Backpacking Gear I'm OVER in 2019

Hey guys, it's Darwin, and today I'm talking about gear that I'm basically over in 2019. All right, so it's a new year, that means new through hikes and new gear to use in the field. And before I start getting into all my 2019 gear list and what I'll be using for my through hike of the Arizona Trail and for a hike that I'll be doing in Scotland in May, I wanted to do a little bit of a purge and go through some of the gear that I have extensively used over the past two years and decide that it doesn't really fit into my pack setups anymore and it's time to throw it to the curb. I think it's really important as hikers and backpackers that we're constantly evolving our gear list and figuring out what works for us in the field for that current hiker adventure and what we just don't need anymore. So today I have four pieces of gear that I am basically done with. All right, the first item up on the chopping block for me are my gaiters. Now, I have made a lot of videos in the past talking about how much I love gaiters and how I wouldn't hike without them, especially the Dirty Girl gaiters. Now, if you guys followed along on my through hike of the PCT in 2018, you'll notice right around the Washington, Oregon state line these guys just kind of disappeared and I stopped using them and I didn't finish with them. And the reason was because the Velcro actually started coming off one of my gaiters and they weren't really holding to my shoe anymore. They were becoming a little bit more of an annoyance. So I threw them to the curb and I did not use gaiters over the last 500 miles. Well, what I discovered is I didn't really miss the gaiters. I didn't really feel like I needed them. Now, part of that could have been because I was in Washington and it wasn't really sandy, but even for the Arizona trail that's a pretty sandy trail, I just don't think that I'm gonna need them. So for now, I'm done with them. All right, the next piece of gear that I am gonna purge and not use anymore are two trekking poles. You guys know I'm a big fan of trekking poles and I like them, number one, because I usually use a trekking pole tent and I need them to set up my tent. But the other reasons is I like having that extra stability when I'm doing a stream crossing or some sort of an unstable rock hop or something. And I also like having them when I'm coming down a steep incline to brace my weight to save my knees a little bit. But what I've discovered is I only ever really use one trekking pole. If you watch my videos, a lot of times I'm holding my trekking poles while I hike and then I usually grab one to be able to maneuver around something or to break myself. And again, during my PCT through hike in the Sierra, I actually broke one of my poles and I only had one for a while and I did not miss the other one. Now, luckily I had somebody that had an extra pole so I could set my tent up, but going forward, especially in 2019, I will be using a one trekking pole tent called the Z-Pax Plexamid. So I only need one pole and it's time to throw this one to the curb. Going forward, if I do wanna use my duplex, I'll just take one trekking pole and one of these folding tent poles. Z-Pax makes these, they're carbon fiber, they break down really small and they're super light. So it weighs less and it takes up less room than my other trekking pole that I'm not really using while I'm hiking. So for 2019, I'm a one trekking pole kind of guy. The next piece of gear is one that I have been getting a ton of questions about. I actually just got an email yesterday from somebody asking if I was gonna continue to use it in the future and that is my Bargo Bot 700. Now, I picked this guy up last year before my through hike at the Penhody Trail. I used it out on the Penhody and I also used it during my entire PCT through hike. And the reason I picked it up was because I wanted to be able to cold soak for most of the trail but cook in the Sierra. So I thought this would be a great option and I've had my problems with it. I knew that there was a problem with the cross threading, I knew there was a problem with it pressure sealing but it became a real annoyance out on the trail. In one of my videos after I got done with my through hike of the PCT, I think that I mentioned that I might not be using it in the future and well, it's on the chopping block and going forward, I'm basically done with the Bargo Bot. I guess it was nice to be able to switch back and forth between cooking and cold soaking out on the PCT but in 2019, I don't really plan to do that. So for now, that guy goes. And instead, I will be cold soaking, only cold soaking on the Arizona trail and then when I go and do my hike in Scotland, I'll be cooking so I'll just take my stove and my 700 mug. So going forward, I'm going back to these guys especially because I get free ice cream in the Talenti jar. That's a pretty good plus. All right guys, the last piece of gear that I am purging and going forward, I am done with at least I think is a framed pack. Now this pack, as you guys probably know, is one of my favorite all time packs. It's the Z-Packs Arc Blast. This is the pack that I've used for about the last two years. It has a ton of miles on it and what I've discovered over the last couple of years is I really enjoy using a frameless pack. Something like my Z-Packs Nero or the pack that I finished the PCT with which was the Waymark 340. Now I used to love carrying this pack because I did carry a little bit heavier of a load but once you get down to a certain base weight, once you get down to a more simplistic kit, a pack that has a frame and a pack like this can kind of be overkill. If you watched my videos on the PCT, there right before I got rid of it, I was really rolling it down quite a bit. I was arcing it quite a bit and really cinching the crap out of it because I didn't really have enough gear to fill this thing up. And to be honest, it wasn't really riding that comfortable because I didn't have enough gear in it where the hip belt and the frame made sense to use. Strangely enough, packs that are built to carry a certain weight really don't carry well unless they have a little bit heavier of a weight in that. At least that's something that I've noticed with a lot of my frame packs that I've used over the years. So whether it is this pack or my Atmos 65 that I hiked the AT with, I'm done with framed packs. Now, a big disclaimer to that is I do have a low enough base weight and I've been able to dial my kit in well enough to be able to use a frameless hip beltless pack. But if you're somebody that has a higher base weight or someone that is just not used to carrying a pack like that, don't switch to something like that, especially just because I said that I'm switching to that. Framed packs, especially the Arc Blast, are amazing packs for what they are made for. And for me and the types of gear setups that I'm carrying and the types of hikes that I'm doing, it's just not the pack for me anymore. And for 2019 and going forward, I'm a frameless pack guy. Now that I'm done with the gear purge, I'm ready to start talking about some of the new gear and new pack setups that I'll be using in 2019 during my through hike of the Arizona Trail and the hike that I'll be doing in Scotland in May. So keep an eye out for those videos, plus the videos from my Arizona Trail through hike coming in less than a month. If you guys want to follow along during the production of the film that I'll be doing with Nemour, want to see some behind the scene photos and stories, go follow us over on Instagram at the AZT Film Project. We'll be trying to update it as much as possible from the trail, trying to give you guys behind the scene looks at the film. So what is some gear that you have extensively used over the past couple of years, and this year you're ready to throw it to the curb? Leave me something down below and let me know your thoughts. If you found any value in this video, go ahead and hit that like button, subscribe to my channel. And as always guys, thanks for watching.