The CDT Gear Guide: Class of 2017 Survey

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 actually garbage and should have been left on the shelf.

I’ve organized the date as best I could, trying to give a comprehensive picture of what gear CDT thru-hikers are using. This post covers the MOST POPULAR GEAR (backpacks, shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, water treatment, stoves, bear canisters), the BASE WEIGHTS of different categories of hikers and how they stack up to one another, the FAVORITE GEAR (same as “most popular”), SHOES, how much was SPENT ON GEAR, thru-hiker COMMENTS ON GEAR, and finally, a bit of gear ADVICE.

Despite my best efforts, I am sure there are things I missed or things you may want to know about the data, so if anything comes to mind, I would love to hear your thoughts in the form of a comment or email. Also, know that I made a good-faith effort to collect and as much data as I could, but that does not mean there’s anything scientific about this post. I did my best to make sure this accurately reflects the data collected from this year’s Continental Divide Trail class and to remove any obviously bad data.

That being said, I hope you enjoy the CDT Gear Guide brought to you by the CDT Class of 2017.

NOTE: A list of the different hiker categories and how they are identified can be found at the end of this post.

THE MOST POPULAR CDT GEAR

The survey results tell us what an “average” Continental Divide Trail hiker’s gear list was this past year. We’ll start where we left off in the survey and first review the MOST COMMONLY USED GEAR from this year’s CDT class.

Remember, this is the most commonly used gear – simply because something was the most used does not necessarily translate to it automatically being the “best” (or even good). Further down we look at what gear hikers DID NOT like, so it might be best to read through the entire post before you go crazy with your gear selection.

NOTE: All the gear in the charts below is listed in order of most common (at the top) to less common (at the bottom).

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BACKPACK	PRICE	WEIGHT	LITERS	REC MAX LOAD	ACCESS	SATISFACTION
ULA Circuit	$235	41 oz / 1.162 kg	68	35 lbs / 16 kg	Top	92%
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest	$340	31.08 oz / 881 g	55	40 lbs / 18 kg	Top	100%
Osprey Exos	$220	38.4 oz / 1.089 kg	58	40 lbs / 18 kg	Top	88%
Zpacks Arc Blast	$325	21 oz / 595 g	55	35 lbs / 16 kg	Top	100%
Gossamer Gear Mariposa	$225	32.7 oz / 927 g	60	35 lbs / 16 kg	Top	100%

TENT	PRICE	WEIGHT	PACKED	HEIGHT	FLOOR	DOORS	SATISFACTION
Zpacks Hexamid	$399	15.4 oz / 437 g	?	47 in / 119 cm	16.3 ft² / 1.5 m²	1	87%
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2	$390	32 oz / 879 g	4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm	40 in / 102 cm	28 ft² / 2.6 m²	1	100%
Tarptent Protrail	$225	26 oz / 740 g	12 x 4 in / 30 x 10 cm	45 in / 114 cm	21 ft² / 1.9 m²	1	100%
Zpacks Solplex Tent	$555	15.5 oz / 439 g	?	48 in / 122 cm	18.75 ft² / 1.74 m²	1	100%
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1	$380	34 oz / 963 g	4 x 16.5 in / 10 x 42 cm	38 in / 97 cm	20 ft² / 1.8 m²	2	100%

SLEEPING BAG	PRICE	TEMP	WEIGHT	FILL	FILL WEIGHT	SATISFACTION
Western Mountaineering UltraLite	$500	20°F / -7°C	29 oz / 822 g	850-fill goose down	16 oz / 453.6 g	91%
Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20°	$285	20°F / -7°C	20.2 oz / 572 g	850-fill duck down	13.63 oz / 386 g	63%
Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20°	$290	20°F / -7°C	18.91 oz / 536 g	850-fill duck down	13.09 oz / 371 g	63%
Zpacks 20° Sleeping Bag	$415	20°F / -7°C	20 oz / 568 g	900-fill goose down	13.7 oz / 388 g	77%
Western Mountaineering Versalite	$575	10°F / -12°C	31 oz / 879 g	800-fill goose down	20 oz / 450 g	100%

SLEEPING PAD	PRICE	TYPE	WEIGHT	R-VALUE	PACKED	THICKNESS	SATISFACTION
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite	$160	Air pad	12 oz / 350 g	3.2	9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm	2.5 in / 6.3 cm	100%
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm	$200	Air	15 oz / 430 g	5.7	9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm	2.5 in / 6.3 cm	100%
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol	$45	Foam	14 oz / 410 g	2.6	20 x 5 x 5.5 in / 51 x 13 x 14 cm	.75 in / 2 cm	91%
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Short)	$130	Air	8 oz / 227 g	3.2	9 x 3.3 in / 23 x 9 cm	2.5 in / 6.3 cm	90%
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol (Short)	$35	Foam	10 oz / 284 g	2.6	20 x 4 x 5.5 in / 51 x 10 x 14 cm	.75 in / 2 cm	100%

STOVE	PRICE	TYPE	WEIGHT	DIMENSIONS	INTEGRATED POT	SIMMER CONTROL	SATISFACTION
MSR PocketRocket 2	$45	Canister	2.6 oz / 74 g	7.25 x 5 x 4 in / 18 x 13 x 10 cm	No	Yes	100%
MSR MicroRocket	Discontinued	Canister	2.6 oz / 74 g	3 x 2 x 2 in / 7.6 x 5 x 5 cm	No	Yes	100%
Jetboil Flash	$100	Canister	15.25 oz / 432 g	7.1 x 4.5 in	Yes	No	100%
Jetboil MinoMo	$135	Canister	14 oz / 397 g	5 x 6 in	Yes	Yes	100%

WATER TREATMENT	PRICE	WEIGHT	TYPE	MEDIUM	REMOVES	DIMENSIONS	SATISFACTION
Sawyer Squeeze	$40	3 oz / 85 g	Squeeze/Straw	Hollow fiber	Protozoa and bacteria	5 x 2 in	95%
Aquamira	$15	3 oz / 85 g	Drops	Chlorine dioxide	Protozoa bacteria, and viruses	N/A	100%
Sawyer MINI	$25	2 oz / 57 g	Squeeze/Straw	Hollow fiber	Protozoa and bacteria	1 x 5 in / 2.5 x 13 cm	100%
Katadyn BeFree	$45	2.3 oz / 65 g	Bottle	Hollow fiber	Protozoa and bacteria	11.3 x 3.5 x 2.8 in / 29 x 9 x 7 cm	66%

THE MOST POPULAR GEAR LIST

Knowing what we know now, we can begin to assemble a CDT gear list for this year’s CDT class. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

ITEM	BRAND/NAME	PRICE	WEIGHT	DESCRIPTION	SATISFACTION
BACKPACK	ULA Circuit	$235	41 oz / 1.162 kg	A 68-liter, top-loading pack built to carry up to 35 lbs / 16 kg.	92%
SHELTER	Zpacks Hexamid	$399	15.4 oz / 437 g	A lightweight, one-person, side-entry tent, that required one trekking pole and eight stakes.	87%
SLEEPING BAG	Western Mountaineering UltraLite	$500	29 oz / 822 g	A 20°F / -7°C, 850-fill goose down sleeping bag.	91%
SLEEPING PAD	Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite	$160	12 oz / 350 g	A lightweight, inflatable, three-season pad – R-value, 3.2.	100%
STOVE	MSR PocketRocket 2	$45	2.6 oz / 74 g	A compact canister stove with simmer control.	100%
WATER TREATMENT	Sawyer Squeeze	$40	3 oz / 85 g	An adaptable hollow-fiber filter that removes protozoa, bacteria, and floaties.	95%

The cumulative retail purchase price of this gear list? $1,379. Yes, being a homeless wanderer of the mountains can be a lot more expensive than most people would imagine. Now, let’s look at something that nobody but hikers, and more specifically thru-hikers, really cares about: how much all this stuff weighs.

• BIG THREE (PACK+SHELTER+SLEEPING BAG): 5 lbs 5.4 oz / 2.42 kg
• BIG FOUR (BIG 3+SLEEPING PAD): 6 lbs 1.4 oz / 2.76 kg
• EVERYTHING: 6 lbs 7 oz / 2.92 kg

This number is still missing a lot of gear (rain gear, warm jacket, headlamp, extra clothing, snow gear, and whatever else people throw in their packs). However, it only gets us halfway to the AVERAGE STARTING BASE WEIGHT (that is, pack’s weight not including consumables such as food, water, and your poop paper) of this year’s thru-hikers: 13.91 lbs / 6.31 kg.

Let’s take a closer look at hiker base weight now, shall we?

This is interesting to see, particularly when compared to the same data on PCT hikers. The relatively low starting base weights and the very small change in base weight over the course of the trail speak to the fact that 92% of CDT thru-hikers this year had already completed a long-distance hiking trail.

Basically, most CDT thru-hikers have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing.

However, it’s still interesting to note that hikers who did not complete the CDT had higher base weights than those who did. Having a lighter pack doesn’t mean that you’ll finish the trail, but it certainly doesn’t seem to hurt your chances. That being said, it could be a case of more experienced hikers having lighter packs and because of their experience (not necessarily their pack weight), they’re more likely to complete the trail.

So let’s take a look at how base weights compare between people who were thru-hiking their first long-distance trail and those who had already done a long-distance thru-hike.

So yes, it appears that those hikers who have completed another long-distance hike recognize the value of trying to keep their base weights down. This does NOT mean that you have to have a crazy sub-five-pound (2.3 kg) base weight to finish your thru-hike. No, you don’t even need to have a sub-ten-pound (4.6 kg) base weight. What you need to do is not bring things you don’t need (the cheapest and most effective way to cut your base weight).

Yes, plenty of people can have happy and successful thru-hikes with all ultralight gear. However, people can also have happy and successful thru-hikes with packs much heavier than the arbitrary “average” we’ve managed to arrive at here. Gear selection is a personal issue, and ultimately, if you’re happy to carry something and/or it improves the quality of your hike, then nobody has the right to tell you that you shouldn’t have it.

That being said, if the Continental Divide Trail is going to be your first stab at a long-distance hike and you fall into the camp of “I have little/no idea what I’m doing/getting myself into”, then there are, of course, strategies to help mitigate your risk of failing to go the distance. One of the best resources reported by this year’s CDT class was former thru-hikers. Well, it turns out that this year’s class has become “former thru-hikers” and a lot of the gear comments are instructing you, future hiker of the CDT, to think long and hard about what gear you want to bring.

Take some time to think about what you NEED on the trail; not what you want, what you need. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you when you decide to bring extra weight and then end up sending everything home (because some of you will ignore this advice and bring a bunch of unnecessary gear, and if you don’t then I’ve done my job).

THE FAVORITE CDT GEAR

We’ve covered the most common gear from the Continental Divide Trail this year, but that doesn’t necessarily tell us what gear worked best (or didn’t work at all). That’s why I asked hikers whether they were happy with their gear’s performance. No point in doing what everyone else is doing if they’re all doing it wrong, right?

NOTES ON THE DATA:

• I only identified a specific piece of gear as a “favorite” if at least 5% of the hikers in the sample used it (e.g. if four people used Pack X and they all said they liked it, it isn’t fair to just say, without acknowledging the size of the sample, that 100% of hikers liked Pack X). Got it? Good.
• All the weight (and for backpacks, capacity) for all the products below are for the product in a size medium (backpacks) or regular (sleeping bags and pads) unless otherwise noted.
• Some items that missed the 5% mark were liked by all or a large percentage of the hikers who used them. I feel these items still deserve a mention, so I have denoted them with either HM or Honorable mention.
• Some items were very much disliked by hikers (relative to other items) and I have denoted these with DM or Dishonorable mention.

BACKPACK	PRICE	WEIGHT	LITERS	REC MAX LOAD	ACCESS	SATISFACTION
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest	$340	31.08 oz / 881 g	55	40 lbs / 18 kg	Top	100%
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider	$340	31.08 oz / 881 g	55	40 lbs / 18 kg	Top	100%
Zpacks Arc Blast	$325	21 oz / 595 g	55	35 lbs / 16 kg	Top	100%
Gossamer Gear Mariposa	$215	32.7 oz / 927 g	60	35 lbs / 15.88 kg	Top	100%
ULA Circuit	$235	41 oz / 1.162 kg	68	35 lbs / 16 kg	Top	92%

SHELTER	PRICE	WEIGHT	PACKED	HEIGHT	FLOOR	DOORS	SATISFACTION
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2	$390	32 oz / 879 g	4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm	40 in / 102 cm	28 ft² / 2.6 m²	1	100%
Tarptent Protrail	$225	26 oz / 740 g	12 x 4 in / 30 x 10 cm	45 in / 114 cm	21 ft² / 1.9 m²	1	100%
Zpacks Solplex Tent	$555	15.5 oz / 439 g	?	48 in / 122 cm	18.75 ft² / 1.74 m²	1	100%
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1	$380	34 oz / 963 g	4 x 16.5 in / 10 x 42 cm	38 in / 97 cm	20 ft² / 1.8 m²	2	100%
Zpacks Hexamid	$399	15.4 oz / 437 g	?	47 in / 119 cm	16.3 ft² / 1.5 m²	1	87%

SLEEPING BAG	PRICE	TEMP	WEIGHT	FILL	FILL WEIGHT	SATISFACTION
Western Mountaineering Versalite	$575	10°F / -12°C	31 oz / 879 g	800-fill duck down	15.9 oz / 450 g	100%
Western Mountaineering UltraLite	$500	20°F / -7°C	29 oz / 822 g	850-fill goose down	16 oz / 453.6 g	91%
Zpacks 20° Sleeping Bag	$415	20°F / -7°C	20 oz / 568 g	900-fill goose down	13.7 oz / 388 g	77%
Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20°	$285	20°F / -7°C	20.2 oz / 572 g	850-fill duck down	13.63 oz / 386 g	63%
Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20°	$290	20°F / -7°C	18.91 oz / 536 g	850-fill duck down	13.09 oz / 371 g	63%

SLEEPING PAD	PRICE	TYPE	WEIGHT	R-VALUE	PACKED	THICKNESS	SATISFACTION
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite	$160	Air pad	12 oz / 350 g	3.2	9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm	2.5 in / 6.3 cm	100%
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm	$200	Air	15 oz / 430 g	5.7	9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm	2.5 in / 6.3 cm	100%
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol (Short)	$35	Foam	10 oz / 284 g	2.6	20 x 4 x 5.5 in / 51 x 10 x 14 cm	.75 in / 2 cm	100%
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol	$45	Foam	14 oz / 410 g	2.6	20 x 5 x 5.5 in / 51 x 13 x 14 cm	.75 in / 2 cm	91%
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Short)	$130	Air	8 oz / 227 g	3.2	9 x 3.3 in / 23 x 9 cm	2.5 in / 6.3 cm	90%

FAVORITE STOVES, WATER TREATMENT, AND SHOES

This year, I’ve done a bit of a deeper dive into SHOES. “How many shoes am I going to use on the CDT?” is a question a lot of hikers have before starting their hikes, and it’s also a question that cannot be accurately answered before finishing a hike. Even if you knew for certain that each pair of your shoes would last you 775 mi / 1,250 km, buying yourself four pair of shoes at the start of the hike would be a risky decision – what if the shoes aren’t as comfortable as you thought? What if your feet swell? What if you die?

Remember, you can buy shoes using this thing called the internet and have them mailed ahead on the trail (to a post office, hotel, local outfitter, trail angel, etc.) once you know that you’re going to need a new pair. And if you encounter an emergency situation, you can always buy locally or simply wait around for your shoes to show up in the mail.

But let’s return to “how many shoes will I use on the CDT.” The average number of pairs used by FINISHERS was 4.39 (σ = 1.6). But what about shoe-specific numbers? Good question. Here are the average number of pairs used by FINISHERS broken down by brand.

WHERE TO INVEST

Let’s now look at where this year’s class spent their AVERAGE OF $947 (σ = $682) on gear before beginning their thru-hikes. Here, we’ll also look at the average temperature rating of hiker sleeping bags and how big everyone’s packs were.

As a bonus, I’ve included a look at how these numbers differ between hikers who finished and those who did not finish.

• THRU – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $958 (σ = $680)
• THRU (ON FIRST THRU-HIKE) – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,500 (σ = $913)
• THRU (NOT ON FIRST THRU-HIKE) – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR |$885 (σ = $630)

• FINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,001 (σ = $762)
• NOFINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR |$829 (σ = $580)

• THRU – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 17.3°F / -8.2°C
• FINISH – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 16.9°F / -8.4°C
• NOFINISH – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 19.6°F / -6.9°C

• THRU – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 50 L (σ = 10.3)
• FINISH – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 47 L (σ = 10)
• NOFINISH – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 53 L (σ = 10.4)

CDT THRU-HIKER GEAR ADVICE

Hiker comments on gear can be dangerous when looked at individually because like so many things on a thru-hike, what gear you bring (and what gear you ultimately love/hate) is a very personal decision. With this in mind, here is a selection of HIKER GEAR ADVICE:

• Skied the San Juans – very fun, and potentially a way to do it!
• Your pack will ALWAYS be too heavy, regardless of your base weight, it will still feel like shit when you leave town. It’s relative.
• If you get butt chaffe you can tie a bandana to the back loop of pants or shorts and pull it between your butt cheeks. It’s the only effective way I’ve found to prevent it.
• Don’t pack your fears.
• Would bring an ultralight fishing pole if I did it again.

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