“Must Have” Gear

We haven’t tried everything on the market, but we do our fair share of research before we buy and we only hold on to the gear that we can depend on.  Here is a list of “must haves” for backpacking as a family:

Packs

Adult Packs

Both my husband and I carry Gregory packs.  His is the Gregory Baltoro 65 and I carry the Gregory Deva 60.  I love the way this pack fits and the design is well thought out.  I have used this pack for several years and it shows very little wear and nothing has failed on the pack.  The back panel, waist belt, and lumbar pad form to your body.  The shoulder harness straps are also well padded and cut in to tailor the fit to a woman’s body and to avoid “saddle sores” on your shoulders or collar bones.  This pack fits me like a glove.  I have yet to try a pack that doesn’t rub me raw on my hip bones, but I don’t think such a pack exists.  I have remedied that problem by sticking moleskin patches on my skin directly over the hip bones and leaving them there until they fall off (the moleskin patches, not the hip bones!).

Kid Packs

My older son (11 years old, 5′, 80 lbs) has carried a pack by The North Face:  the Terra 55 Youth.  I can find nothing good to say about this pack so I will stop here.  We will be purchasing him a Gregory Wander pack for next summer.  My younger son (9 years old, 54″, 64 lbs) carries the REI Passage 38 pack.  This is a really well made pack and a great value for what you get. He will be able to use this pack for another year or two.  It fits him quite well and we are able to stuff it with his clothes, sleeping bag and sleeping pad.  Most importantly, he is able to adjust his straps and waist belt on his own.  Great introductory pack for kids.

Boots

Which piece of gear is the most crucial? Obviously there are several pieces that are indispensable and without doubt, boots top the list.  If your feet hurt in any way because of your boots, your trip and your attitude will be seriously hampered.  I prefer a flexible boot for ankle support and especially when I am carrying a pack that is too heavy for my body.  My husband wears the Keen Men’s Targhee II Mid boot and I wear the Keen Women’s Targhee II Mid boot.  Over the last 5 years I have worn hiking boots and shoes by Merrell, Vasque, and Keen and the Keen Targhee II Mid is hands down the ideal boot for me.  Here is why:

1.  No break-in time required:  They feel wonderful from the first hike you take.
2. Durability:  the boot is well made and the leather, stitching and sole has held up beautifully after logging over 300 miles on one pair.  There is some evidence that the foam is compressing so I will probably buy a new pair before the next big hike.
3. Support:  For longer hikes, I have to carry a much heavier pack than I would normally.  For several days on the JMT my pack exceeded 65 pounds (I am 5’5″ and weigh 116 lbs) and any time we are backpacking with our kids, I end up carrying more weight than I prefer.  For this reason, a boot with ankle support is a must.  The Keen Targhee II Mid is light weight but offers me great support and the fit allows me to upgrade the inserts I use for better arch support.
4. Breathability:  This boot ventilates really well so I do not wind up with soaking wet feet at day’s end.  The material is mostly water-proof but after hiking in rain and hail for a few hours, the boots will get wet and you will feel it on your feet.

Water Filtration

Best for a group/family

I wanted something extremely easy and efficient for our 200+ mile hike on the JMT this year.  I also needed a filtration system that could support the hydration needs of 4 people and that could filter water quickly.  I found one that does all of these things and more:  Platypus Gravityworks 4L Water Filter.  I absolutely LOVE this system (it is pictured in the photo at the top of this page).  You fill one bag with water from a water source (lake, stream, etc.) connect a hose with the filter and clean water bag attached on the other end, lift the “dirty water” bag higher than the clean water bag and voila!  Gravity pulls the dirty water through the filter and into the clean bag.  In just a few minutes we had 4 liters of clean water and we were in business.  It rolls up easily for storage in your pack.  There were several times on the JMT where we encountered hikers in need of clean drinking water and we were able to quickly filter water for them and continue on our way.  This system is extremely easy to clean once you get home and the best part is that the kids were able to set up the filter as readily as the adults.  It is that simple.  I now bring this on shorter hikes (3-5 days) and of course will use it on any long distance hikes for our family.

Great for 1 or 2 People

Prior to the Platypus Gravityworks, I used two methods for water purification:  boiling water to be used for cooking & coffee, and then purifying water with the Steripen Adventurer Opti.  This incredibly compact, easy-to-use device uses UV light to purify (kills bacteria, protozoan cysts and viruses) a liter of water in a Nalgene bottle.  I also use the optional pre-filter cap to strain out particulates like algae or dirt when I fill the Nalgene directly from a lake or stream.  The Steripen Adventurer has never failed me and I love the ease of purifying water with this device.  The main drawback is that you can only purify one liter at a time and it requires you to sit and swirl the Steripen in the Nalgene bottle continuously for 2-3 minutes.

Stove and Cookware

Coming soon…

Sleeping bags

Adult bags

I rank the sleeping bag and pad at the same level of importance as a good pair of boots.  If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, the next day will be hell.  And the day after that, and so on.  My husband and I had a few sleeping bag and sleeping pad mishaps on the JMT and one of the first things I did when we were back in civilization was to remedy the problems to avoid the grief on our next trip.

On the JMT, we both used the REI Flash sleeping bag.  It is rated to 32 degrees, has a fill weight of 11.6 oz, and is a decent 3-season bag.  The top of the bag is filled with duck down while the bottom is filled with Primaloft Sport insulation.  This bag was fine for our earlier multi-day forays to Lake Ediza or Shamrock Lake, but it simply was not warm enough for the elevations at which we slept along the JMT, even in July and early August.  My husband and I each slept along the walls of the tent and put the boys in the middle to keep them warm.  The result of this was that we froze our butts off just about every night.  We heard about the Western Mountaineering Alpinlite bag from a seasoned backpacker and after researching the bag, decided to invest in REAL sleeping bags.  Boy are we glad we did.  The Alpinlite is a wider version of their award winning Ultralite bag, rated to 20 degrees, has a fill weight of 17 oz. (5’6″ bag) and weighs in at 1 lb 15 oz.  I got the 5’6″ bag with a left zipper and my husband got the 6’0″ bag with a right zipper (this will allow us to zip them together for added warmth).  We tested them out on a two-night trip up Bishop Pass this past October and this bag is a dream come true.  My true test of a mummy bag is whether or not I can side sleep (my preferred sleep position).  With the Alpinlite, I have enough room in the hip and shoulder sections to sleep comfortably on my side.  It is not an inexpensive sleeping bag but after you buy it, you will have a sleeping bag you can count on for many years to come.

Kids bags

Both boys use the REI Nodder sleeping bag.  It has a synthetic fill and is rated to 25 degrees.  It is rather heavy to carry (2 lbs. 8 oz.) and does not compress as small as a down bag, but it is a decent kids bag at a good price that is easy to clean and it dried in the open air fairly quickly.  My 11 year old can no longer fit comfortably in this bag with his legs stretched out so I would say this bag is best for kids up to 10 years old or under 4′ 5″.

Update, October 2015:  We have given our old REI Flash sleeping bags (see above) to the boys.

Sleeping pads

Adult Pad

Both my husband and I are wimps when it comes to sleeping on the ground.  We want the most comfy, cushiony sleeping pad we can get away with.  For many years we slept on the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pad and we still like them.  Our main complaint is their bulk with you roll them up and their overall weight.  We still have these pads and have handed them down to the kids to use for backyard sleep outs and camping trips.

In 2014, we upgraded our pads to the Big Agnes Q Core SL.  Hubby has the 72″ long pad and I have the 66″ one.  These ultralite sleeping pads have interior baffles that give the pad a quilted texture and prevent you from sinking down to the ground beneath you. They inflate quickly, though the process will leave you feeling light headed at altitude, but that will pass.  While on the JMT this summer, we experienced some problems with our sleeping pads.  My husband’s sprung a tiny leak on the outer seam and one of the baffles burst inside my pad resulting in a bulging hump near my shoulders.  The leak was revealed when we submerged the inflated pad in a lake and I patched it with the included kit. Unfortunately the pad continued to have a slow leak for most of our JMT hike.  The ruptured baffle was less of a problem but the bulge was a bit annoying to sleep on.  The Big Agnes customer service team was incredible when I contacted them with my product complaint.  They asked me to ship my two defective pads back to them and they shipped me two new pads.  I will buy from Big Agnes again in the future.  Love them!

Poles

coming soon…

Tent

For the last few years we have gotten along just fine with our trusty REI Half Dome 4 tent.  On the JMT, this tent protected the 4 of us from mosquitos, rain and hail and the fly offered enough coverage for all 4 packs to be left outside the tent.  This tent is just right for 2 adults and 2 kids.  It is incredibly durable and very easy to put up and break down.  We would like to transition to two, light weight, 2-man tents in the future, but I think we will stick to the Half Dome 4 in 2016.  It is also more fun to have all four of us in the tent together!

Camera, Solar Charger, etc.

Coming soon…

Sony a6000 + 2 batteries

Capture Clip

Solar panel & external battery pack

Black Diamond head lamp