Why no other trail made me rethink my gear like the Hayduke trail

I once heard someone say: «Don’t try new things on the Hayduke,» especially when it comes to equipment. That advice stuck with me. I’m generally loyal to my setup and tend to use the same gear for every hike, regardless of the weather or terrain. If it has run for 5000 miles, why change it?

But this trail feels different from all the others. And for the first time, I found myself seriously reconsidering what to wear.

I made some minor adjustments while trying to stay consistent. These are some of the biggest team decisions I’ve struggled with.

Colleen’s team at a glance

Shoes

The biggest problem? Footwear.

I usually walk in All-Terrain Crocs on every hike I’ve ever done. Before you judge, I’ve logged over 5,000 miles in them, including raging river crossings, boulder fields, and even the San Juan Mountains with micropeaks strapped to my Crocs. They’ve handled everything I’ve thrown at them.

However, this trail includes sections of Class 3 and Class 4 climbing, along with long stretches of slippery rock. For more technical terrain, I want to have an option with different grip, so I’ll bring my Altra Lone Peaks to experiment.

Since I know I’ll prefer to walk most of the trail in my trusty Crocs, the Altras will be reserved for the sections where I think they’re really necessary. Not my typical system, but this is not a typical trail.

Backpack

The next big decision was my pack.

The transports of water and food on this path are much longer than what I am used to. That means I need a backpack capable of comfortably supporting heavier loads. I increased the size of a 38L backpack to 48L for additional capacity and support.

It’s not my usual minimalist choice, but longer hauls demand it zxc8.

water storage

Water capacity has been one of the biggest adjustments.

We may need to carry up to 10 liters at a time during longer dry stretches. That’s a significant amount of weight and I had to rethink my entire water system.

This is what I found:

• 4 liter HydraPak (carried under the brain of my backpack)
• Two 1.5 liter Smartwater bottles
• Two 1 liter Sawyer water bags.

It is more capacity than I have ever carried, but on this trail, water is not optional, it is survival and must be collected every time you pass a good source.

Shelter

We stuck with our tried and true tent: the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3. After 5000 miles straight, it has proven itself time and time again.

It gives us full protection from the elements, plenty of interior space to spread out, and extra warmth for our early season start date.

This item is not included in my personal gear weight as Lane will carry it.

Electronics

I’m especially happy with the electronic setup, which is basically new for this hike.

Pro Tip: Swap out your old AAA battery powered headlamp for a rechargeable headlamp and reduce the weight and need to buy batteries.

The total weight is only 14.24 ounces for the electronic devices. Keeping this category simplified was important to compensate for the additional water capacity and larger package.

Waist bag

My waist pack setup weighs 1.47 pounds total, including the backpack and everything inside.

My favorite luxury item? A 1987 Kodak camera that weighs only 1 ounce. It even has a memory card capable of storing up to 32,000 photos. Totally unnecessary and worth it.

In general

My base weight is 14.72 pounds without food or water.

Not bad, considering I’m carrying extra water storage, a larger backpack, and an extra pair of shoes.

The Lane team at a glance:

Total base weight is 17.55 pounds. My rig is almost identical to my typical setup with a few exceptions:

• This will be the first time I will carry paracord on a hike for the purpose of carrying backpacks up and down steep climbs and descents. There will be several points along this route that are technical and of sufficient consequence to make carrying a rope worthwhile.
• This will also be my first time carrying a monocular. Colleen bought one for me years ago and this is a perfect way to try it out. Not only is it great for wildlife spotting, but it will also be particularly useful on this trail for finding cairns and footprints indicating the correct path to follow.
• I’ve carried paper maps on other trails, specifically Jonathan Ley’s maps for the CDT, but it’s not typical for me. On the Hayduke I will be carrying a beautiful set of 17”x11” color topographic maps provided by National Geographic and Andrew Skurka. The total set will be split into two and we will receive the second set along with our spare shoes halfway through.

Items Lane is carrying that Colleen is not:

• First Aid (12 ounces): antibiotics, pain relievers, allergy medications, nausea and diarrhea medications, ibuprofen, water purification tablets, Neosporin, BleedStop, bandages, rubber gloves, and an ACE bandage.
• Maps (18 oz per half way)
• Monocular (7 oz with case)
• Shelter (3 lb 1 oz): Large Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
• Tyvek size (8.6 oz)
• Bathroom kit: lollipop, toilet paper and wet wipes
• Rope (3 ounces): 50ft parachute cord

Please see our Equipment List in our profile for links to purchase each item and more details on the equipment. Thanks for reading on and feel free to comment if you have any specific questions about gear.

-Colleen and Lane

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