I don't typically get to the third iteration of my gear list until the end of the summer or into the fall, but so much has changed in such a short amount of time recently, that I feel disingenuous not updating my list. What's changed from my previous gear list? Here are some of the items that
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2021 (v2)
After bikepacking the Arizona Trail, I've made some changes to my backpacking kit for the summer. Most notable, changes to my shelter (now using a SlingFin SplitWing) and my water filter (now using a Platypus QuickDraw). Later in the summer, I'm also hoping to try out a new quilt, some new stakes
Arizona Trail (AZT) Bikepacking Gear List
The gear required to bikepack the Arizona Trail is somewhat familiar to me - that is, anything that doesn't specifically have to do with the fact that I'm riding a bicycle. Putting together my Arizona Trail bikepacking gear list has been an exercise in not knowing quite what I'm doing and a reminder
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2021 (v1)
I'm hoping to be doing a lot more outdoors in 2021 than I managed to do in 2020 and I'm excited to start trying out gear. To start the year off, my pack looks a lot like it did at the end of 2020, but I've made a few small changes (most notably, my cooking system). The gear list below is what I
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2020 (v2.0)
It's been a complicated year, but I still managed to get outdoors despite not being able to escape the country as originally planned. My gear list has continued to evolve as I continue to figure out what gear I like best and for what application I most enjoy using each piece of gear. I've
Sierra High Route Gear List
The gear required for a hike of the Sierra High Route (SHR) needs to strike a balance of functional and lightweight. Typically, I am happy to tell people that "if you're happy carrying it, then carry it", but since the SHR calls for a lot of scrambling up loose talus and/or boulder fields, it's nice
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2020 (v1.0)
It's the dawn of a decade and I've made a lot of changes to my three-season backpacking gear list to kick off the twenties. Some of my favorite pieces of gear are still with me and are still going strong (socks and fanny pack) while I'm trying others out for the first time (pillow, anyone?). My
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 (v2.0)
I didn't stop hiking once I left the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, and since my final PCT gear list, a number of things have changed in my backpacking outfit. After hitting the Timberline Trail, Wonderland Trail, and the Wind River Range. Fall is my favorite time of the year to hike - fewer