In an effort to maximize the utility of the Continental Divide Trail Thru-hiker Survey, I have done a deep dive into the gear that hikers used on the trail this past year. The results detailed here should help to give an idea of what gear made hikers successful and what gear hikers realized was
The Continental Divide Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2017)
Hello and welcome to the results of the 2017 Continental Divide Trail Thru-hiker Survey! Now that I've hiked the Continental Divide Trail, I feel it's a good time to begin disseminating free information on the internet to make the CDT more accessible to people who will ultimately end up ruining
Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 Platinum Tent Review
The Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 Platinum is a lightweight, freestanding, two-person backpacking tent that's for anyone willing to spend $600 on their miniature house for the outdoors (or as I like to call it, my palace). I got this tent just before my Continental Divide Trail thru-hike and have spent
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest Review
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest came with me on my Continental Divide Trail thru-hike (what's essentially the most greuling test on Earth for any piece of gear) and it performed exactly as I hoped it would - spectacularly. It's currently my default pack and I've been using it since
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
Montbell Tachyon Jacket Review
I've never owned a wind shirt/jacket before and so the Montbell Tachyon Jacket was a new and exciting thing for me to test out. This jacket was a part of my Continental Divide Trail gear, and it accompanied me the entire length of the trail. I used it extensively at high elevations in Colorado
Montbell Torrent Flier Jacket Review
Rain jackets and I have an interesting relationship. In a perfect world, they would be completely unnecessary, but the reality on the Continental Divide Trail is far from perfect and so I brought along the Montbell Torrent Flier Jacket to protect me from all the water (frozen or otherwise) I
Montbell Plasma 1000 Alpine Down Parka Review
If you prefer to not immediately retreat to your sleeping bag at the end of the day, there's a good chance you have considered investing in a feather-filled jacket (more commonly known as a down jacket or puffy). After starting and finishing the Continental Divide Trail with an intact Montbell
Western Mountaineering Versalite Sleeping Bag Review
I resisted for a long time, but I finally upgraded my sleeping bag and I could not be happier with my choice, a Western Mountaineering Versalite. Talk to anyone in the strange community that is thru-hikers (a group who knows gear as well as or better than probably any other) and you will hear a