In an earlier draft of my article, I realized that all of my pieces of gear fall into one of three categories. The Good, things that I like and plan to keep around, The Bad,gear that I don’t love but can’t replace due to time/money, and The Ugly, which is things that totally work but are super scuffed. Shoutout to my XXXL rain jacket poncho.
A general overview: my gear is put together on a (relatively) low budget. It’s designed to get me through a hike of the Superior Hiking Trail. Eventually, I’d like to upgrade it into a Pacific Crest gear list so some of the gear was bought with that in mind. It was created with the intent of having a 15 pound base weight for a total of 30 with food and water. I don’t know if I even got close to that, but that was the plan.
Also, the bugs on the SHT are apparently hellish. I’m combating this by doing a full body barrier and dousing it all in Permethrin (all hail Sawyer Products). That’s the reason why I’ll be hiking with only my hands and face out, even when it’s 80 degrees.
With all that said, let’s jump into it!
The Good
My Backpack: The REI Flash 55
I love this backpack. Admittedly, I bought it because it was the cheapest option that seemed to be useable. However, the gal has really grown on me over the past few outings.
It fits me really well, and it’s light. The Flash only weighs 2’13” stock, and is designed so that you can remove the hip belt pockets as well as the “hood” over the top. I never use any of these features, so I stripped them all off to save a couple ounces.
It’s also really spacious. There’s no internal compartments (which I like) so you can cram just ability anything in there. Plus, the top extends so you could probably fit more like 60 liters of gear in a pinch. The outside pockets are really big, but most importantly…
(pockets photo)
there are a second set of pockets specifically designed to make your water bottles easy to grab while hiking. I hate nothing more than struggling to get my water out (ok, maybe some things) so this feature has been a Godsend.
My Tent: The Durston X-Mid 1 (2025 Edition)
This is my favorite thing I own.
The X-Mid is a freestanding tent, meaning it has no frame. Instead, I stake it into the ground a prop it up with my trekking poles, similar to an old timey circus tent. It’s essentially a $240 tarp, but boy is it a cool $240 tarp.
It packs down to slightly larger than a football and weighs only 1’9”. Despite that, it’s long enough that I can lie down fully and sit up without hitting my head. It takes me four minutes tops to pitch it. It has pockets (no, i’m not kidding. This matters). The list goes on and on, and I’m sure you’ll hear all about it as I walk.
The ONLY downside is that, due to the lack of internal frame, the stability of the tent is entirely up to me. If I pitch it well, the thing is storm proof. Ive survived pretty nasty downpours underneath it. If I get careless or make a mistake? It 100% will fall on me. Place your bets now on if that’s going to happen.
Also, honorable mention to my tent stakes. I bough them at walmart, and they were going to go in the “ugly” category, but the one time I used them they seemed to work really well. We’ll see if they hold.
My Unnecessary Purchase: The Bear Vault 475
One of my other unexpected faves, the Bear Vault is a purchase made with the Pacific Crest in mind. The bears out there are so smart that bear hangs no longer deter them, so everyone carrying a bear proof canister is literally the only way to deter them.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
“Owen, that thing weighs 2 and a half pounds. And there aren’t even problem bears in Minnesota. Why carry it?”
The REAL reason that I carry it is so that I never have to bear hang. I’m lazy and hate knots. Simple as that.
Theres some other things too. I want to be used to carrying it for when i’m required to on the Pacific Crest. Also, it makes packing really easy because my pop tarts (and similar things) don’t get smushed by my other gear. Best of all, it doubles as a camp stool, which is a feature that CANNOT be understated. Incredibly versatile product. I love it.
Two interesting bonus facts: the locking mechanism (the two barbs) vary greatly in difficulty of opening between individual canisters. Sometimes the plastic is too stiff so they’re a pain on cold mornings. It’s worth going to your local store and testing out several cans to find one that opens more easily, because I’ve heard horror stories of people’s Bear Vaults keeping them out just as well as the bears.
Second fact: the Bear Vault 475, the mid sized one I own, is technically not approved by the National Parks Service. The BV4500 and BV500, it’s bigger and smaller brothers, both are. I think it’s due to the 475 coming out really recently and bureaucracy being slow. Hopefully the bears don’t know the difference.
Honorable Mentions
A few things I love, but cannot write more than a paragraph about:
My headlamp is the Black Diamond Astro 300. I’ve never owned a reliable headlamp in my life, so this thing has been pretty eye opening. Its rechargeable, its bright, its great. All you could ask for in a headlamp. I don’t regret not buying the 400 lumens one; 300 is lighter and more than bright enough.
My sleeping bag is incredibly warm and has a zipper that has never once jammed in all my time using it. This is a life long piece of gear.
My Dorito boxers are incredibly comfortable and funny. 10/10 Christmas present from my parents.
My Sawyer Squeeze water filter deserves a shoutout too. It’s a classic piece of gear; it’s screws onto your water bottle and ensures you don’t die of water poisoning. Once again, i’ve never owned a quality filter and the difference is night and day. Also shoutout Sawyer products I love Sawyer.
In a similar vein, my pot (Toaks 900ml) and burner (MSR Pocket Rocket 2) are kind of the default options that come up when you look up “thru hiking cooking gear”. I wonder why I bought them? I did splurge on a little extra pot (versus the usually recommended Toaks 750ml) because I hate worrying about spilling water. I also bought a multi purpose spork!
The Bad
there are very few pieces of gear that I’d truly consider “bad” in this kit. However, I’m faced with the decision of “upgrade your gear” or “eat while hiking”. Some concessions have been made.
My Sleeping Pad: Ozark Trail Foam Sleeping Pad
Very cheap. Not super comfy, not super warm. Not even that light, to be honest. This falls solidly in the camp of “I will be replacing it eventually but not yet”.
Honestly, there’s even a chance that the bad nights of sleep make me call it quits and splurge for a new one while on town. Shoutout the “Hiking Itinerary” post I will be writing (eventually) that details when I’ll be stopping to resupply.
My Socks: REI Hiking Socks
I wanted dedicated hiking socks (thick, stink resistant) and made the mistake of buying essentially Walmart brand socks. They haven’t been durable, they’re not that much more comfortable, and they’re ugly. They don’t stink though, which I guess is a plus.
I have two pairs, so I can rotate them out every other day. Hopefully this means I always have a dry pair. We’ll see how that works.
Honestly less of a “hate” and more of a buyers regret scenario. I should have just sunk the extra money to get two pairs of Darn Toughs (the more colorful and durable name brand).
My Hygiene Kit: Wet Wipes
I’m personally a big fan of using wet wipes as an improvised wilderness shower. I’m going to stink either way but I’ll be cleanish if I can scrub my hands and armpits every morning. Also they’re amazing for restroom situations, but I’m not blogging the details on that.
This one isn’t even a gear problem really, but beef with Amazon. I ordered several things in the week leading up to this trip, one of which being wilderness wipes. The order apparently was never placed. I feel like I’m being gaslit. by Jeff Bezos.
Instead, I have a pack of store brand wet wipes. They weigh as much as a brick , which leaves me two alternatives: carry the brick (bad) or take out a decent number of them and cram them into a ziplock and just pray that it doesn’t dry out. I’m tempted to do the second but I haven’t made up my mind. I’ll keep everyone updated.
The Ugly
Due to the budget nature of my hike, there is a LOT of gear that I have which is “good enough” or otherwise cobbled together from what I can find. Some of it will work great. Some will probably be a disaster. Here’s a couple of the best examples.
My Anti-Rain Gear: XXXL Rain Jacket
Keeping myself dry is important. Keeping my gear dry is important. To deal with this I’ve purchased an XXXL rain jacket from a thrift store. It fits over my backpack and goes down to my knees.
Now, do I look ridiculous while wearing it? Yes. Picture a toddler in their big oversized rain coat. However, it just works.
I got it for like $5, and it’s some brand I’ve never heard of which means it’s probably super expensive. Or at least, it was pretty expensive. It cinches closed around my face, which is nice because (much like everything else on the coat) the hood does NOT fit me.
My Bag-o-drugs
This is exactly what it sounds like. All of my drugs, as well as some other medical items like sunscreen and anti-bug lotion, are just shoved into a singular bag. What are the drugs? Well, there’s Aspirin for any minor to severe injuries I may get. Think blisters and headaches and muscle soreness. Plus, I’ve brought enough with me to put myself into a dreamy haze in the case that I break my leg or something.
I also have benadryl to manage my allergies if they get to bad, which can also be popped at an unhealthy dose in case of a severe allergic reaction. I don’t want to deal with my eli pen while in the woods.
Rounding it out is a a multivitamin to excuse the crap diet of ramen and more ramen I will be eating. I still have to buy bandaids/athletic training tape to deal with blisters and cuts at the time of writing, so hopefully they’ll be in the final version of the kit.
All of my drugs are the store brand versions, by the way. Par for the course.
My Dubious Charging Setup
I have only recently been alerted that there is no electricity in the woods. Who would have guessed?
The real story is that I put off ordering all of my electrical gear until too late and Ol’ Jeffy B lost my Amazon order (same as the wipes). Unlike the wipes, however, I was able to cobble together a makeshift charging setup.
The star of the show is my (Insert Brand Name) power bank. It’s from Walmart, but it’s the expensive Walmart brand so hopefully that helps? My phone usually lasts about three days while I’m hiking, and that’s not counting blogging. If the power bank goes out, this blog will no longer be updated and I won’t be able to send re-assuring texts to my parents when I have service. It’ll be a disaster!
(If this keeps up for more than five days, by the way, I’ve probably been kidnapped. Less than five, and it’s probably power issues.)
Originally, I was going to buy an Anker 10k power bank, which would be lighter and faster charging than what I have now. However I’m cautiously optimistic that this one will work… at least long enough to get through this hike. It’s definitely on the replace list, though.
What really kicks my setup into the ugly category is the cords. I’m using my normal charging block because I don’t want to spend extra money to buy a nicer one and cut exactly one ounce of weight. My block is USB-C, so it connects to my power bank and phone.
However, my head lamp is USB-A. I don’t have a USB-C to USB-A connector, but I do have a USB-C to USB connector and a USB to USB-A connector. Essentially, I’m carrying three different cords that all hook into each other just to keep my gear charged.
My Hat
The fun thing about my hat is that I don’t have it yet. I was supposed to grab one while thrifting, but totally forgot. I’ve vowed to buy the dumbest one I can find while getting to the trail. Who knows what I’ll end up with.
In Conclusion
Some of my gear is great. Some of my gear is much, much less than great. Hopefully, it all averages out to kind of okay. Only time will tell.
There’s also a number of bits and pieces that didn’t make this article, either because I forgot them or they’re just not that interesting. If something happens (both of my Bic lighters dying day one, for instance) then I’m sure you’ll hear about them.
At the time of posting this, I have less than a week until I leave. The nerves are definitely setting in. Ive even had the good ol’ “man I should really back out and just stay at home” thoughts.
Of course, it’s too late to quit now. I can’t even refund my travel arrangements anymore. All I can really do at this point is get out there and walk. For every part of me that’s nervous, there’s another that’s just as excited. I can’t wait to get out there and make some memories!
Happy hiking!
