My Colorado Trail gear list and some thoughts on what worked

I thru-hiked the 500-mile Colorado Trail in July 2023. It was my first thru-hike. This is a super-amateur, thru-hiking-noob’s realistic gear list for anyone who might be curious. Definitely not all-inclusive either, I’m not bothering to include small things like what brand of spork I used. I’ll mention some thoughts at the end on what I loved, what worked fine, and what I’d change in the future.

The Durston X-Mid Pro 1 at my first camp in Segment 1. I freaking love this tent.

Gear

Tent: Durston X-Mid Pro 1

Sleeping pad: Nemo Tensor Insulated

Sit pad/sleeping pad protection: Cheap yoga mat from Sierra Trading Post

Sleeping bag: Hyke & Byke Eolus 0

Backpack: ULA Circuit (XPAC material, custom colors)

Filtration system: Sawyer Squeeze + Smartwater bottles

Stove: Jetboil Stash

Food Storage: Ursack Major

A typical OOTD: Altras, gaiters, running shorts, sun hoodie.

Clothes

Rain jacket: Frogg Toggs

Rain pants: REI Rainier Rain Pants

Fleece: Senchi Designs Alpha 120 Hoodie

Insulated jacket: Patagonia Micropuff Hoodie

Sun hoodie: Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie

Shoes: Altra Lone Peak 6s

Gaiters: Dirty Girls

What I liked:

As a first-time thru-hiker coming from a traditional backpacking background, I did the best I could with what I would call a medium budget to lighten my pack for the Colorado Trail. My base weight was about 12 pounds, which was definitely not the lightest on the trail, but worked perfectly for me and was a major upgrade from my old setup. And as for the age old question of whether it was worth it to go lighter: yes, a million times yes. Is that to say that you can’t thru-hike with a more traditional, heavier backpacking set up? Definitely not. I met someone on the trail who hiked the entire thing in Chacos with old-school gear for his first backpacking trip ever. But for me, I was willing to shell out some money to improve my old kit, and I don’t regret that at all. My two biggest upgrades were my tent and my pack.

I bought my first one-person tent for the CT, upgrading from my Sierra Designs Studio 2 that I had been using before. I upgraded to the Durston X-Mid Pro 1, a complete 180 from my old tent. The X-Mid Pro is a dyneema, single wall, non-freestanding tent weighing in at a sexy 16 ounces. I freaking love this thing and felt like it was worth every penny. It packs down tiny, weighs as much as half a Nalgene of water, and is a super easy pitch. I have no regrets and would recommend this tent to anyone. The dyneema material was a huge plus on the CT, where it rains almost every night in the summer. Unlike silpoly, dyneema doesn’t absord any water, so my tent was a piece of cake to pack each morning and I rarely had to dry it out. And to the skeptics out there about single-wall tents: condensation was never an issue for me.

I also made the switch from my old trusty Osprey Aura, a classic 65L backpack, over to the ULA Circuit, which comes highly recommended by PCT hikers. At first, the adjustment was a little hard; I was used to the comfort of ten thousand pockets offered by the Aura, while the Circuit isn’t far from being just a big tube. But by the end of my thru hike, I couldn’t imagine going back! I actually felt like I was more organized with the Circuit, and I loved never having to ask the question of which pocket I threw my chapstick in. The Circuit was comfortable, easy to pack, and the waterproof XPAC material gave me peace of mind on rainy days (though I did still opt to use a pack liner for safe measures). At maximum capacity, the Circuit comes in at around 65 liters of storage, which definitely felt excessive at times. I think I’ll downsize for my next thru-hike.

Clothing wise, I have some things to say. First, I know what you’re thinking: Frogg Toggs? On the CT? During summer monsoons? Okay, so I have to disclose that I got really lucky with my July 2023 hike and had unseasonably little rain. That said, I never regretted my choice to go for the cheapo Frogg Toggs. They were super totally good enough. I was glad I brought rain pants, but more for mosquito purposes than anything.

It’s controversial-ish, but my Altra Lone Peak 6s were my perfect shoe. The wide toe box and zero-drop structure worked really well for me doing the long days that thru-hiking demands. That said, everyone’s feet are different, and my best advice is to find your perfect shoe. I was really glad I brought gaiters and wore them every day.

The Patagonia Micropuff was the perfect insulated jacket for the CT. I was glad to have a synthetic jacket over a down because of the potential for rain, and I never felt like my Micropuff wasn’t warm enough. And it’s pretty dang light for a brand that doesn’t specialize in ultralight gear. That’s a jacket that I would totally recommend to anyone in the market for a lightweight, synthetic, packable puffy.

What was fine-ish:

I used a cheap sleeping bag. It was fine. I’d love to be able to upgrade to something lighter for future hikes, but my 3-pound Eolus 0 never did me dirty on the CT. For the average hiker, I would say a 20 degree bag (from a quality brand) is plenty for Colorado in the summer. Compared to my other true zero degree bag, the Eolus 0 felt more like a 20 degree bag.

I also really wished I had a lightweight foam mat to protect my inflatable pad and to use as a sit pad. I picked up a cheap yoga mat to use for this purpose in Breckenridge after acquiring an unsavory leak in my inflatable pad, which worked fine, but I would have loved to have something that packed smaller and weighed less. However, I definitely recommend some sort of sit pad, and if you’re a Nemo Tensor person like me, it’s definitely worth putting something under it because they’re prone to punctures.

To sum it all up:

Going lighter is nice, but not a requirement. If you’re going to invest in some lighter gear, be mindful of where your priorities lie: mine were my tent and backpack to start, and I was happy with that call. I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in the noise of what a thru hiker “should” have, but at the end of the day, everyone’s kit should be different. Hike your own hike, as they say. There was so much diversity in the gear and pack weights I saw on the CT, and I hiked with folks carrying everything from teeny-tiny 6 pound base weights to traditional setups with base weights upwards of 20 pounds. It honestly doesn’t really matter that much. Do your thing is my final advice.