The Ultimate 9 lb Gear List; Full Luxury

This gear list is a superb all round gear list that does not skimp on comfort or safety for the sake of weight, yet won’t hurt your back. It is super warm and comfortable; a top of the line sleeping quilt, 3.8r inflatable mat, a framed backpack and a spacious one person shelter are all included.

This gear would be perfect for almost all hikers in 3 season conditions to take on the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Joh Muir Trail or to hike in Europe on the GR20 in Corsica or on the Camino.

I have put this list together with the sole criteria being performance and weight. This means that all of the gear is the best, but it can also be expensive. Getting a good gear list doesn’t have to be expensive and there are also some really good gear suggestions to reduce the cost without sacrificing performance in the Thru Hiker’s Budget Gear List: $970, 9.4lbs.

Use this list on your upcoming hike, or integrate some lighter options into your pack from My 6 lb Gear List.

Overview:

	Weight (lbs)	Weight (kg)	Cost (US$)
Backpack	1.8	0.8	$312.00
Shelter	1.1	0.5	$564.00
Sleep System	2.1	1.0	$554.00
Clothing in Pack	1.9	0.8	$715.00
Cooking Equipment	0.5	0.2	$123.00
Water Treatment / Storage	0.3	0.1	$51.00
Electronics	1.1	0.5	$106.00
Random / First Aid	0.3	0.2	$11.00
Total	9.2	4.1	$2,436.00

 

Backpack:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Backpack	Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 2400	Durable, Waterproof fabric	28	784	$310
Alternative	ULA Olm 2.0	Budget, most easily fitted pack
Alternative	Atompacks The Prospector	Extremely lightweight, Fully custom, Waterproof fabric
Waterproof Liner	Trash Compactor	Use as an internal bag liner	1.5	42	$2
			29.5	826	$312

 Shelter System:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Shelter	Zpacks Soloplex	Lightweight, needs treking pole	14.5	406	$549
Alternative	Zpacks Hexamid + Polycro ground sheet	For people under 5″8′
Alternative	Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1	Free Standing
Stakes	MSR 4 Groundhog tent peg + 2 titanium shepard hook	Bigger stakes for 4 corners and smaller stakes for the others	2.7	75	$15
			17.2	481	$564

Sleep System:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Sleeping Bag	Katabatic Gear Alsek 22°F	Very warm quilt	22	616	385
Alternative	Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20°F	Lightweight quilt but not as warm, budget. Get 1.5oz overstuffed
Alternative	Feathered Friends Hummingbird 20°F	Traditional Sleeping Bag, vary warm
Sleeping Pad	Thermarest Neoair Xlite (Women Version)	Extremely warm or summer. Men will likely have their shins off the end	12	336	$169
Alternative	Thermarest Neoair Xlite Small	Lightweight
Alternative	Thermarest Zlite, 3/4 length	Budget
			34	952	S554

 Clothing System:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Rain Jacket	Outdoor Research Helium 2	Light, reasonably durable, poor hood	6.4	179.2	$120
Alternative	Frogg Toggs Ultra Lite 2	Cheap, dispoable and most breathable in its weight clase
Alternative	Zpacks Groundsheet / Poncho
Warm Jacket	Mountain Hardwear Ghost Wisperer	Down	7.8	218.4	$265
Alternative	Patagonia Nano Puff Insulated Jacket	Synthetic
Wind Pants	Patagonia Houdini Pants	Really useful to keep warm when moving, great for laundry cloths	3	84	$90
Wind Jacket	Patagonia Houdini Jacket	Really useful to keep warm when moving, clean layer for bed	3	84	$99
Thermal Pants	Patagonia Thermal Weight Capilene Bottoms	Light, durable warm for weight	4.7	131.6	$80
Gloves	Powerstrech		1.5	42	$25
Head	Fleece beanie		1	28	$20
Socks	Darn Tough Micro Crew	Second Pair	1.5	42	$15
Bandana		Use under hat to block sun, use as a drying towel	1	28	$1
			29.9	837	$715

Cooking System:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Stove	MSR Pocket Rocket 2	Isobutane canister stove	2.6	72.8	$45
Pot	Toaks Titanium 750ml Pot	Replace lid with tin foil	3	84	$35
Lighter	Bic Mini		0.2	5.6	$2
Spoon	Lexan Spoon	As durable as titanim at a fraction of the price	0.5	14	$1
Food bag	S2S Stuff Sack		1	28	$20
Knife	Victorianox Classic	Basic knife and sissors for everyday use	0.7	21	$20
			8	225	$123

Water Treatment and Storage:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Water Treatment	Sawyer Squeeze	Filter	3	84	$30
Alternative	Aqua Mira	Chemical Treatment
Water Storage	Smartwater		1.3	37	$1
Water Storage	Platypus 2L flexible	Compresible when not in use	1	28	$20
			5.3	149	$51

Electronics:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Phone		What you already have	6	175
Battery Pack	Ravpower 10,000MA Quick charge	3.5 hours to charge	7.1	200	$30
Charger	Fonken Quick Charge 3.0	To quick charge the battery pack. Also, 2 of these is lighter than a duel port charger	1.4	39.2	$7
Cables		1/2ft or 1ft	0.3	8.4	$4
Headlight	Black Diamond Iota	UBS rechargable, not suitable for a lot of night hiking	1.9	53.2	$40
Alernative	Pezel e-Lite	Extremely light and compact, only good for emergancy night hiking
Alernative	Black Diamond Spot	Good for night hiking
Audio player	Sandisk Clip Sport	Light, durable and saves phone battery	0.75	22	$25
			17.4	498	$106

 Miscellaneous:

	Item	Comments	Wt (oz)	Wt (g)	Cost (USD)
Wallet	Zpacks Cuben wallet	Waterproof	0.3	8.4	$5
ID and Cash	ID and Cash		0.5	14
Tooth Brush		Chopped down for convinient storage	0.2	5.6	$1
Tooth Paste		1oz travel size	1	28	$1
Sunscreen		1oz travel size	1	28	$1
Insect Repelent		Ben’s 100% Deet, 1oz travel size	1	28	$3
First Aid		10 x Ibeprofen, tenasious tape, needle, floss in a hard plastic case	1.5	45
			5.5	157	$11