It’s 2021 and I’m super ready to start the hiking season! I’ve been planning my tail off, in fact. Although the pandemic is still quashing my super long trail dreams of hiking the PCT or CDT, I am still excited to sink my teeth into a few shorter and middle-distance hikes similar to what I did last year.
I’ll be moving to the West Coast to make the city of Eugene, Oregon, my new home. Thus, I’m hoping to hike several local PNW trails this summer, including the Oregon Coast Trail, the Timberline Trail, and maybe even the Wonderland Trail (if I can get a permit!).
With all that in mind, I’ve turned a more critical eye toward my current backpacking set-up. What items should stay? And which ones need to go?
A BRIEF RECAP
Before I dive into what new gear I’m adding to my pack this upcoming season, a let’s quickly return to some of 2020’s hiking gear changes and how they held up.
As with most people, the pandemic shook up all my grand plans last year. So, it was an abbreviated hiking season with much more local hiking. None of my backpacking trips was longer than 170 miles long, and my focus was trying to hike safely without risking unnecessarily spreading the disease.
As such, it was difficult to determine whether all the changes I made in 2020 were long-term keepers. But, I do know two of my gear upgrades were truly wonderful and they will definitely move on to a new season. While at least one item is getting kicked to the curb.
THE GOOD
First off, I’m giving two enthusiastic thumbs up to my new pack, the Gossamer Gear G4-20. It is super comfortable and comes in a gorgeous electric blue color.
I used this pack for my 110-mile winter section hike on the PCT, on my summer Tahoe Rim Trail thru-hike, my North Umpqua Trail thru-hike, and the roughly 60 miles of the Uinta Highline Trail that I completed.
Bottom line, after more than 400 miles, I still absolutely love the G4-20. This versatile 42L pack really was the perfect way to transition from my internal frame Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60L to a smaller, frameless pack (even if I don’t ever want to carry a heavy bear canister in it again!). I’m confident I will be using this pack for many, many future thru-hikes to come.
I have equally kind words for my Garmin InReach Mini GPS satellite communicator. After my early September disaster on the Uinta Highline Trail in Utah, this personal locator beacon was my MVP item of gear for 2020!
It was absolutely worth its scant 3.5 oz. weight. If you’re like me and enjoy solo hiking, do yourself a favor. Buy this one item. ASAP! Enough said.
THE NO-SO-GOOD
While I loved these two additions for 2020, I can also tell you that at least one of last year’s major gear purchases didn’t work out as planned.
After many, many hours of internet research, I convinced myself to ditch my semi-freestanding tent and try the Zpacks Duplex DCF tent instead. I was going to finally push myself outside my comfort zone and try a new ultralight single-wall shelter.
Let me begin this segment by saying, I really wanted to like this tent. Everyone else seems to rave about it. And, I admit it really is a great way to lower your base weight (if that’s your ultimate goal). But, the fact of the matter is – this tent just wasn’t for me.
If you want to read all about how I managed to destroy a pricey DCF tent in just four days, you can read all about it HERE. Otherwise, just take my word for it. I’ll definitely be on the look out for a different tent to fit my needs in 2021.
SO WHAT’S NEW FOR 2021?
So where does this leave me this in terms of gear upgrades for the upcoming year? I’ll be changing out two of my “big three” items on 2021. plus, there’s many other smaller gear swaps on deck too.
A NEW TENT
First up, let’s talk about my tent situation. Given the debacle with my Duplex tent on the Uinta Highline Trail, I knew I needed to head back the drawing board. This was NOT the tent of my dreams, no matter how many of my fellow long-distance hikers love it.
In my heart, I still really loved my trusty Nemo Hornet 2P tent (which I used to hike the entire AT in 2019). And I seriously toyed with just buying this same semi-freestanding tent and calling it a day.
And who knows. I may still go back down that road before the year is over. But in the meantime, I want to try another single-wall trekking pole tent just to determine if ultralight tents can be compatible with my hiking needs.
With some detailed insights about everything I disliked about my Duplex (e.g., the massive price tag, the rainbow-style opening on the doors, the flimsiness of the vestibule closures that I had to replace with carabiners, and the fact that the Duplex was simply too cavernous in size for a solo hiker), I scoured the interwebs for a reasonable alternative.
During my research, I noticed Gossamer Gear getting lots of good reviews for their DCF versions of their one-person tent (The One) and two-person tent (The Two). I already had some brand loyalty to Gossamer Gear because of my packs. So perhaps this option was a viable path.
However, I’m also still feeling the financial sting of my destroyed Duplex. So I just wasn’t ready to shell out another $600 just to confirm that DCF trekking pole tents are my kryptonite.
As it turns out, Gossamer Gear still makes both of those single-walled tents in their original sil-nylon material at a much more reasonable price ($299-$375). Plus, they’ve incorporated some of their new design ideas from the DCF tent – like the upgraded zipper closure on the vestibules – into their standard tent line-up too.
So, in January, I look a leap of faith. I ordered a 17.7 ounce, sil-nylon version of The One and I will be trying it out on some shorter trips this spring.
A NEW QUILT
My second big splurge over the winter was a warmer quilt. I absolutely love the Enlightened Equipment Revelation quilt that I purchased in the middle of my 2019 AT thru-hike. However, there’s just one problem with it. It’s only a 30°F quilt. And I’m a cold sleeper.
As such, this lightweight quilt really only suits my backpacking needs on trips that: (1) take place between May and August, and (2) stay at lower elevations. Once the overnight temperatures drop down to the 40-45°F range, I need something warmer wrapped around me to get a decent night’s sleep.
In the past, my warmer alternative has always been my Western Mountaineering Alpinlite 20°F down sleeping bag. It’s perfectly toasty during cooler temps, but it’s also moderately heavy (at 31 ounces) and takes up a ton of room in my small pack.
So while I love its cozy warmth, I always lament having to add it to my packing list. It just seems counterintuitive to fill up half your pack with a sleeping bag. And I really wanted to try something different that combines my love of quilts and my need for warm feet.
After much back and forth, I’ve settled on trying a 10°F Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt (with a closed toe footbox). This new quilt is 10 degrees warmer and 6 ounces lighter than my current fall/spring sleeping bag! Plus it takes up about half as much room in my pack.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
So there you have it! Two major gear items I intend to try in 2021. These aren’t the only items on my new gear list though. There are some smaller tweaks happening too.
- Wind Pants. I’m planning to try our some new wind pants from Patagonia (to hopefully will help protect my legs from the mosquitos that love me while I’m in the Cascades).
- Cook Pot. I’m trying out a new, smaller 400 ml cook pot from Montbell in lieu of my 850 ml MSR Titan Kettle.
- Headlamp. I have a new lightweight USB-rechargeable NU25 headlamp (with more than double the lumens of my Petzel Bindi headlamp).
- Sun Hoody. I recently purchased a Simms sun hoody to protect me against the high UV exposure on the Oregon Coast Trail.
- Water Storage. And, finally, I’m going to try the CNOC Vesica 1L bottle as an alternative to my standard Smartwater bottle or water storage.
As the season progresses, check out my 2021 gear lists for my thoughts on how these items held up. Will they continue to find a home in my pack? Or will I be still be on the hunt for something better and lighter yet again??