Japanese Alps Traverse Gear List
Rain for a week straight, multiple typhoons, stupid humidity levels, Japanese giant hornets, and a record-setting heat wave all made my 425 mi / 684 km traverse of the Japanese Alps quite interesting (but mostly just justified all the ramen I ate).
Hiking in Japan is different, and fortunately, I was already well acquainted with the Japanese mountains, language, and hiking culture before setting off on this hike. The amount of English-language information about the Japanese Alps is lacking, to put it kindly (I’m actively working to improve this situation), and I had a lot of questions about what my route was going to be, which trails were going to be maintained, and how often I was going to be able to resupply. My gear, however, was a bit more dialed in. A lot of gear I brought on this hike was what I had on the Continental Divide Trail, but thanks to the Japanese outdoor gear company Montbell, I changed my earlier gear outfit.
My new friends at Montbell (whom I visited at their headquarters in Osaka) were kind enough to provide me with a new tent, sleeping bag, rain jacket, and shirt in the hopes of fitting in with my Japanese counterparts in the mountains (I think I still kind of stood out – shorts weren’t especially popular). So how did my Japanese gear perform on my Japanese Alps traverse? It’s all detailed below (but in case you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to scroll beyond here, it was awesome).
The Big Stuff
Clothing
Carried/On Body
The Backpacking Gear
The Electronics
The Camera Gear
The Bathroom
- Toilet paper, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, sunscreen
The Ofice
- Credit/debit card, rubber bands, duct tape, notebook, assorted Ziploc bags, pen, dice (for Yahtzee!)
Detailed View
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest
Pros: Lightweight, waterproof, durable, comfortable
Cons: Annoying to open back up after you’ve closed it and then forgotten something
34.04 oz / 965 g / $360 / Detailed Review
Pros: Lightweight, easy and quick setup, freestanding
Cons: Had to lay diagonally to fit, order of opening for mesh/solid window appears reversed, only available via Montbell Japan
30.3 oz / 860 g / ¥39,000
Pros: Literally the greatest zipper ever, lightweight, compressible
Cons: Don’t know how I feel about the half zip, only available via Montbell Japan
17.4 oz / 494 g / ¥48,000
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Regular)
Pros: Lightweight, R-value 3.2, doubles as a raft
Cons: Blowing up and deflating is a pain, it can be very loud
12 oz / 340 g / $170 Detailed Review
Montbell Wickron Light Long Sleeve Shirt
Pros: Great for hiking or for blending in when in town, chest pocket
Cons: The sleeves are a bit narrow and I couldn’t roll them above my elbow (but I could just fold the entire sleeve back)
7.3 oz / 208 g / $125
Pros: 3-layer GORE C-KNIT, lightweight, adjustable hood/hem, two large chest pockets
Cons: No pit zips
10 oz / 284 g / $290
Montbell Plasma 1000 Alpine Down Parka
Pros: Warm (3.4 oz / 96 g of 1000 fill power down), DWR treatment, elastic cuffs, hem and hood adjustments, lightweight
Cons: Expensive, long and annoying name
8.4 oz / 237 g / $439 / Detailed Review
Pros: Four stretchy pockets (big enough for my Pixel 2 XL with a case), one zippered pocket in back, built-in liner
Cons: You’ll have to use more sunscreen to cover up those sexy legs, the pull string for the back zipper pocket fell off
3.9 oz / 111 g / $65
Pros: I actually loved this hat – really well-built, comfortable backing, and good fit for my fat head
Cons: Need more color options
3 oz / 85 g / $28
Pros: Lightweight, adjustable hem, keeps the bugs off your face
Cons: I hate trying to breathe through these things
1.2 oz / 34 g / $10
Icebreaker Flexi Chute Neck Gaiter
Pros: Warm, wool, stretchy, lightweight, versatile
Cons: I’m probably going to buy a second one
3 oz / 85 g / $25
Pros: Polarized, come in a large size for my big head, customizable colors, free returns
Cons: Expensive
1.6 oz / 45 g / $203
Pros: Adjustable, don’t fall off, and keep your glasses from falling off
Cons: They make you look really cool, they get tangled with my headphones and make putting my gaiter on my face a bit more work
0.6 oz / 17 g / $9
Pros: Lightweight, touchscreen compatible, can be connected to each other (lose both or lose none)
Cons: Don’t dry very quickly (why am I getting them wet?), touchscreens can sometimes be finicky
1.6 oz / 45 g / $30
Montbell Convertible Rain Pants
Pros: Convert to shorts (I only used the shorts), fully seam taped, elastic waist, waterproof (as you would hope)
Cons: The zippers (once the pant legs are zipped off) chafed my knee pits
6.1 oz / 173 g / $120
Pros: Comfortable, merino, cushioned underfoot, lifetime guarantee means you can have them replaced
Cons: Nothing
2.2 oz / 62 g / $20 / Detailed Review
Pros: Come in wide sizes, durable, comfortable, insoles actually offer support
Cons: I’m still not blister-proof
33 oz / 936 g / $120
Pros: Surprisingly durable (have had these over a year), Batman (obviously)
Cons: They’re slowly (literally) wearing away, get squeaky when wet
6 oz / 170 g / $10
Pros: An awesome amount of space for such a lightweight fanny pack, one exterior pocket large enough for a large cell phone, two interior pockets, water-resistant, huge sex appeal
Cons: I wish there was a way to affix the waist strap to the pack (I guess I could use a safety-pin)
2.5 oz / 71 g / $45
Pros: Stretchy, fancy prints, turns your Thrupack into an easy sling bag as well (is that a thing? A sling bag?)
Cons: I should have just gotten the smallest size – it’s very stretchy, doesn’t attach to Thrupack (just buckles through it)
2.2 oz / 62 g / $15
Pros: Bright, great battery life, red light, two brightness levels
Cons: Not the smallest option available
2.9 oz / 82 g / $70
Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, compatible with water bottles
Cons: Gets clogged if not backflushed regularly, included bags do not last
3 oz / 85 g / $40
Pros: It’s titanium which means I’m really cool for having it (and you can fight bears with it)
Cons: It’s titanium which means I’m really dumb for having it (and everyone laughs at me)
0.6 oz / 17 g / $10
Pros: Lightweight water bottle with good structural integrity, easy to get in/out of backpack pockets
Cons: It’s a plastic bottle which means I’m going to hell for using it – also, these are not available in Japan (I’ve used these for a while now)
Pros: A 10.7 L, animal-proof food bag, there’s a black one now
Cons: Heavy for a food bag (you aren’t required to have something like this in Japan), I don’t have the black one (the white one gets filthy)
7.6 oz / 215 g / $85
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow (Large)
Pros: My clothing stuff sack and pillow (you can reverse it and there’s a soft cushion bit for your face)
Cons: The material has come apart a lot in places, especially around the zipper (I don’t know how much longer it’s going to hold together)
1.69 oz / 48 g / $47
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ground Cloth
Pros: A large, lightweight ground sheet
Cons: It’s stupid expensive for what it is, horizontally orientated stake loops, I’m a tool for owning this
3.77 oz / 107 g / $170
RAVPower 26800 Power Bank
Pros: USB-C, quick charge compatible, pass through charging, three USB outputs, large capacity
Cons: Heavy
16 oz / 454 g / $57
Pros: Great sound quality, comfortable, best battery life I’ve found (~10-12 hours)
Cons: Have to be recharged, can block out nearly all ambient noise, get tangled with my eyewear retainer (fancy, huh?)
0.8 oz / 23 g / $26
Pros: Excellent camera, quick charge via USB-C, water-resistant, awesome fingerprint reader
Cons: No expandable storage, no headphone jack
6.17 oz / 175 g / $850
Pros: Waterproof, shockproof, compatible fingerprint reader (sometimes), easy to remove
Cons: Distorts audio from speaker and on the receiving end of calls, expensive
1.3 oz / 35 g / $90
Anker PowerPort II Wall Charger
Pros: Two USB inputs (one USB-A and one USB-C), folding plug, quick charge compatible
Cons: A little bulky/heavy
5.3 oz / 150 g / $30
Pros: Awesome camera, lightweight, compact (fits in my jacket pocket), in-body stabilization, 4K movie recording
Cons: Expensive, small battery capacity (and funky in cold temperatures)
14.25 oz / 404 g / $1200
Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS
Pros: Great focal length range for hiking, beautiful photos, relatively lightweight (but still no pancake lens)
Cons: Not full-frame compatible (if I ever upgrade), vignetting at wider focal lengths, not great in low light
10.9 oz / 308 g / $999
Pros: Takes fantastic photos, video stabilization is great, touchscreen works well, USB-C
Cons: The battery could always be bigger (buy a spare if you’re going to be filming a lot)
4.13 oz / 117 g / $400
SANDMARC Aerial Filter Polarizer (for HERO6)
Pros: An easy-to-use polarizing filter that fits snugly on a GoPro (5, 6, or 7)
Cons: Noticeably increases the size of the camera
0.8 oz / 23 g / $40
Pros: Makes camera accessible, easy to secure/remove camera, can lock camera in place, can be placed on any strap
Cons: You need a hex key to remove the camera plate (making the transition to my tripod annoying)
3 oz / 84 g / $70
Peak Design Shell (Small)
Pros: Keeps camera protected in the rain when using the Capture Clip
Cons: I always take it off to shoot photos since it makes adjusting the zoom/focus rings tricky
2.4 oz / 68 g / $40
Fotopro UFO Basic Flexible Tripod
Pros: Easier to adjust than “ball leg” tripods, flexible legs that I trust to hold my camera in a hanging position
Cons: Heavy for something that I don’t end up using that much
7.6 oz / 215 g / $21
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