After hiking 2,200 miles last year across many different environments this is my favorite gear that I tried! From the deserts of New Mexico all the way up into the Canadian Rockies I really got around, and made a point to test and try a lot of new gear. What stood out? What was my favorite?

My Favorite Thru Hiking Gear of 2023:
Smart Watch - [ Ссылка ]
Tent - [ Ссылка ]
Stove - [ Ссылка ]
Rain Jacket - [ Ссылка ]
Fleece - [ Ссылка ]
Fleece (Other Brands) - [ Ссылка ]
Quilt - [ Ссылка ]
Sleeping Pad - [ Ссылка ]

Coros makes some incredible watches with outstanding battery life. I enjoyed all the features and felt like it really made hiking even more fun to be able to see so much data from my daily life on trail. The battery would last me three full days hiking, and charging it was never a problem.

The Zpacks Altaplex was really a dream to use. As a tent made for tall people, I felt like I could really stretch out and enjoy my life camping, while many other tents I have to be all scrunched up inside. It felt like a palace, it was easy to setup, it held up to some really high winds and heavy rain. I was really happy with it.

The BRS 3000t stove worked like a charm and for 16$ I really can't complain! Such a budget friendly piece of gear that is so incredibly ultralight. Weighing just 0.9oz I can see why this has been such a staple in the ultralight thru hiking community for so long. The one complaint people have with it is the fuel efficiency. If you want a more efficient stove then the Soto Amicus is what you're looking for.

This year I primarily used the Patagonia Torrentshell as my rain jacket and it was awesome! If you want a rain jacket that will really keep you dry, then this is it. It is a full on 3L robust jacket, meant to stand up to some really heavy storms, and will keep you dry while other ultralight jackets will not. It has pit zips, a great hood, and pockets! The reason I chose this over anything else is the price, at just 179 dollars (frequently on sale) this jacket is cheap compared to it's competitors. For example, the Arc'teryx Beta LT is 450$ and is functionally the same.

The Senchi Alpha 60 hoodie has been sweet, my partner used it for well over 1,000 miles this year and really loved it too. At just 4.1oz you really aren't going to find a lighter fleece jacket anywhere. Great for layering, or great on warmer trips. By far this is my favorite piece of gear to have used last year.

These are the trails and thru hikes I tested this gear on!
- 100 miles of the San Diego Trans County Trail in southern California
- A little bit of the Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand
- 800 miles of the Grand Enchantment Trail in Arizona and New Mexico
- 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington and the North Cascades National Park
- A 70 mile loop incorporating the Continental Divide Trail in Glacier National Park
- 750 miles of the Great Divide Trail in Canada
- 310 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail of Minnesota

All of this testing came from the idea that over the past 8 years I have basically used the same backpacking kit for all of my hikes. From my Appalachian Trail thru hike to my Pacific Crest Trail Thru hike and everything in between. Tiny changes in the gear that I use, but overall pretty much the same kit, year after year. I wanted to try some new stuff out! Maybe I was missing something, or maybe I could better help others by changing my gear list up a bit.

In the process of doing this I found some gear that was really awesome! Like the super ultralight senchi alpha fleece, or how cool the coros pace smart watch is, the comfort and warmth of a neoair. These items really stood out among the rest.

00:00 - Favorite Gear of 2023!
00:32 - Smart Watch
02:29 - Tent
04:11 - Stove
05:13 - Rain Jacket
07:53 - Fleece Jacket
09:43 - Couples Quilt
11:11 - Sleeping Pad
12:30 - Thank you :)

Hiking Essentials Shirt! [ Ссылка ]

THE BACKPACKING GEAR I USE:
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