needed.

Now that I list it all, I think I may have a problem. Like a hoarder with a home full of old junk, I can justify to myself a reason for every item. But, objectively looking at it, I feel that there’s a fair amount of things that might not make the end of the journey, whether through choice or obsolescence. We will have to see. I’ll make a comparison gear layout when I return from the CDT, and we can all have a laugh at how much I started out carrying and compare.

For now, though, I invite you all to make your comments on what I should and shouldn’t be carrying. I can’t wait to read all of the advice and criticisms.

Join me next time, where I try to justify all of my gear choices to an ultraighter with a base weight of 1.4lbs, who only uses a fanny pack, and forages all of their food from other people’s terrible bear hangs.