CDT Gear Review, part 3: Everything is important

Shoes, poles, stove or a kitchen wipe. Everything is important.

Shoes

Merrell All Out Blaze Aero Sport

These shoes worked well for me. They’re soft and ventilated with moderate drop. My feet don’t seem to have very specific needs anyway.

The most remarkable fact is probably not that much about the shoes themselves but about my use of them on the CDT as I completed the trail in just 2 pairs where the average seems to be more than twice that. That’s 1500 miles per pair. This is probably not that much about the durability of the shoes but about my using them to the very last bit, something discouraged by many users that doesn’t seem to have any negative effect on me.

When the first pair was about done, I ordered another one online and shipped ahead.

Trends

There doesn’t seem to be much discussion nowadays in the thru-hiking community about shoes, with mostly all hikers using different versions of the lightweight, low cut shoe paradigm. The relevant user info mostly comes from those hikers whose feet are not as welcoming to different shoe shapes and formats, with different brands getting favor from different hikers. I’m not familiar with those variations.

Socks

Wool & Synthetics

I carried 2 pairs of hiking socks throughout the trip, tentatively wool & synthetic even though I ended up with two wool pairs for most of Wyoming when I couldn’t find synthetics in the outdoor store where I resupplied. All of them were on the thin side, mid or low cut.

I ended up choosing the thin synthetics most of the time except for the far north, where it was cold and wet, and Southern Colorado and most of New Mexico, where it was just cold but cold enough to make the wool more welcoming. The CDT in a southbound window is a mostly dry, dusty trail and I found thin socks more comfortable. Wool minimal thicknesses were often more than I wanted to wear.

Thumbs up for the Darn Tough socks I got on the spot in Northern Wyoming, it was the first time I would use this brand in earnest and I can confirm they’re true to their name. They use a three-layered construction with wool inside and a tough synthetic mid layer that took ages to wear out.

Trends

Worry not, I wasn’t poking around people’s socks to see what they were wearing but I did take notice of what was in store. It was difficult to find thin synthetic replacement socks, all the retailers seemed to carry was Smartwools and Darn Toughs in a dramatic shift towards wool I haven’t seen in Europe.

Gloves

Rab Xenon

I didn’t feel too bound to my gloves on this trip, they were still important but they were so for a very limited time in some very cold mornings. I’m aware I worked around a best possible window for thru-hiking the CDT while minimizing weather extremes and it’d probably be very different in a normal northbound window or if finishing a southbound hike across November, as many people do. Yet I need to mention these particular gloves for being a great design for thru-hiking.

They’re as all purpose as a lightweight glove can be, a two layer construction with wind-blocking shell outside and insulating micro-fleece inside while keeping very light, just 2 oz / 65 gr, very important for an item that’ll be in the pack most of time. They were all my hands needed on those freezing Colorado/New Mexico mornings.

Cap

Outdoor Research Sun Runner

It’s a simple item but it’s still possible to have it wrong, particularly if you add such an apparently complicated feature as a removable neck skirt.

The Sun Runner uses snaps for the skirt attachment. It’s simple and it works. It’s easy to put on / take off and it won’t come undone even in heavy winds. It protects neck and sides as you would expect.

The whole thing is white, maybe not ideal for hiding dirt stains but you don’t spend much time on the mirror while on the trail anyway. Wildlife and other hikers don’t seem to bother.

Trends

Straw hats. I understand the cool factor.

Flashlight

Simple cheap generic

I didn’t mean to hike at night so my headlamp was only meant for camp chores and any simple model would do. The one I took on the CDT comes from my emergency kit building from the Newfoundland trip where I had my luggage lost and needed to gather everything on the spot, from scratch. Nothing from that kit has survived on my gear list except for this lamp. It’s not lighter than the one I had been using for a long time but it has the advantage of using pretty standard, widely available CR232 batteries, 2 of them. You can buy them anywhere batteries are sold and they’re so light that carrying spares is very reasonable

A single led, the head pivots over three different positions, which is good enough. The switch is level with the casing, extremely unlikely to operate accidentally. The led has 4 settings: high, medium, low and strobe, accessible in that order and starting always with high. The elastic band appears and actually is a bit worn but still works fine.

This light was marketed as Woods brand, Vega model, something very specific Canadian, I guess. I’ve seen it marketed differently but it was the exact same product so I imagine it’s a generic item branded as needed.

Trends

I feel it’s getting increasingly difficult to find such simple headlamps in the market and the trend seems to go towards more powerful, heavily featured products. Rechargeables are increasingly common too but you all know that already.

Poles

Black Diamond Trail Pro

I sometimes think of poles as an unsightly, cumbersome, improper presence in the very humanly act of walking. I still like using them.

I don’t really need the extra traction but I like taking advantage of it. I hardly ever am so tired that I welcome the aid in the fight against gravity on a downhill but I can use that too. I’m somehow not bothered to carry the poles in my hand even when I’m not needing them. Maybe they give me something to do with my hands. The one thing I sure appreciate is the rhythm they provide to my walking and the engagement to the upper body.

Other than the theory about hiking poles, the pair I’ve been using lately is my favorite ever. They’re metal, 3 sections with flick-locks and wrist straps. I wouldn’t want any different.

I much prefer metal over carbon fiber, the latter is too stiff and more prone to failure. Aluminum is heavier but the poles are never carried on the back and I don’t count them on the base weight anyway.

Clamp locks must be good quality, I’d avoid full plastic ones. These poles have metal clamps that won’t break. Handles are high-density foam which is also my favorite even though I’d be fine with cork or rubber. The wrist straps are adjustable, comfortable against the skin on the inner side. I often prefer to hold the handles but I like to have the strap option.

I used the poles for supporting my shelter. No issues.

Trends

Increasing amount of carbon fiber, you fools.

Cooking

Canister gas, BRS 3000T burner, MSR Titan Kettle

Contrary to years past, I can attest to the current, wide availability of butane/propane gas canisters in the US or at least in the trail side communities around the CDT, probably so for other well known trails. Many of the sources are clearly there after the hikers but it’s also meaningful that big stores like Walmart regularly carry canisters as this is probably a country-wide trend. Resupply being that easy, I would favor the small canisters to save on weight and bulk.

The BRS burner worked well. It’s as tiny and lightweight as a stove can be. My only complain over other older, heavier burners I’ve used over the years is about stability, I had a few cases of a tipped down pot that were annoying and sometimes way beyond the obvious frustration when wasted water meant I run short. It never felt like I could start a fire as a consequence but that was another concern. I was extra careful to set up as level as possible but sometimes the ground was too loose/spongy and I used spare stakes for safety. The worst of it all was that cooking became stressful at times. No top-mount burner is free of the potential for tipping but the BRS, with 3 slanted, slightly dented arms, was sometimes not grippy enough. It was key to have a level setup, the slightest slant was enough for the pot to slide.

The Titan Kettle is a veteran and a classic. It’s about the perfect size and shape compromise.

I used a wind screen around the flame, not shown on the pics.

Trends

Alcohol has lost popularity. Gas canisters are all over the place now.

Water treatment

Katadyn BeFree squeeze filter, assorted pills

I don’t treat all my water by default, only when the source is questionable. There’ll be a lot of that along the CDT.

I carried a filter as my main means of treatment with an assortment of chemical pills as a backup. I mostly used the filter, sometimes the pills, occasionally both. As a strategy, it worked fine. I never got sick.

I used 3 different filters along the way. They became an issue that I’ll go through in length separately. Here I’ll review the Katadyn BeFree which was the one filter I settled with, more by chance than by choice.

The BeFree is just one of the current breed of hollow fiber filters that are permeable enough to squeeze through or use in gravity mode, no pumping needed. The filter body is simple and the catchment area is big enough so the squeezing is a breeze when the filter is new. Slow flow due to progressive clogging is a common, apparently unavoidable problem in this type of filters so the key is in how easy and effective is the on-trail cleaning. The BeFree needs no additional tools for cleaning, which is good, you clean it by shaking with clean water or holding the filter body under running, clean water. The effectiveness of this was limited, the flow improved some but was never back to new and the clogging became progressively worse and increasingly common. You can buy replacement filter units. I completed the trail with 2 filter units. By the end of the trip, the squeezing was becoming slow and painful.

The BeFree needs a proprietary squeeze bottle, the opening and thread don’t match anything commonly available except the rather niche CNOC brand which builds a container specifically meant to fit this filter. The standard Katadyn squeeze bottle was lightweight but more prone to failure than good quality water containers. I used 2 squeeze bottle units, the first one failed catastrophically at the seam and it was irreparable. The second one developed a very minor leak that I could live with.

Trends

The Sawyer filters were the most popular by much with the Squeeze model being the most popular and the Micro a close second. Users seemed reasonably happy with them but they also suffer from clogging and need cleaning. Sawyers have rather standard threading that fit many supermarket water bottles as well as popular backpacking collapsible bottles.

Snow & Ice

Classic axe, 12 point crampons and lightweight snowshoes. All alu

I carried the whole lot for one week through Glacier Park, then sent snowshoes and crampons home and kept the axe for one more week through the Bob Marshall. I sent the axe home too after that. Axe and crampons were useful through Glacier. The snowshoes weren’t really even though I used them for convenience in a few sections. I didn’t use the axe through The Bob.

I only found significant snow in the Glacier passes and it was always soft, spring snow. Most of the snow was in the wooded sections approaching the passes and not on the steepest areas except for the inevitable snow chutes in the gullies where a fall could be fatal even if the chute could be only a few yards across.

I was happy with the axe, it’s super light and works well for the basic stuff. It is the one tool I wouldn’t be without in the snowy mountains, a very compact carry if the pack has the due loops and only 270 gr. for this particular one. Crampon fit on soft shoes is a known, serious problem with no easy solution. I still prefer standard crampons over flexible traction devices that fit better but offer less hold. The snowshoes, I should have really gone without but it was difficult to know before departure. The park rangers themselves were not fully aware of the snow conditions and they were collecting info from the hikers.

Trends

Many hikers went through Glacier around the same time I did with no tools and they were fine. Other than the weight issue, I can understand that hikers without a mountaineering background find the snow tools awkward and it’s probably a good move to not rely on something you can’t handle properly. I’d personally wouldn’t like to be in steep, potentially snowy terrain without at least an axe. It’s too easy to get into serious trouble, a good freeze is all it takes. Mountaineers know too well how things can turn from easy to dangerous overnight.

Photography

Sony DSC-RX100 III

I used this compact camera in the subtitle. I’m no photographer even though I have a solid technical background but the CDT as I hiked it was not the time for anything elaborate. I would point and shoot with minimal impact on the hiking, trying to capture a wide array of environments/situations and being hopefully able to get some quality out of the noise.

My main asset in this scheme was a camera case attached to my belt so access was straightforward, I could produce the camera in seconds without needing to even stop walking. You won’t take many pics if it takes time to set up.

I also prefer a real, dedicated camera over using my phone. Real buttons make operation much easier and composition on high light situations often sucks on a smartphone screen.

The camera performed well. It didn’t suffer any traumatic damage, I only remember one fall where the camera landed on rather soft ground. It never got really wet, just slightly damp when working in the rain. The only issue was with the lens cover flaps, which started to fail to fully open/close, probably due to dirt. I would need to apply some finger work to get a full opening. I tried to clean the area when in town with partial, rather minor success.

I came back home with around 6000 pics. Whether that’s a good or a bad idea I’m not really sure myself.

Trends

Most hikers use their phones nowadays. My impression is that I took more pictures than most.

Picture backup

Hard disk drive

My initial idea was to use cloud storage for picture backup. This strategy didn’t work due to very limited bandwidth everywhere I tried, including public library and hotel computers. This led to astronomical uploading times that were entirely impractical.

The first time I met a Walmart I got a hard disk drive. In hindsight, I should probably have ordered online and get the best one possible, instead I had to buy a conventional drive, i.e. not Solid State (of the art), hence a bit heavier than necessary.

It needs a computer to get going and it has no card reader so you need to connect both drive and camera to the desktop. Some computers gave me trouble recognizing either. Most times it was fine.

The drive worked well and held my pics fine.

Trends

Solid State drives are so small and light that there’s hardly any reason to not carry one if you value your pics.

Power

Anker Powercore 10 K mAh

The great event that is a thru-hike of the CDT would justify getting this item new. You know what happens to batteries as you use them.

I don’t really know if brand choice is meaningful for this item. Anker has a good record and this particular battery has a compact design that goes well with the use case.

The main factor here is capacity and your sweet spot will depend on your energy needs. Power stock is heavy and you need to decide how big a brick you are ready to pack. The 10 K mAh model was fine for my own, namely smartphone and photo camera. While on the trail, I’d use the smartphone exclusively for navigation and I’d routinely keep it in my sleeping bag at night to avoid battery drain. My longest stages were 8 days long.

In these conditions, the external battery never went below 50% charge, which I see as a good compromise. A smaller pack would have made it but it’s good to have a spare for something so critical. I often fantasized with the idea of running out and how would that affected my hiking and it didn’t feel pretty.

Trends

I have the impression 10 K mAh is the smallest hikers carry nowadays and I saw quite a few bigger ones that were probably heavier than my sleeping bag. It probably makes sense if you need to power additional items like flashlights or if you use the phone for playing music or read books.

As with anything techie, newer models tend to be better in some specs. Obsolescence comes despairingly early.

Towel

Kitchen wipe

One of my favorite items when backpacking, so much that it deserves its own chapter. Anything is wet, kitchen wipe to the rescue. There’s no limit on the amount of water you can wipe with one of these, if it becomes saturated just squeeze the excess and keep swallowing. There are backpacking specific models but the kitchen version is as good as it gets, dramatically cheaper and the size is perfect to avoid excess weight.

The size is not as ideal for shower towel use but there you have a compromise. Just squeeze and keep working.

Trends

Kitchen wipes are apparently not popular in the US, I had difficulties finding a replacement when I lost one in a laundry run.

Everything else

Everything is important

I loved my Platypus bottles, they just work. 5+ liter capacity and a drinking tube for 100 gr, no room taken when empty. I got new ones before the trip and it took a barbed wire fence to make one fail. I also love my neck gaiter and the bi-component, wind-blocking beanie hat and I love my flat-folding shades.

The Ursack was never challenged. You need one through Glacier Park and I was happy to know it would at least keep mice at bay. The CDT was my first major trail where I carried a cat-hole digging shovel, how’s that for a good use for hi-tec looking titanium.

The one thing I never used was the emergency beacon. In the times of satellite communicators, it feels almost old school. I hope I never get to find out if it actually works.