Japanese Alps Traverse Gear List

Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest

Pros: Lightweight, waterproof, durable, comfortable
Cons: Annoying to open back up after you’ve closed it and then forgotten something
34.04 oz / 965 g / $360 / Detailed Review

Montbell U.L. Dome Shelter 2

Pros: Lightweight, easy and quick setup, freestanding
Cons: Had to lay diagonally to fit, order of opening for mesh/solid window appears reversed, only available via Montbell Japan
30.3 oz / 860 g / ¥39,000

Montbell Down Hugger 900 #3

Pros: Literally the greatest zipper ever, lightweight, compressible
Cons: Don’t know how I feel about the half zip, only available via Montbell Japan
17.4 oz / 494 g / ¥48,000

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Regular)

Pros: Lightweight, R-value 3.2, doubles as a raft
Cons: Blowing up and deflating is a pain, it can be very loud
12 oz / 340 g / $170 Detailed Review

Montbell Wickron Light Long Sleeve Shirt

Pros: Great for hiking or for blending in when in town, chest pocket
Cons: The sleeves are a bit narrow and I couldn’t roll them above my elbow (but I could just fold the entire sleeve back)
7.3 oz / 208 g / $125

Montbell Storm Cruiser

Pros: 3-layer GORE C-KNIT, lightweight, adjustable hood/hem, two large chest pockets
Cons: No pit zips
10 oz / 284 g / $290

Montbell Plasma 1000 Alpine Down Parka

Pros: Warm (3.4 oz / 96 g of 1000 fill power down), DWR treatment, elastic cuffs, hem and hood adjustments, lightweight
Cons: Expensive, long and annoying name
8.4 oz / 237 g / $439 / Detailed Review

Patagonia Strider Pro 5″

Pros: Four stretchy pockets (big enough for my Pixel 2 XL with a case), one zippered pocket in back, built-in liner
Cons: You’ll have to use more sunscreen to cover up those sexy legs, the pull string for the back zipper pocket fell off
3.9 oz / 111 g / $65

Montbell Mesh Logo Cap #1

Pros: I actually loved this hat – really well-built, comfortable backing, and good fit for my fat head
Cons: Need more color options
3 oz / 85 g / $28

Sea to Summit Head Net

Pros: Lightweight, adjustable hem, keeps the bugs off your face
Cons: I hate trying to breathe through these things
1.2 oz / 34 g / $10

Icebreaker Flexi Chute Neck Gaiter

Pros: Warm, wool, stretchy, lightweight, versatile
Cons: I’m probably going to buy a second one
3 oz / 85 g / $25

Ray Ban Wayfarer

Pros: Polarized, come in a large size for my big head, customizable colors, free returns
Cons: Expensive
1.6 oz / 45 g / $203

Chums Original Cotton

Pros: Adjustable, don’t fall off, and keep your glasses from falling off
Cons: They make you look really cool, they get tangled with my headphones and make putting my gaiter on my face a bit more work
0.6 oz / 17 g / $9

Marmot Power Stretch Gloves

Pros: Lightweight, touchscreen compatible, can be connected to each other (lose both or lose none)
Cons: Don’t dry very quickly (why am I getting them wet?), touchscreens can sometimes be finicky
1.6 oz / 45 g / $30

Montbell Convertible Rain Pants

Pros: Convert to shorts (I only used the shorts), fully seam taped, elastic waist, waterproof (as you would hope)
Cons: The zippers (once the pant legs are zipped off) chafed my knee pits
6.1 oz / 173 g / $120

Darn Tough 1/4 Hiking Socks

Pros: Comfortable, merino, cushioned underfoot, lifetime guarantee means you can have them replaced
Cons: Nothing
2.2 oz / 62 g / $20 / Detailed Review

Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator Low

Pros: Come in wide sizes, durable, comfortable, insoles actually offer support
Cons: I’m still not blister-proof
33 oz / 936 g / $120

Batman Sandals

Pros: Surprisingly durable (have had these over a year), Batman (obviously)
Cons: They’re slowly (literally) wearing away, get squeaky when wet
6 oz / 170 g / $10

Thrupack Summit Bum

Pros: An awesome amount of space for such a lightweight fanny pack, one exterior pocket large enough for a large cell phone, two interior pockets, water-resistant, huge sex appeal
Cons: I wish there was a way to affix the waist strap to the pack (I guess I could use a safety-pin)
2.5 oz / 71 g / $45

Thrupack Comfy Strap

Pros: Stretchy, fancy prints, turns your Thrupack into an easy sling bag as well (is that a thing? A sling bag?)
Cons: I should have just gotten the smallest size – it’s very stretchy, doesn’t attach to Thrupack (just buckles through it)
2.2 oz / 62 g / $15

Petzl Actik Core

Pros: Bright, great battery life, red light, two brightness levels
Cons: Not the smallest option available
2.9 oz / 82 g / $70

Sawyer Squeeze

Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, compatible with water bottles
Cons: Gets clogged if not backflushed regularly, included bags do not last
3 oz / 85 g / $40

Snow Peak Titanium Spork

Pros: It’s titanium which means I’m really cool for having it (and you can fight bears with it)
Cons: It’s titanium which means I’m really dumb for having it (and everyone laughs at me)
0.6 oz / 17 g / $10

Smartwater 1L Bottle

Pros: Lightweight water bottle with good structural integrity, easy to get in/out of backpack pockets
Cons: It’s a plastic bottle which means I’m going to hell for using it – also, these are not available in Japan (I’ve used these for a while now)

Ursack Major Bear Bag

Pros: A 10.7 L, animal-proof food bag, there’s a black one now
Cons: Heavy for a food bag (you aren’t required to have something like this in Japan), I don’t have the black one (the white one gets filthy)
7.6 oz / 215 g / $85

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow (Large)

Pros: My clothing stuff sack and pillow (you can reverse it and there’s a soft cushion bit for your face)
Cons: The material has come apart a lot in places, especially around the zipper (I don’t know how much longer it’s going to hold together)
1.69 oz / 48 g / $47

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ground Cloth

Pros: A large, lightweight ground sheet
Cons: It’s stupid expensive for what it is, horizontally orientated stake loops, I’m a tool for owning this
3.77 oz / 107 g / $170

RAVPower 26800 Power Bank

Pros: USB-C, quick charge compatible, pass through charging, three USB outputs, large capacity
Cons: Heavy
16 oz / 454 g / $57

Anker SoundBuds Curve

Pros: Great sound quality, comfortable, best battery life I’ve found (~10-12 hours)
Cons: Have to be recharged, can block out nearly all ambient noise, get tangled with my eyewear retainer (fancy, huh?)
0.8 oz / 23 g / $26

Pixel 2 XL

Pros: Excellent camera, quick charge via USB-C, water-resistant, awesome fingerprint reader
Cons: No expandable storage, no headphone jack
6.17 oz / 175 g / $850

Lifeproof Fre Case

Pros: Waterproof, shockproof, compatible fingerprint reader (sometimes), easy to remove
Cons: Distorts audio from speaker and on the receiving end of calls, expensive
1.3 oz / 35 g / $90

Anker PowerPort II Wall Charger

Pros: Two USB inputs (one USB-A and one USB-C), folding plug, quick charge compatible
Cons: A little bulky/heavy
5.3 oz / 150 g / $30

Sony Alpha a6500

Pros: Awesome camera, lightweight, compact (fits in my jacket pocket), in-body stabilization, 4K movie recording
Cons: Expensive, small battery capacity (and funky in cold temperatures)
14.25 oz / 404 g / $1200

Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS

Pros: Great focal length range for hiking, beautiful photos, relatively lightweight (but still no pancake lens)
Cons: Not full-frame compatible (if I ever upgrade), vignetting at wider focal lengths, not great in low light
10.9 oz / 308 g / $999

GoPro HERO6 Black

Pros: Takes fantastic photos, video stabilization is great, touchscreen works well, USB-C
Cons: The battery could always be bigger (buy a spare if you’re going to be filming a lot)
4.13 oz / 117 g / $400

SANDMARC Aerial Filter Polarizer (for HERO6)

Pros: An easy-to-use polarizing filter that fits snugly on a GoPro (5, 6, or 7)
Cons: Noticeably increases the size of the camera
0.8 oz / 23 g / $40

Peak Design Capture Clip

Pros: Makes camera accessible, easy to secure/remove camera, can lock camera in place, can be placed on any strap
Cons: You need a hex key to remove the camera plate (making the transition to my tripod annoying)
3 oz / 84 g / $70

Peak Design Shell (Small)

Pros: Keeps camera protected in the rain when using the Capture Clip
Cons: I always take it off to shoot photos since it makes adjusting the zoom/focus rings tricky
2.4 oz / 68 g / $40

Fotopro UFO Basic Flexible Tripod

Pros: Easier to adjust than “ball leg” tripods, flexible legs that I trust to hold my camera in a hanging position
Cons: Heavy for something that I don’t end up using that much
7.6 oz / 215 g / $21