It's hard to advise people on hiking gear. So many brands are pretty much equal. We all have different needs, expectations, appreciations and budgets. I have gone through blogs, lists, advice and I could make comparisons, say a lot about many products and at the same time nothing will replace experience.
I will therefore mainly talk about my own experience since the Hexatrek, with my budget, my constraints, my mistakes and my improvements, trying to add some advice on equipment that I don't know personally but which works well for many other walkers.
Take a bag around 1kg that doesn't exceed 60L otherwise we tend to overfill it for nothing (unless you need it for a self-sufficiency food or special needs). 40L seems to be a consensus, even if we end up wanting to keep get some smallers and lighters.
I have a Gregory octal (otpic for men version) that I absolutely love. It's a super comfortable, practical and light model. I believe that this model is no longer made by the manufacturer, but the brand is full of very good ones. However, the seams have yielded in some places after years of hiking, traveling and moving. It held up after stitching it up as best I could but I think I'll have to buy a new one; this will be an opportunity to test another brand.
Don't forget the rain cover.which is unanimous in Europe. The Levity has been seen a lot on the Hexatrek, it makes you want to test it!
- Z-packs , Atom, Gossamer (USA) and long distance workshop (France) → very light bags, without armature but with a weight limit of 10/12 kilos all inclusive to not exceed; it can become really painfull
- Decathlon bags → Too heavy for my taste. This is what I used before investing. They correspond more to the needs of occasional hikes or trips than to thru-hike, but it's been a long time since I looked at their new range.
- Deuter → I could not give an opinion but I know that they have models adapted to the arch of the back.
Check carefully the impermeability, the wind resistance and the condensation, which will depend on the single or double roof, the shape and the tissue of your tent. Then choose according to your comfort. We are two with my boyfriend and we prefer dome tents, which are certainly heavier but so spacious. They allowed us more than once to sleep there at 3.
I own the MT900 2-person dome tent from Décahtlon and my brother tested the 1-person. They are great. They lasted thousands of kilometres with lots of sun, lots of rain and humidity. Sometimes frost and gusts and miraculously, they are still standing. I think that their weak point is their impermeability, we knew it when buying them. The groundsheet seems to be less waterproof. We will see if we can leave with it for a next thru-hike or if we can waterproof the ground again because I would like to be able to keep my equipment as long as possible and the rest of the fabric is in very good condition.
- Salewa → I went with it to Sweden and Iceland. The dome model holds up wind and weather really well!, which is not the case with all models (the 1-person tested by my brother). They have already been covered with snow but later in Portugal they had a big humidity problem. Maybe the fabric just wasn't performing enought anymore well enough after all our treks. It's not necessarily a brand that I would recommend even if it has served me well!
- Hammock + tarp → never tried for hiking but my few summer nights in a hammock leads me to believe that the feeling of cold is much more important... Not possible to do all the Hexatrek with it, it would be necessary to plan something to sleep on the ground for some sections
- Ferrino and Msr →good brands recognized and widely used. Maybe they have a longer lifespan than the Decathlon ones but it's a bigger budget.
- Z-packs and Big agnes → these are some of the best tents and tarps in the USA, used a lot in thru-hikes.
- Hilleberg → If I had to invest in a tent it would be this one, because their quality is exceptional, and it gives the impression that they will last for ever. I had the chance to test one once and it was a very good experience.
Take a sleeping bag around 0° to keep it as versatile as possible. Take around 850cuins for the feather ones and prefer the artisanal which will necessarily have a much better quality than industrial ones. Take a sleeping bag with full opening! I regret having taken mine without, I will try to see to enlarge it. Some people prefer the quilts which also have their own advantages but I really don't know enough about them.
I have the Ansaber 600 from triple zero brand since a few years and it's my best investment. It was too hot for the start of the Hexatrek with the heat waves but it was still very useful at altitude under the stars. Otherwise, the silk sheet took over for really hot nights. It really answer to my expectations of ethics, quality and weight. I know I could always return it to refill it, fix it, and clean it. It's really a long-term investment that I don't regret and I intend to take it everywhere.
- Cumulus, Valandre→ good feather sleeping bag marks.
- Liteway → apparently good quilt brand.
- Simond brand from decahtlon → they seem to be improving.
- Freetime → this is the first sleeping bag I bought, cheap and synthetic. It did a good job but wasn't a good quality product.
Take into account your need for comfort, insulation from the ground with the R-value of the product, weight and size. And depending of that, see if it will be inflatable, self-inflating or not.
Mattresses are a hassle for me... I have the inflatable trekking mattress MT500 Air from Decathlon, and before that I had his old model. They always end up to have holes and despite the patches I had to change them during the Hexatrek. Yet my boyfriend who has the same for years has never had any problems. If we forget their potential fragility, they are comfortable, rather light, well insulating and not bulky! All this for a very affordable price.
- Decathlon → the foldable foam trekking mattress which is used a lot by trekkers, light and cheap but it takes up space. I wish I could use it but my back hurts too easily to take the risk.
- Thermarest → I didn't have the budget before to test it but it will be my next investment I think. It's a good recognized brand that should last a long time. Must see!
- A silk sheet → tested for the Hexatrek, purchased from Decathlon really useful for preserving my sleeping bag. This adds a few more degrees for the most chilly and it serves as a simple sleeping bag when it's too hot. On the other hand, it's quite tight and the seams always end up by breaking up.
- A pillow → you can largely do without it, especially by using your clothes in your sleeping bag cover to make a pillow (tested and approved). But my neck problems force me to stay on a small Decathlon pillow that suits me very well.
Take the most comfortable and breathable clothes as possible with materials that dry quickly. Consider long-sleeved t-shirts or shirts if you are sensitive to the sun. Also, take pants or high socks if you want to avoid tics. Remember that each outfit should have its purpose and duplicates can be used to alternate while the outfits dry. We dress at Décahtlon and we are won over by Merinos. There will be no turning back.
- 2 T-shirts short sleeves
- 2 underwears (soon in merinos)
- 2 pairs of socks (+ 1 warm if needed). I don't have any foot problems so the first price of Decathlon work well.
- One shorts and one pants
.
- a sport bra, which I thought I'd wear when I was really hot instead of t-shirts but in the end I didn't use it that much, unlike many hikers I met along the way. It can still come in handy during breaks, while waiting for the other stuff to dry, to use it for swimming (personally, I prefer topless).
- 4 period underwear from the brand modibodi, of which I am very satisfied in everyday life as well as on a trek. It's a committed brand, of good quality, with a huge choice, but I'll try another one in the future to turn to French manufacturing.
- 2 T-shirts
- one short , one swimming short and one pants
- 2 pairs of socks in merinos (he need good quality socks because he often have blisters)
- 2 underwears in merinos.
- one cap and sunglasses.
I had a rain jacket and rain overpants, that I would not take again because they end up being soaked after heavy rain. I ended up buying myselfa poncho for the Vosges section and it was really better.
I have a down jacket around 0° which acts as a windbreaker and a good polar. It's perfect ! Normally, I also take a thermal underwear top and bottom (in merinos is a must) because I am chilly at night. For the Hexatrek, it wasn't really worth it. I added them to my backpack in October for the Vosges section (because I had the possibility) and I was happy to have them at that time.
Same for the silk gloves and the bonnet, it was useless before the Alps but at that time I was happy to be able to add them.- Columbia / Culumus / Salomon /Patagonia.
- Les Darn Though for socks that can be exchanged for life and are super comfortable it seems (to be tested one day).
I always hike with the low price mountain shoes from Déchatlon. They did the job very well, I like them very much. But for my first thru hike, in the middle of summer, I wanted to test low trail shoes to get an idea and like many other hikers, I loved it! The only downside is that they wear up more quickly than mountain boots. So, to see according to the use and the frequency.
I started with the Scarpa Spin Ultra. They made it half the way without blisters, without any problems. Except that it's a big budget for me so I then tested the trail running evadict TR by Déchatlon and I had blisters right away. Fortunately, I was able to change them immediately for evofit quechua 500 by Decathlon equivalent to the MH100 waterproof low mountain hiking boots still from Decathlon. I have traveled the last thousands of kilometers with it, and I still wear it, they are great.
He left with the Hoka one one speedgoat 4 which he had immediatly like very much. They were quickly damaged, but he still dragged them halfway, then he tried the evadict trail MT2 from Decathlon. The comfort was less sensational but they were very good and also lasted until the end.
Altra Olympus 4, timp, long peak / the Salomon (x ultra 3) / The Meindl / the Sportiva / the Merrell (the agility peak 4) / the trail running evadict from Decathlon for men (positive feedback from my brother )
Personally, I would tend to say: vary the pleasures and don't deprive yourself of the hot food which implies the added weight that goes with it. This is just my point of view because I am vegan. I love cooking and I care a lot about the food I eat. Others are very happy with the combo bread/sausage/cheese and cold coffee and it's very good too (and much more practical). You just need to know yourself, it would be a shame to stop a hike for lack and obsession of food.. Keep in mind that we think about it all the time. Every day, food ends up taking up a lot of space! If you want more advice, I wrote an article about food while hiking.
I have a pot → 2 people from Decathlon (also suitable for 3) which does the job. It just blackens directly when used in stove mode but it's but a big deal. In order to only heat water, the jetboil seems to be unanimous. For cutlery, take the minimum and the lightest. We have 2 forks and 2 plastic spoons + a knife and a Swiss army knife.
- I have the MSR Pocket Rocket 2 which works well but has screws problems; which makes it unstable. I'm thinking of changing it for a similar model from Decahtlon.
- There are two kinds of gas cartridges → gas camping to clips (available only in France) and other brands to screws. Both types are found in France. I advise you to plan a refill because they are not available everywhere.
- Alternatively, there are adapters to use both types with your stove.
- For transporting water, I use classic bottles, often 2 of 1L5 each, which I change as the hike progresses (be careful that they are compatible with your filter) otherwise some use gourds or flasks bottles.
- The Artick core and the Petlz for headlamps, and the brand Anker for batteries.
- Inside, I have a plate of dolipranes, a plate of spasfonds, some bandages and compress, a needle (even several, because it has already broke on the way) with a bit of thread, a few safety pins, tweezers and a disinfectant.
- I bought on the way some creams and wintergreen essential oils for the inflammations (almost all mountain hikers suffer from it), compeeds for my boyfriend who gets blisters a lot. Besides, the sub-brands work well too.
I hope this article will be useful to you. Don't hesitate to contact me on my social medias, for any questions, it's with pleasure that I would exchange on this topic and the others.
Wonderful adventures to all !
