The Evolution of My Gear Over 4000+ Miles on Three Continents

One of my favorite aspects of backpacking is that you really can get outside with very little. You can start with cheap options and get more and more dialed, and you don’t need to break the bank to be able to move efficiently in the mountains.

Last year when I climbed 27 of Colorado’s 14ers while thru-hiking the Colorado Trail, I ran into a woman on the summit of La Plata Peak who was hiking in a pair of Hey Dudes and carrying a Jansport with a metal water bottle inside. She drives to Colorado from Kansas to get into the mountains for a day. She was a little slower descending on the slick steep sections, but had hiked all of the 14ers she’s done in these moccasin-like shoes.

So, while we all love to obsess and nerd out over gear, I think it’s important to acknowledge that getting outside in whatever way you can, with the gear that you have, is the most important thing.

Continue reading to learn more, written by Jessica Guo.