My Favorite Backpacking Gear of 2018 (Top 10)

Hey guys, it's Darwin. So we finally made it to the end of the year, which means it's time for me to give my top 10 favorite pieces of backpacking gear of 2018. Alright, so 2018 has been a massive year for me, and you guys know if you've been following along on the channel, I not only reviewed and tested and talked about a bunch of new gear that I tried this year, but I put a bunch of old gear through the ringer, hiking well over 3,000 miles. So because of that, this year's list is compiled of not only new gear that's become my favorite, but some old gear that is still my favorite because it's been tried and true. Number 10 is a piece of gear that I actually dropped last year because I picked up a new piece of gear in its place, and that is the Black Diamond Carbon Cork Trekking Pole. Now if you remember last year's list, I switched over to the Nock Vertex Carbon Cork Poles, and they were awesome until I got into the High Sierra on the PCT and broke three of those things. So because of that, I finally reached out for my tried and true trusty Black Diamond Carbon Cork Trekking Poles, and they've held up great ever since. I've put a ton of miles on these over the years, and they're still going strong. So because of that, because I reached out and they filled my need of the other trekking pole, these have made my list for 2018. Number 9 is actually a new piece of gear that I picked up after the PCT back in August, and that is the Sawyer Micro Squeeze. Now ever since I picked it up, I've been using this exclusively on the trail with day hikes, plus I used it on my bike tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway back in October. Now you guys probably know my favorite filter is the Sawyer Squeeze Regular, but in this past year, they've actually taken it, they've made it smaller so it takes up less room in my pack, it weighs almost an ounce less, and it has the same flow rate and the same life expectancy as the other one. So just because they took one of my favorite pieces of gear, modified it, and made it even better, the Sawyer Micro has made my list for 2018. Speaking of filters, number 8 is actually a piece of gear that was on last year's list, and that is the Nock Vecto Water Container. Now that we're at the end of 2018, I have put probably close to 4,000 miles on this one container, and it's held up great. It's super strong, I can thread my filter right on the end, and it has this awesome sliding lock, big mouth water container end that I can dip into water and collect at water sources. This thing's been amazing, and it has yet to fail me on the trail once. And because of all that, because it's still holding in there, because it's still an amazing piece of gear for me, it makes my list of favorite gear for this year. Number 7 is the Pedco Ultrapod. Now if you guys remember from the beginning of the year, I was using the Joby Gorillapods for all of my camera work on the trail, and I kept breaking them. A viewer actually suggested that I pick up one of these Ultrapods, I did, and it has been a favorite piece of gear ever since. It's super simple, it's super compact, lightweight, and really well built. This thing has yet to fail me on the trail. And because I liked it so much, I actually picked up its big brother, the Ultrapod 2, to use with my new, bigger camera for 2019 when I go out to shoot my documentary of the Arizona Trail. Speaking of tripods, number 6 is I guess not technically a piece of backpacking gear, but it has become an essential piece of gear for me on the trail over this past year, and that's the Canon G7X Mark II. This has been the exclusive camera that I've used over the last year and in 2017 for shooting all of my trail videos. And because it's yet to fail me, because it's super compact, pretty lightweight for what it is, and shoots amazing video, this thing makes my list for 2018. Number 5 is the Yuko Air 150. Now this little guy has far exceeded my expectations over the past year and exceeded a lot of other people's expectations since I did my review in 2017. Now again, I've put well over 3,000 miles of trail use on this, using it for night hiking, using it as a headlamp at camp, at night, and in the morning. Using it on my bike tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway, this little guy is tried and true. It's USB rechargeable, it has a dimmer light on it, it has a red light, and with the modification that I've done, I actually took off the old headband, put on this bungee, and it weighs less than an ounce. It has yet to fail me one time on the trail, and the battery life has been great for what I need for all 3,000 miles that I've hiked this past year. Number 4 is a piece of gear that I picked up for the last 500 miles of the PCT, and that is the Waymark Thru40 pack. Now I won't go too into the specifics and the specs of the pack, if you want to check those out, I'll put a link to that video up here, but I love this pack. I wanted to downsize a little bit for the last 500 miles. I wanted to try a new pack out, and this thing was awesome. I can't say enough good things about the Waymark Thru40. It's super tough, really well built, crazy comfortable to wear on the trail, and my favorite part, it has one of the most, if not the most, comfortable shoulder strap that I've ever used on any pack. Number 3 is a piece of gear that made my list last year, and it makes my list again this year, especially since I lived out of it for close to 6 months in 2018, and that is the Z-Packs Duplex Tent. Now again, I won't go into all the specifics of this tent, because I'm sure you guys know by now about this tent, but in case you haven't, I'll put a link to that video up here, but just because this has been my home for at least 6 months over the past year, it has to make my list of favorite gear from 2018. Not only does it make my list of favorite gear from 2018, this would probably make my list of favorite gear from my entire hiking career, because it is my favorite tent that I've ever used on the trail. Number 2 is the Ultra Olympus 3.0 hiking shoe. Now if you guys remember from my list last year, and well, the shoe that I was using up until the last 700 miles of the PCT, I was hiking in the Ultra Lone Peak 3.0, and I loved those shoes, until I couldn't find a pair in my size. So because I couldn't find a pair, I randomly took a chance and picked up the Ultra Olympus 3.0, and ever since, it has become my new favorite shoe for the trail. I just overall like the ride and the build of it more, it has a wider toe box, it has a lot more cushion for the trail, so a nice smoother ride, and for my foot, it just fits better. Alright guys, and then the number 1 favorite piece of gear from 2018 for me is the Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20 quilt. Now over the past 3 years, I have used a ton of different quilts, from the Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20, to an Enigma 30 degrees 7D quilt, to a UGQ Bandit, and a bunch of other quilts in between, and I've learned a lot about quilts. I've learned what I've liked, what I don't like, but I could never find the perfect build. So at the beginning of this year, I finally pulled the trigger, and I ordered and bought an Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20. So what makes it different? Well, for me, I went with a 20 degree quilt, it is a 950 fill, it has the closed foot box, it's a long and wide, and it's 10D on the outer, and 7D on the inner. So for me, this is a perfect quilt. And I mean, well, it's kept me comfortable, and it's kept me warm for close to 6 months. I have slept in this thing every single night for 6 months in 2018, so that's what makes it my number one favorite piece of gear. Alright guys, so again, that was just a list of my favorite gear of 2018. Just because it's my favorite gear, does not mean it's going to be your favorite gear, it doesn't mean that it's the best gear, but if you want to find out any more information about all the gear that I listed today, I'll leave links down below so you can go check it out, and maybe it'll make your list for 2019. Speaking of your list, what's some of your favorite gear from 2018? What's some of the most tried and true best gear that you used on the trail this past year? Leave something down below and let me know your thoughts. If you haven't had a chance yet, go over and check me out on Instagram, I'm posting a ton of new photos lately of some of the things that Snuggs and I have going on throughout the week, plus some pictures from some past hikes. If you found any value in this video, go ahead and hit that like button, subscribe to my channel if you haven't already, and as always guys, thanks for watching.