It’s that time again! Spring is here, and with it comes new gear and my latest update to my personal pack list. These are the items I’m carrying with me on basically every trip. I carry these products because they’re my personal favorites, and not necessarily because it’s the best pieces of gear available. You could view this as my “editors choice award”. This year, my list has changed dramatically as technology has progressed rapidly in the past twelve months, resulting in more comfortable, lighter weight setups. Let’s have a look.
* Represents long term staying power inside my pack.
Big Four
Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58*
Sierra Designs Lightning 2 FL
Nemo Siren Quilt
Thermarest NeoAir All Season
Daily Use Items
Helinox Ridgeline Trekking Poles
Sea To Summit eVent dry compression stuff sack*
Kelty Luxury Pillow*
MSR Windpro 2 stove*
Esbit Titanium Cook Pot*
Marmot Minimalist Rain Jacket*
Helly Hansen Loke Rain Pants
REI Campware Longspoon
Black Diamond Cosmo headlamp
Gear Aid Seam Grip field repair kit*
Morakniv Pro S
Platypus 2 liter bottle, and two 1 liter bottles*
50 feet of guy line Brunton 2090g Compass*
Outdoor Recreation Group Ultimate Drysack (as food bag), or Ursack Minor in critter territory
Self-built repair kit, including Gear Aid Seam grip and Tenacious Tape, needle, thread, duct tape, and a repair sleeve
Preparedness items
Medical Kit consisting of moleskin, liquid bandage spray, medical tape, ace bandage, band aids, Ibuprofen, tweezers, alcohol pads, antibiotic ointment, etc
Picaridin bug spray*
Chapstick
Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter with backup katadyn water tablets.*
Light My Fire Firestarter
Occasional Items
Thermarest Z-seat*
Big Agnes MtnGLO
So, that’s about it. Other than food, water, and a couple of things I pack in on occasion, this is the kit that gets me through the mountains day after day. It’s reliable, simple, livable, and light weight. I’ll modify this list based on conditions, length, and location, but generally speaking it’s a solid setup that’s comfortable to use. So, what are you packing?
TreeLineBackpacker 
Still using that Leopard AC 58? Between photography and dog gear I’m at around 35lbs and My REI Flash 62 simply isn’t cutting it with its crappy load transfer. This pack, however, is on clearance at REI…
Actually yes. I am. It’s a much better option than the flash which i too used and gave up for the same reason. It’s a fabulous pack, especially once you adjust the spine to fit.