Backpacking season 2022 finished with over 1000 miles hiked around OR and WA. Time to comment on the final backpacking gear kit including which gear needs replaced or updated and gear that helped make a great season. Packing this all into either day pack or backpack will be another post, and a separate post for food too.
A quick aside on gear retailers
For purchasing new gear, the default retailer is Garage Grown Gear (GGG), and REI when GGG does not carry the product. If necessary to get the right gear, purchasing direct from producer. This priority order meets two critical objectives: a) actively support sustainable, small businesses that KNOW hiking, and b) limit the places purchasing (personal) information is stored to lower cybersecurity risk.
Note: Goatbells.blog receives no $ kickbacks from any of the retailer links below.
Gear kit by component
| Component | Description | Weight | Links | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pack and accessories | Multi-night pack: Gossamer Mariposa 60 | 31.5 oz | GGG, Gossamer Gear | Goatbells.blog review (post) | Keep for 2023 |
| Pack and accessories | Day pack: Yar.gear 28L Ultra Mountain Drifter | 12.5 oz (changed sternum strap from stock) | Yar.gear (GGG does not yet carry ultra version) | Goatbells.blog review (post) | Keep for 2023 |
| Pack and accessories | Pack pods – Hyperlite Mountain Gear DCF pods | depends on size | GGG, Hyperlite Mountain Gear | everything but kitchen and food in DCF pods- some double bagged | Keep for 2023 |
| Pack and accessories | Pack pouches – Ultra fabric UltraliteSacks | depends on size | GGG, UltraLiteSacks | Used for multi-night and day hikes | Keep for 2023 |
| Pack and accessories | Waist pack – Summit Bum from Thrupack | 4.7 oz w/ comfy strap | GGG, ThruPack | Waterproof, large capacity and supports camera. Comfy strap is extra $ & oz but worth it imho | Keep for 2023 |
| Shelter | Tent – REI Flash Air 1 | 1 lb, 6 oz (22 oz) | REI (discountinued per website) | Lightweight nylon tent; not sufficient for poor weather: carry tarp to stay dry | Replace after 2023 |
| Shelter | Tarp – Gossamer Twinn Tarp | 9.9 oz (cords and sack) | GGG, Gossamer | Extra water, sun protection worth the weight; adds flexibility to forgo tent | Keep for 2023 |
| Sleeping | Sleeping bag – REI Magma 30 | 1 lb, 3.8 oz (19.8 oz) | REI | Bought in 2019 and carried since – showing age: requires layering clothes in sub30 degrees | Replace for 2023 (20 degree bag or quilt, tbd) |
| Sleeping | Pad – Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite | 12 oz | REI, Term-a-Rest | new in 2022 after Nemo pad leaked – more comfortable than Nemo. Packs stiffly – but small | Keep for 2023 |
| Sleeping | Clothes – sleeping clothes and emergency dry layers | various | REI, Smartwool | Smartwool base layer top, Smartwool liner gloves, cheap tech bottoms, Smartwool lightweight beanie | Keep all for 2023 |
| Kitchen | Stove – JetBoil Flash | 13.1 oz (no fuel) | REI, JetBoil | 3+ years and going strong; very fuel efficient. Tried a MightyMoe, but burnt too much fuel to carry 100g canister | Keep for 2023 |
| Kitchen | Spoon – Titanium Long Handle by Toaks | 0.5 oz | GGG | Just right length for dehydrated food pouches | Keep for 2023 |
| Kitchen | Water bottle – 16 oz Nalgene (2) | 3 oz each (9 oz) | REI | If dry conditions, also 1 aluminum Natural Grocers. >weight than a Smart Water plastic bottle, but no through-away plastic bottles | Keep for 2023 |
| Safety | GPS / Satellite – Garmin inReach mini | 3.5 oz | REI, Garmin | New in 2022 and worked great, though can take time under heavy canopies – used for comms and updates when no cell service | Keep for 2023 |
| Safety | GPS / Maps – GaiaGPS | software on iPhone | GaiaGPS | maps, track recording, and GPS help – not the best for planning a hike (AllTrails is better), but on the trail, GaiaGPS is ‘go-to’ tool | Keep for 2023 |
| Safety | Trekking poles – Black Diamond Alpine Carbon | 1 lb, 1.1 oz (17.1 oz) | REI, Black Diamond | Goatbells.blog review (post) | Keep for 2023 |
| Safety | Water purification – Kataydn BeFree | 2.3 oz | REI, Kataydn | Goatbells.blog review (post) Small / light to carry in back pants’ pocket, replaced squeeze bottle with HydraPak | Keep for 2023 (purchased 1L for dryer hiking) |
| Safety | Socks – Darn Tough hikers | REI, Darn Tough | The third season with Darn Tough – buy 3 pairs / year different color every year; old for short hikes, and new for long hikes. Best socks found yet! | 3 new pair 2023 | |
| Safety | Shoes – Topo Athletic Trailventure 2 WP | 15.9 oz (boots) | REI, Topo Athletic | Goatbells.blog review (post) | Keep for 2023 Still looking for hot weather trail runners that are NOT mesh |
| Safety | Battery pack – Anker 10,000 w/ USB-C | 7.5 oz | Anker | this keeps phone, Garmin and watch charged for 6 day hike | Keep for 2023 |
| Water / cold protection | Warm outer layer – Patagonia nano-puff | 11.9 oz | REI, Patagonia | Light and packs tight, and works well under rain jacket for layered very cold weather protection | Keep for 2023 |
| Water / cold protection | Middle layer – Patagonia UV calipene hooded shirt | 6.3 oz | REI, Patagonia | works well for both keeping warm, and keeping cool | Keep for 2023 |
| Water / cold protection | Gloves cold – Smartwool liners | gloves | Thin enough to tie boot laces without taking off, and subtle finger pads to activate Apple touchscreens | Keep for 2023 | |
| Water / cold protection | Gloves water – Zpacks rain mittens | Zpacks | a gift from hiking buddy – works great and when really cold wear over liners | Keep for 2023 | |
| Water / cold protection | Rain jacket – Mountain Hardware Gortex | REI, Columbia | Jacket has worked well so far and kept me dry | Keep for 2023 bought same pants for 2023 |
Backpacking gear kit of 2022 – the better ‘keepers’
Kataydn BeFree
Gossamer Mariposa 60
Topo Athletic Trailventure WP 3
Yar.packs Ultra 28L Mountain Drifter
Black Diamond Alpine Carbon trekking poles
Gossamer twinn tarp
Therm-a-rest Neo Air XL sleep pad
JetBoil Flash
Hyperlite DCF pack pods
Thrupacks Summit Bum waist pack
Ultrallite Ultra pack pods
