AMA with AMA: My favorite backpacking and hiking gear!*

*other than Kula Cloth

Note: as always, my posts are far too long for e-mail format - so click ‘read more’ at the bottom!

Dear AMA: As the owner of an outdoor gear company… what are your favorite backpacking and hiking gear items?

I really like gear. As if owning a gear company wasn’t enough… I’ve also been a professional gear tester on the side for Backpacker Magazine and for REI for the past 6 years. As a contributor to Backpacker, I’ve tested sleeping bags… tents… boots… shells… you name it, I’ve tested it. While being a gear tester sounds like a bit of a ‘dream job’ - it’s a bit more realistically like, “I really hope I don’t get stuck with something I hate and end up having to use it on trips.” Case in point: I once was sent a pair of the heaviest, most uncomfortable boots in existence and I had to use them on trip… after trip… after trip. While I feel a twinge of guilt complaining about a free pair of boots - it really sucks to wear a pair of boots that are horrible. I’ve also tested sleeping pads in conditions that were not appropriate for the sleeping pads… and it resulted in many, many lost hours of sleep.

All of this to say: I have tried more gear than I can remember, which makes me pretty excited to actually tell you about the gear that I do like.

It goes without saying that my favorite piece of gear in existence is the Kula Cloth - but, I’m obviously biased when it comes to that little piece of fabric - so for the sake of this post, we are going to slightly reword the original question:

Anastasia: What are your favorite pieces of hiking and backpacking gear other than the Kula Cloth?

As you read this post, please keep in mind that there are no affiliate links included and I wasn’t asked or sponsored to mention any of these products. These are all products that I’ve purchased with my own money and/or been given with no strings attached. If I recommend something here - it is because I actually use the product and really love it.

1. NOSO Patch

The Creepy Cat Noso Patch in all of its glory.

The NOSO Patch is, without a doubt, one of my favorite pieces of gear of all time. It’s simple and useful and NOSO patches have saved me more than once in the backcountry. Let me set the stage for you:

Just imagine that you have set up your tent on the top of a mountain in the North Cascades. There is snow on the ground, so you dig down and bury some ‘dead man anchors’ to secure your tent. It’s windy out, so it feels really cold - but it’s also sunny, and you don’t realize how quickly the snow is melting. You go for a walk from camp to explore the area… and you come back down to your campsite just in time to see your tent literally blowing off the top of the mountain. You sprint after it - stopping just in time as you realize that you are about to run off the edge of a cliff. Miraculously, your tent gets snagged on the one, tiny larch tree that is situated on the edge of the cliff. You cautiously retrieve your tent and discover that the tent fly has been snagged. It’s windy, so setting up the tent again would just result in a larger tear. Suddenly you remember: Hey, I brought my NOSO Patches in my first aid kit! You take out a NOSO Patch and you patch up your tent in the field … and spend the night on the summit of a mountain trying to figure out WTF you would have done if your tent had actually blown all the way off the summit with your car keys inside of it.

Now, I’m not saying that’s a true story that happened to anybody I know (ok, ok… maybe it happened to a friend of mine)… but, let’s just say that the NOSO patch saved the day.

I also am a firm believer in making gear last as long as possible - and I’m also the type of person who likes to do off-trail routes - which means that my clothing usually rips when I think about scrambling. NOSO patches extend the life of my jackets and pants by years and years. In fact, I don’t think I’ve bought a new pair of hiking pants in about 3 years - thanks to my NOSO Patches. Plus, having a heart patch on your butt looks cute.

2. Pillow Strap - $40

The pillow strap is an amazingly cool product for several reasons:

Reason 1 — it was invented an designed by one of the early purchasers of Kula Cloth! Brian York and his partner Rita were in the very first batch of pre-orders for Kula Cloths. In fact, they were part of the batch of Kula Cloths that had broken snaps… which means that I ended up communicating back and forth with them a few times getting their Kula repaired. We became friends over e-mail… and then about a year ago, Brian e-mailed me to tell me that he and Rita had started a company called Pillow Strap.

I am not the best sleeper in the wilderness - and a huge part of that is because my camping pillow (I use a Nemo Fillo Elite btw) slides all over the place and I end up waking up about 7x per night to adjust my pillow. I really need to sleep with the pillow because if my head isn’t elevated, I end up getting a headache at night from my sinuses. Brian and Rita had the same struggles, so they created an ultralight strap that actually keeps your pillow IN PLACE. Which means that you will sleep MORE comfortably… which means that you will have more energy and an overall more enjoyable trip. It’s actually pretty brilliant and I’m so proud of them for creating such a useful, important product that will change people’s backcountry experiences.

3. Discovering Wilderness Food Cozy - $13-22

I am not a gourmet backcountry foodie. There was a time when I used to bring a pot… and ingredients… and I’d boil water and make pasta… but, friends… those days are over for me. Now, I’m content bringing dehydrated food in a bag. When I first switched from ‘cooking backpacker’ to ‘eating food out of a bag’ backpacker - I struggled to keep my food warm while it was re-hydrating. So, I tried a variety of things: putting the rehydrating food in my jacket… putting the rehydrating food in my warm hat. While these things worked in a pinch, what did not work was getting chili mac all over the inside of my jacket or hat. I still remember lying in bed, hoping that bears really didn’t like chili mac. Ha!

I met Jessica, the owner of Discovering Wilderness, at a backpacking workshop that I taught a few years ago - and I was pretty excited to discover her product. Her food cozies are insulated and super light weight - and they brilliantly keep food warm while it is re-hydrating and while you are eating it. The best part? Once you are finished eating, you can put your used food cozy in your bear bag or bear canister so that you can keep all of the chili mac smell away from your tent. I absolutely cannot recommend these cozies enough - if you are an out-of-a-bag food eater, it will be one of your favorite purchases that you ever make. I don’t go on a backpacking trip without one!

4. Hoka Stinson 6 Shoes - $135-170 (depending on if they are on sale or not)

These shoes are on sale right now for $135 (I actually just bought another pair). These are the most thickly cushioned Hoka trail runners on the market, and they have saved my feet. For those of you who don’t know… I started this dancing thing around 940-ish days ago… and it was not easy on my feet. In the early days of my dance experiment, my feet were pretty uncomfortable. I wasn’t using Hokas at the time, and I honestly thought I was going to have to quit dancing. I switched to using the Hokas, and my feet magically restored themselves to their former glory. I currently own about 4 pairs of these… once the tread wears down, I use them as my dancing shoes. I keep the non-worn out pairs to use for my backpacking and hiking shoes. I do prefer to backpack in trail runners and/or very lightweight hiking boots (unless I’m doing winter hiking or snowshoeing and/or more technical hiking or scrambling). These shoes are, without a doubt, the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever used.

For the record, I am unable to use Altras - they make my calves burn uncontrollably and even though I’ve tried to ease myself into them… I just can’t wear zero drop shoes to hike. Another shoe that I do like (but it has significantly less padding than the Hokas) is the Topo Athletic Shoe. Those shoes are great for somebody who wants a shoe that supports a natural gate, but also has a tiny amount of drop in it (a few of their shoes have a 4mm drop which is just enough for my calves to be OK while wearing them).

5. Ursack - $109

The Ursack is a (relatively) lightweight bear bag that you can use for protected food storage in areas where bear canisters are not required. For my bear canister, I use a Bearikade, which is a very pricey (but very lightweight) bear canister constructed out of carbon fiber and aluminum. If you have ever carried a bear canister before, you probably know at least this much: it’s not that much fun to carry a bear canister. In wilderness locations where the canister isn’t required, I still like to have peace of mind about my food being relatively safe, and in those circumstances - the Ursack is perfect. The Ursack is made of UHMWP… which is a funny sounding acronym for ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.

I’ve used my Ursack on countless trips - and while I’ve fortunately never had to test it out with a bear (I always hang my food when possible), I definitely sleep a little bit better at night knowing that my bear bag can’t be ripped open with a single bear claw. If you are in an alpine environment where tall trees are in short supply - you can use the cords to secure your Ursack around a tree and or hide it wedged in a rock (or some other inaccessible area). I usually store mine away from my campsite. The most important thing about using an Ursack is to learn how to close it correctly - as the entire ‘bearproof-ness’ quality will be invalidated if the bear can simply open the bag and retrieve your food. It takes a few times to get the hang of tying it, but once you practice a few times, it is really easy. I also recommend using your Ursack with an OPSak, which will help to prevent your food odors from wafting out and attracting Boo Boo into your campsite.

Note: I once walked through a backcountry campsite where somebody had hung their food directly over their tent. I still don’t quite understand the thought process behind that - but I’ve always felt better sleeping with my food away from my tent. There are mixed views on this — so make a decision based on what feels most in alignment with you.

6. Platypus soft water bottle - $9.95 - $12.95

Gone are the days of hauling multiple hard-sided plastic water bottles into the backcountry. I’ve been using these Platypus soft bottles for years now, and they are slick. This is my basic water procedure on a backpacking trip:

• hike while using my hydration bladder as my primary source of water while moving

• When I get to camp, I use my Katadyn Gravity Filter to fill all hydration bladders to 100%

• I fill my Platypus soft water bottle + my husband’s soft water bottle

• I fill the cup of my Jetboil so that it is ready with at least one full cup of water for cooking

• I fill the reservoir for my gravity filter with water (3L) and haul it back to camp so that I have 3L of water ‘at the ready’ to be filtered

I use the Platypus soft water bottles primarily for drinking water around camp… filling the stove if needed and for having in my tent with me at night - because I do usually get thirsty in the middle of the night and I will need a drink of water. I also use these soft bottles in the morning for any coffee or oatmeal that we are going to make.

Note: I’ve learned the hard way that mice are sometimes attracted to the bite valve of hydration bladders - so before I go to bed, I always tuck the hose of my hydration bladder (with the bite valve in the ‘off’ position) into my backpack if my tent is in the vestibule so that it isn’t easily accessible to furry little rodents.

Before I leave camp the next morning, I usually empty out my Platypus bottle and then roll it up and tuck it into my backpack. I love that I can roll it up and that it takes up hardly any space (unlike a hard sided plastic bottle).

Caveat: these probably aren’t the best for super cold conditions. In very cold conditions, I’d probably also recommend something with a wider mouth.

Final tip: When you roll up the Platypus soft bottle, it becomes very ‘flat’. Before you start filling it up from your water filter, just put your mouth on the opening of the bottle and give it a stout puff - the bottle will ‘open up’ and will be much easier to fill.

Bonus use: The soft water bottles are perfect for carrying in a backpack while riding a motorcycle. I don’t like to have anything hard in my backpack when I’m riding, but I like to have water with me at all times - so these water bottles are a great option if you are a moto-riding type.

7. Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - $199 (or lower, if you can find them on sale)

When I first started seriously hiking and mountaineering, I scoffed at the idea of using poles. Well, that was until I climbed Mt. Baker for the first time and could barely make it over a relatively simple creek crossing due to being unable to keep my balance because of my heavy pack. My knees suffered on that trip… and my hands were consistently swollen and uncomfortable. “Why didn’t you bring poles?,” the leader of the trip asked me. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I had thought that hiking poles were for, ‘elderly hikers’. Wow. As embarrassing as it is to admit that now - I very quickly swallowed my pride many years ago and bought a pair of hiking poles.

I’ve been using the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork poles for decades now, and they are without a doubt, one of the best investments that I’ve ever made for my hiking and backpacking trips. These poles are practically bomb proof. I have tortured my poles on some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable - and they never flinch. I have had to replace the tips a few time (note: replacing pole tips is a pain in the butt - but please remember that if your pole tips go bad, you don’t need to replace the entire pole - just search for the pole tips that will fit your specific trekking pole).

Here’s a sob story about my poles: I actually gave my first pair of Alpine Carbon Cork poles to my sister in law when she decided to get into backpacking. This also gave me an excuse to buy a brand new pair of poles for me. I took these poles on their inaugural backpacking trip deep into the Cascades at a trailhead that is a 2 hour drive from the closest road. After finishing the trip, we made it back to the car… drove down the 2 hour road from hell… and then another hour to a place where we stopped for a burger. It was then, and only then, that I realized that I had left my precious hiking poles at the trailhead. We didn’t have time to go back and get them - so this is a message to my former hiking poles: I hope that you found a good home and that you are loved very much.

Bonus use: My husband and I once camped in an area that was so rocky, we couldn’t have possibly hammered a stake into the ground. Since the Alpine Carbon Cork poles come apart into 3 pieces (great for travelling, by the way!) … we took apart the poles and then tied our guye lines to the pole sections to use as ‘dead man anchors’ (i.e lying down on the ground) which we then weighed down with some bulky rocks. Our tent was super secure, even with zero stakes in the ground (note: we also also turned our unusable tent stakes into dead man anchors, but the length of the pole gave us more surface area to secure the tent down using heavy rocks).

8. Long Handle Titanium Spoon - $10.95

Many years ago, I used a small, plastic spork for backpacking and I had a problem… when I transitioned to eating food out of bags, my knuckles were consistently dirty with food. I don’t know about you, but having ‘spaghetti sauce knuckles’ is only fun for so long. I purchased a long handled titanium spoon a few years ago - and it is the only utensil that I use in the backcountry. Now my hands don’t get dirty when I eat out of bags and it’s easy to clean. Plus, the same spoon has now lasted me for almost a decade - so at a whopping 91¢ (ish) per year, I think it’s a pretty good investment.

Bonus use: The screws on some bear canisters are notoriously challenging to use and I’ve seen people pack in mini flat head screwdrivers or a little metal washer so that they can get in and out of their bear canister (specifically the Bearikade has screws). Clean your spoon well so that you can hide it in your pack before bed… but you can use the bottom of your titanium spoon as a flathead screwdriver to open and close your Bearikade!

9. Wright Socks MERINO COOLMESH II CREW ANTI BLISTER SYSTEM - $21

The worst blisters I have ever gotten in the history of blisters was when I crossed the Patagonian Ice Cap. I crossed the Ice Cap in 2012, and it was an absolutely amazing experience that I will have to write more about someday soon. To make a long story short: we were supposed to spend 6 days on the ice cap climbing various peaks, but a very tiny weather window meant that we only had 3 days to ascend to the ice cap… cross it in its entirety… and make it back to El Chalten before a storm arrived. I had brought a pair of giant, heavy mountaineering boots for this expedition… and I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to survive a ‘speed traverse’ of the Patagonian Ice Cap in 5lb mountaineering boots. I opted to swap the mountaineering boots for a pair of much lighter hiking boots - and while this was a good decision for my agility… it was not a great decision for the condition of my feet. My socks ended up getting wet, and my feet devolved into a mess of unrecognizably confusing blisters and perhaps a few toes. I wasn’t sure if I’d even have feet left by the time I took my boots off back in town.

When I got home from that trip, I went on a desperate search for the perfect pair of socks to wear - and it was on this search, out of pure desperation, that I discovered the Wright Socks Adventure Merino Crew. I bought a few of them… and have never looked back. These socks have a built in ‘magical liner’ that somehow has kept my feet blister free ever since. The only other sock that even remotely compares to the wonderfulness of the Wright Socks are the Tough Cutie socks, which I also really love and have had some amazing success with.

In addition to using the Wright Socks or the Tough Cutie socks, I also do a few other things to prevent blisters: I apply a salve to my feet prior to hiking (right now I really like the PK Sonoma Azulen Balm) and I try to stop at least 1-2 times per day to let my feet completely air out and dry off.

Finally, when I get to camp - I take my socks off and turn them inside out and put them on the tops of my trekking poles in the sun (if possible) so that they can completely dry off. If they can’t dry ‘naturally’, I will take my slightly damp socks and slip them into my long underwear before bed - placing them directly on my thighs. When I wake up in the morning, my socks will be dry.

P.S. That trick works for gloves or Kula Cloths too! Just make sure your Kula is clean - before you snuggle up with it at night.

10. Huppy Toothpaste Tablets - $45 for 248 tablets (or sign up for a monthly subscription and they are less expensive)

I still remember one of my first overnight backpacking trips… I packed a ‘travel tube’ of toothpaste for an overnight trip, and at some point I realized, “Wow, I did not need to bring this much toothpaste for one night.” I don’t know about you - but I’m guessing that the average person can’t use an entire travel tube of toothpaste in one evening (but if you can, hey - I’m not here to judge!). So, I started making my own ‘single serve’ toothpaste packets: I’d take a tiny piece of aluminum foil and I’d squirt a blop of toothpaste inside of it and wrap it up to use on backpacking trips. This actually works great, but it’s a bit messy and gloppy.

A few years ago, I discovered Huppy toothpaste tablets - and I’ve used them pretty exclusively since. One little jar will probably last you a year or more, if you are only using them for backpacking - but they are also a great low-waste way to cut back on toothpaste tube usage as well. I typically count out 2 tablets per day and I just carry them in a little baggie with my toothbrush supplies - which consist of a small toothbrush, toothpaste tablets, and one piece of floss (that I reuse for the entire trip).

Bonus idea: You can make your own toothpaste tablets if you want to save some money! Just take a tube of toothpaste and squirt ‘blops’ of it out onto parchment paper. Sprinkle with baking soda and let the blops dry for a day or two until they are hardened. Then, carry them like you would carry the small tablets and just use as needed on your backpacking trip.

11. Outdoor Pantry Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy - $12.95

I have gone through so many different ‘phases’ with breakfast while backpacking: the ‘I’ll just eat a bar’ phase… the oatmeal phase… the gag on oatmeal phase… the cold cereal phase… a second ‘I’ll just eat a bar’ phase… and finally, a Biscuits and Gravy phase. What I’ve learned, through experience, is that a 250 calorie bar will keep me satisfied for approximately .00006 seconds while hiking - and that I need to have a bit more sustenance if I’m going to make it out of camp. These Biscuits and Gravy are satisfying and delicious… nearly as delicious as the homemade biscuits and gravy that I make on occasion. Seriously, they are so good that I would eat them at home (and that’s saying a lot). If you are looking for a satisfying and comforting breakfast - this is definitely one of my favorites.

Ok friends - that’s it for my mini gear round up - I hope that I was able to introduce you to some new gear that you had never heard of before and/or at the very minimum, entertain you a little bit.

Me, on the Patagonian Ice Cap - Circa 20212

I’m also curious - what are your favorite pieces of gear? Anything you’d recommend? Any piece of gear you can’t live without in the backcountry? Any gear questions? I’m happy to answer them and looking forward to hearing more of your recommendations too.

As always - THANK YOU for being here. If you want to submit a question for next week’s AMA, I’d love to answer it. You can find the form to submit a question right here: CLICK THIS!

I hope that you all have an absolutely amazing week - I’m so grateful for all of you. Wishing you all infinite peace, ease and wellness.

Love,

Anastasia