My gear and my tramily (D-97 @ 2148 - Zero day)

Some of you have asked about what gear I am using. Since today is a Zero day (the last Zero day was on D-57) and there is nothing much to report other than the fact that I shipped the last set of resupply boxes to different places in Washington state and ate substantial amounts of food today, I figured I might as well talk about my gear, and also a bit about the other most essential component on the hike - my "tramily" (trail-family).

 Tent : 1-person Rainbow Li from Tarptent (bought new). This has worked very well for me and as you know from my earlier posts, Tarptent has given very good customer service too. I haven't had the chance to use the tent in heavy rain or snow (luckily) though and can't comment on it. I use a Tyvek ground sheet (already owned), also from Tarptent.

Backpack: Catalyst from ULA (already owned).  I started with Zpack Arc Air Robic 60L (bought new) and used it for 700 miles, but it was not comfortable at all. Based on my experience and conversations with other hikers, the Zpack backpacks are good for smaller loads (< 30 lbs), but not meant for heavier carries and definitely, not for carrying a bear canister. So I replaced it with the ULA Catalyst before the Seirras and I have been quite satisfied with it. It is a 11-year-old backpack and is still in good condition. There are a couple of small holes that came about when hard tree branches got caught in it and I pulled hard. That was my carelessness and the holes were easily patched up. BTW, the newer model of Catalyst is slightly different, but still should work very well.

Sleeping bag : Zpack 20 F Quilt (bought new). This works ok, except for the coldest nights. It is lightweight and has the flexibility of being used as a quilt or a proper sleeping bag (without the hood). On the coldest nights, I wore my down jacket too and that was just fine. However, if I were to buy again, I would buy a regular mummy sleeping bag, most likely from Western Mountaineering. They make excellent bags.

Sleeping pad: Neoair Xlite (W, Regular) by Thermorest (bought new). When this works, it is a great sleeping pad. Lightweight, warm and comfortable. However, almost everybody who owns this pad, incl me, has had leakage issues. Thermorest said it could take up to 12 weeks to fix the issue even though it is under warranty. That doesn't work in a thru-hike.. So, I am getting by with a temporary patch fix that I did, which works for most times but not always. My recommendation is to stay away from this brand and buy something more durable (maybe Exped?).

Sleeping Bag Liner: Homemade thin cotton liner (stitched by Shalini). Works great. Cotton is very comfortable and as long as it is thin, it is not heavy either. Also, I wash it along with my clothes and this keeps it and the sleeping quilt clean.

Pillow: Zpacks stuff sack/pillow (bought new).  This is a stuff sack which has felt liner on the inside. So you can turn it inside-out, put some clothes in there and you have a pillow! Has worked quite well for me.

Shoes: Altra Lone Peak Hiker & Vasque Breeze LT (all bought new).  The Altras are comfortable with a wider toe box, but definitely less durable. Softer soles make them a bad choice for rocky trails. But, they are airy which means they get completely wet even in small water crossings, but dry rather quickly. Also, fine dust goes into the shoe very easily. The Hiker version has a bit of ankle support and that worked well for me.

I just started using the Vasque shoes and am still forming an opinion about them.

Another good option that I have seen other hikers use are the Hoka Speedgoat, though I haven't had the chance to try one myself.

Socks: Darn Tough socks (bought new) with REI sock liners (already had).  The socks have worked excellently well. I occasionally use the sock liners along with the socks. Works great!

Hiking pole : Arpenaz 100 pole from Decathlon (bought new).  A lightweight & durable, yet cheap pole. Highly recommended. I use only 1 pole and have used this one everyday for the whole hike till now.

Micro-spikes: Yaktrax Walking Traction.  Cleats (already had & bought new pair too, when I lost the old ones). Works well in hard packed snow and is durable.

Clothes: 1 pair of Ex-Officio and 1 pair of Decathlon convertible pants. Quick dry full sleeve t-shirts. Merino wool or quick-dry inner t-shirts. Ex-Officio underwear.

Hat: Frog Toggs Rain/Sun hat (already owned/bought new when the old one tore)

Rain gear: Frog Toggs Rain pant and jacket (already owned).  These work ok in light rain but completely useless in slightly heavy rain or wind. I would recommend a better quality lightweight rain jacket from Montbell or REI or any other standard brand. It will be expensive but worth it. No need for rain pants, if the regular pants are quick dry anyway, as mine are.

Gloves: Glove liners and OR outer gloves (already owned/bought new liners)

Bug net: Sea-to-Summit Mosquito Head Net (bought new)

Head lamp: Petzl Bindi Ultralight Headlamp (bought new)

Sunglasses: Decathlon sports sun-shades (already owned)

Jacket: Montbell 800-fill ultralight down jacket (already owned)

Stuff sacks: 3 Outdoor Research (OR) sacks (already owned)

GPS Tracker: Spot Gen 4 Tracker (bought new)

You all know the issues with my Spot device and the goof-ups by the company. I would recommend going with Garmin InReach which is lighter and apparently more durable. Get the one where you can send and receive messages. Almost all hikers have the Garmin.

Route-finding App: Far-out (Guthook guide) (bought).  Although not exactly gear, this has been a most useful app that I (& almost every thru-hiker) use everyday. This is one of those apps that works well and just has the right amount of functionality without too much excess bloat.

 Stove: Primus backpacking stove (already owned) with Bic mini-lighter 

Cooking Pot: Snow Peak 35 oz titanium pot without the lid (already owned).  Don't really need a large pot like this, but I didn't want to buy another one. I use aluminum foil as a lid. Of course, I minimally use the stove and that too only for boiling water most times and occasionally got cooking noodles. In fact, as of today, I no longer have the pot or the stove as I have shipped them back. Hadn't used it for last 3+ weeks and figured I don't need it anymore.

Power bank: Mi 20,000 mAH power bank (already owned)

Watch: Garmin Enduro (already owned)

My tramily

I have been very lucky in finding two fantastic people who I have hiked/camped with for multiple days. As I have mentioned multiple times, it is ok to hike solo but having company is really, really valuable and helpful. In the Seirras, I hiked with Guy and then, in the later part of Seirras and further on till now, I have been hiking with Sofie. Absolutely wonderful people, they are, and I think I have made two lifelong friends.