Complete John Muir Trail Gear List

Backpacking teaches you the basics of outdoor living and everything that it takes for your body to survive out in the wilderness. Therefore, to jumpstart my expedition/wilderness self-reliance career, I wanted to master the basics with a month-long, solo backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail in 2019. When I got back, I figured I should create a John Muir Trail gear list to help others.

Preview: Through this post, I am going to share with you my gear selection on the world-famous John Muir Trail. I chose to go with a lightweight setup that would prove to be helpful on a day-to-day basis.

Being able to trek along the John Muir Trail is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and if you are one of the people that are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do so, I have this gear list for you to check out. Right below, you will see a condensed and basic “checklist” version of my John Muir Trail gear list. Further down, you will see these items explained in depth!

Now, below is my complete John Muir Trail gear list explained. I hope you enjoy it!

---

My John Muir Trail Gear List

1. Sleep System/Shelter

Summers in California can get pretty chilly at night whether you are camping along ridges or next to meadows. The first thing to go through is the sleep system to ensure that you are able to get a comfortable and warm night’s sleep! This will likely be one of the most important pieces on your John Muir Trail gear list!

Tent: Nemo Dagger 2P Tent

I chose one of my all-time favorite tents which is Nemo’s “Dagger” 2-person tent. This is a lightweight tent that does not sacrifice durability or comfort. When you are living in your tent for a period of time, these are things that you don’t want to pass.

This is a phenomenal tent that I would continue to bring regardless of whether I was solo or with a partner. However, one drawback of using the tent solo is the fact that it has 2 vestibules which aren’t necessary for one person. I never found it to be a problem, however, with a tent that has one vestibule, you could certainly save a couple of ounces.

Ground Sheet: Tyvek

Instead of purchasing an expensive $70 Tyvek ground cloth, I chose to use a cheap roll of Tyvek to protect the bottom of my tent.

Sleeping Pad: Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite

I debated for a long time on whether or not to bring a blow-up pad or a closed-cell foam pad and I definitely do not regret bringing the blow-up one. Along the trail, there are many places where you will camp that are rocky or just “hard”. I found that the blow-up added plenty of comforts that I would not have had if I were to bring my foam pad.

The Thermarest x-lite is extremely well used on the trail and I would say the most popular pad used overall. This is for good reasons because it is durable, lightweight, and a simple pad!

Sleeping Bag (Quilt): Katabatic Flex 22

I decided to bring a quilt instead of a sleeping bag and I am certainly one to argue that quilts are much better than sleeping bags- in a lot of scenarios. For backpacking in mild weather and temperatures, I have found that a quilt is by far the better option for me. Before you set off on the trail, I would highly recommend doing research on what would be better for you, but here are my main reasons for using a quilt.

Quilts are an excellent piece of gear to save on weight while not sacrificing durability or comfort. The Katabatic gear quilt is much more versatile when temperatures get hot, and just as warm when the temperatures drop. The one thing that I would recommend is to wear a balaclava at night to keep your head warm. Now you also have a piece of clothing to add to your layering. (Don’t we all love gear that serves more than one purpose?)

Pillow: Outdoor Vitals

As much as I try to enjoy sleeping with pillows, I constantly find myself putting them aside to use a stuff sack filled with clothes. Personally, I know many people on both spectrums who either hate them or can’t sleep without pillows. So I can’t recommend anything other than to just know what you prefer! I will not bring this item next time.

2. Backpack

Ultralight Backpack: Zpacks Arc Haul

I opted to bring a z-packs backpack and I have mixed emotions about it. There is no doubt that this is a great backpack from a great company however throughout the years, I have figured out something.

I just don’t like ultralight gear.

I am not a speed monster and don’t care about every gram that I put in my backpack. While I definitely consider the weight of my gear immensely, I also care about durability and function. Looking forward, I will only purchase ultralight gear that doesn’t sacrifice comfort or durability such as my Katabatic flex 22 quilt.

While I do believe ultralight backpacks are great for a lot of people, it isn’t for me because it is extremely expensive, less durable, and the backpack doesn’t carry weight as comfortably as a regular pack (which it isn’t designed to carry heavy weight anyways).

3. Clothing

I have already written a complete John Muir Clothing list, so I am not going to dive into any specifics on what I liked vs what I would have changed, but here is the gist of it all!

4. Food, Water, And Cooking

For the trail, I had opted to discard a stove and cold soak all of my food. That means that for the entire 220 miles, I ate anything that did not require refrigeration or cooking in order to eat it. Some examples include oatmeal, powdered greens(one of my backcountry FAVORITES), and tortillas with peanut butter and jelly. I was able to save on weight this way, however, I mainly did it for simplicity over luxury!

Bear Canister: BV500

I went with the BV500 instead of the 450 version because of a few different reasons. First of all, let’s be honest, they are both very heavy. The unfortunate part is that the BV450 is almost just as heavy and yet it has significantly less storage space. I would highly recommend a 500 due to the extra space.

Cold Soak Jar: Talenti Ice Cream Jar

This was a leftover jar that I use to cold soak my food in. It served as the perfect size for me to eat out of. If I were to do the trail again, I would have brought my Vargo Bot Titanium pot and stove to cook. The only reason for this is because there were so many hiker boxes that had great food that I couldn’t eat because I didn’t have a stove!

Spork: Sea To Summit

The long-handled spork is hands down the most popular out of any utensil on the trail. And for good reason. However, a small, and very unique brand called Morsel Spork has really cool spoon that they designed to be able to reach deep into mountain house freeze-dried dinner bags, and (because the spoons have a 90-degree angle on one side) it is able to scoop up all of the food in the corners.

Smart Water Bottle (2):

For on-trail backcountry travel, I always carry smart water bottles versus a Nalgene or bladder due to the convenience of my filter fitting as the cap. I use a Sawyer squeeze which goes directly on top of the bottle. For certain types of travel, I would much rather carry my water a different way. But for backpacking on trails, this is what I carry as part of my John Muir Trail Gear list.

Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze

I’ve tested the Sawyer micro squeeze and have found that it is unreliable and you may encounter problems easily. The Sawyer mini, which I have also used, trickles water about as fast as a dripping faucet. The squeeze is a wee bit heavier but very well worth it.

5. Navigation

Sattelite Communication: Garmin Inreach Explorer+

The Garmin Inreach is an essential piece of gear on any off-grid adventure. There are many stories of how these Garmin devices have saved people, and I even came across some during my trip. I met 2 separate people who had to use a Garmin Inreach to call for help after one person broke an ankle and the other broke his leg.

One of them got carried out on a camel and the other got airlifted! After speaking to the person who was airlifted.. he was awarded his trail name- Airlift! Overall, they were very happy about bringing this device.

This is a truly ESSENTIAL piece of gear. It is well worth the initial cost.

Maps: National Geographic JMT

Aside from the Guthook app trail maps on my phone, I also had a National Geographic map of the trail which was an added luxury that complimented the trail data on my phone very well.

Cell Phone: Apple iPhone

I used my phone to take photos throughout the entire adventure. It also served as my map (The Guthook app) and journal.

6. Electronics

Battery Pack: Anker 10,000 Mah

I found the 10,000 mah battery pack to be the perfect size for the trail. I was able to recharge it during certain resupplies and it would charge my phone and Garmin for days. Anker is the preferred brand by many.. and I would second this!

Tripod: TrailPix Tripod

My all-time favorite ultralight tripod uses 2 trekking poles and an ultralight collapsable pole that comes with the tripod. It is a very unique design and It works out perfectly.

Unfortunately, I do not believe that they still make this product but there are many ways you could create a DIY ultralight tripod.

Head Lamp: Nitecore NU25

A simple, lightweight, and rechargeable headlamp was all that I needed during my JMT hike and nighttime summit of Mount Whitney. Love this headlamp.

8. Toiletries

Aside from all of the large pieces of gear, there is always quite a bit of miscellaneous items that were an essential part of my John Muir Trail gear list.

This concludes my complete John Muir Trail gear list guide, however, there are still a couple of things that I would like to mention.

Bugs

I didn’t bring any bug spray.

Were the bugs bad? Extremely.. however, I am not a personal fan of bug spray and would much rather dress to eliminate bugs biting me in the first place. Now this is never a perfect practice, and quite honestly it can be a miserable one.. but I truly don’t like bug spray for multiple reasons.

One reason in particular for this trip why I decided not to bring any was because I knew I wanted to swim in the alpine lakes, and the last thing that I want to do is bring the chemicals of bug spray in with me.

Sure, I know there are natural sprays, but the reality is they don’t work quite as well as Deet would.

Saving Your Knees Tip: Unfortunately, many people skip out on beautiful rugged areas due to knee pain. I had two knee surgeries and have found that these knee braces make a ridiculously huge difference on steep declines. It was a struggle to find something that was breathable enough, while also supportive and versatile enough to slip down my leg while hiking.. until I found the Cho-Pat braces.

Hopefully, you enjoy my complete John Muir Trail gear list. All of the gear that I used worked great for me, however, I would love to hear your ideas of gear that you would add! Drop me a DM on social media!

---

Thanks for checking out my John Muir Trail Gear List!

Here are a few more related articles:

• The Best Outdoor Certifications That You Should Definitely Have
• Week One: 30 Days Alone In The Wilderness
• Week Two: 30 Days Alone In The Wilderness

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. If you have any questions about the companies or my status as an affiliate, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me.