The Sierra High Route was more challenging than we anticipated. We were out for 15 days, did 205 miles, spent most of the time off-trail, and experienced several intense mountain passes. The trip was rewarding, thrilling, tiring, and invigorating. Several people have asked for a list of the gear we relied on to complete the trail. Here’s all of it!
Complete Gear List:
Backpacks:
Zpacks Arc Air 50L DCF Backpack with 2 Belt Pouches (discontinued, replaced by the 50L Arc Haul)
Tent:
Zpacks Duplex Tent. (We have used this tent for hundreds and hundreds of nights and it’s held up beyond our wildest expectations.)
Quilts:
Enlightened Equipment Revelation Sleeping Quilt (950 down / 20F / Regular / Slim / Draft Collar)
Shoes:
Renee: HOKA Mafate Speed 4
Tim: HOKA Mafate Speed 4
(NOTE: Great shoes, but they’ve been discontinued. The Mafate 5’s are a decent alternative)
Sleeping Pads:
Nemo Switchback (Closed-Cell Foam / Short)
Hiking Poles:
Black Diamond Distance Z Trekking Poles – Pair
Water Storage:
Water Filter 1: Sawyer Squeeze
Water Filter 2: Lifestraw Peak Series
Water Bottles: Smartwater or Lifewtr bottles (Two1-Liter & One 0.7-Liter each)
Collapsible Water Bottle: CNOC Collapsable Water Bottle (1L), which collapses to be tiny when not needed.
Kitchen:
Pot: Thruhikers hot/cold prototype (1.1-Litre)
Stove: Olicamp ION Micro Titanium
Spork: Titanium Spork x1
Fuel: Olicamp Rocket Fuel (8oz)
Handkerchief: PCT Bandana
Food Storage:
Bear Vault BV500: We do not like this type of bear-safe storage, but this or something like it is required for parts of the Sierra High Route.
Electronics:
Garmin Fenix 8 51mm Solar GPS watches (x2). Note that the Fenix 9 was just released.
Anker Power Bank (20,000 mAh) x1, Anker Power Bank (10,000 mAh) x2, and a Nitecore Ultralight Power Bank.
Nitecore NU25 400UL Headlamp (Tim). Renee lost hers a while ago and brought an old headlamp.
Cell Phone for maps and photos/videos
Two action cameras (An older Go-pro and a nicer DJI Osmo Action 6)
Cables
Renee’s Clothing:
Shorts: Lululemon Synthetic Shorts
Sun Hoodie: Patagonia Synthetic Sun Hoodie
Underwear: ExOfficio Give-N-Go Bikini Brief (3)
Socks: Darn Tough Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks (3)
Gators: Dirty Girl Gators
Base Layer Top: Women’s Classic All-Season Merino Base Layer Long Sleeve
Base Layer Bottom: Women’s Classic All-Season Merino Base Layer Bottom
Jacket: Enlightened Equipment Torrent Jacket (NOTE: This jacket is amazing, and the price is amazing too for the warmth it provides.)
Rain Coat: Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket
Buff: Buff
Glove Liners
Baseball Hat
Sunglasses: Ombraz Viale
Tim’s Clothing:
Shorts: Smartwool Men’s Recycled Polyester Shorts
Sun Hoodie: Patagonia Synthetic Sun Hoodie
Underwear: ExOfficio Give-N-Go 2.0 (2)
Socks: Darn Tough Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks (2)
Gators: Dirty Girl Gators
Base Layer Top: Men’s Classic All-Season Merino Base Layer Long Sleeve
Base Layer Bottom: Men’s Classic All-Season Merino Base Layer Bottom
Jacket: Enlightened Equipment Torrent Jacket (NOTE: This jacket is amazing, and the price is amazing too for the warmth it provides.)
Rain Coat: Outdoor Research Helium
Buff: Buff
Glove Liners
Baseball Hat
Sunglasses: Ombraz Classic
Toiletries:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Sun Screen
Toilet:
Poop Shovel: The Deuce #2
Hand Sanitizer
Antimicrobial Pee Cloth (Renee only, like this one)
Menstrual Cup: Diva cup (Renee only)
First Aid Kit
(small amounts of necessary items)
Miscellaneous:
Dry Sack: Zpacks Roll Top Dry Bag (10″ x 18″)
Microspikes: We left these in the car but wished we had them at a few points. Ours are by Katula.
Bug Spray: DEET
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