I am really not a gear guy. In fact I generally try to avoid buying and owning anything in all parts of my life. But I'm not going to let that stop me from making my first ever gear post.
Over the 15 years I've been hacking through the brush around Los Angeles, I've developed various techniques to be successful at overcoming the particular challenges off-trail routes demand around here. I spend the vast majority of my time and brain power on the navigational resources and techniques, as that is where my passion lays. But as my often precise routes have become steeper and deeper, my gear that I wear and pack with me, once dismissed as an afterthought, has had to keep up. My set-up has inevitably become a bit more honed and specialized, and I've admittedly begun to enjoy the trial and error process of that. This is the current break-down, bottom to top.
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. My most expensive item(s), by far. I've gotten hiking boots for free off Facebook, or Christmas presents, but I shelled out $175 for these guys. I went Solomon because my first ever hiking boots I bought as a 10 year old in the 90s were Solomon, and their US headquarters are in Ogden, Utah, my alternate hiking arena, with a great outlet store right in that building. My last pair of X-Ultras lasted 536 miles and 191,000 feet of gain, which I think is pretty good? My only complaint was the big fat tongue that funneled in debris, but the gaiters solved that problem. And these pioneers have a less swollen tongue.
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. Socks - I've always done wool. This is some inexpensive amazon brand that had good reviews. I'd be curious to try those darn toughs everyone raves about, but I will say this single pair has taken me 400 miles and are still in fine condition, with no complaints.
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. Gaiters! After months of debating wether to try the gaiter life, I took the plunge this past winter. Its this "Frelaxy" amazon brand with good reviews I had never heard of. These things are heavyduty, and would be overkill and unnecessarily hot for conventional trail hiking. (The lighter 'dirty girl' type design would be better for that) but for brush warfare, these are the bulldozers you want.
After a number of big days, the benefits have become clear: 1) They are yucca-proof, which can be great in the Gabes. I can't get stabbed below the knee sporting these bad boys. 2) They allow for my pants to be lighter and cooler, offsetting the warm calves. 3) They work great for snow when I'm in the Wasatch, and the warmth becomes an asset. 4) My shoe laces never come untied! 5) And finally they do indeed keep debris out of the shoes. A key modification are the cable ties I attached (see photo) to keep the under-boot harness securely attached, otherwise it would come undone constantly. Despite walking on it, that harness is tough and hasn't worn through at all yet.
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. Zip-off technical pants. This brand is Columbia, but I've used others too. For the SoCal climate, I like them light. They will get wrecked in a year or 2 anyways, particularly if you do any glissading, so no need to buy anything expensive. The more expensive ones break apart just as fast. Major props if there is a zippered pocket high on the thigh to keep your phone secure in, which is annoyingly difficult to find. The zip-off feature can be nice if you've got a long hot walk on a fire road back out.
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. This is the most recent change I'm trying - synthetic underpants. 97% polyester, 7% spandex. The idea is I will be able to take an impromptu dip in a Tujunga/Pacoima/Eaton/San Gabriel pool and be fully dry an hour later. I've yet to do a big day with these, but preliminary testing has been promising.
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. Sun hoodie that I wear right on my skin. I dislike sunscreen so have happily taken to the sun hoodie trend. I think I might prefer having a drawstring around the hood for those really blazing days of sun exposure in burn areas which this particular example lacks, but the important key here is the bright orange, to be more visible to other hikers in my group when we get a little separated, and also make myself visible for SAR, should it ever be necessary.
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. The oldest item on this list. I wear this mountain hardware polyester T-shirt over the top of my sun hoodie in the winter when I want a little more warmth. Over the top so that when I get hot its convenient to remove and still retain my sun hoodie, which always stays. Any old cotton T would work too, but I bought this when I was 11 years old, in 1997, for my formative New Vineyard Mountains 4-day bushwhack with my father in Maine.
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. I got this used on Facebook Marketplace from someone in North Hollywood for $30. I really don't like the camo color - the last thing I need is for my pack to be harder to find, or myself to be less visible. But thats the color it came as, so whatever. The orange sun hoodie offsets it too. What's important is the big(ish) 3.5-liter water bladder and sucker - I really love having that, it keeps me way more hydrated then if I had to take out a water bottle, because I know I would procrastinate that as I don't like taking breaks when in the zone. Refilling it from home or via water filter is a little more annoying however, and around camp its less convenient than water bottle, but in those instances I bring a little bottle too. The rest of the pack is good - the larger size has been about right for big day trips. And the materials are tough.
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. I have rocked a Sawyer Squeeze (full size) for my filtration needs, and I've been 90% happy. I have a stiff plastic bag packed with it in case I need to scoop out of an unmoving pool, which hasn't happened yet.
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. I never rocked loppers or cutting implements for brush warfare until posting here, but Sean hooked me up with this excellent recommendation. Light and small enough to pack in your bag and not be annoyed if you rarely use it. You'll see I drilled holes for cable key rings into the handles so I can attach it to the outside of my pack if I want to.
Cutting is best for group hikes, where you are helping out your fellow man or woman, particularly out and back routes. It was perfect for something like Black Jack Peak. viewtopic.php?p=67077&hilit=blackjack#p67077 I don't do cutting on any solo hikes, because honestly I can push through even the real thick stuff pretty voraciously when I get in the zone, and cutting at that point just slows me down. After some debate, Mathew and I decided not to bring loppers on the Triplet Rocks from the south trip, because with the distance we had to cover if we really needed to cut then we weren't going to complete the route in the allotted time always, so we may as well just turn back. Which ended up being the case, but because of Poodle Dog where loppers would probably just get you in MORE trouble. viewtopic.php?p=71661&hilit=Triplet+Rocks#p71661
Note - I don't do machete, because I don't trust myself to be safe enough with that to be worth it in such remote, rugged, compromised circumstances.
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. These rose pruning gloves I also got this past winter, and they have become a *vital* tool very quickly. They are a soft but tough polyester and the long forearm protection is key. Being able to grab and pull myself up on brush without a moment of hesitation, even whitethorn or yucca, is a game-changer on steep slopes. It saved my bacon in a big way attaining the Josephine ridge, arresting a tumble in seconds that was momentarily about to escalate to something for more dangerous. viewtopic.php?p=71562&hilit=Josephine#p71562 On a steep enough slope, of which the Gabes are famous for, with these gloves brush is no longer your foe - it becomes your valuable friend, your only source of secure holds on crumbling chossy rock. I used them extensively in the Wasatch too on the gambel oaks even when the rock is good. And they work for rock scrambling, too. I love these things. (even if they do get a bit hot in summer)
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. A cheap pair of wrap-around sunglasses. Cheap because I easily lose them. But the neck band helps lessen that risk, and gives another opportunity for a bright color. Wrap-around is important so they protect your eyes not just from the sun, but also from the whipping brush branches slapping you in the face.
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. You better feel intimidated, Taco. This is my aluminum steed... my interest in Mtn Biking has been purely a utilitarian one - its a tool to get me to where the hiking begins. I use it like a car. I suck at peddling up hill, (or at least don't like it! lol) but I walk this up fire roads so I can cruise back down them and save time and boredom at the end of some of my days. It has genuinely been helpful in that regard, great for this sort of route: viewtopic.php?p=71596&hilit=Mendenhall#p71596 I don't actually change gears on it!
And I lash it directly to my car roof. All I know is its aluminum, which was lighter than the steel options at the used bike shop. And I think the brand may not exist anymore? .
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. No other item I bring with me has had as many trips and miles at this hat. I've taken it literally on every single walk I've gone on, even around the city, for the last 9 years. Its clocked at least 1,300 miles, and 406,676 feet of gain, likely more. An under-the-neck strap is key for those Santa Ana days. viewtopic.php?p=71176&hilit=Fishback#p71176 I've used it like a battering ram plunging head-first into brush, and its taken every licking with only a few rips. You can't underestimate a good hat.
