Here are some thoughts and experiences about the gear I used on the trail. I won’t add any links, but some brand and item names are mentioned so you can find them if you want.

First some general thoughts – not only about gear, but buying things in general. You may not agree, and that’s absolutely ok for me. But I still want to raise some awareness at this point. These were some rules that I tried to apply when buying gear:

• Try and get gear from manufacturers in your region. That may be the US/Canada, or – in my case, Europe.
• Try and avoid „made in China“. I have full respect for the people and culture, but I don’t want to support this dictatorship. No country is perfect on earth, but I love the idea of democracy, free speech etc.
• Try and avoid Amazon. Check out your local dealers if available, or find smaller web shops. I don’t want to feed ultra billionaires more than necessary. And in most cases we don’t need a piece of gear or anything to be delivered next day.

And yes, I did not always meet my standards or there was no other choice, but to be aware and choose a better option when possible is important to me.

Ok. If you’re still here after my little rant, here we go with my gear.

Backpack

I had an Exped Thunder 70. The size was perfect (using a bear canister). It was not really lightweight, but also not too heavy. For the lighter rains it kept everything inside dry. For heavy rain I used my poncho which was shaped to also cover the backpack. What I didn’t like was the squeaking sound it made with every step. Some days more, some days less, but I never found out what made the difference…

So for another thru-hike I might go for a lighter backpack, otherwise this was a good choice.

Tent

I had a Hilleberg Enan, a tunnel/double walled tent. Although again not an ultralite piece of gear, that thing rocked. The inner wall was great especially in mosquito areas. It was sturdy and kept me safe and dry during a night of thunderstorm and strong wind/rain on Snow Mesa.

I also got an inexpensive footprint (not from Hilleberg), which protected the floor of the tent from sharp rocks or piece of wood. Probably also helped a bit as a an extra insulation layer.

Sleeping

I used a down sleeping bag with an additional silk liner. For comfort I had an inflatable pillow with me. Additionally I had a very thin and lightweight mat to place inside of the tent. That was a bit of insulation, and it also helped that my inflatable mattress (by Exped) wouldn’t move too much on the slippery tent floor.

I was happy with these items. Maybe that extra mat would be something to drop for reducing the base pack weight a bit…

Footwear

I walked with Brooks Cascadia 17. Worked very well for me and I would use them again. One thing I don’t know if other shoes are better:

When walking downhill or sidewards when the trail was gravelly I slipped every now and then (didn’t trip thankfully). But I think one would need really sturdy mountain hiking boots to improve that.

There was a short stretch along Cochetopa Creek (a bit before entering the La Garita Wilderness) on a steep slope with very loose rock. The trail was maybe one foot wide, tilted and the poles could hardly be used for that stretch. That was maybe the most uncomfortable part on the trail for me, as I was really hoping and trying my best not to slip and fall down the steep slope.

I had two pairs Darn Tough hiking socks and one pair for the night, also hiking socks of that brand.

Additionally I had a pair of psychedelic Dirty Girl Gaiters. I actually can’t say how much they helped – as I always wore them while hiking. But of course, hiking in style is important as well 😉

Trekking poles

I used Black Diamond poles. I lost the rubber tips after two days – so much for LNT…, sorry ‚bout that.

Would definitely recommend using poles on the Colorado Trail. They give stability on some rocky sections, help you push yourself up on the long climbs, and make the long downhill stretches more knee friendly. One thing is that in the large talus fields they tend to get stuck between the rocks.

Clothing

I used merino underwear (2 shorts, 1 pair of long underwear for the night) and two merino t-shirts. All from Kaipara, a German brand. Worked very well, I would buy/use them again.

I think I would take another t-shirt next time. Two for hiking, one for entering civilization to have something a bit more fresh.

I had an Ortovox mid layer with merino wool, which was absolutely fantastic, and a down puffy jacket for the evenings and mornings.

I had gloves and a hat (from Fjällräven) and hiking pants also from Fjällräven. I was a bit annoyed that this Swedish brand items were produced in China, didn’t check before buying. I had a mosquito net for the hat/head, but never used it…

For rain I had a rain poncho which was big enough to also cover my backpack. It worked very well, but it was an art to put that on. I’m glad that nobody saw me, I think it would have been a nice episode for a thru-hiking comedy…

Also I had rain pants that I never used. So that’s one item I would not take with me next time.

Sunglasses plus case.

Containers

I chose the Bear Vault as my food container. A bit heavy and big in the backpack, but easy to stow away in the evening. Also I heard a story on the trail about a chewed up Ursack. The bear didn’t get the food, but everything inside was messed up, and the hiker had to do an extra resupply trip.

I also had some extra stuff sacks with me, and big sturdy trash bags to definitely keep the important things dry in my backpack.

For my camera and some quick snacks I used a Wandrd fanny bag. It was a great protection for the cam and very useful, but it’s a bit heavy for a thru-hike.

Water

I got myself a Katadyn Befree to filter the water. And an extra 5 l water bag that I could fill with unfiltered water as needed for some dry stretches on the trail. I sometimes washed socks, t-shirt or the underwear in one of the water proof stuff sacks with a bit of soap.

For the supply while hiking I had two simple plastic water bottles from the grocery store with me and two bottle holders connected to the shoulder straps of my backpack. This worked very well for me!

I was very happy with the Katadyn, but it did clog and I used the spare filter (sent to Monarch Pass) after the Cochetopa Hills section with a lot of muddy waters.

Hygiene

I used a regular toothbrush, and tooth tabs from German brand „Terrorists of beauty“, also a piece of soap from them. A small bottle of hand sanitizer and a few alcohol wipes. Dental floss for teeth and also for repairs.

I also took a plastic razor with me. No need to shave each day, but I just didn’t want to grow a messy beard…

For peeing at night I had a plastic bottle with a big opening with me. Worked great, except that one night when I missed the opening half asleep. I leave the rest to your imagination… 😉

Also – although considering myself as a male version of a human being, I used a Kula Cloth during the day. As I need to pee quite often I felt more comfortable using this regularly.

For the poop I used a shovel, but was often not very successful in digging a hole that was deep enough – how do other hikers get through the rocks and roots in the ground? For cleaning I used a little shower called „Happy Po“ available here in Germany (Europe?) which was really great. Would definitely recommend that, no toilet paper needed, and it feels really clean.

First aid

Various kinds of band aids, Ibuprofen and also pain reliever with caffeine, acetaminophen, aspirin (in case of one of my bad headaches). Sewing needle, sun protection. An emergency blanket.

Electronics

My iPhone with a GPS app (Maps 3D) and the Colorado Trail route added from GPX file. I didn’t want to use one of the social hiking apps, keeping the iPhone turned off as much as possible during the hike. I had downloaded some music and brought small headphone to listen to some music in the tent. Actually I only did that for two or three times – my system somehow wanted to be connected to the outdoor sounds (or silence) even in the tent.

Garmin inReach – it was great for my family to see my progress with the regular waypoints that it would send. And of course there is the emergency button, which I thankfully didn’t need to use.

A Suunto GPS watch. I just recently found out that this „Finnish“ company actually has been sold to a Chinese enterprise some years ago. I didn’t pay attention to this before buying 🙁 Although I was and am very happy with the watch itself.

An Anker solar panel (one of the few things I ordered at Amazon).

A Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ202D as a camera plus spare batteries for photos and videos. This worked great, but I really had some problems with focussing with my (sun) glasses. Also there was a correction for videos by default that messed up my panning videos pretty bad.

Note to myself: spend more time with the camera features before going out for a trip!

Cables and adapters. A headlight. An Anker Power Bank (half the capacity/less weight would have been enough since I also had the solar panel with me).

Tools and extras

A tiny Swiss army knife with a pair of scissors. A lighter with some duct tape wrapped around it. A couple of cable ties and some cord.

A Rite in the rain book as diary, and a simple ball pen. A zip lock bag for money, credit card and passport.

Navigation

I mainly used the Colorado Trail Data Book to plan the next two or three days, and also checked often during the day for the next water or the distance to the next place to sleep. That was perfect for most of the time. A few times I checked my GPS app on the iPhone, but most of the time that was turned off.

I had the Colorado Trail maps from National Geographic with me. I didn’t use them during the day, but it was nice to spend some time in the evening checking all the names and topography of the mountains, creeks, passes etc., or get a better feeling of the ups and downs of the next day.

Bird

I wanted to have one little friend with me, although I planned to stay by myself most of the time. This was „Bird“, a little white eagle that shared the trail with me. That one has been with me for some years, and now it was time for bird to see some of the big world out there 🙂

Looking back to the time on the trail I really must say that the most important things worked out very well, and I’m very thankful for that.

I stayed in good health and had no injuries. There were no dangerous situations with bears, moose, cows, dogs, people etc. All the resupply packages arrived in time, and were in good shape. When hitchhiking I got a ride pretty quickly, and with really nice people.

My gear worked out very well, with a few possible improvements.

People on the trail were super nice, and yes there were some „characters“ on the trail – but that goes for myself as well 😉

I had two trail magic surprises, one near Camp Hale, the other on Lujan Pass. Thank you so much for offering beverages, fruit, sweets and even Pizza. And just being there, knowing how much that can make the day for a thru hiker!

Also on my zero days I had wonderful encounters with people in the hotels, motels, restaurants, shops etc., especially in Twin Lakes, Creede and Silverton.

So when I write about my „ordeals“ most of them are not really too serious – but on these long hours and days out on the trail my mind sometimes got stuck on these things.

The trail

Knowing how much of an effort it is to maintain the trail, and with all my full respect for all the trail crews and everyone who is involved:

There were a few sections that were quite challenging to hike. And I don’t mean the long ascents to Hope Pass, the Tenmile Range etc.

Spoiled from the trails in the European Alps, I really missed having switchbacks in some places. The trail around Holy Cross Wilderness, and the days in the Cochetopa Hills were the worst. Straight up the hill, all in the woods, no „reward“ on top with a nice view. Straight down again. Repeat.

Combine that with a super rocky trail with fist size rocks all over the place. No chance to look left or right, no way to get into a steady hiking pace…

Looking back to these sections I can laugh now, it’s just crazy how the mind wants to change the reality instead of just accepting it and then make the best out of it…

Humidity

When planning the hike I had the idea that in Colorado, and up in the mountains the climate in general would be rather dry with low humidity.

Well, I learned that rinsing my sweaty T-Shirt or socks in the afternoon would repeatedly result in still very damp clothes next morning. Even when there was no rain late afternoon or in the evening things just wouldn’t dry.

Putting up a tent next to a creek also was not the greatest idea (in a place where hikers have camped before me). Not only the outside of the tent was wet, but also the inside from the condensation. Yes I have read about this before my hike – but I guess I had to experience it myself…

So after a couple of days I had my (almost) daily „yard sale“ some time during the day – spreading my tent, the sleeping bag and everything else worth drying in the expanse of the Colorado Rockies…

Mosquitos

Between the Holy Cross Wilderness and Twin Lakes this was pretty bad. Yes I had a repellant with me and that did help a bit, but still these little creatures decided to taste my blood every 30 seconds or so.

While observing the situation I found out that about 2/3 of the mosquitos were on my left arm, only 1/3 on my right. I had the repellant on both arms, so there must have been another reason for this difference. My mind was busy doing calculations and making a scientific research out of this, so that helped to keep my humor alive…

The situation lasted for 2 – 3 days (it was bad in Twin Lakes, but on my zero day there I took a shower, reducing my body odor and mosquito attacks), before and after this section mosquitos were mostly rare.

Food

That was a somewhat more serious issue. I had decided to go „cold“, so no cooking, just nuts, energy bars, figs, raisins, beef jerky, little salamis etc.

I would do it again without a stove. But I had actually worried too much about resupply and having the „right“ food. Even in the little Jefferson market there would have been enough to resupply. And besides always carrying some extra vitamins and definitely electrolytes I just would go with the available choice. Also except the first few days, temperature for a good supply of chocolate is no problem.

Message to myself for the next thru-hike: Dare more junk food.

Another thing that I didn’t expect was that I just didn’t have a good appetite on the trail. Several people reported of a „hiker hunger“ kicking in after few days, but that was not the case for me. So within the five weeks I lost a good amount of weight, and I think at the end of my hike through the San Juan mountains I was really running out of fuel. I tried my best to eat my dried fruits and nuts, salamis etc. but I am sure it was not enough.

Well, that was definitely a lesson learned for me, to be more conscious about having a good and regular supply of calories.

Another thing: Taste the products before carrying them with you. Of course one never knows for sure how the taste may change during a long hike. But if you know that you hate something, don’t carry it. I say this because I had a good supply of Cliff Bars with me, I had never tried them before. I thought that would be „good calories“, but I hated them so much I really had to swallow them down with lots of water…

Weather

Maybe the most serious of my points here. Although looking back I was quite lucky with the weather, I didn’t expect that it would be so unstable.

I thought there would be afternoon thunderstorms in some places, but found out that rain and thunderstorms can come in at almost any time. One was at 10 pm in the morning. I had two evenings/nights with hours of rain, storm and thunder above treeline (the center of the thunderstorm stayed maybe 2 km away from me luckily). When I kept seeing this towers of dark clouds building up, I just got tense and it really changed my „flow“ of hiking, especially on my last days in the San Juans, around Snow Mesa etc.

In lower altitudes that was not so much of a problem, but around Collegiate West and the San Juan segments, this is something every hiker has to cope with (may vary each year, and within hiking season, of course).

One idea is to make a descent to treeline heights in between, maybe have a late afternoon and a good night „in safety“ before going up again. Just to relax the nervous system for a few hours

In summer 2024 from 10th of July to 10th of August I solo-hiked the Colorado Trail, starting near Denver at Waterton Canyon, finishing at Molas Lake close to Silverton.

This was a truly remarkable adventure, and the culmination of my plans and preparations that started almost two years earlier.

It was some time in 2022 when I first read about the Colorado Trail on some web site I don’t remember. As I have family in the US, and I have travelled the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Wyoming) quite a bit in my life, I was immediately hooked.

Until then my longest „thru-hike“ was a five day back pack trip through the French Vosges mountains, plus a few three day hikes. However, the idea for a longer hike was already growing in the back of my head – a friend had hiked the Camino del Norte in Spain and had a great time, and I read a wonderful book about the „Shvil Israel“ – the Israel trail.

After first reading about the Colorado Trail it didn’t take long to make the decision to actually do the hike. That was in late summer 2022.

Of course such a project would require some preparation, so I decided to plan for summer 2024. The real preparations started in late 2023 – watching lots of YouTube-Videos about thru-hiking, gear and experiences of other hikers, buying and trying out gear, and putting together everything that had to be organized (flight, supply on the trail etc.). Then early 2024 I started with my training plan – starting to hike three to four times each week for 6 – 10 km with some weight in my backpack. Distance and weight was increased getting closer to summer. Also two three-day hikes with most of my gear (shoes, backpack, water filter etc.) somewhere in the German woods.

Some of the gear – such as the Bear Container – was not available here, so my family in the US ordered it.

Then on the 10th of July the fun started in Waterton Canyon, around 8 am in the morning. I was overwhelmed by my feelings to actually be on the way now.

Over the next 36 days I had one of the greatest and most demanding experiences in my life so far. I got lots of support from my family, met great people, and was just deeply touched by the nature and the scenery I experienced.

From my photos and videos I created (and at the time of writing I’m still creating) seven videos that can be watched on YouTube.

I will post more about my hike and the videos. Stay tuned…