ARIZONA TRAIL GEAR LIST

PURCHASE WEIGHT: 37.3oz (2.3lbs) |1057g

ACTUAL WEIGHT : 28.4oz (2.4lbs) | 1120g

VOLUME: 4,200 CU IN | 68 L
MAX LOAD: 35 LBS | 16 KG

The ULA Circuit saw us both through the CDT and lived to tell the tale with minimal wear. Other than a hole in my hip pouch (snack station) which was easily taped up. It’s robust, it’s spacious, its comfortable. Like me. We contacted ULA direct to ask for cosmetic seconds to get a bit of money off, they had two, the ones we ended up buying. I’ve yet to work out what minor blemish they have. The pack features ample water storage in side pockets, bountiful snack storage in two hip belt pouches, and handy net storage at the front. We tend to use the Z-lite sol sleeping pad, which straps handily to the top of the pack, I’ve also seen hikers strap their bear canisters as such. Not a pack for the ultra or superlite hiker who carrys a bag of nuts and some cling film, but perfect for a lightweight hiker who likes to pack out the odd avocado.

$279.99 / £232.22

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

PURCHASE WEIGHT: 350g | 12.5oz

ACTUAL WEIGHT: 353g |12.4oz

DIMENSION: Regular = L- 72” | 183cm W- 20’ |51cm

R–VALUE: 4.2

For the AZT we’re both reverting back (I used this on the PCT-as pictured left next to my good Pal Sherpa) to the inflatable Therm-A-Rest NeoAir. While I would and will LOATHE the eternal 60 seconds this little bugger takes to inflate, while it would be the absolute BAIN of my day and while it is very susceptible to the many things in the desert that will inevitably puncture it, it is warm, and it’s comfortable. More so than the Z-lite Sol (closed cell foam pad used on the CDT) which has recently begun to give me hip hurt, because I’m old. ‘But what about a comfy pad for a tea breaks?’ I hear you cry….. Read on.

$145-181 / £120-150

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

AVERAGE WEIGHT: 2 – 3oz| 57 – 85g

R-VALUE: Probably less than 1

As we’ve committed to taking the much warmer, lighter but much more depressing to use NeoAir as our sleeping pad (above), we were left wanting where tea breaks and siestas were concerned. We decided to make the very greedy best of the situation by ALSO taking the ULA Siesta pad. This 1/8” pad will be used purely for mid-day tea breaks, picnics and naps. It’ll also serve to bolster the NeoAir overnight so we’ll be even warmer and it’ll act as protection for the inflatable pad. Ridiculous ? Absolutely. Necessary, absolutely not. Happening? Definitely.

$19.99 | £16.62

PURCHASE WEIGHT: 658g | 23.3oz

ACTUAL WEIGHT: 550g | 19.5oz

RATING: 10°F / -12 °C  

This is probably more like a 15°F bag now with all the (ab)use it’s had. Nicknamed frog, this quilt is the warmest (and most expensive) bag I’ve used. Z-pack gear is amazing and I won’t hesitate to go for one of their bags again when this one eventually ends up a flaccid piece of lightweight denier. With which I might make some shorts. The zipper is unwaveringly seamless when in use, never once getting snagged, which I really appreciate after a wee, shuffling back to bed, eyes half shut in the depths of the night. It came with a roll top drybag adding 25.5g to the weight. But a wet sleeping bag is not a bag I’m interested in nestling in. There’s no hood, saving on weight, but, there’s plenty of room to hunker down if its really cold and cinched around ones hat covered head.

$429 / £354.7

WEIGHT:109g | 3.8oz

This silky bag will add about 2 degrees C to my sleep set up, which is just as well seeing as my sleeping bag has lost 108g of warmth somewhere along the Continental Divide Trail. It’s also easily laundered, so will stop my sleeping bag getting stinky.

£54.95 | 66.44

WEIGHT: 77 g | 2.7oz

I got two weeks into the Continental Divide Trail, using a pillow of clothes stuffed in a dry sack while Snakes had one of these. I made the mistake of trying it out one evening and, within days had ordered myself one. It punctures very easily and like most of my kit has a few repair patches on it, the dribble filled, silky smooth case is removable and washable.

£21.99 | $26.46

PURCHACE TRAIL WEIGHT: (without packaging accoutrements): 992g | 34.8 (2.18lbs)

ACTUAL TRAIL WEIGHT: (Plus poles, pegs, dirt, repair patches and 8L Sea to summit dry bag) 1189g | 41.9oz (2.6lbs)

VESTIBULE AREA: 2 x 8 sq ft | 2 x

HEAD HEIGHT: 99 cm | 39″

This is the best tent I’ve ever owned. Full of handy pockets, spacious enough for two, with two door access, it holds up extremely well in wind and rain, easy to erect and comes in an emotionally satisfying orange colour that brightens the mood in even the worst and most terrifying storms. We didn’t get on with a single walled tent (just the outer waterproof fabric) as the condensation build up was outrageous on the inside wall of the tent. We reverted back to a slightly heavier but reliably dry double walled tent. It’s freestanding and pitches with the inner first so this can be used as a stand-alone shelter in good or hot weather for a cooler night and a smashing view of the stars.

$399-482 / £330-399

PURCHACE WEIGHT: 9-11g per peg (x11)

ACTUAL WEIGHT – 11 pegs plus a little baggie: 118g | 4.1oz

Great pegs.

£19.95 / $234.25 (for a pack of 6)

WEIGHT: 218g | 7.6 oz (probably less if I cleaned it)

DIMENSIONS: W = 51.5” | L = 86”

Used the entirety of the CDT and still going strong, if a little (a lot) grubby. This Protects our fragile tent from all the things that want to pierce it.

About £15

WEIGHT: 30L 71g | 2.5oz

WEIGHT: 3L = 27g | 0.9oz

Essential for protecting my essentials from getting wet. Osprey do well-ish on the weight:price front with their dry bags. Ill take this limey 30l for my sleep situation and and a nice sea blue 3L for my ditty bits and toiletries.

30L = £15.40 | $18.37

3L = £9.8 | $11.69

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

ADVERTISED WEIGHT: 160g | 0.3oz

ACTUAL WEIGHT: 190g | 6.7oz

We used and were really happy with our Montbell Versalite waterpooofs on the CDT, but, they only have a little over a season of use in them and ours were now about as useful as putting a silk cardigan on in a downpour. We thought about buying the same again, but the Verslite is £60 more, it weighs as much as the Helium, and this way I get to try a new jacket I’ve heard good things about.

Things I KNOW I wont like: No zip pits. No side pockets. Just that slanty chest pocket. BUT, rain is of little concern on the AZT so perhaps it’ll be fine. Or perhaps I’ll be eating my words and wishing I stuck to the jacket which has all the attributes I know I like.

They didn’t have the bright green ‘sprout’ colour in my size so I’ve had to settle for this rather fetching ‘clay’ instead.

£144.95 / $176.34

WEIGHT: 230g | 8.11 oz

I destroyed the last pair of these a full year after the CDT, but I had two pairs, so I’m going to take the other pair on the AZT. There are excellent rain panties, wind panties and in-town temporary panties for when my real panties are being laundered. They’re very durable for their weight. My only criticism is that they’re not the lightest, certainly not the heaviest, but, if I didn’t already have that second pair I’d be switching them out for something else, just to try something different. Next time friends.

£80 ish / $97.30

PURCHASE WEIGHT: 208g | 7.3oz

ACTUAL WEIGHT: 237g | 8.3oz

This puff saw me through the CDT and I LOVED it. It’s certainly lost a bit of puff and seen some better days. The gain in weight is likely due to inaccurate internet weighing and also my patch repair after a rip in the shoulder. It was expensive so it’s not being replaced until there’s nothing left of it. Excellent warmth to weight ratio. Montbell do make a superior without a hood which is 179g, but, why the hell would you ever want that?

£200 – 240 | $243 – 291

TOP WEIGHT: 210g | 7.4oz

BOTTOMS WEIGHT: 170g | 5.9

I sleep fairly cold, so thermals are a must. The desert is cold at night and we’ll be there in spring and sleeping at elevation at times. Some people just take another tee and shorts. I’m not some people.

TOP: £30 | $36.42

BOTTOMS: £35 | $42.50

These little shorts are my favourites. They’re very breathable (essential in the sweaty desert), extremely lightweight, quick drying and, to top it off they’re currently on offer for £20. AND they have built in pants. Double whammy.

£40 / $48.58

After snakes DMANDED my Colombia Bahama PFG shirt was binned, half way through the CDT I found this little grey number in a thrift store in Leadville Colorado. It saw me through to the end of the trail, and now Snakes is DEMANDING I buy a fresh shirt for the AZT but, I’ve had quite enough of her demands and have all intentions of taking this perfectly acceptable and sometimes not smelly shirt with me. It’s long, and has two big pockets for my hands, seeing as my rain coat doesn’t, it makes up for that.

$10 or something

***NEW FOR THE AZT – Sort of***

WEIGHT: (1X Injinji, 1x Darn Tough) 121g | 4.2

Snakes and I swapped from Darn Tough socks to Injinji half way through the CDT and found them to be most agreeable. We use the mid-weight trail running socks which are toe socks. I haven’t had a single blister or hot spot on my toes since using them. The toes are effectively separated and therefore cannot rub against each-other. Sometimes going down steep descents the fabric can ram into my toe crotches. So, in addition to taking two pairs of Injinjis, (one worn one carried) I will take one pair of Darn Tough mid-weight socks to use as sleep socks and as a potential break from the Injinjis. I love darn tough socks and wear these in the UK year round. They have a LIFETIME warranty. Mental.

$12.49 | $15.23

***NEW FOR THE AZT – Sort of***

Altra trail runners are the go-to shoes for long distance walking (or running) and, having tested a good few of their models I’ve landed on the Olympus. Initially the 3rd edition, now I’ve bought the 4th. The 5th is available (expensive) and the 6th out this summer. Unfortunately it looks like a correction shoe and is one of the least attractive but most comfortable shoe I’ve had the pleasure of wearing and displeasure of looking at. The wide toe box allows for foot splay and swelling, which, will be happening to extreme proportions in the desert. Altra have a habit of altering the models of their shoes unnecessarily for the worse. Let’s hope that haven’t done that with these.

£99 | $122.45

Dirty Girl gaiters are a must for the desert. They prevent stones and sand falling through the shoe and causing blisters and chafe. They come in all manner of designs to match ones personality. Dirty Girl donate profits to worthy causes. They don’t currently have a UK retailer, and similar products are available from the UK direct, but they’re just not as cool.

£16.43 | $20

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT: 67g | 2.3oz

From the Continental Divide Trail Coalition website, and gifted to us from our pal Maps. Wyoming themed, It’s warm and has a bison on it, so…..

£16.43 / $20

WEIGHT: 40 | 1.4

A thin glove for those chilly mornings. These do the trick and are priced reasonably.

£12.99| $15.55

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

This little number was a gift sent to us just by our pal Sherpa-C before the end of the CDT. I’m a big fan of it.

£20.56 / $25.00

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT 38g | 1.3 oz

This is about as much as I’ll ever be prepared to spend on sunglasses. It’s absolutely not uncommon for me to sit on them. I may go as far as to take a little silk case for them, if they play their cards right.

£31.50 / 38.30

WEIGHT: 94g | 3.3oz + 3g | 0.1oz aluminium foil lid = 97g | 3.4g

The new addition of this pot by Alpkit is taller and thinner. I like it dumpier. It’s made of titanium and its spacious enough to cook dinner for two. We’ve had a lot of gourmet suppers in this little friend. Mainly instant mash and ramen, mixed. Going solo I’d take the 450ml version of the same pot. Ill leave the lid to save 29g.

£39.99 / $48.64

The threaded gas canisters are easily found throughout the US and the weight will vary depending on the size of canister we find, and will get progressively lighter as we use it. 200g is a fair estimate for a full, small canister.

PURCHASE WEIGHT: 11g (Lies!)

ACTUAL WEIGHT: 17g | 0.59

Long handled spoon, titanium, sporky. Very straightforward when it comes to use. Lost a fair few of these, will likely lose this one,

£11 / $13.6

WEIGHT: 96g | 3.3 oz

This lightweight water filter removes bogies, bugs, dead things, protozoa, cysts, sediment, and 100% of microplastics. Rated to 0.1 micron absolute filtration, the Squeeze Filter removes 99.99999% of bacteria such as salmonella, cholera, leptospirosis, and e. Coli, and removes 99. 9999% of  protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium. The good is that it’s effective (I’ve not yet become sick when using it), its light. The bad, is that the filter needs frequent back washing (with sterile water) to remove particles backed up in the filter. If too many lumps of ‘matter’ clog the filter the flow rate reduced to an increasingly slow pace which, when two of you need many litres, is pretty annoying. We’ll take a knee-high stocking for initial flushing of larger particles before using this to try and speed the process up. 

£43.85 | $52.86

WEIGHT: 86g | 3 oz plus little baggy (3g)

I was going to replace this little stove for something smaller and much lighter, but, I’d worry about it failing and with the limited time I have to test anything new, it’s likely not worth it. This pocket Rocket has been with me for years, and as we’re cooking in my big pot for 2 of us to eat, it would be foolish to exchange this for something daintier that I would likely knock over, ruining my dinner and resulting in me throwing it into a canyon.

The newer Pocket Rocket-2 is 73g, and likewise I can’t justify the extra expense just to save 10g. I like my pack light, but I don’t care that much.

(Hot sauce, as pictured is a must too, and will be in attendance, weight, variable)

£45-ish | $54.25

WEIGHT: 34g | 1.2 oz (not including water)

SMART Water bottles are standard 1litre or 500ml water bottles that you’ll find for $1-ish or £1- ish in any fuel station or corner shop. They’re pretty well standard practice for these long trails as they’re both durable and light. I’ll replace the standard cap with a sports cap for ease. That screw top is hard work. I think the max we’ll need on this trail is 4 litres, 2 litres will be in these bottles.

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT: 79g | 2.7 oz

Because the water on the AZT will have a high poo, bug and ‘matter’ content, we’ll likely be filtering it for particles, twice. Once into this bladder, which is made easy via the handy opening in the top though a knee-high stocking which will get out all the chunky bits. Then we’ll filter again through our Sawyer Squeeze filter which screws onto the bottom of this bladder, and will empty into a water bottle ready for drinking. If the water still looks like urine we then have the option to chemically treat it, just for good measure. Desert diarrhoea is not something I’m interested in thanks.

£27.95 / $34.60

WEIGHT: Variable and negligible 10g | 0.3 oz

We’ll chemically treat water if, after filtering it twice, if it still worries us. Some of the water sources are mostly lumpy and green and we’ve both had giardia before. Not keen to meet those parasite bastards again, we’re playing is safe ! 1 tab per litre, 30 minute wait. Not sure how many I’ll take, I have a lot lurking about.

£5.95 for 60 tabs

WEIGHT: Who cares…. Actually I do…. 4g | 0.14oz

This sexy little stocking will sit over the top opening of the bladder, when water is poured into it, particles and chunks will be stuck in the stocking while the water will filter through. Genius.

£5.57 | $6.70 (for a 6 pack)

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT: 75g | 2.6

Might make pooy cow pond water taste less cow pooy, and, probably more importantly, will replace salts lost by profuse sweating, keeping us hydrated and therefore alive longer than plain old poo-water will. Essential. Will take daily until my full desert rat transformation (about 2 weeks in). Will take out the heavy tube and carry in a small baggie.

£7.00 / $8.67

WEIGHT: 30g | 1.0oz

On previous trails we’ve used shopping bags as our food bags, we can make one last a good while, but, it’s still not as environmentally conscious as we’d like. Our bear bags, which we used in Grizzly country are heavy as they’re made from Kevlar. Snakes had some waterproof fabric left over so made us each a velcro sealed food bag.

17g | 0.59 oz – thats all it is to ensure no one unwittingly sits in your poo.

If you don’t have a trowel, you’re definitely not burying your poos properly. 6” deep and as wide as your deposit.

My poop kit will include, loo roll, hand sanitiser and 2 zip lock bags, one to house all the kit, and another to pack out the solid poop tickets. Only fools bury their loo roll.

£22.95 / $28.38

WEIGHT: 243g | 98.5z + cable = 254g | 8.9 oz

This phone has been put through the ringer. Most of the above weight is the heavy duty and battered to s%^t case as it’d be a gonner without it. I’ve bought a new (£40) smash, drop, dunk resident Punckcase for the trail, as this one is so destroyed it’s no longer waterproof and there’s a mark over the camera protector so all my photos come out looking like a budget 70’s horror movie set. It was purchased second hand a year old, two years on the battery is poor to the point I’m having to carry a 500g battery pack to keep it going on the longer sections (5-6 days) of our hike.

£150 | 179.56

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT: + cables = 477g | 1lbs

Anker proudly comment that this power bank weighs “as little as a can of soup” which is definitely not something I would ever carry while backpacking. It is a fair chunk heavier thank my smaller 10000 mAh 6.4 oz / 181g Anker power core but my phone is a fair chunk older. It’s battery retention is as good as my bladder retention and I’m using it as a camera, navigation tool and diary so it’ll need some frequent juice. I’m also taking a rechargeable head torch on this trip. I’m pretty sad about how heavy it is.

£38.24 / $47.27

WEIGHT: 9.4 | 0.33oz

This pouch contains all my essentials.

£14.72 | $17.95

WEIGHT: 100g | 3.50z

Lightweight, durable and just look at those colours. Really handy for having all your handy bits handy, and also handy for carrying those handy bits around town on the odd day off.

£30 | $36.24

WEIGHT: 26g | 0.9 oz

Nestled in amongst the fresh Italian focaccia and Brie is my trusty Opinel. Just the right tool for the job. That job is usually cheese.

£10 | $12.05

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT: 34g | 1.1 oz

This little fella is re-chargeable, light enough for dawn and dusk hiking, and the odd midnight wee. Not quite light enough to anticipate bears, scorpions and snakes. Can’t win em’ all.

£34.95 / $43.25

WEIGHT: 7g | 0.2

This rip stop nylon tape is used to repair sails and is extremely good at taping up any fabric tears. Tents, clothing, inflatables, umbrellas, rucksacks; its good for the lot, and, comes in many jazzy colours. I favour the electric green colour.

£8.00 $9.63 (4.5m)

WEIGHT: 222g / 7.8 oz

Quite possibly my favourite item on the CDT. This portable shade maker, modesty shield and rain protector was absolutely invaluable. It has incurred some minor damage along the way, a rip in the fabric, patched up with tape and a snap in the frame, snapped back into place, but its been through a lot and holds up to the hostile environments I’ve flung it about in. I’m confident it’ll make it through the desert once again.

£33.95 / $42.04

***NEW FOR THE AZT***

WEIGHT: 476g | 16.7oz

Snakes has kindly offloaded her old poles on to me after the nice people at black diamond sent her a new pair when the cork handles wore back to the bare carbon. With a bit of bike tape padding the’ve made it to the final cut.

£139.95 | $173.39

WEIGHT: 211g / 7.4 oz

SPOT have stopped making the first generation of their trackers, but their service still supports them. I bought this on EBay (where you might be able to still find one) for £60 back in 2012. these have become less and less popular due to their weight, and their limited on-way communication capabilities. The newer models from SPOT and the increasingly popular Garmin inReach offer two way SOS communication and to pre-installed contacts, tracking and weather updates. All in much lighter models (over half the weight) After you purchase the device you purchase the service (like a phone). The service is now offered on a monthly (rather than yearly) basis, which suits us as this’ll be a 2 month trip. After the set up fee and the two month service it’ll work out at £117.37 for the 2 months.

WEIGHT: 42g / 1.4oz

A soothing rub for chafey issues. Snakes doesn’t rate this, but I do. There’s not a lot more unpleasant (well, there probably is) than chafe.

£9.99 | $12.02

WEIGHT: NEGLIGIBLE

This is the little set of tweezers that comes with the Victorinox pen knives, I bought a replacement on EBay. The desert is mainly full of prickley cactus spines. I’m preempting sitting on a few.

£2.19 | $2.64

WEIGHT: Variable

I’ve found nothing better than this magic physiotape for preventing blisters. It remains in place for weeks, and offers a decent thin later of protection over hot spots. We’ll wrap a length of it around a pen or something similar.

£12.67 | $15.25

WEIGHT: 33g | 1.1oz

Sometimes, I get a ‘dicky’ knee.

£12 | $14.44

WEIGHT: 449g | 15.8

These little spikes are impressively effective on many snow types. We’ve put them through their paces and they are a secure fit, provide ample grip and are not as uncomfortable as they look. But they are almost 500g of weight.

£50 | $60.37

WEIGHT: 320g | 11.2oz

Protium: the common, stable isotope of hydrogen, as distinct from deuterium and tritium. What a ri-dick-ulous name for a ‘jumper’. But, It is warm.

£69.95 | $84.44