My Favorite Backpacking Gear of 2017 (Top 10)

Description

** Stuff/Gear I Mention in this Video **

Columbia Silver Ridge - http://amzn.to/2jUEFrB

BRS UL Stove - http://amzn.to/2ATAJlx

EE Recon Bivy - https://enlightenedequipment.com/recon/

Trekology UL Pillow - http://amzn.to/2iojOg1

CNOC Vecto Water Container - https://cnocoutdoors.com/collections/all/products/vecto-water-container

Deuce of Spades - http://amzn.to/2jUfupl

ZPacks Nero - http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/nero.shtml

CNOC Vertex Carbon Cork - http://amzn.to/2klCtgL

Altra Lone Peak 3.5 - http://amzn.to/2inntLh

Zpacks Duplex Tent - http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml

AZT Section Gear List - https://darwinonthetrail.com/2017/09/22/darwins-2017-azt-section-hike/

AT Gear List - https://darwinonthetrail.com/2016/05/03/darwins-2016-at-gear-list/

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*** Gear Used to Shoot this Video! ***

- Camera -

Canon EOS 77D - http://amzn.to/2zf5OQ9

- Lense -

Canon EF 24mm IS USM - http://amzn.to/2zeJuWU

- Sound -

TakStar Shotgun Mic - http://amzn.to/2kMsAnM

- TriPod -

Targus 360 Trigger Tripod - http://amzn.to/2kMsU5Y

------Intro & Animation By: BlackStrap Media------

https://blackstrapmedia.com

------- Music By: Mike Boren --------

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Tags: Appalachian Trail,AT,AT Thru Hike,UL Backpacking Gear,UL Gear,Thru Hike,UL Hiking,UL Backpacking,PCT,PCT Thru Hike,AZT,Arizona Trail,CDT,Backpacking,Hiking,Hiker Trash,Top 10,Adventure,camping,zpacks,zpacks duplex,altra lone peak 3.5

Video Transcription

hey guys it's Darwin here with my top 10 favorite backpacking gear of 2017 [Music]

all right so technically it's not the end of 2017 yet because we still have like three weeks left but I don't plan on getting any new gear before the years out so I think we're okay if you've been following along here on the channel for this past year you'll know that I have tested and reviewed and talked about a ton of different backpacking gear and personally I have used a ton of different backpacking gear this year between trips like my section hike of the CDT and April to my section hike of the Arizona Trail in September a ton of hiking in the Grand Canyon some hiking in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park a bunch of weekend backpacking trips and a lot of day hiking I have used a crap ton of gear so I figured I would compiled a list of my top ten favorite pieces of gear from 2017 that I used for the first time this year all right so number 10 would be a piece of gear that has completely changed the way I dress on the trail and that is the Columbia Silver Ridge long-sleeve light shirt now before I pick this guy up for my section hike of the CDT in April I'd always been one of those tech t-shirt guys always wearing like a Nike Pro combat shirt I picked this up specifically for that desert section hike of the CDT to obviously give me some block from the Sun and not only was it great for the harsh Desert Sun on that section but just overall an amazing hiking shirt it's great for sun protection it breathes really well it can be a long sleeve it can be a short sleeve it looks pretty snazzy this has become my new favorite hiking shirt for section hikes day hikes and it'll be the shirt that I'll wear for my entire through hike of the PCT next year so it makes the list number nine is a piece of gear that actually replaced another one of my favorite pieces of gear and that is the BRS ultralight stove you guys have been subscribed to the channel here for the last couple years you'll know one of my favorite all-time pieces of gear was the Snow Peak light Mac stove it's the stove that I carried on the Appalachian Trail at the beginning of the year I picked this guy up because it seemed like a great budget option and it has become my favorite go-to stove now even though I do a lot of cold soaking nowadays when I do need a stove for the trail I

the BRS it's super lightweight it's super compact and they're really cheap this little stoves pretty hard to beat and it's probably going to be going with me next year on my hike of the PCT so because it replaced one of my older favorite pieces of gear it definitely makes the list number eight is a piece of gear that I didn't even expect to light and then ended up changing the way I think about shelters on the trail and that is the enlightened equipment recon vivvy now before I pick this guy up I had never been a big fan of Vivi's because I'm a tent guy I like having that extra room to spread out and to have a home on the trail I picked the Recon vivvy up specifically to get my base weight down and go with an ultra light setup and to my surprise I really really love this thing it's super simple super lightweight coming in right around seven ounces and it's an awesome shelter if you're not expecting hardcore weather so even though I won't be taking this next year on my hike of the PCT it'll definitely be coming with me on a lot more trips in the future number seven is another piece of gear that replaced one of my old favorite pieces of gear and that is the trek ology ultra light pillow you guys might know I'm a big fan of the sea2summit Eros ultralight pillow and I've been carrying it for about two years now it helps me get awesome sleep on the trail when I was doing one of my ultralight gear on a budget videos I picked this guy up on a whim to my surprise I loved it so much more than my arrows pillow for one it's a lot bigger than my arrows pillow it weighs just a little bit more and it's a whole lot cheaper now again because this replaced one of my old favorite pieces of gear it definitely makes the list for my favorite gear of 2017 number six is a piece of gear that the first time I saw it I knew it was gonna make this list and that is the nock vecto water container back in August when I went to PCT trail days I was just kind of looking around at all the new gear on the market and this one definitely stood out to me I ditched my platypus gravity feed system about a year ago and I was looking for a good replacement for a lot of water storage something not too crazy big something not too crazy heavy but something that was tough enough to last a full thru-hike of the PCT now after taking this guy out on my section hike of the Arizona Trail and using it on every hike sense I absolutely love these walk containers they're nice and lightweight they have a huge opening at the top you can screw your filter right on to the bottle these things Rock and I actually plan on picking up another one for my hike of the PCT so this definitely makes my list of favorite gear of 2017 number five is one that I had thought about for quite a while and I kind of struggled with because I never used one before and that is the tent lab deuce of Spades trowel

I had always totally been against using a trowel on the trail using a stick or a trekking pole or my shoe or rock or anything else and then came to the realization that I needed to help promote good Leave No Trace and if you guys watch the video that I did on the trowel

you'll know that I read an article that completely changed my mind so I finally gave in and I picked up one of these guys and to my surprise I couldn't imagine digging a crap hole without it number four is one that you guys have probably seen coming for a while now and it's a pack that totally changed the way I go ultralight on the trail and that is the z-pak snare Oh an awesome super lightweight frameless backpack I picked this guy up for my section hike of the Arizona Trail and now when I'm putting together an ultralight kit for a super fast small hike this is my go-to pack I love the simplicity of it the big mesh storage pocket the water bottle pockets on the outside the fact that I can put my butt pad in the back to add some padding to it this pack is awesome and it has definitely become one of my favorite pieces of gear this year number three the Nok vertex carbon cork trekking poles if you guys remember from the beginning of the year I was totally sold on the Black Diamond ergo carbon cork poles and those were the trekking poles that I picked up for my through hike of the PCT until I found the vertex even lighter then my black diamonds they fold up super small so they can go in your pack for a Z polar completely adjustable they have a cork handle these have become my new favorite trekking Pole so the vertex makes the list number two is a shoe that changed the way that I hike and that is the ultra Lone Peak 3.5 now if you guys know before this year I was a hardcore advocate for the Mero Moab later even though it was a heavier trail shoe it was one of my favorites is the shoe that took me the entire length of the Appalachian Trail as far as I was considered it was the perfect hiking shoe until I tried the Lone Peak so much more comfortable so much lighter a big wide toe box a gator trap these shoes are awesome going forward this is my go-to shoe and it's definitely coming with me next year on the PCT all right guys last but not least is number one my favorite piece of gear from 2017 and that is my Z packs a duplex tent as some of you guys might know I was kind of struggling going back and forth with some different tents for a while at the beginning of the year and finally I pulled the trigger and bought one of these guys and it has not disappointed and become my favorite tent that I've ever owned

it's perfect just for me when I'm out on the trail but it's also perfect if snuggles and I want to go out on a backpacking trip together it has a ton of room on the inside and it's just awesome and it will be my home away from home next year on the PCT a little expensive but totally worth every penny the Z packs duplex tent is amazing alright guys so again I played with a ton of gear this year tested it out reviewed it beat the hell out of it but those 10 pieces of gear are my favorite of 2017 so what some of your favorite gear from 2017 leave it in the comment box below and let me know your thoughts if you haven't had a chance yet go over and check me out on Instagram I've been posting a lot of new photos lately of some of the things that snuggles and I have going on throughout the week plus some pictures from some past hikes if you found any value in this video go ahead and hit that like button subscribe to my channel if you haven't already and as always guys thanks for watching [Music]

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