Last week I stood on top of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, at the triumphant end of the 210-mile John Muir Trail. It was a challenging, intensely rewarding journey, but the hike isn’t the hardest part. It’s the prep.

In the months before I actually started walking, I spent way too much time weighing and worrying over every single thing I’d carry with me.

Is my sleeping bag warm enough? Is 3 pairs of socks overkill? Is that ultra-lightweight bear canister really worth $300? Do I need microspikes?

In the end, the gear I picked hit my personal-perfect balance of comfort, weight, and affordability. Some things I already had, some things I saved-then-splurged on, some I bought used, and some I borrowed. I used everything at least once, except my rain gloves (it never rained) and a few just-in-case items from my first aid kit.

Here’s every piece of gear that passed the test. (Tap/click to get more info on each item.)

Not pictured:

• the iPhone used to take this photo + Otterbox Defender case with handy belt clip
• my Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 backpack with mini compass/emergency whistle/Kula Cloth (pee rag) attached
• mandatory wag bag picked up at the ranger station (only required for the last night, in the Whitney Zone)
• one more 1L Smartwater bottle.

Literally everything else I carried is in the photo. And all my food for the last 9 days fit inside the bear canister — a feat in itself!! (Separate post on JMT meal planning coming later. I had a whole darn spreadsheet o’ snacks.)

Carried by dad:

• Tom Harrison paper maps, scanned and re-sized for better portability
• additional first aid supplies
• tent fabric (Zpacks Triplex, borrowed from a friend for this trip)

My pack was 25 pounds at its heaviest, including food and water, when we left our re-supply at Vermilion Valley Resort with 10 days worth of supplies. That may sound light to some, but it’s at the upper recommended limit for someone my size. REI and others suggest that your backpack weigh no more than 20% of your body weight.

My base weight, aka the weight of my pack without food/water, was a little under 12 pounds without the bear canister and 14 pounds with it. If you’re curious about exact weights for each item, check out my Lighterpack! (Yes, I sat down with a kitchen scale and weighed every single thing.)

Overall, I’m super happy with my gear choices and don’t feel like I over (or under) packed. Guess all that weighing, worrying, and overanalyzing paid off!! Even at its heaviest, my pack was annoying but never painful. If I were to start the trail again tomorrow, though, here are the small changes I’d make.

What I wish I’d brought with me:

Our main method of water purification was Aquamira drops, which take 15-30 minutes to activate. That’s usually not a problem, but it was abnormally hot on our trip (regularly in the 80s at low elevations) and I was thirstier than usual. More than once, I was thirsty NOW and had to either wait or ask for water from one of our friends who were using a gravity filter or Sawyer Squeeze. If I left again tomorrow, I’d bring my own personal Sawyer Mini to get water faster when I wanted it. (I own and love one but left it at home to save weight.)

I also wish I’d brought more sour gummy bears, or that I’d been better at rationing them. Even with Sport Beans, Snickers bars, and Nutella, my sweet tooth demanded sour gummies.

What I wish I’d left behind:

I grabbed a second hiking shirt at the last minute, thinking it would be better protection from mosquitoes since it’s a looser fit. I was right, but the mosquitoes weren’t actually that bad! Next time, I only need one shirt.

I also slightly overpacked on the snacks. 🙂 By the time we hit the parking lot, I could have spent another 2-3 full days in the wilderness without missing a meal! The altitude hurt my appetite and I ate less overall than I thought I would, even though I never felt hungry. It was nice to have a little extra to trade for treats, though, and I was even able to feed some hungry hikers who hadn’t packed enough and were begging for food.

The ultimate daily hiking outfit

I was pretty pleased with my trail outfit, too. Here’s the only-slightly-dorky ensemble I wore every day for 16 days straight. (Tap/click to see details.)

I pre-treated the shirt, shorts, hat and socks with Sawyer permethrin spray for mosquito protection, which worked amazingly! I only got three bug bites the whole trip, despite swarms of mosquitoes at many of our campsites. I also love the lightweight sunshirt with thumbholes and hood, which saved me a ton of sunscreen weight.

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It’s been less than a week since I hit Whitney Portal and I’m already plotting ways to return to the Sierra next summer. I’d love to do a section hike or portion of the Sierra High Route, even if I don’t do the full JMT again (yet.) 😉 And now that the hardest part —the gear selection— is done, hopefully I can spend less time worrying and more time walking.

Have questions about any of the gear I brought? Cool items I should check out for the future? Let me know!