Taaaaaaa Daaaaaaaa! It is time for my annual Hiking Favorites list. 2012 was very good to me. I logged well over 1000 miles hiking, climbing, and backpacking and added a few small gear items that made huge differences in my comfort and protection. Thanks to Pinterest, my 2012 Hiking Favorites are visually portrayed with purchasing and weight information. How cool is that?
Here they are…
Backpack: GoLite Jam – Loved this backpack so much I bought several colors for my whole family to use. Lightweight (1 lb 9 oz.), lots of padding, great hip pockets, and I hardly notice it is on when packing 25 pounds.
Stove: Jetboil SolTi – This zippy fast, ultra-light, fuel saver sadly convinced me to say good-by to my homemade alcohol stove. One fuel canister lasted me 20 days on the trail cooking only at night.
Pillow: Flexair pillow – This little featherweight cloud of comfort looks fragile, but lasted the whole summer and is still going strong.
Gator: Dirty Girl Gaitors – Probably my favorite new gear this year and my husbands too. If you have never hiked with a pair, go to their website now. Have fun picking out a very fun color.
Gloves: Agloves Sport Touchscreen Gloves
Protection: Buff – Sun protection, sweat wicker, balaclava, ear-warmer, and hat all-in-one.
Jewelry: Tarma PCT earrings and necklace – By far I get the most compliments when I wear these.
Food Storage: UrSack Minor – Great protection from critters and marmots. I always use an Odor Proof sack with the Ur Sack Minor
Photography: AirStash – This small lightweight device delivers via WiFi photos from a camera straight to a smartphone. Just pop in the SD card and it works without cell service.
Smartphone: iPhone 5 – This upgraded phone delivers better battery life, video, and is zippy fast. I also love that it is lighter and the keyboard is bigger. Handy for typing trail journals while on the trail. My iPhone serves as a GPS, video camera, blog writer, guidebook, voice Recorder and music, podcast, and audio book player.
Headphones: New style Apple headphones – More comfortable, stays in your ear, and screamin’ great sound.
Backpacking Food: All homemade dehydrated food – Wish I would have started this healthy adventure in backpacking food years ago.
Podcast: This is Your Life by Michael Hyatt – This guy gets me organized, thinking, moving, and healthy.
Hiker Transportation: Back of a truck on the way to Saufleys, trail angels in Agua Duce!
Best Climb: Spending the night on top of Mount Whitney. Priceless!
Best section of trail: PCT through the San Jacinto Wilderness
iPhone App: iTunes Music App
Movie: The Hobbit – The ultimate thru-hike!
Facebook Page: Lady on a Rock facebook fan page, but seriously my favs are Women’s Adventure and First Ascent. love the photos and great deals on gear, but really if you haven’t already liked my Facebook page head on over there and be sure and click like.
Sharing: Pinterest
Also, be sure check out:
What are your gear favorites? Please share. I just LOVE talking gear. Happy outside adventures in 2013!
Great to have this list from you for us to refer to. 🙂
Hi Christy
I see some Golite Jam packs are on sale. I’m thinking of getting one-do you know which model you have ? I’m wondering if the 35L is too small.
Thanks
Skyward
Skyward, It would be the 50L. I wish Golite still made the women’s version. All is I know is the pack is a great bargain and also works as a great winter day pack (hauls snowshoes nicely).
Rockin’
Loved this post. Always wanting to hear what hear people are using and like and with over a thousand miles on in 2012!, that’s some good recommendations. I have a few buffs and use them anytime I’m in danger of sunburn. Nicer feel than sunblock on the neck and can be used at night when it gets cold. Hope you have a great 2013.
Ditto on this. I also love to slip it around my ears over my ball cap to stop cold wind.
I’m getting rid of my heavy old friend and looking at ultralight, I need one that will hold a bear canister, will the Jam?
Yes the Jam fits a bear canister nicely either vertical or horizontal. I use a Bearikade Weekender.
Hello Rockin’! I find myself devouring your blog. So inspiring and full of good information. I am debating a new pack this year and am looking at the ULA Circuit or the GoLite Jam. I am taller than you at 5′ 9″ , and I see you used one during one of your seasons. Can you give me more input on how it performed in comparison to the Jam?
The ULA Circuit is a bit heavier that the Jam. I also would look at Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus. My friend Arrow just bought one. She is 5’11” and loves it. It weights about the same as the Jam 50L.
Thanks, Rockin’! Love the gear! Do you like your pack better than the one like mine? Curious… why do you like it better? and, are the prana pants lightweight? I have a pair, but they are fairly heavy in comparison. I also subscribed to that podcast that you mentioned. I love Science Friday and Fresh Air. Also Naked Science. Take care, best to you. J
Yellowstone,
I also have the ULA Circuit. The Jam just fits like a glove and is very padded. I like the way it loads and I like that it is lighter. No the prana pants are not lightweight, but they are on my body most of the time. What I haven’t done is get them wet on the trail. So I don’t have the answer to how long or if they ever dry. I love the length, fit, and toughness of the material and have 2 pairs. One thing they probably would not be a good pant for hot temps. What is your experience?
Thanks for your tips on good Podcasts.
I like the looks of the FlexAir pillow. We’re currently using the Therm-a-Rest pillows. While they fit easily in the same compartment as the sleeping bag, I’ve always thought that there is room for improvement. Since they’re so squishy, they seem to only work well if used on top of a pile of extra clothes. And I bet my wife would love some Dirty Girl Gaitors!
Hello Jeff,
I am sure she will find a fun color to choose from! If you do try the FlexAir, use a soft pillow case. I use a Therm-a-rest one. It fits perfectly. My husband also wraps his down jacket around the pillow before stuffing the pillow in the case. It is way overkill for me, but he loves it.
These links are so cool – I’m going to have to try some of these out!
I just bought 3 of the pillows for me and my 2 sisters to try out. Usually it’s just a rock with my pack on top…
I found that a soft cover really helped to minimize any noise the pillow might make and not to over fill the pillow. I used just 4 puffs. If you get a system it quite a luxury especially when compared to a rock!
Ask Joker asked of Batman: “Where did he get all those wonderful toys?” And thanks for mentioning the Michael Hyatt podcast (didn’t know he had one). I will check that out! Rock on Rockin’!
It is embarrassing isn’t it? Too FUNNY. But seriously peeps…my answer is Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Anniversary, Birthday, and any other little me holiday I conjure up. This year: Valentine’s Day = New ultralight special powers sleeping bag
thanks a lot for this review.
Did you try other headphones or just the ones from Apple? I find them terrible. to be honest.
http://en-de.sennheiser.com/earphones-headphones-in-ear-cx-175 I am using this ones for more than 3 years and they survived everything up to this point.
Hello Sarah,
Thanks for the earbud suggestion. I just love to hear what hikers are using out in the field, that works and they love. You are right the Apple earbuds of the past stink, but I love their new design that I received with my iPhone 5. Have you tried the new ones and didn’t like them?
Yeah I got them too with the new iPhone but they don’t really fit my ear properly.
With this and the old ones when I used them on any public transport they didn’t really keep the background noise out really well. I know when hiking this is not a big problem, because I usually only have one earbud in while hiking. But with the Sennheiser you don’t have to set the music volume really high which is nice for you and maybe your neighbour on a train, bus or wherever you are.
Anyway that is my opinion, if you like the ones from apple thats fine too it really deepens on what shape your ear is and how they fit.
cheers Sarah