Stevie’s Top 5 most important hiking apparatus on-trail

1. Puffy Jacket & Quilt (Enlightened Revelation (Down 850, 20 degrees) => most useful article of clothing and sleep covering. Lightweight and warm.
2. Katadyne Water Filter => Clean, sanitized water kept us healthy throughout the entire trail.
3. JustinUL bottle holder => Easy to grab water
4. Sleeping pad Liner => acts as sheet and extra insulation
5. Trekking Poles (Black Diamond) => needed them more than I thought for support, except for when we were in Maine where the rocky terrain and several fords made it pointless to use poles.

Rich’s Top 5 most important hiking apparatus on-trail

1. Puffy Jacket & Quilt (Enlightened Revelation (Down 850, 20 degrees) => Very essential article of clothing and sleep covering. Lightweight, warm and lifesaving on extremely cold nights.
2. Katadyne Water Filter => Absolutely essential to prevent Giardia and other harmful bacteria viruses.
3. OBOZ hiking boots => critically important for stability especially with supporting my old ankles
4. Trekking Poles (Black Diamond) => crucial for taking load off of quads and hamstrings
5. Headlamp => critical for early morning hikes before sunrise (most often) or night-hiking (a few times).