What Gear to Bring on the John Muir Trail

Minimalism is vital on the trail, but there is still quite a bit of basic gear that you will need to stay safe and enjoy yourself. Here is a complete list of what I personally recommend and what I have found to be most helpful without weighing me down. Basic categories include: Backpack, Sleep System, Clothing, Footwear, Kitchen, Bear Canister, Hydration, Hygiene, Electronics, and Miscellaneous.

Don’t worry too much about pack weight, but do try to keep your pack light. Pack weight is NOT a competition, which might not feel like the case sometimes, but it really isn’t.

There is a weigh station at Muir Trail Ranch were people resupply, and they have a scale. I’ve watched hundreds of people weigh their packs, and most of them were between 40 and 45lbs after they filled up on food and water, myself included. And you know what? My ‘base’ weight is only about 20lbs.

Realistically, this is the last piece of gear that you should decide on. Why? Because what goes inside the pack determines how big it needs to be and how much weight it should comfortably carry, and you don’t know what all that is until you figure out what you’re bringing! Pack sizes on the John Muir Trail vary from 40L on up to 90L, and each size will determine what you can and cannot bring. An average and versatile size for the trail is 60-70L though, which is what I use for nearly all my trips.

TIP: Don’t buy a pack so small that you have to tie gear to the outside. I’ve seen people lose tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads on the trail because of this. Long-gone are the days of external frames where strapping gear to the outside was a necessity, you should be glad!

Top Choice:
My pack of choice for the John Muir Trail is the Osprey Aether 70L. At 5’10” and 180lbs, I wear a size medium, and I can reliably fit all of my gear inside it on the John Muir Trail. It’s so comfortable and versatile that I use it on virtually all of my backpacking trips now, both short and long. Plus, the top detaches and turns into a daypack for side hikes!

TIP: Use your tent’s groundsheet as a rain cover. I made mine out of Tyvek for $18.

I’m referring to this as a system, because each piece of gear in this category works in tandem to keep you warm and needs to be chosen with the others in mind. First, you need to decide if you want a tent, tarp, or bivy, as this will determine how warm the rest of your sleep system needs to be. For 99% of hikers, I recommend a tent over a tarp. A tarp might seem cool, but until you’ve experienced mosquitoes so bad they get stuck inside your nostrils, I would suggest sticking with a tent. 

Non-freestanding tents save you a few ounces over a freestanding tent, but at the expense of campsite selection and storm-worthiness. For convenience, I prefer a free-standing tent. It lets me camp pretty much anywhere, and I’ve endured 40mph winds that collapsed other camper’s non-freestanding tents.

Top Tent Choice
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. It’s both durable and incredibly light, so light in fact that it rivals most non-freestanding tents and even many tarp setups. It’s technically a 2 person tent, but after years of tarping it, I deliberately chose a tent big enough to fit myself and my gear. Mice have a way of chewing and pooping on anything left outside your tent.
Budget Option: Kelty Salida Tent 

TIP: Make a groundsheet out of Tyvek. It’s cheap, durable, and doubles as a rain cover for your pack.

Bring a bag for the coldest night, not the warmest. Most people will agree that 15-20F bags have the best temperature rating for the trail. They’re overkill for the lower sections, but necessary for the higher elevations. If you get a 25F bag, be prepared to sleep in your puffy jacket at least a few times. Sleeping under a tarp? You might want to step down to a 10F bag, as tents really do add a lot of warmth (they block convection currents). Down is a better choice than synthetic as long as you keep it dry. It’s lighter, warmer, more durable, and compresses to a smaller size inside your pack.

Top Sleeping Bag Choice
Marmot Helium 15F down sleeping bag. It’s lightweight, compact, durable, comfortable, and warm. The temperature rating is accurate and is perfect for the John Muir Trail. I used to have a Western Mountaineering Ultralite, but sold it because of how cramped it felt despite the fact that it was warmer even at its 20F rating. Now the Alpinlite is a bag I would consider if price wasn’t a factor!

Top Sleeping Pad Choice
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad. It’s lightweight, comfortable, durable, reasonably warm, and incredibly compact (it rolls up smaller than a Nalgene). Getting a good night’s rest is vital on the trail, and foam pads don’t cut it for most of us who sleep on our sides or aren’t teenagers anymore.
Budget option: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Ultralight foam pad (it works OK for back sleepers)

Clothes for Sleeping In
Sleeping in thermals does two things: it keeps your sleeping bag clean, and it boosts the temperature rating of your bag. Warm night? Unzip the bag and use it like a comforter, your thermals are like bedsheets! I wear Terramar leggings, Sockwell Compression socks, and an Outdoor Research Ultralight Echo Hoody. It’s meant for sun protection, but is lightweight, moisture-wicking, and the hood keeps the hood of my bag clean.

TIP: Have a dedicated set of clothes to sleep in to keep your bag clean and boost its temperature rating on cold nights. Compression socks work great, are lightweight, and help with sore feet!

Inflatable Pillow
This goes back to the importance of getting a good night’s rest so you actually have energy to keep going the next day. I wouldn’t trade my Sea-to-Summit inflatable pillow for anything, not even top shelf whiskey on the trail.

Weather can vary wildly on the trail! You should prepare for everything from hot sunny conditions to freezing rain with sub zero temps and even snow. Yes, snow! I’ve been snowed on in July and August more times than I can count. One night in August it snowed enough at Guitar Lake to make snowballs with. This isn’t the norm, but it does happen.

Rain Jacket
You need one, and if you end up needing it for an extended period of time, you will be glad to have a good one. I wear the Mountain Hardwear ThunderShadow rain jacket which has now been replaced by the Exposure/2 Gore-Tex Paclite jacket. The Marmot Precip is a more budget friendly jacket that works almost as well. Be sure to buy a jacket with pit zips! You’ll thank me.

Rain Pants
Yes please! If it pours, you will need them to keep hiking. The best thing about rain pants though? Mosquito protection! I wear the Exposure/2 Gore-Tex Paclite pants. The full side zipper is super handy for taking them on/off without taking your shoes off.

Puffy Jacket
You need a warm mid/outer layer on the trail, and this is where a nice lightweight puffy comes in. I wear the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer hooded down jacket. It weighs virtually nothing and is warmer than fleeces that weigh 4 times as much. The hood is a nice feature that adds both warmth and versatility.

Hiking Shirt
Most synthetic hiking shirts on the market will do (REI brand is a great budget option), but I like my ExOfficio Air Strip shirt the best.

Hiking Pants
I prefer convertible hiking pants so I have the option of wearing both pants and shorts. REI has some of the best convertible hiking pants I have found, but the North Face is a strong competitor.

Under Armour
If you are like me, you are going to sweat like a pig going up the passes. I find that wearing an Under Armour Heat Gear compression shirt keeps me both cooler and dryer.

Socks
Darn Tough Hiker merino/nylon blend socks. I bring 3 pairs and rotate them out so I can wash and dry them. They’re the toughest socks I’ve ever worn, and the merino is antimicrobial so it buys you a few days before they start to stink. I pair these with Injinji Toe Liner Socks to prevent blisters, and they work like a charm!

Underwear
I’ve tried merino, but Exofficio Give-N-Go Boxers are the most comfortable I’ve found. The boys need to breathe! I pack two pairs so I can rotate them out and wash them. Merino fends off the stench better, but I’ve yet to find a pair that a) didn’t need to because of how warm they were, and b) didn’t give me wedgies up to my nostrils.

Beanie
I wear a Mountain Hardwear Caelum Dome Beanie in bright red, which helps make me more visible when I want to be. Just about any warm synthetic or wool beanie will work though.

Gloves
Not everyone brings gloves, but I find a light pair of synthetic glove liners to be a godsend on chilly evenings and mornings. You will be glad to have them at Guitar Lake.

Sun Hat
I was happy with the REI Sahara Cadet Cape Hat until I lost it and they changed the design. Now I wear the Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap because the cape protects my neck and ears when I’m above tree line, and I can tuck it away when I don’t need it.

Sunglasses
You really want some good polarized sunglasses for the John Muir Trail. Much of the trail is above tree line at high elevation where the landscape is primarily granite, and granite has very high reflectivity, i.e. it’s going to be insanely bright up there during the day. I wear the Smith Outlier sunglasses. Their Chromapop lenses are engineered to enhance the way humans perceive colors and are actually really cool.

Camp Shoes
Do you need camp shoes? No, but you will appreciate them, especially for water crossings. I bring Freewaters Treeline Therm-a-Rest flip flops because they’re comfy, lightweight, and just barely durable enough to actually hike in if I need to. Be sure to size up if you get them.

You NEED a bear canister on the John Muir Trail. Yes, it’s heavy, and yes, it sucks. But you know what? It’s better than a bear getting your food or a ranger writing you a ticket, confiscating your permit, and escorting you off the trail.

Top Choice
Your best option and my personal favorite is the Bearikade Expedition, but it’s $350. Your best bet without spending a small fortune is the BearVault BV500, which is hands-down the most common bear can on the trail. It holds about 7 days worth of food for one person, up to 8-9 if you get creative, and you can carry your first day’s food in your pack as long as you don’t leave it unattended. 9-10 days worth of food is pretty darn good if you ask me!

We all poop, but how do you poop on the John Muir Trail? The answer has been changing over the years. With how heavily impacted the trail is, you are required to pack out your used toilet paper. Yuck! Bring Ziploc bags for this, and then double bag it with a gallon bag for good measure.

The soil along much of the trail is rocky and difficult to dig in, so you need a trowel. Seriously, don’t plan on digging with a tent stake, that’s how surface poops are created. The rest is basic hygiene.

Poop Trowel
Deuce of Spades and Deuce of Spades II. Both work great, both weigh almost nothing, and both are durable. They aren’t the most comfortable, but they get the job done.

Wiping Material
I’m only including this as a category to let you know that there are ways to cut down on how much you need, which is extra important with the new regulations. If you start off with rocks and sticks (but not pine needles!) you can cut your TP usage into thirds. This means one full roll is adequate for most people for the duration of the trail, but beginners might need two. Oh, and bring Charmin. You will already be chafing enough as it is, trust me.

Moist Wipes Vs Bidet
It’s hard to keep clean back there without regular bathing, so realistically you should bring either a) moist wipes for sensitive areas (enough for one wipe per session) or a water bottle bidet. There is also the ‘backcountry bidet’ where you use your fingers, but it’s not for everyone, and hand sanitizer doesn’t work well on soiled hands.

Hand Sanitizer
It doesn’t kill 100% or even 99.9% of germs on dirty hands, but it’s worlds better than nothing. The effectiveness rating applies to unsoiled, nonporous surfaces. Disinfecting wipes are arguably better due to their cleaning/wiping action, but are bulkier. To each their own.

Fun Fact: Poor hygiene is a significant contributor to illness on the trail when compared to dirty water

Ziploc Bags
Enough for your toilet paper. You’ll want both sandwich and gallon.

Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Floss
Travel size! I like my mini toothbrush and mini tube of crest, accompanied by my mini floss.

Camp Soap
Campsuds. 18 days is a long time to not wash anything, but use it sparingly. One 4oz tube should be enough for the entire trail. Just don’t let it get into any water sources, you can read why here

The only electronic device you need on the trail is, arguably, a headlamp. I bring my phone with me to use as an alarm clock and make emergency calls though, as well as a small digital camera. Serious photographers will bring larger cameras, but most hikers will regret packing the extra weight. Emergency beacons are not a bad idea either. I’ve never personally felt the need for a solar panel or battery banks on the John Muir Trail.

Headlamp
Petzl TIKKA. It’s bright, reliable, affordable, and has multiple settings for brightness to conserve your batteries. It also has a red LED setting, which preserves your night vision and won’t wake up other campers. If you want something brighter, go with the ACTIK

Batteries
Lithium all the way. They last more than twice as long, and don’t taper off towards the end like alkaline batteries do, meaning your headlamp stays bright all the way to the end. Odds are, a fresh set of Li-ion AAA batteries in your headlamp will last the entire trail. I bring a single change of batteries just in case though, and have needed them before.

Digital Camera
Sony RX100 20.2 MP Compact Digital Camera. It has a 1-inch sensor, 28-100mm ZEISS zoom lens, 3” flip-out LCD, and is small enough to fit into the hip pocket on my backpack. It takes amazing photos that rival some mirrorless designs.

Locator Beacon
Garmin InReach Mini. It gives you 24/7 access to emergency services and even allows 2-way text messages. I don’t carry one yet, but it’s on my list of items to buy.

Many necessities don’t quite fit into the above categories, so I put them here. Don’t think they don’t matter though! Things like sunscreen and bug spray are 100% necessary.

Map
The trail is well marked, but you still need a map to plan out your day, know where to camp, find water, know how far you are from passes, and so on. The best I have found is the Tom Harrison Map Pack. It has the best detail and is the easiest to read of all maps I’ve seen.

Sunscreen
Neutrogena Dry-Touch SPF 55. It’s reasonably priced, works well, and doesn’t feel greasy. Don’t mess around with low SPF’s up there, the sun’s rays are twice as strong at 10,000 feet as they are at sea level. If you want something that feels like it’s not even there and soaks in like moisturizer, go with EltaMD.

Chapstick
Banana Boat SPF 50. High SPF chapstick is hard to find, and this one works great. Plus, you can lube sticky zippers, water filters, and Camelbak o-rings with it in a pinch.

Bug Spray
Picaridin travel size. I used to carry a pen size bottle, but the 3oz is now the smallest I can find. It works as well a DEET, if not better, and won’t damage synthetics. DEET is chemically similar to toluene and will damage synthetic fabrics and even your sunglasses, ruining the lenses.

Head Net
Ben’s InvisNet. If you hike late in the season you probably won’t need a head net, but if the bugs are bad, you will be willing to trade just about anything to have one. Sometimes you even need to wear one during the day while hiking the bugs are so bad, but most days you won’t put it on until you set up camp.

Repair Tape
Tenacious Tape is the new duct tape of backpacking. It’s more durable, adheres better, looks better, and is lighter. I’ve made repairs to mountaineering tents with this stuff and it’s still holding up 5 years later. One roll should be plenty. Note that the solid colors hold up better than the clear.

Bobbin, Thread, and Needle
I carry a single plastic type 15 bobbin loaded with Gutermann MARA 70 (Ripstop By the Roll has it) and a needle. The thread is strong enough to sew just about anything back together, thin enough to look good, and a bobbin’s worth goes a long way. I’ve used it many times. Someone gave me the nickname Ripped Crotch for a reason…

Bandana
Any cheap cotton bandana will do. This is your oven mitt, wash towel, and face wipe. If you get a bright color you can use it for signaling, and it doubles as a make-shift pressure bandage for serious injuries.

First Aid Kit
I make my own, but if you want a quick solution, the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight Watertight .5 Medical First Aid Kit is a good option. I carry Bandaids, Neosporin, 3M 1/4 inch wound closure strips, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, hand sanitizer, Leukotape for heel blisters, and 3M Micropore tape for toe blisters.

BIC Lighter
Bring it for your stove, even if you have a push-button ignitor. They always fail when you need them. A single mini BIC will last the trail.

Swiss Army Knife
I bring the Victorinox Huntsman. The scissors, tweezers, and toothpick are vital components of my first aid kit, the saw lets me cut small branches if I want to have a small fire, the flat head screw driver helps to open my bear can on cold mornings, the knife opens beef jerky, the list goes on. I love this thing. The Climber and Classic are also great minimalist alternatives.

Body Glide Chafe Stick
Most people chafe between their thighs out there, and this stuff is a godsend. I’ve literally seen blood running down people’s shorts from chafing. Do yourself a favor and bring a 0.8oz stick of this, it’s worth it.

Pack Towel
I like the PackTowl Nano. It’s tiny, lightweight, and super absorbent. If you go swimming, rinse your feet, wash your face, or otherwise get wet, this thing will get you mostly dry. It’s highly absorbent and easy to wring out. For the size and weight, I’m content with being just mostly dry.

Trekking Poles!
This arguably deserves its own category because of how useful these things are. Not only can I hike faster with less effort, but I discovered they greatly reduce my risk of developing injuries, especially on downhill sections. When you use them on the descent, they reduce the impact on your joints and stop your feet from sliding forward in your shoes. 10/10 would recommend.

Trekking Poles Top Choice
Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork. They’re lighter than the carbon fiber version, cheaper, more durable, and the slanted handle really is more comfortable. Anyone who uses trekking poles will tell you nothing beats a good cork grip!