Backpacking the Colorado Trail: Gear & Equipment

Time to talk gear & equipment for our upcoming Colorado trail trip.

First part - Trip Overview

Big Guidebook:

Tiny Guidebook:

Instagram:

Gear:

Music By

[alexwbanks]

Well I guess I'll be watching this series a few times before I go this year. Thanks

[patrkbukly]

Great videos, just an fyi alcohol stoves are illegal on The CT.

[gwrulzmylife]

Are you planning of more Colorado trail segments?

[benjaminjeanes]

Have you guys ever hiked the whole trail at once from beginning to end??

[WealthandTravelonaDime]

generally at altitude food does cook slightly slower but usually harder to prime alcohol stove but fancy feast stove should not be affected cause uses exterior wick.great video as always

[WilliamKapes]

I've got two of Justin's water bottle pouches (a 1 liter and the 750ml) plus his phone/ditty pocket. I use the 750 for my daypack and the 1liter on my Exos. Love them all. I prefer the 750 ml bottles so I've ordered a couple more of the small bottle pockets and a couple of more of the phone pockets so I dont have to swap the ones I have around.

And oddly enough after returning from a 5 day trip my ULA rain skirt arrived... in blaze orange :)

[RobWright]

Nice job guys. Keep an eye on fire bans. You're only allowed to use canister stoves in those areas. One more thing with the umbrella is that it made a great windbreak on the end of the tarp, especially when I had to go to ground. Used rain kelt to block off the other end.

[kellylane]

You guys should check out the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. The middle fork area. Great multi day hikes from 1 day to as many as you want. Secluded, lots of water and canyon climbs, river crossings etc. we did 5 days there a couple summers ago, it is awesome. Part of it is on the CDT. Great times.

[kellylane]

That was a great hike. I checked out y’alls video and Bryce’s. My hiking buddies are thinking of going this upcoming summer we hope.

[WhitetailBushcraft]

Fellow Buckeye here also Hope you guys have a great time

[elced]

What is wrong with Wildcats at elevation? I would also use one hammock to replace a chair if I were a hammock camper in a group.

[yogistrail]

Alcohol stoves work fine at elevation. Water can take longer but it's barely noticeable. I use an ounce of HEET to boil about 2 cups on an Evernew .9 liter pot with a caldera cone. You can always add salt to lower the boil time if you want to be safe though. This is a technicality but during burn bans alcohol stoves are considered an open flame and are "technically" not allowed to be used and you could get ticketed by a ranger. As of today all of the mountains are still under a burn ban :( Visine is a must! The smoke is also making it hard to perform athletically for me anyways. It makes my stomach feel woozy but some days are better than others. Have fun guys and thanks for the vid!

[Datsyzerberg]

As far as umbrellas, H&M sells an 5.5oz 10.00 one I've been using for a few years. Pretty good deal to see if it's something youd like or not.

[Alanguz]

Justin’s water bottle pouch might be the best thing I have on my backpack.

[milehighac]

I have climbed 15 14000 ft mountains with La Sportiva Wildcats. They are perfect for high elevation. I live in Colorado.

[cranbrook]

You’ve never discussed any sort of “personal” kit. Would love to hear about what you will need for seven nights. I’m assuming you brush your teeth, Wipes, soap?

[JoshHerodOutdoorAdventures]

Nice choice of gear! You may have some trouble with the alcohol stove at high elevation. When Tim and I were at there last year we both took our hammocks. It was a little bit more difficult to find places to hang but doable. I took my 35 degree quilt and was fine. Temps in the low 40's used under armour 3.0 as a base layer to sleep in. Oh and the sun screen is a definite. I did not take any and I ended up with blisters because I was fried lol. Sounds like a great trip for you guys

[Dr.Pepper_not]

Nix the Visine! Your eyes are saying “I am dry and irritated and need more blood to heal“. Visine works by constricting the blood vessels which does “get the red out“ at the expense of your eyes not getting the blood flow they need. They look better and you think it’s helping but it’s actually not good for your eyes. Better to take lubricating eye drops. (I am a M.D.)

[richardmatthews]

Currently stage 1 fire restrictions are in place for part of the trail. Alcohol stoves are not allowed under stage 2 fire restrictions. The monsoons have started so you should be OK with an alcohol stove.

[robertpearson]

Could you link to the liner bag? I couldn't translate from what I heard to a spelling that I could find on Amazon.