My Florida Trail gear list equipped me to thru-hike the 63 mile Ocean to Lake trail and backpack a large section of the Florida Trail as a Granite Gear Grounds Keeper this year packing out over 50lbs of trash. I hiked through miles of water this year and was able to really enjoy the experience so I put together a special section about foot care while hiking through water. Take a look and feel free to ask questions in the comment section or on my Instagram!
The Big stuff
Possibly better known as “The big three”, here’s my pack, shelter and sleep system for Florida hiking.
Pack – Granite Gear Crown2 38 (no lid)
Shelter – ZEROGRAM – Zero1 Pathfinder
Sleeping Pad – Nemo Switchback
Quilt – AegisMax/Windhard Quilt
I detailed my experience with the temperature rating on this quilt here if you want more info on the comfort.
Pillow – Klymit X
I might be switching pillows. This one slept ok and was lightweight, but after about 400 miles it sprung a leak. See my “Gear Fails on the Florida Trail” video for more on that story.
Grounds Keeper Gear
I specifically carry these so I can pack out trash. They all play a role in my ability to safely pick up and pack out some gnarly stuff (I’m looking at you toilet paper and broken glass… among other things) – I posted a video that shows these items here.
Granite Gear Tough Sack – my trash bag ( a.k.a. 11th essential ) which was tough enough to handle rusted metal, glass and other trash that I didn’t want slicing into my essentials
Gloves – coated gloves helped me pickup trash that might be unsafe otherwise such as broken glass
Digital Scale – It’s basically a digital luggage scale that measures sub 1oz weights as well as 50+lbs in a compact package. I measured the weight of the trash I packed out. It’s one way to record and get an idea of what you’ve accomplished when packing out trash. Weight doesn’t necessarily translate to overall impact, though. I’ve packed out a whole bag of toilet paper that didn’t weigh much and I can guarantee it made a big difference despite the low weight on the scale.
Fun fact: What is the most random and the nastiest stuff I packed-out this year?
Most random: A two-holed pencil sharpener. Seriously who needs that on a hike?Most nasty: Tampon applicators (yes more than one) and toilet paper -more than one bag full at least.
Kitchen
Sea to Summit X-Cup – For coffee mostly. Sometimes for flavored drinks or hot cocoa
Aluminum pot with tin-foil (lid)
Titanium Spork
BRS Titanium Stove (BRS3000T)
Mini Bic Lighter – The mini has lasted me hundreds of miles
Knife: Folts Minimalist
For knife enthusiasts: It’s a fixed blade with drop point blade in Beta-Titanium (precipitation hardened) with Kirinite scales that have been undercut for the sake of weight by legendary knife-maker Alan Folts
Coffee device – Tetra drip pour over coffee maker
Water & Filtration
Smart Water Bottles
Evernew 2L pouch + tubing from Dutchwear gear (to gravity feed) and a hose clamp
Sawyer Squeeze – I prefer this filter over the mini and micro for the flow rate and consistency
Electronics & Navigation
iPhone 6 – including Lifeproof case (for moisture management)
Nitecore NU25 headlamp – Love this headlamp! It’s not pictured above for technical reasons but believe me when I say I’m hooked on the features for the weight. Look it up!
10,000mah power bank – I’ll be honest and say this is what I have on hand and it works for now but i’ll probably switch to one of the Anker chargers soon. This one’s reliability concerns me
Hiking in water and wet conditions (foot care)
I wanted to highlight the items I used to hike through water on the Florida Trail and the Ocean to Lake Trail. It’s actually common for hikers to experience wet conditions, sometimes for days on end, but I get a lot of questions about hiking in water for extended periods on the Florida Trail.
Although the southern terminus of the Florida Trail does contain several miles (or several days depending on the water table) of hiking through water, the majority of your hike will fall into conditions that are somewhat standard for other thru-hikes. As a reference point, I hiked for 4+ miles (pretty sure it was 6+ miles) on a 24 mile day. Here are the items I used for footcare to mitigate the effects of hiking through water.
REI Silk One Liner Socks – Having a thin liner sock has really worked for me. I tried Injinji socks but the trade-off with toe socks for me was that they trap moisture between the toes and cause skin decay pretty fast. If you want to dry your feet out, it’s a pain to get your feet in and out of wet toe socks repeatedly during the day.
Darn Tough Wool Socks (plus a spare pair)
Consumable foot care items:
Body Glide – I like this as an initial approach for hot spots. I apply it quickly if anything feels wrong and I’ve checked it and can tell it’s a hot spot.
Leukotape – when it’s wet sometimes Body Glide isn’t enough and this can keep your hot spot from turning into a blister. Leukotape will stay in place in pretty wet conditions.
Moleskin – I use this if i miss a hot spot and get a blister. Bad news is that once you pull your sock off (or if the area is being rubbed/pushed vigorously) then the moleskin doesn’t stay in place well when it’s wet. Typically, it will stay in place until I pull my sock off, then I have to re-apply.
Clothing and worn items
Buff – AT Style original Buff. Great for when you need a little relief from the cold but not enough to grab the down beanie. Also great for it’s so hot that your are dripping sweat into your eyes because you sweat through the sweat band in your hat. It’s a versatile clothing option.
Black Rock Down Beanie – Because it can get cold on the Florida Trail. I’ve used it and I love it!
Mountain Hardwear down jacket (no hood) – same situation as the beanie. Love it.
Briefs
Dry bag – for spare clothes. Can be a backup pillow, which I’ve used but don’t prefer.
Shirt – Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Lite™ Long Sleeve Shirt
Pants – Magellan (generic zip-off pants) from Academy Sports
Hat – Florida Trail snapback
Rain protection – Frogg Toggs poncho. It’s sufficient for me and breathes decently
Everything Else
Medical Kit – Adventure Medical Kit .5 (modified). I removed some redundancies and such.
Bear Bag kit – Dyneema Bag and Dynaglide line
Toothcare – Toothpaste, toothbrush (cut down) and chapstick
Gold bond powder – Anti-chafe
Bug repellent – Sawyer Picaridin 3oz
Sunscreen – This varies but I carry the .5 oz stick or up to about 3oz depending on what’s available
Hand Sanitizer – a very small container
Wet Wipes
Small super absorbent cloth (similar to sham-wow) One of my favorite gear hacks, I use this to wipe out moisture and condensation in my tent. You can wring it out and repeat and it hold a lot of water for it’s size! It doubles as pot holder almost everyday and is somewhat rigid in it’s dry state. It’s more effective at being a pot holder than a bandana or most cloths.
Tentlab potty trowel
Toilet paper
Glasses case – keeps the spectacles safe at night. Depending on the hike I might carry a second pair (prescription sunglasses for instance)
Ear plugs
For item weights etc. you can check out this list on Lighter Pack – Click Here
I’m also hiking for charity! Check it out here
#hikewithheart
You can also click here for more hiking gear discussion.
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