All the gear we used on our Continental Divide Trail thruhike

We minimized gear and chose lightweight equipment for our 2021 CDT thruhike. We both had base weights of about 10 lbs for the CDT (weight of all equipment excluding food & water), which was a few pounds lighter than our 2018 Pacific Crest Trail thruhike base weights (see our PCT Gear List). We also made some gear changes along the way as we hiked from Mexico to Canada.

Below is a simple list of everything we carried on the Continental Divide Trail. Also check out our gear lists with base weights on Lighterpack:

• New Mexico Base Weight: Renee (9.6 lbs) / Tim (9.5 lbs)
• Colorado Base Weight: Renee (11 lbs) / Tim (11.9 lbs)
• Wyoming/Idaho/Southern Montana Base Weight: Renee (10.5 lbs) / Tim (10.7 lbs)
• Northern Montana Base Weight: Renee (10.6 lbs) / Tim (10.6 lbs)

CDT Gear List:

Joint Gear:

• Shelter: Zpacks Duplex Tent for Colorado through Montana. Borah Gear 9’x9′ Tarp with Lawson Equipment Guy-Lines (2 mm) & Tensioners in New Mexico.
• Stakes for Tent/Tarp: Lightweight Aluminum Stakes / replaced with Ultralight Carbon Stakes by at Stakes
• Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket 2 / replaced with Olicamp ION Micro Titanium
• Pot: Olicamp XTS (1-Litre)
• Utensil: Snow Peak Titanium Spork (we shared a single spork)
• Poop Trowel: TheTentLab The Deuce #2 UL Backcountry Trowel
• Lighter: Bic
• Rags: PCT bandana for pot & a small towel for tent condensation
• Rope: 40′ of generic rope for Wyoming/Montanta (grizzly bear country)
• First aid/gear repair kit: Razor blade, tweezers, mini nail clippers, needle, mini lighter, tenacious tape, duct tape, Band-Aids, Leukotape, first aid ointment, alcohol wipes, gauze, pain killers, and antihistamine all carried in a quart-size Ziplock bag for water protection. (Note: we carried just a little bit of each and added more as needed.)

Tim’s Gear:

• Backpack: Zpacks Arc Air 50L DCF Backpack with 2 Belt Pouches
• Sleeping Bag: Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 20°F Sleeping Bag (Regular / Titanium)
• Sleeping Pad: Nemo Switchback (Closed-Cell Foam / Size: Short)
• Ground Sheet: Tyvek (6′ Piece)
• Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze / replaced with Platypus QuickDraw
• Water Bottles: Smartwater or Lifewtr bottles (3-5 as needed)
• Food Storage: Ursack Major (Bear-Resistant Bag)
• Dry Sack: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Nano Dry Sack (13L)
• Head Lamp: Black Diamond Iota (USB Rechargeable)
• Cell Phone: iPhone 12
• GPS Watch: Garmin Fenix 3
• Power Bank/Accessories: Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 mAh Power Bank; dual-port wall plug (USBC & USB); cables for power bank, phone, headlamp, & watch; all carried in a quart-size Ziplock bag for water protection
• Toiletries: Toothbrush
• Snow Traction: Kahtoola Microspikes for Colorado’s San Juan Mountains
• Bug Protection: Sea to Summit Head Net for Colorado
• Hiking Poles: Black Diamond Distance Z Trekking Poles – Pair
• Bear Spray: Udap Bear Spray for Wyoming/Montana (grizzly bear country)

Renee’s Gear:

• Backpack: Zpacks Arc Air 50L DCF Backpack with 2 Belt Pouches
• Sleeping Bag: Feathered Friends Egret UL 20°F Women’s Sleeping Bag (Small / Lupine)
• Sleeping Pad: Nemo Switchback (Closed-Cell Foam / Size: Short)
• Ground Sheet: Tyvek (6′ Piece)
• Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze / replaced with Platypus QuickDraw
• Water Bottles: Smartwater or Lifewtr bottles (3-5 as needed)
• Food Storage: Ursack Major (Bear-Resistant Bag)
• Dry Sack: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Nano Dry Sack (13L)
• Head Lamp: Petzel Bindi (USB Rechargeable)
• Cell Phone: Google Pixel 4
• GPS Watch: Garmin Fenix 5
• Power Bank/Accessories: Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 mAh Power Bank; Quick-charging plug (USBC only); cables for phone/power bank, headlamp, & watch; all carried in a quart-size Ziplock bag for water protection
• Toiletries: Toothbrush and Diva Cup
• Snow Traction: Kahtoola Microspikes for Colorado’s San Juan Mountains
• Bug Protection: Sea to Summit Head Net for Colorado
• Hiking Poles: Black Diamond Distance Z Trekking Poles – Pair
• Bear Spray: Counter Assault Bear Spray for Wyoming/Montana (grizzly bear country)

Tim’s Clothing:

• Shoes: Altra Lone Peak 4.5 (630 miles), Altra Lone Peak 5 (520 miles), Altra Timp 2 (570 miles), Hoka Torrent (800 miles), Hoka Torrent (480 miles)
• Socks: 2-3 pairs Darn Tough Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks (replaced a couple of times)
• Waterproof Socks: Hanz Waterproof Socks for Colorado’s San Juan Mountains
• Gators: Dirty Girl Gators (replaced once)
• Underwear: 2 pairs ExOfficio
• Base Layer: Patagonia Lightweight Capilene Shirt & Pants
• Puffy: Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer / replaced with Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer UL
• Rain Coat: Outdoor Research Helium II
• Rain Pants: Outdoor Research Helium II
• Rain Mitts: Borah Gear
• Gloves: Synthetics Liner Gloves
• Sun Protection: Baseball Cap, Bandana, and Sunglasses
• Outfit #1 (worn in New Mexico):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Icebreaker Merino Wool T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Columbia Synthetic Collared Hiking Shirt
  • Pants: Columbia Synthetic Zip-Off Hiking Pants
• Outfit #2 (worn in Colorado):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Icebreaker Merino Wool T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Thrift-Store Flannel
  • Pants: Mountain Hardware Synthetic Basin Trek Pants
• Outfit #3 (worn in Wyoming & Idaho/Southern Montana):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Lululemon Synthetic T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Patagonia Synthetic Sun Hoodie
  • Shorts: Lululemon Synthetic Shorts
• Outfit #4 (worn in Northern Montana):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Lululemon Synthetic T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Patagonia Synthetic Pullover
  • Pants: Mountain Hardware Synthetic Basin Trek Pants

Renee’s Clothing:

• Shoes: Altra Timp 2 (630 miles), Altra Timp 2 (520 miles), Altra Timp 2 (570 miles), Altra Timp 2 (800 miles), Altra Timp 2 (480 miles)
• Socks: 2-3 pairs Darn Tough Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks (replaced a couple of times)
• Waterproof Socks: Hanz Waterproof Socks for Colorado’s San Juan Mountains
• Gators: Dirty Girl Gators (replaced once)
• Underwear: 3 pairs ExOfficio
• Bra: ExOfficio
• Base Layer: Patagonia Lightweight Capilene Shirt & Pants
• Puffy: Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer / replaced with Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer UL
• Rain Coat: Outdoor Research Helium II
• Rain Pants: Outdoor Research Helium II
• Rain Mitts: Borah Gear
• Gloves: REI Wool Liner Gloves
• Sun Protection: Baseball Cap and Sunglasses
• Outfit #1 (worn in New Mexico):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Icebreaker Merino Wool T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Patagonia Synthetic Pullover
  • Pants: REI Synthetic Zip-off Hiking Pants
• Outfit #2 (worn in Colorado):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Icebreaker Merino Wool T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Patagonia Synthetic Pullover
  • Pants: Mountain Hardware Synthetic Dynama Pants
• Outfit #3 (worn in Wyoming & Idaho/Southern Montana):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Lululemon Synthetic T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Patagonia Synthetic Sun Hoodie
  • Shorts: Lululemon Synthetic Shorts
• Outfit #4 (worn in Northern Montana):
  • Short Sleeve Shirt: Lululemon Synthetic T-Shirt
  • Long Sleeve Shirt: Patagonia Synthetic Pullover
  • Pants: Mountain Hardware Dynama Pants

Unneeded Gear:

• Solar Panel – Charging in town worked well for us. We tried a solar panel for part of the trail and found it did not charge well.

Consumables:

We also carried the following but did not include them in our base weights: fuel, toothpaste, sunscreen, Chapstick, and DEET as needed. And of course food and water!

A Few Photos of our Gear in Action on the CDT:

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