I've come a long way since my first Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike and my first Pacific Crest Trail gear list. With the exception of my spork, anti-chafe balm, and head net, every piece of gear I now have in my pack is different (this includes my pack). I know I've said it before somewhere, but I'm
The Ultimate Pacific Crest Trail Packing List
Your Pacific Crest Trail gear list can at times feel like one of your most defining features on the trail. It's been a few years since my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, and I've since learned a lot about what gear works on a thru-hike and what gear is better left at home (or thrown in the garbage).
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2019 (v1.0)
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
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
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
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