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Check out our full list of gear we carried for 4 months on the CDT.
Contents
The Big Three
Packs, Shelter, Sleep System – Total Weight 8.49 lbs
| Megan’s Pack | MYOG Ray-Way Pack 36L |
| Paul’s Pack | Gossamer Gear Kumo 36L |
| Tent | ZPacks Duplex with Tyvek ground sheet and 8 aluminum stakes |
| Sleeping Pad | Exped Synmat HL Duo (link is to the updated version of this mat, which we are now using) |
| Quilt | Enlightened Equipment Accomplice 10 degree |
| Pillows | Sea to Summit Aeros UL Pillow |
| Waterproof Bag Liners | Gossamer Gear clear liner bags |
| Stuff Sacks | MYOG stuff sacks |
Our sleep system involves using a 2-person pad and a 2-person quilt. The upsides to this system revolve around warmth and comfort. It does mean we are sleeping close together, and it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it works for us. The selection of two-person lightweight pads is pretty limited, but Exped does offer a couple options. Some would consider our pillows a luxury item, but I consider them a necessity.
Kitchen and Water
Cookset, Food Bags, Filtration/Purification, Water Storage – Total Weight 2.56 lbs
| Stove | SnowPeak LiteMax, then MSR Pocket Rocket 2 with fuel canister |
| Utensils | Snow Peak Titanium Sporks |
| Cookpot | 1.3L Evernew Titanium Pot with mesh stuff sack, Talenti Jar |
| Water Filter/purification | Sawyer Squeeze filter, Aquamira drops, later used bleach drops |
| Water bladders | Platypus and Sawyer bags, Smart Water bottles and Gatorade bottles |
| Food Bags | Peregrine 15L Silnylon Bags |
Our Snow Peak LiteMax Stove lasted the entire AT and PCT, but the threading got stripped somewhere in Wyoming n the CDT. We happened to be in Yellowstone and were able to pick up an MSR Pocket Rocket, which we’ve used ever since. You can read my stove comparison here for more details. We’ve experimented with different pot sizes and have settled on the 1.3 liter option from Evernew. We used to carry a spare bowl but now we just pass the pot back and forth and eat right out of it.
For water purification, we carried the Sawyer Squeeze. A good filter is a must on the CDT, especially in New Mexico. In some cases filtering and then purifying is wise. Once we were out of New Mexico we filtered less often and simply purified. It saves a lot of time, though filtering is probably always best.
Electronics and Personal Items
First Aid, Toiletries, Phones, Batteries, etc. – Total Weight 4.06 lbs
| Battery Pack | Anker Power Core 20,000 mAh |
| misc | Phones, headphones, cords and chargers |
| Headlamps | Nitecore NU25 |
| Camera and tripod | Olympus TG-4 and GPod mini tripod |
| GPS | SPOT locator |
| Toiletries | Trowel, TP, Diva Cup, sanitizer and/or Dr. Bronners |
| Personal Care | sunscreen, nail clippers, lip balm, toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss, comb |
| First Aid | ibuprofen, benadryl, leukotape, bandaids, rash cream, itch cream |
| Repair kit | needle and thread, mini scissors, super glue, small patches |
| personal items | benchmade knife, notepad and pen |
Battery packs are always getting lighter, so this one is a bit dated now, but is plenty of power for a thru-hike, assuming you aren’t carrying an excessive amount of electronics. We also don’t carry a camera anymore as phones are as good if not better in many cases. First Aid kits and repair kits just need to be able to fix common issues in the field.
Packed Clothing
All the Clothing Typically Carried While Hiking – Total Weight 4.98 lbs
While these are “packed” clothes, in cold weather or wet weather we wear some of these items while hiking. Spare shirts are nice for sleeping in or something to change into in town.
Paul’s Clothing
| Rain Jacket | My Trail Co Storm UL (now out of business) |
| Puffy Jacket | Montbell Superior Down Parka |
| Spare Shirt | Short Sleeved Polyester |
| Long Johns | Patagonia Capilene Lightweight Bottoms |
| Other | Wool Buff, Wool gloves, spare pair of Darn Tough Socks and Boxers |
Megan’s Clothing
| Rain Jacket | My Trail Co Storm UL (now out of business) |
| Puffy Jacket | MontBell Superior Down Parka |
| Thermal Shirt | REI Midweight Base Layer Top |
| Spare Shirt | Generic polyester T-shirt |
| Thermal Long Johns | Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight Bottoms |
| Other | Wool Buff, Wool gloves, spare pairs of panties and Darn Tough Socks |
And that is everything that was in our packs and carried on our backs every day. All together, our combined base weight came to 20.09 lbs. This worked out to 9.45 lbs for Megan and 10.65 lbs for Paul.
Snow Gear for Colorado
A few bits of gear just for the San Juans Section – Total Weight 4.05 lbs
| Ice Axes | Petzl Glacier, Black Diamon Raven Pro |
| Microspikes | Katoolah, Chainsen Pro |
| Rain Pants | Thrift Store Rain Pants |
For the snow section this brings our base weight up to 11.3 lbs for Megan and 12.8 lbs for Paul.
Worn Clothing
All the Clothes and Things on Our Bodies Most of the Time – Total Weight 8.06 lbs
WORN CLOTHING
Paul’s
| Clothes | Columbia Long Sleeve Sun Shirt, North Face Shorts |
| Underwear | ExOficio Boxers |
| Footwear | Darn Tough socks, MYOG gaiters, Altra Lone Peaks |
| Headwear | Trucker Cap, Bandana, sunglasses (with case) |
| Carried Items | Benchmade Knife, 20-sided die |
| Poles | Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Poles |
Megan’s
| Clothes | Columbia Long Sleeve Sun Hoodie, North Face Compression Shorts |
| Underwear | Smartwool Intraknit Strappy Bra, Polyester panties |
| Footwear | Darn Touch Socks, MYOG Gaiters, Altra Lone Peaks |
| Headwear | UnderArmor visor, cheap sunglasses (with case) |
| Carried Items | MYOG fanny pack, monocular, |
| Poles | Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Poles |
So, that’s it! Combining base weights and worn weights, Megan came out to 13.8 lbs and Paul 14.4 lbs in total.
Thanks so much for this detailed list! My partner and I share gear very similar to your list (Duplex, Accomplice, Exped Synmat HL Duo) and we’re looking to upgrade our packs (read: lighter weight and smaller volume). I’ve been eyeing the GG Kumo, which I see your husband is carrying but have been concerned about it capacity-wise (the Accomplice and Duplex take up a lot of space). I see that you carried the Accomplice and Synmat while Pinata carried the Duplex. If you both had Kumos, would you be concerned about not having enough space for all of your gear and 5 days of food?
Thanks so much for your thoughts–been enjoying reading about your adventures!!
My pack is only slightly larger volume-wise, but I do think it accommodates the quilt a little better than the Kumo would. The only time it gets really trucking is a long food carry. We’ve been able to carry 6 days of food but I think that’s the max we could get away with. And if we had to carry a bear can, I think we’d need some bigger packs.
Thanks so much for your quick and helpful reply! Probably not the best pack choice for us then–we’re in the PNW and frequently in bear country.
Thanks for your trail updates, advice, and general sharing. Best wishes on your journey toward completing the triple crown!
We are planning a 500 mile section of the PCT next summer (assuming the trail is open) and we are finding a lot of useful information from your site. We are trying to figure out how best to do our kitchen as a couple. We noticed that you pack a pot and a talenti jar. Do you do separate meals or do you share the meals? If you share meals do you both eat together from the pot or does one of you use the pot to eat from and the other the Talenti for a bowl? Are you cold soaking for two in the Talenti? Does either one of you drink hot beverages, if so what are you using to drink from? We are just trying to figure out what process is working for you. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment. Our approach has evolved over time. On the Appalachian trail we carried an extra bowl to divide our meals, and we also both carried mugs for hot drinks. By the CDT, we were mostly just eating from the same pot and passing it back and forth. We generally didn’t do hot beverages but if we did we would just share from the pot. The talenti jar alone is a bit small to cold soak a meal for two, but worked for us because we usually cooked 2 meals and split them both. These days we more commonly just cook one big meal in our 1.3 liter pot and both eat from the pot. We both drink a cold coffee drink in the morning mixed in a water or Gatorade bottle. Some couples prefer to cook or cold soak individual meals. I’d suggest thinking about what you do at home and adapting that to the trail. We always cook and eat together at home so it was natural to do that on trail. We also share our lunches but each eat our own snacks and breakfasts. Fingers crossed for you for 2021!