Hiking Gear

Here is a listing of the gear I've bought, and at least until now, what I think of it.

Equipment

Backpack

I picked up the Mystery Ranch model Coulee 20 in Black (small/medium). It is adjustable, which is good, as I'm short-torsoed, this pack fits great.

They don't say on the website description, but in the comments Mystery Ranch says to assume about 1 lbs per liter of capacity as the weight carrying limit for a back. That's good to know, as I'd tried to stuff 40 lbs into this pack, and scuffed up the hydration bladder pocket, and found it kind of uncomfortable, so now I don't go above 30 lbs. The first time I put weight in this, versus my last pack (which was a glorified school book bag), it was like being hugged by a cloud... very nice.

This is pretty small for overnighting, but should be great for day hiking, and the [[1]], for which I'll just have a bunch of water, a bit of food, and emergency gear. I really like the full-length center zipper and top pocket. I'm using the top pocket for my headlamp, medical supplies (toe tape, analgesics, and allergy relief) and emergency tools (knife, mylar blanket, signal mirror, whistle, etc.). I will also through my beanie and light gloves up here. For Rim2Rim I'll probably through some Kind bars and goo gel packs up here, as well as LMNT hydration packets.

In the main pouch I have both the 2 and 3 liter Platypus hydration bladders so I can drink on the go. For the Rim2Rim, I'll carry a scrunched up puffer jacket, rain jacket/poncho, spare socks, mid layer, heavy gloves.

To go in the pack, I got both the 2 L and 3 L Playpus Big Zip Evo (Taste-Free) Hydration Bladder. The 2L fits nicely, but the 3L will fit, and that will be nice for the Rim2Rim where we'll be out all day.

Pack weights

I've been rucking for several weeks now to improve my overall fitness and weight-bearing capacity (which hopefully will maintain my bone density while I drop fat off of my body). I'm working to keep my pace up, or get it back close to my no-weight pace, and so now when I hike without weight in there I feel like I'm floating.

I bought 5 of these Yes4All 10 lbs platespla with straps to cinch them together so they don't carreen back and forth separately in my pack.

Water Purification

I kind of went belt-and-suspenders on water purification. My mainline go-to for drinking water will be the Grayl UltraPress 16.9 oz Water Purifier, because it has a carbon filter in it, and therefore will get rid of the nasty bugs and pathogens as well as sediment, chemicals, and pesticides. Much of that won't be needed for the Rim2Rim, and I'll probably just use the Sawyer below for that, but for pond water, and likely most rivers in the future I'll bring this in one of my side pouches to make potable water.

On top of this, I got the Sawyer SP129 Squeeze filter, which does bacteria and protozoa, and microplastics, but not chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals or viruses.

I have a cnoc bag and several different attachments that I picked up to use Smart Water bottles as the dirty and clean sides of the filter, or alternatively cnoc bags (depending on the depth and flow of the source of water one or the other might be impractical), as well as a millbank bag that I picked up to 'prefilter' sediment before sending it through the Sawyer, and hopefully elongate it's lifespan.

Trekking Poles

I went with the Fizan Compact 3 Trekking Poles from Italy, 5.6 oz with cork hand grips and rotating friction locks. I don't like the idea of the lever locks for if/when I try to stow them in my pack, so I like this form better. They're 7001 aluminum, which makes them strong and light, and bit less likely to break than carbon fiber.

Satellite Communicator

I bought a Garmin inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator. I've used Garmin gear for a long time, and although I plan to use my iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 extensively (and they both have some breadcrumb, GPS, and satellite communications capabilities), at the end of the day I really thought it was best to have a dedicated SOS system, with text messaging capability, that can send breadcrumb track info to my loved ones, that has a long battery life. I also splured for the Garmin SOS rescue Insurance.

I like that I can mostly operate this unit with the iPhone app, and that it can send position updates ever 2 or 10 minutes, depending on plan, and has a dedicated SOS button and long battery life. I picked up this silicone protective case from Tusita and this glass cover (also from Tusita) to keep it pristine, and this Garmin retractable lanyard to attach it to my pack to keep it handy. Perhaps I'll sell it later (after my bigger, more dangerous hikes), and if so, I'll want it to be in like-new condition.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

I upgrade from a Series 5 watch, which was no longer able to last for an entire hiking session (up to 20+ miles) - even with the screen off, to the new Ultra 2. I like that it can do GPS tracking and "retrace" your path, has excellent battery life, and the chef's kiss is the satellite communication feature. It's also nice that it's slightly bigger, so I can get more data on the default watch face, and the titanium case is nice looking.

I use the watch to track all of my workouts, from my daily ~10 mi walks, to my hikes and indoor treadmill walks. I also track my sleep with it, though I honestly don't use that data much. I also track my glucose, ketones, fasting, sometimes my meals, and glucose/ketone ("Dr. Boz ratio - which helps me determine if I'm in ketosis or not) on my iPhone in the Apple Health app.

SOS Satellite Communicaiton

I bought the yearly Freedom Recreation plan and the Garmin InTouch Mini 2 to use with it to signal for rescue should I need it.

Search and Rescue Insurance

I bought the yearly Freedom Recreation plan for the InTouch, and their Search and Rescue Insurance to go with it, the basic 100 Annual plan, as I don't plan to do high risk activities.

Garmin SAR Coverage as of December 2023

	SAR 100	SAR High Risk
Covered person	Insured individual	Insured individual
Membership period	365 days	365 days
Requires supported device	✓	✓
Search and rescue benefit * Per claim * Total per membership period	$100,000 USD $100,000 USD	$100,000 USD $100,000 USD
Accidental death and dismemberment benefit	$5,000 USD	$5,000 USD
Coverage for specified high-risk activities<superscript>3</superscript>		✓