My Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) thru-hike required two separate gear lists. This is because the first 120 miles were a solo hike, where I only packed the items I needed for my own comfort and safety. The remaining 50 miles were with my son (you can see that packing list by clicking HERE).
This packing list was very similar to my winter PCT section-hike gear, but there were a few new additions. These included:
- A Long-sleeved UPF shirt. While I normally I love hiking in a short sleeve, snap front shirts (like these shirts by Club Ride), I also knew hiking at altitude in summer can mean some truly intense UV rays. Skin cancer runs in my family, so I searched high and low for a similar version hiking shirt with long sleeves. I was super stoked to finally find this snap front guide shirt from NRS. This shirt was perfect for my hike! It was lightweight enough that it dried super quick, and the soft, stretchy mesh on the sides made it so comfortable with a pack on!
- Bear Vault BV500. Much of this trail was in bear country, and I knew I needed to take appropriate precautions. Originally, I’d planned to use an Ursack Major (at 7.6 oz.) instead of my insanely heavy Bear Vault BV500 (at 2 lbs, 9 oz.). However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I made the foolish mistake of waiting to buy an Ursack until I got to Reno, Nevada, the week before my hike. I’m not sure if there was a run on Ursacks or what, but the Reno REI was all sold out when I arrived! So, I had to suck it up and carried my crazy-heavy bear canister those first 120 miles.
- Garmin InReach Mini. My final big addition for this hike was a Garmin InReach Mini personal beacon device (PBD). I’ve toyed with adding a PBD to my gear list for a while now since I do a lot of solo hiking. In normal years, the TRT is rather popular and I’d probably cross paths with dozens of hikers each day – especially since I’d opted to hike the trail counter-clockwise (while 90%+ of hikers go clockwise). However, given the uncertainly surrounding the 2020 hiking season, and lack of reliable cell service on the trail, I went with an added layer of safety and communication. Luckily, receiving my REI dividend a month before this hike made this purchase a bit easier on the wallet!
So without anymore delay, here’s the complete list of everything I took on my TRT thru-hike. Scroll down to the end of the post if you want to see what I left behind (and why), and the one item I’d add to my gear list if I were doing this particular hike all over again.
BACKPACK SET-UP
- Backpack – Gossamer Gear G4-20 (42L) in electric blue
- Accessories – Gossamer Gear Hipbelt Pocket (which I use as a fanny pack)
- Accessories – Zpacks Shoulder Pouch (to carry my phone & headphones)
- Pack Liner – Therm-a-rest NeoAir pump sack (also used to inflate my air mattress)
- Emergency ID – Road ID attached to pack
SHELTER & SLEEP SYSTEM
- Tent – Nemo Hornet 2P tent w/ footprint
- Sleeping Bag – Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt (30 degree/regular wide)
- Air Mattress – Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite (size: regular)
FOOD & COOKING ITEMS
- Stove – MSR PocketRocket2 + 4 oz. fuel canister & mini lighter
- Cook Pot – MSR Titan Kettle (0.85L) + homemade pot koozy
- Spoon – Toaks long handle titanium spoon (w/ polished bowl)
- Cup – Sea to Summit collapsable cup
- Food Storage – BV500 Bear Canister
HYDRATION
- Water filter – Sawyer Micro Squeeze
- Vessels – CNOC Outdoor Vecto 2L bladder + 3 1L plastic bottles
ELECTRONICS
- Phone/camera – iPhone XR (128GB) w/ earbuds
- External battery – Anker Power Core 10000 external battery w/ USB cables for iPhone & InReach
- Navigation – Guthook for Tahoe Rim Trail (app) + Trails Illustrated #1013 Tahoe Rim Trail (paper map)
- Headlamp – Petzel e+lite headlamp w/ extra battery
- Electronics Storage – Sea to summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack (size: XXS)
HIKING ACCESSORIES
- Trekking Poles – Leki Cressida Thermo women’s poles
- Sit Pad – Therm-a-rest Z sitting pad
HIKING CLOTHING (WORN)
- Hiking Shirt – NRS Guide shirt (long sleeve/snap front)
- Shorts – Patagonia Baggies shorts
- Undergarments – Patagonia Barely sports bra & underwear
- Hat – Headsweats Performance Supervisor visor
- Sunglasses – SunCloud Cookie polarized sunglasses
- Watch – Timex Ironman waterproof watch
- Wallet – Ziplock bag (w/ ID, cash, debit card only)
FOOTWEAR
- Shoes – Altra Timp 1.5 trail running shoes
- Hiking Socks – Injinji socks
- Gaiters – Dirty Girl gaiters
OUTERWEAR
- Hat – Pink clearance bin beanie hat
- Gloves – REI On Trail sun gloves & Sporthill running gloves
- Puffy coat – North Face Thermoball hooded jacket
EXTRA CLOTHES/CAMP ITEMS
- Socks – Injinji socks (extra pair)
- Underwear – Patagonia Barely underwear (extras)
- Headband – Buff UV+ headband
- Sleep clothes – Icebreaker merino leggings (150) & Patagonia Capilene long-sleeve shirt
- Sleep socks – Wrightsock Cool Mesh II socks
- Storage – Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil stuff sack (9L)
- Camp Shoes – Crocs Swiftwater sandals
HYGIENE ITEMS
- Toiletry Storage – OPSAK odor proof bag
- Dental Care – Travel toothbrush/toothpaste + floss
- Vision – Daily wear disposable contacts & glasses
- First Aid Kit – KT tape, Body Glide (0.8 oz), bandaids, ibuprofen
- Knife – Swiss Army knife (w/ mini scissors)
- Cleaning – Wet Ones (travel size/20 wipes), 1/2 bandana
- Skincare – Travel size sunscreen & chapstick
- Insect Spray – Sawyer Picaridin (carried in 0.6 oz bottle I scavenged from somewhere)
- Toilet – Deuce of Spades #2 trowel, bandana (pee rag) & TP
- Trash storage – Large ziplock bag + doggie poop bag (to carry out any used TP/feminine hygiene items)
POST-HIKE THOUGHTS
Overall, I felt this gear set-up worked well for the 6 days I was out on the TRT solo. This was my second 100+ mile hike with the Gossamer Gear G4-20 frameless pack and I’m still loving how it fits. However, trying to pair this frameless pack with a bear canister was a challenge. I fit all my gear, but I was definitely pushing the maximum weight limit for this pack, especially during the sections that needed longer water carries. As a result, my shoulders are still sore from it.
WHAT ITEMS DID I LEAVE BEHIND?
A 42L pack with a bear canister filled with 6 days for food forces you to examine every item you might otherwise consider bringing along on your hike. Here are some of the items that are normally on my packing list that didn’t make the cut.
- My journal. I keep a bullet journal for most of my daily activities, and carried one on the Appalachian Trail and Camino de Santiago too. Given the short duration of this hike though, opted to take notes on my phone instead. This helped save weight, but it also meant that I drained my phone battery a bit more than normal.
- Rain gear. Ok. There’s no excuse for leaving all my rain gear (rain jacket, pants, and umbrella) behind. All I can say is I looked at the weather forecast, and it showed 6 days of sunshine and warm weather. I’ll admit I exercised poor judgment here and overrode my common sense. I paid for this error a mere three hours into my thru-hike when the lightening and thunder emerged, and then rain began to fall for the next two hours! I will not make this silly mistake again. At a minimum my rain jacket should make EVERY future hike.
- Collapsable knife. Normally, I carry a Gerber knife on the front of my chest strap for opening items, cutting up food, and for potential self-defense. Given the lack of people and limited duration of this hike, I opted to leave it behind and just relied on my Swiss Army knife for camp chores. Overall, I didn’t miss it or feel unsafe.
- Massage ball. I have plantar fasciitis, and tend to carry a lightweight spiky massage ball about the size of a golf ball to roll out my arches. Although I had room in my pack, carrying a bear canister and 6 days of food for the first section of my hike forced me to try to leave a few extra things behind. I did, however, pick it up with my re-supply for the final 3 days.
WHAT’S THE ONE THING I SHOULD HAVE ADDED ?
A new pair of shoes. Much like my gaffe with my rain gear, I have no excuse for this omission. I was wearing a pair of Altra Timps that I bough back in January 2020. These shoes were a fine choice and durable enough for this trail. However, there was one issue. Given everything that occurred with the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of my big hiking plans to Turkey and Germany this spring, I assumed this pair of trail runners still had a decent amount of life in them.
I. WAS. WRONG!!
By the end of the first day I knew I’d made a mistake. I could feel these shoes had far more miles on them that I’d originally thought. I’d used them for my 110- mile PCT section hike in January, my 38-mile Trans-Catalina Trail fastpacking trip in February, hiking up several state highpoints before the pandemic, and lots of day hiking in Texas and northern Arizona in May and June.
When I did the mental math, I quickly realized these shoes had at least 500 miles on them! What’s more, I had a brand new pair of trail runners in our RV just waiting to be used. So, I had absolutely every reason to be wearing new shoes with good cushioning, arch support, and protection in them.
As a result of wearing this pair of worn out trail runners, I developed minor shin splints beginning on day 2. And I also tore up my poor feet with some deep blisters on the bottom of my heels and balls of the feet. In the end, I think I felt every, single sharp rock on the trail through the worn out soles. So this goof was a major lesson learned for next time!
Hi I’m about to make the same trek! Also most solo. How was the amount of people? And how was the Garmin communicator? Did you have any problems with it?
The Desolation Wilderness definitely had the most people of any section on the trail. Otherwise, I found it to be quite tranquil. I had no problems finding stealth spots to camp for the night completely on my own. The other “busy” part of the the trail I experienced was the 9.5-mile section between Tunnel Creek Road and Tahoe Meadows. Fast moving mountain bikers share this stretch of trail on even-numbered days, and there are a lot of them!!
Hi! I am planning to hike TRT next summer, about how much did you spend the whole time? with gear/food/resupplying. And also how often was there a spot for resupplying food and water as well.
Hey Trin – I was on the trail for a total of 9 days, so your numbers may very if you plan on hiking more/fewer days.
I didn’t spend anything on camping. All my nights were on the trail, with the exception of one night my family picked me up in Tahoe City.
My food costs tend to average about $5-8/day while I’m camping – and I think I spent ~$70 on food for this trip. I don’t eat freeze dried backpackers meals and stick mostly to what I can buy at a grocery store. But, I also got pizza in Tahoe City so you could add another $20 to that budget. All told < $100 in food. As for my gear, that's a toughie. I've acquired my hiking gear in bits and pieces over the years while preparing for various trails. So there were no real NEW costs for the TRT other than: (1) my long-sleeve hiking shirt (on sale at REI for $20 back in May); (2) my bear canister/URSACK (each one cost between $80-90); and (3) my subscription for my Garmin inReach mini ($14.95 for the Safety Freedom Plan). However, if I had to replace EVERYTHING on my gear list (excluding my iPhone and what I was wearing) because wild and crazy Tahoe bear stole it all, well that would cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500-$3000. But, of course I'd get as much of it on sale as possible 🙂 As for places to resupply, that will depend on the time of year you end up hiking, what's open, and whether coronavirus is impacting your desire to head into town to resupply. I only resupplied once - in Tahoe City. Water was plentiful between Tahoe City and Kingsbury Grade (heading counterclockwise). Meanwhile, the east side of the trail is much drier, especially between Spooner Lake and Ophir Creek. Hope that helps!
Hi there,
A very interesting read and some useful tips – thank you!
I am planning the loop next summer and I would be grateful for any information or advice you may have about the likelihood/severity of altitude sickness or associated issues. As someone arriving from coastal England, I will have zero elevation acclimation for a trek that that will start no lower than 6,000 plus feet, and can rise to in excess of 10,000. While I have looked into the effects of altitude in a general sense, I have found nothing that pertains to the effects along the TRT. Is this a non-issue that I am over-thinking, or are there concerns that someone with no altitude experience should consider?
Thank you for any personal experience you may be able to shed on this.
Andre
Andre,
I did not experience any issues with altitude when I hiked this loop in 2020, but every person’s body reacts slightly differently. You’re not overthinking it at all.
The bulk of the trail is in the 6,000′ to 8,000′ range, which isn’t exceedingly high. Most airplane cabins are pressurized to about 8,000 feet. However, if this is your first higher elevation trek, my advice is:
(1) Adjust your mileage for a slow, easy pace, and expect to be slightly more winded or fatigued on all the climbs;
(2) Drink FAR more water than normal – altitude dehydrates your body more quickly;
(3) Try to select your campsites at lower elevations (hike high, sleep low);
(4) Cover up and use sunscreen – people tend to experience sunburns much more easily at high elevations;
(5) Know the symptoms of altitude sickness and head to lower elevation if you experience them.
Also, if at all possible, it’s best to acclimate to the altitude for a few days before beginning your thru-hike. South Lake Tahoe sits at 6,200’and Reno is at 4,500′. Both cities are good places to prep for your hike beforehand and get in some easy hikes before you attempt the TRT.
Cheers, Sisu