Gear List: Colorado Trail Collegiate Loop Thruhike: Complete Clothing, Gear, and Food Breakdown.

Brandon completed a thruhike of the Collegiate Loop route in mid September 2021. Backpacking the Collegiate Loop circumambulates Colorado’s Sawatch Range, covered 160 miles largely between 10,000 and 12,000 feet of elevation. The Loop is a combination of the Colorado Trail east route, and the Continental Divide Trail from Twin Lakes to Monarch Crest.

This series of videos chronicles Brandon’s journey: hiking, camping, fly fishing, and prospecting new creeks for Colorado Gold Guide. Brandon is a very experienced backpacker, with more than 10,000 miles of thruhiker under his belt. In addition, he’s trained as a mountain guide and EMT.

Choosing equipment for a shoulder season thruhike is challenging. Every extra pound slows you down. The weather will probably be great most of the time. Early winter storms are a real concern. The changes I’ve made from my summer time 10 lb base weight include:
Replacing my tarp with a real tent.
More stove fuel.
Sleep clothes / warm set of long underwear.
Proper gloves.
About 600 extra calories a day.

Even with these extra, and gold prospecting equipment, Tenkara fly fishing gear, and a big battery and video tripod, my base weight is still only 16 lb. Not Bad.

[GSProspecting]

Looking good fam. Have fun fam. Gold squad out!!!

[rockymountainlifeprospecti]

Be careful my friend, wishing you all the best, im at 9k and we are getting some weather, to put it lightly. Just remember how rough at that altitude is !! I'd bring a metal detector and a bunch of batteries lol, as well as a pan/E tool and some forms of protection, because ive had some close encounters. I hike up to abyss lake right below the 14k peak of Mt Bierstadt, hopefully you got a space blanket as well, sorry if I missed it.