adminAs I mentioned in my earlier blog posts leading up to my travels to the Maroon-Bells Snowmass wilderness, I had the unique opportunity to share my experience on my first multi-day backpacking trip from the perspective of a newbie. At my final pack weigh-in, my pack was sitting at a fairly heavy 38 pounds. Although I identified luxury items I really didn’t need and areas where I could potentially cut weight, I intentionally left these items in my pack. I felt it was worth the extra burden for me to bare if it meant finishing the hike with a better understanding of my gear, and the items that proved invaluable vs the items I didn’t use at all. I will admit, there were many moments on the trail when I regretted my decision. There were several stretches of trail where I was cursing myself for bringing any extra ounce of dead weight However, I achieved my original goal! I now have a much better idea of which pieces of gear are a sure fire bet to pack on my next adventure, and the items that aren’t.
What to Pack
So let’s take a deeper look starting with the gear I loved, and will absolutely pack for every adventure.
Cascade Mountain Tech Quick Lock Trekking Poles
A piece of gear that people often to debate over is the value of packing trekking poles. While trekking poles may not be an essential item for every trail hike, they are worth every penny if you anticipate hiking in rocky terrain, or encountering steep assents or descending switchbacks. If you are planning on tackling the Four Loop Pass, do yourself a favor and bring trekking poles. You can find many quality, inexpensive poles like the Cascade Trekking Poles I used. The reality is that while they do count as “weight” being carried, they feel like the exact opposite when helping you up steep climbs, or hiking over rocks that seemed determined to twist your ankles. They are light enough where you won’t really notice their weight if you throw them on your pack, but if you’re like me, they will most likely be in your hands 90% of your hike.
Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System
There are a variety of water filtering options available out there. Some people prefer gravity fed filters while others opt for the squeeze method like the Sawyer Squeeze. Out of all the gear my companion and I brought along on our adventure, the Sawyer Squeeze was the item that impressed me the most. Having drinkable water should be one of your top priorities as you hike, and this filter was perfect for us. Anytime we determined we should fill up our water bottles, the Sawyer Squeeze made the process quick and easy. Just fill up a bad, squeeze it into your bottle and you’re on your way. The only downside to this filter was that it was difficult to fill a bag from water sources that were too shallow, or small streams that were not flowing enough to fill the bag. That being said, any downsides to this product were easily negated with a couple of hacks I picked up. First, adding a Smart Water sports cap to the Sawyer bag makes it super easy to fill a water bottle. As for filling a bag from difficult water sources, the answer is simple: Capri Sun. A Capri Sun juice box is a simple, lightweight add-on for your filtering needs. Simply cut off the top and you have a perfect scooping device to pour water into your bags. For what it’s worth, we each brought two liter-sized Smart Water bottles we would fill as we hiked. I also brought a hydration bladder that I only used at our campsites to fill up 3 liters of water at a time for camp use. The bladder sometimes made it way easier to fill up all of our bottles at one time.
Nemo Fillo Luxury Inflatable Travel Pillow
While some avid backpackers may write off a pillow as a luxury item and extra weight, I certainly do not. Having a pillow to rest you’re head on at night makes a world of difference in feeling well-rested the next morning. The Nemo inflatable pillow I brought was light and packed down very small (into itself which is an added plus). By the time I went to bed every night, I was exhausted. But thanks to my pillow, I slept very soundly. Don’t start your day feeling like a zombie if you don’t have to.
Goal Zero Venture 30 Solar Recharging Kit with Nomad 7 Solar Panel
This was a purchase that I was convinced would eventually end up in the “do not pack again” category. However, much to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed it. A solar charger is certainly a luxury item for many people, and that’s totally understandable. Most backpackers could get by on a multi-day trip with a battery pack to charge their phone, and they’d be perfectly fine. I only used the solar charger once during our four days of hiking, to charge up the Goal Zero Battery Pack once we got to camp. Luckily most of my electronics have a strong battery life but hiking with multiple people in a group, with multiple electronics, it can be a lifesaver to have a backup power source in the event you need it. I can’t speak for any other solar chargers, but the Goal Zero Nomad 7 worked fantastic, even in areas that weren’t in direct sunlight.
DeLorme InReach Explorer Two Way Satellite Communicator with Built-In GPS
The Four Pass Loop trail is pretty well-traveled and relatively easy to navigate by map alone. That said, I can’t say enough good things about the Delorme GPS Satellite Communicator (Garmin Explorer) is a fantastic piece of gear to utilize on your adventures. Initially, we decided that one of us in hiking team should have a satellite phone, just in case of emergency. After all, you don’t want to be in the middle of the mountainous wilderness during an emergency with no way of calling for help. This is true but the problem is that well, satellite phones aren’t cheap. Enter the satellite communicator. When I purchased this, my primary intention was to be able to communicate with the outside world if we needed to. The Explorer is packed with additional features that will only improve your experience. On top of being able to send texts and emails to your loved ones and an SOS button to summon emergency rescue, the GPS features are what really shine. Before setting off on my hike, I took the time to plot out my trail map with camp site waypoints along the way. I even downloaded topographic and aerial satellite maps for a more detailed map. I was even able to utilize the live tracking feature, so my wife could check in online and see a live look every ten minutes of our progress. The communicator pairs with its companion Earthmate app, making usability much easier by phone then on the device itself. The Explorer GPS has proved its an invaluable item to bring along on all of my future adventures, as it all but eliminates the worried “what-if” scenarios that may arise while backpacking
What to Leave Behind
There were several items I brought along on my hike that I either used very little, or not at all. Let’s take a look at the items I deemed unnecessary, or luxury items.
ECOTEK Outdoors Premium Inflatable Air Hammock
This was wishful thinking from the start. As I toyed with the idea of hammock camping vs tent camping, or possibly bringing both items, I figured an air hammock was a good compromise. I’ve wanted to try one out anyways, as I can foresee myself using one in the future for less grueling trips. I envisioned popping this air hammock up once we got to camp every day, and lounging away as I enjoyed the spectacular scenery. The reality was that I only used it one time at our first campsite. I will admit that it is easy to set up and I did take a very relaxing nap on it, but the 3 pounds of added weight that comes along with it is just not worth it. Save yourself from making the same mistake I did, and just use a foam seat pad.
GoBackTrail Carbon Fiber Collapsible Telescopic Spinning Rod & Reel Kit with Pocket Tackle Box
I’ll start by saying the GoBackTrail fishing rod, that I purchased with the intent of fishing at Snowmass Lake, is a great product for its intended use. The rod collapses down really small and came with a small pocket sized tackle box for fishing gear, all while coming in at a fairly inexpensive price. I carried it along with me is a side mesh pocket of my pack, even forgetting it was there on occasion. Had I actually went fishing, I believe this fishing rod would have been perfect. Unfortunately, our day 3 hike to Snowmass Lake was probably the most physically demanding stretch of our hike and sleeping took priority over fishing. While I may bring this fishing rod along on future adventures, I don’t think it will be used often during most trips.
Flashlight – With the use of a headlamp at night, any additional flashlight is just wasted space and unnecessary weight. A headlamp is the more practical choice as its much more versatile for whatever task you are using it for in the dark, and very small compared to flashlights.
Camp Cooking Accessories – In addition to my standard camp cook kit, fuel, eating utensil and windscreen, I also brought an assorted spice bottle and dish soap. I never used either. Dish soap should be eliminated all together by bringing one bottle of multi-purpose camp soap that you can use for cleaning dishes, clothing and yourself. The multi-spices was more wishful thinking that maybe I might catch a fish for dinner and I can jazz it up and give it some added flavor. After not fishing at all, it made to sense to have brought spices at all. Which brings me to my next item…
Frisbee – Yeah, I know a Frisbee seems ridiculous to have even considered bringing. I couldn’t help myself here because I really thought we would have more down time than we ended up having. My friends and I love slinging a Frisbee around when we have the space and time to kill. The problem here is that are days usually wrapped up pretty early in the evening, and after full day of hiking, our energy just wasn’t there. It also makes it difficult to enjoy when one of us has an injured knee for half the hike.
Gear to Consider
After analyzing my gear list post-trip, there were only a couple items that I didn’t use at all but I am still tempted to pack again for my next adventure
Chill Gorilla 10×10 Hammock Waterproof Rain Fly Tent Tarp
This is still my biggest question mark that I will ponder when I go to pack up again for the next adventure. The Gorilla rainfly tarp is designed to cover a hammock, but it’s not the lightest item by any means and does take up more space than I would prefer. We lucked out with whether while at camp so we were able to set up out tents before any rain fell. However, I still feel that under different circumstances, we may have praised the rainfly tent if it provided us a dry camp area to congregate under had we needed it. I haven’t officially ruled on leaving this at home yet, but you definitely have to weight your options and determine if you’re willing to carry the extra weight that you may not use at all.
Playing Cards– Out of all the time-killing items I brought along for our hike (Frisbee, hacky sack, playing cards), the playing cards are an item I probably won’t mind throwing in the backpack for next time. Even though we didn’t use them at all during the Four Pass Loop, they are small enough to pack where you won’t really notice them and won’t hate yourself for bringing them with you if you don’t end up using them. I feel as though it’s worth bringing at least one item to keep you occupied if you do somehow get bored, so why not bring the smallest and lightest option.
So there you have it! If you are planning on making the trek to Colorado to tackle the Four Pass Loop, or any other adventure for that matter, these are the gear items I would definitely pack, and the items that just aren’t worth the aggravation. While I didn’t do myself any favors by bringing luxury items on my hike, it was worth it if I can give you some real-world perspective to make your gear packing choices easier, and your hikes much more comfortable.
