There's a lot of new gear I'm excited to try this year (like this new sleeping pad from Therm-a-Rest), but these experiments will have to wait until later in the year. For now, I've gone back to what I know and made some adjustments after testing out some new gear in the Japanese Alps. Last year,
Japanese Alps Traverse Gear List
Rain for a week straight, multiple typhoons, stupid levels of humidity, 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
Australia Bike Touring Gear List
This post has been sitting in my "Drafts" folder for ages now being neglected like an unwanted stepchild. After repeated emails from readers wondering why they cannot seem to locate the link to this post, it's finished (sorry, everyone). First, a little background. When I began my 2,400-mile (3,862
Island Peak (Imja Tse) Gear List
Island Peak (Imja Tse) is technically classified as a "trekking peak", but it requires much more gear than what you would expect from your typical "trek". Why? Because you have to climb, not walk, to the summit of the 20,305 ft / 6,189 m peak. First things first, I paid 90,000 NPR (~$900 US) for my
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2018 (v2.0)
We're not even halfway into the year and I'm already making some dramatic additions to my current gear outfit. I've got my first non-freestanding shelter (Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2), my first bivy (Enlightened Equipment Recon), and my first quilt (Enlightened Equipment Revelation). Although
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2018 (v1.0)
It's a new year which means it's time for another arbitrary reason to do some swapping and upgrading of my backpacking gear outfit. I've been in New Zealand for nearly four months now (one more to go) and I've changed, added, or upgraded enough of my backpacking gear since my final Continental
Continental Divide Trail Gear List (Post-Trail)
As was to be expected, my Continental Divide Trail gear list at the end of the trail did not match up exactly with my pre-departure CDT gear list. There's no better way to test gear than to take it thru-hiking, and there's no better thru-hike to test gear on than the CDT. I've divided this post
Continental Divide Trail Gear List
NOTE: This is my gear list when I began the CDT. The final and updated gear list (likely much more useful) can be found here. It's finally complete, my Continental Divide Trail gear list. I didn't think I would ever be prepping for another thru-hike (and especially not for the CDT), but now the
Backpacking Gear List (Fall 2016)
The fall is a great time for backpacking - cooler temperatures ward off both crowds and bugs, making the mountains a much more enjoyable place. Sure, you may get yourself caught in the occasional hail or snow storm, but that's just part of the excitement of shoulder season hiking. Here is an