It’s been a few years since I have shared a gear list, and things have changed. Some of our gear has remained constant, but some things have been swapped out with newer, lighter replacements. I decided to write up a sample CDT gear list – not all of this is gear I have right now, but if I were to thru-hike the CDT again, this is the gear list I would start with. I wrote this up for a solo hiker rather than the 2-person gear lists I usually put together.
This CDT thru-hike gear list has a base weight of just under 8 pounds. There are several luxuries included – you could easily drop a pound from this list simply by opting for fewer items – but this is based on my preferences.
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Contents
- Big Three – 3.86 lbs
- Packed Clothing – 1.62 lbs
- Electronics / Navigation – 1.42 lbs
- Kitchen / Water – 0.83 lbs
- First Aid, Hygiene, and Repair – 0.21 lbs
- Worn Gear – 2.2 lbs (not counted toward base weight)
- Snow Gear (for the San Juans and/or the Winds) – 1.26 lbs
- Bear Country Gear (Montana and the Winds) – 0.79 lbs
- Consumables – Variable Weight
Big Three – 3.86 lbs
| Quilt | Enlightened Equipment Revelation, 20 degree, 950 FP | 20.43 oz |
| Pillow | Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow | 2.1 oz |
| Sleeping Pad | NeoAir UberLite, small | 6 oz |
| Ground Cloth | Gossamer Gear Polycryo sheet, trimmed down | 3 oz |
| Shelter | Mountain Laurel Designs Monk Flat Tarp | 5 oz |
| Stakes | DAC J-stakes x 6 | 66 g |
| Stakes | Titanium Shepherd Hook Stakes x 6 | 30 g |
| Bag | Zpacks Stake Bag | 3 g |
| Pack | Gossamer Gear Kumo, back panel replaced with 1/8″ foam pad | 20.5 oz |
| Liner | Gossamer Gear Waterproof Pack liner | 1.2 oz |
I value sleeping well. Therefore I have an inflatable pillow (not even the lightest one available) and an inflatable pad. This is supplemented with the foam pad that doubles as a back panel on the Kumo backpack. If you can sleep fine on 1/8″ foam, ditch the pillow and inflatable pad to cut 8 oz off this base weight.
Tarps require more stakes than a tent. It is tempting to leave some behind, but this is not worth it when you are trying to get proper shelter from wind and rain. I typically make my own tarps, but this is the commercial option.
I also typically make my own backpacks. But, Paul used the Kumo on the CDT and we both agree it is a comfortable, affordable, and approachable backpack that works great for the CDT.
Packed Clothing – 1.62 lbs
| Baselayer | Icebreaker Merino 175 Crewe Thermal Top | 4.6 oz |
| Baselayer | Icebreaker Merino 175 Everyday Leggings | 4.5 oz |
| Puffy | Mont-bell Plasma 1000 Down Jacket | 4.2 oz |
| Rain Jacket | Mont-bell Versalite | 5.8 oz |
| Rain Pants | Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants | 1.5 oz |
| Spare Socks | Darn Tough Hiker Crew | 2.3 oz |
| Buff | Wool Buff | 49 g |
| Gloves | Mont-bell Chameece Gloves | 0.7 oz |
| Bug Net | Mountain Laurel Designs Bug Head Net | 0.6 oz |
I hate being cold. I feel I have the right amount of clothing and the right amount of quilt to keep me comfortable almost all the time. I know plenty of hikers who are more minimal than this, and plenty who pack a lot more clothes. I also like to change my socks every day. 2 pairs allows me to wash and dry one pair each day while wearing the other one.
| Headlamp | Nitecore NU25 with UL band | 1.58 oz |
| GPS communicator | Garmin inReach Mini | 3.5 oz |
| Power Bank | Nitecore NB10000 Gen 2 power bank | 5.29 oz |
| Supplemental Power | Lixada UL Solar Panel | 2.6 oz |
| Phone | Pixel 7a | 194 g |
| Cords | Headphones and Charging Cords | 2.8 oz |
| Compass | Suunto Clipper Compass | 5 g |
The solar panel in addition to the battery pack is not really necessary. However, I like it for the additional time it allows me between towns without having to worry about battery life. It also grants me peace of mind that if my power bank stopped functioning for any reason I have power enough to keep my devices charged on solar until I get to town.
Kitchen / Water – 0.83 lbs
| Stove | BRS Titanium Stove | 25 g |
| Pot | Toaks Light 700mL Titanium Pot | 2.3 oz |
| Spork | Sea to Summit Alphalite Spork | 9 g |
| Bag | mesh stuff sack | 0.3 oz |
| Lighter | Mini Bic | 11 g |
| Food Bag | Opsak | 20 g |
| Filter | Platypus QuickDraw Microfilter | 2.2 oz |
| Water | 2 Smart Water Bottles | 3 oz |
| Water | 2 Platypus 2L Platy Bladders | 2.5 oz |
The stove and pot could be swapped out for a cold soaking peanut butter jar to save an ounce or two if you don’t care about cooking. I like a hot meal at the end of the day, and I also consider the stove a bit of an emergency piece of gear as well. When you’re cold and wet and struggling to stay warm a hot beverage can make a huge difference. I don’t bring the lid.
On the CDT, I only filtered water in New Mexico. Then I swapped out for a dropper with bleach and that was fine for the rest of the trip. I’d do it that way again.
First Aid, Hygiene, and Repair – 0.21 lbs
| Trowel | Deuce of Spades | 20 g |
| Hygiene | Menstrual Cup | 17 g |
| Repair | Needle and Thread, gear patches, mini Swiss Army Knife | 30 g |
| Hygiene | Clippers, toothbrush | 26 g |
I don’t carry duct tape. A few little patches and some needle and thread have worked just fine for any gear repairs I’ve ever needed to do in the field.
TOTAL BASE PACK WEIGHT – 7.94 lbs
Worn Gear – 2.2 lbs (not counted toward base weight)
| Sun Hoodie | Outdoor Research Echo Hoodie (alternate option Patagonia Capilene Cool) | 4 oz |
| Shorts | Outdoor Research Ad-Vantage shorts 6″ inseam (alternate option: Prana Electa Shorts) | 5.6 oz |
| Socks | Darn Tough Hiker Crew (alternate options: Smartwool, Injinji) | 2.3 oz |
| Gaiters | MYOG or Dirty Girl Gaiters | 1.8 oz |
| Poles | Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Poles | 10 oz |
| Visor | Sunday Afternoons Vaporlite Rush Visor | 1.1 oz |
| Eye Protection | Sunglasses | 0.9 oz |
| Shoes | Altra Lone Peaks | 8.2 oz |
| Bra | Patagonia W’s Active Mesh Bra | 2.3 oz |
| Underwear | Synthetic Bottoms | 0.8 oz |
Anyone hiking in the desert should try a sun hoodie, or at the very least, opt for long-sleeves. I like spandex-style shorts because in cold weather I can slide my thermals right over them. The side pockets can store my phone while hiking, and the long inseam prevents chafing.
Snow Gear (for the San Juans and/or the Winds) – 1.26 lbs
| Ice Axe | Camp Corsa Ice Axe | 8.8 oz |
| Traction | Snowline Chainsen Pro Spikes | 11.4 oz |
I have a heavier steel ice axe and I regret it. I’m not mountaineering, I’m thru-hiking – all I need the ice axe for is self-arresting, and the Camp Corsa is fine for that. And I absolutely have used my ice axe to self arrest, so I believe it is a piece of gear worth having and knowing how to use.
Bear Country Gear (Montana and the Winds) – 0.79 lbs
| Bear Protection | Bear Spray | 11.1 oz |
| Hanging Kit | UL Paracord and mini carabiner (Yellowstone, Glacier) | 1.5 oz |
Know how to use bear spray in grizzly country, and keep it accessible. The safest way to travel in grizzly country is in groups of three or more, as grizzlies usually attack solo hikers or couples, and rarely groups of three or more. Hanging is required in Yellowstone and Glacier, and we use odor-resistant Opsaks for our food bag everywhere else.
Consumables – Variable Weight
| Fuel and Food |
| Toilet Paper, Soap, Toothpaste |
| Ibuprofen, Benadryl |
| Leukotape |
Most hikers carry sanitizer rather than soap, and that certainly is better when water is very scarce. However, I like to carry soap because there are times in town when there is no access to laundry and I wash some of my clothes in the sink with my Dr. Bronners. Therefore I usually choose to carry soap instead of sanitizer. Leukotape, in my opinion, stays in place better than other medical tape or band-aids.
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