"Viajar a pie" is Spanish for "Travelling on foot"

Gear for the CDT

What do you need for a 5 month trip? The short answer is pretty much the same as for any other shorter one with one additional, important factor in that it may be a trip through the seasons and different climate areas.

A fine-tuned 3 season kit should do, the same as for a shorter journey but greatest attention must go into maximizing versatility so the gear can cope with a wide range of conditions. A 5 month trip will be a great test to the validity of the kit described below.

The big 3 first, then some of the rest.

Shelter

Trailstar by Mountain Laurel Designs

The Trailstar is just about the perfect thru-hiking shelter: it’s simple, dependable, very adaptable to different environments and conditions, very solid in wind. It’s huge and very livable for one, easy and quick to pitch and take down and integrates well with hiking pole use. Only snow load would be a weak point but this should not happen many times on a normal thru-hiking window.

I have a silnylon version, whose elasticity makes it best for a variable geometry shelter. Many nights in it already so I’m confident it works but still in good enough shape to outlast the trip.

TrailStar of the mountains

I’ll use the lines and slide locks originally provided by the manufacturer. Lines could be lighter weight and locks could be spared completely to save a few ounces but I’m used to the quick adjustment they provide and I like it.

Vapr Bivy by Bozeman Mountain Works

This is a very typical version of the idea of the non-waterproof-top bag cover. It’s a legacy item from a manufacturer that doesn’t exist anymore. Silnylon bottom and Pertex Quantum top with two rows of opening zip on the head end and a section of mesh in between both. It can be staked down on all corners and the head end hung from a vertical support for added breathing room.

It can be staked down and hanged

Cowboy camping or mini-inner tent, it provides splash protection, some insulation, particularly from wind, and bugproofness. It adds to the versatility of the whole system.

Shaped floor

It’s debatable whether a shaped floor is best when your shelter has a variable shape. I like a floor covered camp area and the tarp’s footprint shape is best for maximizing space.

This item is home made from a heavier grade than regular silnylon, hopefully more waterproof than the latter even though the main factor in choosing it was that it was what I had available at the moment.

Pack

@hummanpacks prototype

I was about to use my HMG 3400 Southwest for this trip. It’s a great pack with a few minor details I don’t like and one not so minor size issue (my fault) but I know it’ll work for me.

Then I got an offer from a cottage manufacturer to have a pack built to my exact specs from a base design that I was presented and that I loved so my answer was an enthusiastic yes.

My perfect pack

The basic design is quite typical of thru-hiking specific packs with a mostly cylindrical main body with a roll-top closure, fabric side pockets and a mesh front pocket. It’s got a removable, shaped aluminum frame and removable back padding.

It’s VX21 all around. It’s my first pack with this fabric that I really wanted to try. It feels like a solid fabric with the right amount of rigidity to stand up for ease of loading.

I explicitly agreed with the manufacturer small details like load lifters and side straps with quick release. Also dual axe loops and a Y top strap. Some of those were standard anyway.

On initial tests, the pack carries well both with and without the frame. I plan to use it frameless with no back padding, it fits better the use of a closed-cell foam sleeping pad rolled and expanded inside. Inflatable sleeping pad users would probably better use the frame bars and back padding.

The pack was provided to me free of charge in exchange for user feedback. I expect to have a lot to tell after 3000 miles.

Sleeping bag

Arc Specialist from Nunatak

A quilt actually, which is more versatile than a bag in a wider range of temperatures. Its key feature is the variable girth which provides lots of room for additional sleeping clothes, including high volume puffies.

My 15 year old quilt

This quilt is one of my oldest gear items still in use and I use it regularly. In this particular use case of a South Bound CDT, it may be not warm enough in the possibly deep cold of the Southern Colorado autumn. I’ll need to try and see.

Clothing system

Once again, versatility is key. It always is, moreso when the trip extends through different climatic areas and seasons.

I apply two different strategies depending on body area: in the torso, I use a high number of highly specialized layers. I work with 5 hiking layers, namely base, active insulation, stationary insulation, wind shell and rain shell. No combination is out even though there are some clear function-specific roles. On the legs I go rather do-it-all with just one set of trousers plus a rain shell layer, also in trouser fashion, plus underwear.

The logic behind the different approach is that the legs are far more forgiving and, at the same time, more awkward to layer up/down.

Add to this a full set of sleeping clothes.

One important criteria in the clothing section for keeping carried weight down is to pay special attention to the weight of the carried items, not so much to that of the regularly worn ones. In this regard, sleeping clothes must be super-minimal, role-specific clothes must be very light and layering up/down wisely must be key to make everything work in a wide range of environments.

On the legs, I’m back to convertible trousers after some time off. I’ve been doing the long distance in cool environments lately and full length trousers worked fine until I hit the Alps last year and I baked my legs off in a mid-September sunny spell. Convertibles are great for a do-it-all item because they actually do it all and also because they perfectly meet the requirement of minimizing carried weight.

Out of the whole wardrobe, some items worth mentioning for the item itself:

Convertible trousers: Quechua Forclaz Trek 500

Sometimes, the more mundane, less specialized gear is best for general use. These trousers are zip-offs so I can have shorts when needed and the bicomponent fabric makes them best for a do-it-all garment.

Rugged, thru-hiking worthy convertibles

Windshirt: Zpacks Ventum

Often the most specialized gear is best for layering while meeting a very specific role. This shirt is built with that in mind and it shows in its incredibly low weight (50 gr) without sacrificing function. Durability, I’ll see on the go.

Victory or yawn

Rain jacket: Zpacks CloudCover

This is another example by the same manufacturer of a highly specialized item made to fit a very narrow role. I can’t stop being fed up of the false promises for breathability in waterproof garments so it makes most sense to forget about it and make it just waterproof.

Photographing rain gear is easier when it’s not raining

Rain trousers: As Tucas Acher

Yet another specialty item for a role I’ve often spared in many past trips but these waterproofs are so light that they’re worth it for the safety margin they add. Built to be light.

Built to be light

Shoes

Merrell All Out Blaze Aero Sport

Merrell keeps adding surnames to their models till characters fall out of the sides. These are the highly ventilated version (hence the Aero, I believe), best for draining excess water, dry on the go and keep feet cool in warm weather, worst for getting all dirty inside in dry, dusty conditions.

Shiny bright new shoes

I plan on 3 pairs of shoes, buying on the go whatever similar model I can find.

Classic & digital

Such a long route seems most appropriate for going digital-only because of the weight and bulk of all the paper involved. For the very same length factor, the potential for digital failure is as big as it can get.

I’ve gone digital-only in the past and I’d be comfortable with that despite some other perceived drawbacks, namely the dependency on a limited amount of power, the functional dependency on a navigation strategy that kills your awareness and leaves you rather resource-less if it fails together with this all-or-nothing way of working inherent to digital. I could swallow all that, the CDT is an established trail after all. Some common strategy is backing digital with more digital so at least you don’t get all your eggs in one basket.

The other possible common choice is using both paper and digital, whichever is main or backup with the old-fashioned post office resource for mailing excess paper ahead and back home.

I’ll be doing the latter. It’s barely any heavier, if at all, than a backed-up digital-only scheme, it’s less dependent on finite power resources and to me paper is just plain more fun, helping me connect better with the land by keeping my situational awareness much better than digital ever could. The only price I see I must pay is the more complex logistics of keeping a drift box in the mail ahead of me, generating a dependency on PO schedules.

Classic nav

Food protection

Ursack classic

Bears are present pretty much all along the CDT except the New Mexico high desert and there are many other wildlife that would love to munch on some hiker food. If only for the latter, I’ll be taking an Ursack, which is quite standard gear for me in North America. It seems debatable whether it’s actually bear proof but I’m actually more aware of rodents. It also makes sense to capitalize on the Ursacks I already own.

Picture it tied to a tree trunk

Rigid canisters are an awkward carry that I’ve only used if it was mandatory by regulation. There’s no such constraint anywhere on the CDT.

Food prep

Canister gas & cook in a bag

Alcohol is probably the most common option in North America unless things have changed a lot in the last decade. I’ve used it extensively and I still prefer canister gas for its cleanliness, relative safety and fiddle-free use factor. Canister availability seems to be much better than it used to be, at least along popular hiking routes like the CDT and gas gets you farther by fuel weight than alcohol. The canister is heavier dead weight than a plastic bottle, I’ll pay that price.

Cooking in a pot is far nicer than in a bag but the bag gives more options as to the types of food you can cook without resorting to a really big pot. I have been sparing the bag cooking in my latest trips but I’ll be bringing the bag and cozy along this time. This goes together with my resupply strategy, based on buying local and not using food drops -I plan on only one on the whole trip. Buying local means a very limited choice sometimes so the flexibility at the time of cooking is very welcome.

S.O.S.

ACR ResQLink PLB

Two-way satellite communication has become rather standard. I’ve never used it and I think I wouldn’t like it, it’d interfere with the me-time this trip means to me. I’m happy to have the safety net of a simple PLB that lets me call for help. It’s the only thing it can do but it’s better at that than other more complex devices.

PLB

It’s small, light and rugged, it’s got a powerful emitter, there are no use fees and battery life is virtually limitless, avoiding adding up to the list of electronic devices to feed.

Pic storage backup

On the cloud

I plan to keep all my pics on the SD cards and use Dropbox for a cloud backup. You can’t get any lighter than this. On the minus, I’ll need connection to back things up and I’ll have one more meaningful task to do before I leave town.

Snow & ice

All alu

The need for snow & ice gear is always debatable on a hiking trip where the goal is to go through, usually through the easiest way possible, unlike mountaineering or climbing trips where the goal is often to take the difficult routes. Yet there should still be plenty of snow along the northernmost sections of the trail and the snow gear makes you resourceful in conditions with the potential to get tricky. I think it’s worth carrying if only for that and I plan to keep it for about two weeks before sending everything home.

No need for heavy duty though. Aluminum should work fine for all items. Hard packed snow is to be expected, unavoidable ice is not.

Camp stuff

The biggest issue is crampon fit on soft shoes that can flex. My 6 point crampons shouldn’t come off but I never felt really safe with them so I plan to take the 12 point this time, take extra care of binding tight and be aware of side traverses on steep inclines.

Snowshoes are more convenience than safety and their need is more debatable than any. It’ll depend on last checks for snow pack but I’ll probably take them anyway, I feel like I know something when I carry those.

Bringing the snowshoes back home

Final gear list

For a 7 kg base weight, with the seasonal items stated as consumables, available in Lighterpack.com

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The case for convertible trousers

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CDT first month

2 Comments

  1. I hate discussions of gear lists.

    But I like yours. Thanks. Now I have some new things to think about.

    I don’t remember commenting before, but I have read a lot of what you’ve written previously, especially on shelters, and have learned a lot from you. Thanks for that too.

    The following probably won’t be of any use, but it might be at least slightly interesting: “Gear Review: Luumi Silicone Bags & Bowls” at “Trail Cooking” (https://trailcooking.com/2019/05/14/gear-review-luumi-silicone-bags-bowls/)

    When I go out I pre-package food into quart-sized freezer-weight ziplock bags, add hot water, tear off one corner when it’s time, and suck food from the bag. No cleanup, not even a spoon to muck with. The used bags go into an odor-proof trash bag and that’s it. Works for me.

    • Viajarapie

      I reuse the cook bag, in fact I’ve been using it for a long time. It’s also a recycled item, an old platy that was leaking at a fold near the opening. It’s good to have options anyway, thanks for the link.
      Thanks for the comment too, cheers

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