For my CDT 2022 thruhike, I “needed” some new items, or at least that’s what I tell myself 🙂
This is a quick overview of my new gear for Continental Divide Trail 2022 (CDT)
My gear is pretty much dialed in at this point from previous hikes, so these items are really just minor changes, except for the camera, which was a massive change, both for my budget, but also in terms of weight (a little over 14oz/400g)
New gear for Continental Divide Trail 2022 (CDT)
Platypus QuickDraw microfilter
For some reason I keep buying a new water filter every time I go on a hike, and this time it is no different 🙂
The reason i keep buying new filters is that I have my hiking gear stoved away in the attic which has no heating, so I am not quite sure if it has been too cold, and I’d rather buy a new filter than finding out the hard way if it was compromised.
This time around I decided to try the “new” filter from Platypus – the QuickDraw Microfilter
The specifications are the same as the Sawyer Squeeze which I used on my PCT thruhike and the Arizona Trail
but the Platypus Quickdraw is smaller and lighter (not much mind you, but everything counts 😉 )
Another nice feature of the Quickdraw is that you can quickly check if the filter is compromised, so the nights you forget to keep it in your sleeping bag etc. (and that WILL happen) you will be able to check it and make sure that it’s safe to use.
Garmin inReach Mini
Back in 2018 when I thruhiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) I used the Spot Gen3 GPS/SOS device (you need to google translate that link) and I was pretty happy with it (thankfully I did not have to use the SOS).
The reason I choose to abandon it, is that the Spot devices are not supported by SAR subscription anymore (and I really think that the SAR is something that is well worth the money – it is so inexpensive!)
The subscription for the Spot and Garmin GPS is about the same, and I feel that the possibility to send texts from the Garmin inReach mini could be a nice feature to have.
Weight difference is negligible – the Spot is about 4oz (114g), and the Garmin inReach Mini is about 3,5oz (100g)
Now that I bought the Garmin inReach Mini, of course a version 2 get released (damn you Garmin) which makes it less dependant of a smartphone (the mini 1 version pretty much needs a phone in order to use it for anything other than just turning on/off)
Hyperlite Mountain Gear cap
I have been donning my awesome Tilley Outback hat for a long time, and it is amazing – AND I look freaking amazing! 🙂
The Tilley gives amazing shade from the sun and rain, and my only negative is that it becomes very warm because the fabric is pretty think.
So it is time to try something else, and a basic Trucker style hat is lightweight and it will at least shade my eyes.
One of the reasons I chose the Hyperlite Mountain Gear cap, is that the mesh has some kind of fabric beneath it, which hopefully will shield my scalp from the sun (I am pretty bald, so no hair = easy sunburn on the head).
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Versa fannypack
I love fannypacks when hiking, it’s a nice place to have your small items (headphones, phone, candy, camera etc.)
I used a Thru-pack Summit Bum on my last hike on the Padjelanta trail in 2021 and it was just a tad too smal to hold my Sony A7II camera, so I decided to get a new one and chose the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Versa
For some reason I read the size to be bigger than the Thru-pack Summit Bum , which turns out is NOT the case 🙂 so I will have to figure out what to do about that – Maybe I will buy a Peak Design Capture Camera Clip (I used one for a short while on the PCT, but wasn’t too happy about how the camera felt bouncing on the shoulder straps – but it might be the best solution after all.. what to do, what to do)
JollyGear “Triple Crown Button Down Sun Hoodie”
Jolly is a thruhiker that I met while hinking the PCT back in 2018 so when he announced that he was making hiking shirts, – “Triple Crown Button Down Sun Hoodie” I had no doubts that I needed one for my CDT thruhike. It looks awesome, and I get to support him and his business!
So if you wanna look cool while hiking – but still smell like real hiker trash, you should visit his webshop and get yourself a fancy shirt 🙂
I will get this shirt when I get to Lordsburg, so I can’t show any of my own pictures of it.
Ricoh GR III
I chose the easy way to solve my dilemma about camera size and how to fit it into my fannypack 🙂
As I wrote above in the fanny pack text, my Sony A7III camera was too big to fit in a fannypack and adding the weight of a Peak Design Capture Camera Clip was not something I was thrilled about because the camera is already on the heavy side – SO I decided to splurge and buy the Ricoh GR III, which I already had my eye on while preparing for my Arizona Trail hike.
The reason I went for the Ricoh GR III and not something like the <Insert your favorite pocket camera names here> was that the sensor size on the Ricoh GR III is APSC, meaning that it is much larger than the regular pocket cameras (which have a sensor about half the size if they are top end) which in turn means better picture quality – specifically in low light – and I have this romantic notion that I will shoot pictures of the night sky (which happend ONCE on the PCT) 🙂
The size of the camera is very pocket friendly so it will fit anywhere (and yes pervert, even there) AND weighs way less than my sony setup.
The Ricoh GR III has a 28mm lens (about the same as an iPhone) and no zoom, but on the PCT where I used the Fujifilm X100F – which has a 35mm lens – I never missed the zoom function, and now I even have a wider field of view. So I am confident that it will not be a problem for me. Otherwise You will know when I start to ramble about it on my Youtube videos 🙂
Changing my camera setup even pushes my base weight down to about 10.6lb (4800g) which I am pretty happy about 🙂
Nitecore NB20000 Powerbank
My trusty Anker powerbank that I bought for my PCT thruhike back in 2018 started to act up and not be able to recharge my phone more than 2-2.5 times (thankfully I tested it beforehand), so I started to look for a new powerbank.
The Nitecore seems to get good reviews AND its even lighter than my old one, so I figured why not try it out – the Nitecore NU25 headlamp is pretty nice, so I know they can make quality stuff.
Another added bonus about the Nitecore NB2000 is that its able to charge to 80% in just 2.4 hours using my tiny Anker 30W wall charger.
I haven’t testet it myself and I also have no idea if 100% will take 8 hours 🙂 but it’s good to know that you can get a pretty decent/quickly charge of you’re just stopping by a town for a quick resupply etc.
I almost forgot to mention another MAJOR bonus of the Nitecore NB2000 – it’s only 324g !! 😉
That was about it for my New gear for Continental Divide Trail 2022 (CDT)
If you actually read all this, can you please go to my Youtube channel and subscribe? 🙂 My goal for this hike is to get 1000 subscribers (in total! I’m not delusional hehe)
