My Favorite Backpacking Gear of 2018 (Top 10)

Description

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

Favorite Backpacking Gear of 2017 - https://youtu.be/G0r3lwfe5Nw

BD Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - https://amzn.to/2R27bu9

Sawyer Micro Squeeze - https://amzn.to/2UUQCzu

CNOC Vecto Water Container - https://amzn.to/2BrAA7l

Pedco Ultra-Pod - https://amzn.to/2R2XP15

Pedco Ultra-Pod 2 - https://amzn.to/2S9LSUG

Canon G7X Mark ii - https://amzn.to/2LazVLM

UCO Air 150 Headlamp - https://amzn.to/2UVbFli

Waymark Thru 40 - https://www.waymarkgearco.com/thru-series-packs

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

Altra Olympus 3.0 - https://amzn.to/2QZHkTJ

EE Enigma 20 Quilt - https://enlightenedequipment.com/enigma-custom/

My 2018 PCT Thru-Hike: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4jf4nhut2WdZr612yrjMcYjz-IPCiAS

Check out all my Camera & Hiking Gear Here: https://kit.com/Darwin_Onthetrail

2018 PCT Thru-Hike Gear List - https://youtu.be/zfqxFjJ8Eb8

*** WAYS TO SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL ***

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darwinonthetrail

(Help Support my 2019 AZT Thru with a pledge as low as a $1/month)

Visit our Etsy Shop! - https://www.etsy.com/shop/TravelandTrail

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

- Cameras -

Canon M50 - https://amzn.to/2NWhTkn

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

- Lense -

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

- Sound -

Rode Video Mic Pro+ - https://amzn.to/2Q5qFxH

- TriPod -

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

------Intro By: Kat Pendergast------

https://superk.at

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

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!

Contact information:

Website: www.darwinonthetrail.com

Instagram: Darwin_Onthetrail

facebook: www.facebook.com/darwinonthetrail

Tags: UL Hiking,UL Backpacking,UL Hiking Gear,PCT,Pacific Crest Trail,PCT Thru Hike,Thru Hike Gear,Arizona Trail,AZT,AZT Thru Hike,Zpacks Duplex,Waymark Thru 40,Enlightened Equipment Enigma,Canon G7X Mark ii,Backpacking,Hiking,Hiker Trash,Adventure,Long Distance Hiking,Favorite Backpacking Gear

Video Transcription

hey guys it's Darwin so we finally made it to the end of the year which means it's time for me to give my top ten favorite pieces of backpacking gear of 2018

alright so 2018 has been a massive year for me and you guys know if you've been following along on the channel I not only reviewed and tested and talked about a bunch of new gear that I tried this year but I put a bunch of old gear through the ringer hiking well over 3,000 miles so because of that this year's list is compiled of not only new gear that's become my favorite but some old gear that is still my favorite because it's been tried and true number ten is a piece of gear that I actually dropped last year because I picked up a new piece of gear in its place and that is the Black Diamond carbon cork trekking pole now if you remember the last year's list I switched over to the Nok vertex carbon cork poles and they were awesome until I got into the High Sierra on the PCT and broke three of those things so because of that I finally reached out for my tried-and-true

trusty Black Diamond carbon cork trekking poles and they've held up great ever since I put a ton of miles on these over the years and they're still going strong so because of that because I reached out and they filled my need of the other trekking pole these have made my list for 2018 number nine is actually a new piece of gear that I picked up after the PCT back in August and that is the Solar micro squeeze now ever since I picked it up I've been using this exclusively on the trail with day hikes plus I used it on my bike tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway back in October now you guys probably know my favorite filter is the sawyer squeeze regular but in this past year they've actually taken it they've made it smaller so it takes up a less room in my pack it weighs almost an ounce less and it has the same flow rate in the same life expectancy as the other one so just because they took one of my favorite pieces of gear my fight it and made it even better the Sawyer micro has made my list for 2018 speaking of filters number eight is actually a piece of gear that was on last year's list and that is the nock vecto water container now that we're at the end of 2018 I have put probably close to 4,000 miles on this one container and it's held up great it's super strong I can thread my filter right on the end and it has this awesome sliding lock big mouth water container end that I can dip into water and collect at water sources this thing's been amazing it has yet to fail me on the trail once and because of all that because it's still holding in there because it's still an amazing piece of gear for me it makes my list of favorite gear for this year number seven is the Petco ultra pod now if you guys remember from the beginning of the year I was using the Joby Gorillapod for all of my camera work on the trail and I kept breaking them a viewer actually suggested that I pick up one of these ultra pods I did and it has been a favorite piece of gear ever since it's super simple it's super compact lightweight and really well built this thing has yet to fail me on the trail and because I liked it so much I actually picked up its Big Brother the ultra pod 2 to use with my new bigger camera for 2019 when I go out to shoot my documentary of the Arizona Trail speaking of tripods number six is I guess not technically a piece of backpacking gear but it has become an essential piece of gear for me on the trail over this past year and that's the canon g7x mark 2 this has been the exclusive camera that I've used over the last year and in 2017 for shooting all of my trail videos and because it's yet to fail me because it's super compact pretty lightweight for what it is and shoots amazing video this thing makes my list for 2018 number five is the Yuko air 150 now this little guy has far exceeded my expectations over the past year and exceeded a lot of other people's expectations

since I did my review in 2017 now again I've put well over three thousand miles of trail use on this using it for night hiking using it as a headlamp at camp at night and in the morning using it on my bike tour at the Blue Ridge Parkway this little guy is tried and true it's USB rechargeable it has a dimmer light on it it has a red light and with the modification that I done actually took off the old headband put on this bungee and it weighs less than an ounce it has yet to fail me one time on the trail and the battery life has been great for what I need for all 3,000 miles that I've hiked this past year number four is a piece of gear that I picked up for the last 500 miles of the PCT and that is the way Marc through 40 pack now I won't go too into the specifics and the specs of the pack if you want to check those out I'll put a link to that video up here but I love this pack I wanted to downsize a little bit for the last 500 miles I wanted to try a new pack out and this thing was awesome I can't say enough good things about the way Marc through 40 it's super tough really well-built crazy comfortable to wear on the trail and my favorite part it has one of the most if not the most comfortable shoulder strap that I've ever used on any pack number three is a piece of gear that made my list last year and it makes my list again this year especially since I lived out of it for close to six months in 2018 and that is the Z packs duplex tent now again I won't go into all the specifics of this tent because I'm sure you guys know by now about this tent but in case you haven't I'll put a link to that video up here but just because this has been my home for at least six months over the past year it has to make my list of favorite gear from 2018 not only does it make my list of favorite gear from 2018 this would probably make my list of favorite gear from my entire hiking career because it is my favorite tent that I've ever used on the trail number two is the ultra elem this 3.0 hiking shoe now if you guys remember from my list last year and well the shoe that I was using up until the last 700 miles of the PCT I was hiking in the ultra Lone Peak 3.0 and I loved those shoes until I couldn't find a pair in my size so because I couldn't find a pair I randomly took a chance and picked up the ultra olympus 3.0 and ever since it has become my new favorite shoe for the trail i just overall liked the ride in the build of it more it has a wider toe box it has a lot more cushion for the trail so a nice smoother ride and for my foot it just fits better alright guys and then the number one favorite piece of gear from 2018 for me is the enlightened equipment and nigma 20 quilt now over the past three years I have used a ton of different quilts from the enlightened equipment revelation 20:2 an enigma 30 degrees 7d quilt to Aug Q bandit and a bunch of other quilts in between and I've learned a lot about quilts I've learned what I've liked what I don't like but I could never find the perfect build so at the beginning of this year I finally pulled the trigger and I ordered and bought an enlightened equipment at nigma 20 so what makes it different well for me I went with a 20 degree quilt it is a 950 fill it has the closed foot box it's a long and wide and it's tindy on the outer and 70 on the inner so for me this is a perfect quilt and I mean well it's kept me comfortable and it's kept me warm for close to six months I have slept in this thing every single night for six months in 2018 so that's what makes it my number one favorite piece of gear alright guys so again that was just a list of my favorite gear of 2018 just because it's my favorite gear does not mean it's gonna be your favorite gear it doesn't mean that it's the best gear but if you want to find out any more information about all the gear that I listed today I'll leave links down below so you can go check it out and maybe it'll make your list for 2019 speaking of your list what's some of your favorite gear from 2018 what's some of the most tried-and-true best gear that you used on the trail this past year leave something down below and let me know your thoughts if you haven't had a chance yet go over and check me out on Instagram I'm posting a ton of new photos lately of some of the things that songs 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

you