My Backbone Trail Ultralight (ish) Gear List

In early February, I’ll be setting out on my first thru hike attempt. I’m going to be hiking the Backbone Trail (BBT), a long distance trail in California’s Santa Monica Mountains. Since this trail is only about 70 miles from point to point, I’ll be taking 5 days to complete it.

I like to define my hiking style as “As Ultralight As Possible.” Because I’ve dealt with quite a bit of chronic pain over the past three years, it’s important to me that my gear isn’t the reason my body experiences more wear and tear. I recently upgraded my backpacking setup for this trip specifically, getting rid of my heavier items like my old synthetic sleeping bag, bulky sleeping pad, and heavy tent. This is my official gear list as I do my final prep days before trail.

The Pack

I love my pack, and I’ve had it for years. This is the one big item I didn’t replace recently on my quest for ultralight gear. I’ll be using my REI Trail 65, and while it isn’t the lightest pack, it comfortably holds everything I need, and fits me really well. I love how much it can sinch down if I don’t use all the space, and how much space there is if I do end up needing it.

Clothes I’m Packing

I’m actually going to have a super warm week on trail, with highs being in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s at night. This means that I’ll likely be carrying most of my layers, keeping them for staying warm once the sun goes down more than anything. I’ll be bringing along my Stio sun hoodie, Outdoor Research rain/wind layer, and Outdoor Research down puffy (which I plan to use as a pillow if I don’t need to wear it). I’ll also have an extra pair of socks, my Buff, a beanie, and my hat, along with camp shoes (probably my Tevas).

I voted against bringing rain pants, since it’s calling for sun all week, and I don’t want to add unnecessary weight to my pack.

A quick transparency note: my sun hoodie and buff were gifted to me by the brand, but I would never recommend gear I didn’t totally love! 

Food, Water, and Cooking

I recently put up a whole post about my food on trail, but I’ll still talk about it briefly. I use a Coleman Peak 4 stove and some camping dishes that I’ve had for YEARS. I’ll be carrying all my food with me as well, and plan on bringing one or two extras along, like my favorite mug for coffee or tea in the mornings.

As for water, I’ll be mostly relying on water sources of already potable water along trail, located at campgrounds that I’ll be staying at such as Musch Camp and Malibu Creek Campground. For my last few days on trail, a family member will be meeting me at junctions where the trail crosses roads to deliver water to me. Just in case, though, I will be bringing my Sawyer Squeeze filter, especially since we actually have water in the hills these days!

My Sleep System

I was an inflatable sleep pad person for such a long time, but I’ve found that I like carrying my foam pad more. It’s nothing fancy, it’s lightweight, and it gets the job done, so my trusty Thermarest will be joining me on the BBT! I also like that if this pad does end up getting wet, it dries faster than my inflatable pad does.

My sleeping bag was one of my biggest upgrades I made recently. On the BBT and all future backpacking trips, I’ll be using my UGQ Ultralight 10 Degree Quilt. This quilt is my new obsession and I’m so grateful I found it used (hello, affordable UL gear). It only weighs about a pound and a half and compresses into a dry bag, which means it doesn’t take up much room either.

Shelter

My tent was my other big upgrade, and I was super excited to find this one when I was doing my research on the best ultralight tent for a person on a budget. I’ll be using The One from Gossamer Gear as my one person tent for the BBT. It only weighs about a pound and a half, and packs down to be smaller than my quilt. This is a trekking pole tent, so I’ll use my REI Trailbreak aluminum trekking poles to support me on trail, and to support my tent at night.

Safety and Navigation

Almost as important as shelter and food, I keep a lot of factors in mind when it comes to safety. For navigation, I’ll be carrying a full map of the BBT. For safety, which is a huge priority for me as a solo female hiker, I’ll carry my Garmin Inreach Mini, bear spray, headlamp and extra batteries, and my Leatherman multitool. I’m also a Wilderness First Responder, so I carry a pretty extensive first aid kit with me.

Toiletries

Aside from the usual toothbrush and toothpaste, I carry a little stuff sack full of any hygiene products I may need on trail. This includes wet wipes, contact lenses, chapstick, Benadryl cream, Dr. Bronner’s castile soap, hairbrush, and my glasses. For going to the bathroom on trail, I carry a Kula Cloth and a poop shovel, but hopefully, for the BBT, I won’t need to dig a cathole almost ever–I’ll be staying at a few designated campsites which will have access to bathrooms.

Tech

I won’t be bringing a ton of technology with me on trail. Other than my Garmin, I’ll have my phone, camera, portable charger, and headphones with me. These things are important, and I will be documenting my trip as much as possible, not only for my own memories, but because I will be using this trip as a means of documenting the effects of over tourism in these mountains. I want to use my hike as a way of advocating for responsible recreation, so making sure at least my phone is charged is important to me.

Clothes I’m Wearing

I absolutely love my hiking clothes. I wear pretty much the same thing for every hike these days. My outfit consists of my REI Sahara Convertible Pants, a quick dry t shirt, my REI Take Your Time bra, wool hiking socks, and my Merrell Moab Speeds. I stopped wearing hiking boots a few months ago, and switching to lightweight trekking shoes has been a game changer for my chronic knee and back pain. I do also plan on starting my days wearing a mid layer jacket, which will likely be my Melanzana Hoodie.

There are still one or two things I’m trying to decide on in terms of packing, but this is pretty much my entire setup for my Backbone Thru Hike attempt this month. I’m pretty much ready to hit the trail.