After a year on trail — the San Diego Trans-County Trail, a stretch of the Colorado Trail and a full John Muir Trail thru-hike — long-distance hiker Jess (aka Sassafras) put a stack of new kit through its paces and published her honest hit list. If you're kitting up for a multi-day hike, her findings are worth a look before you spend.
The surprise winner was a shirt. Jess admits she resisted the Jolly Gear x Sawyer Triple Crown button-down — she's a sun-hoodie and sports-bra hiker, not a button-down person. But on the John Muir Trail, where high-altitude sun is relentless, it won her over. It weighs just 8.1 ounces in a women's small, offers UPF 30 protection, and the polyester-spandex fabric is light and stretchy with buttons you can open for ventilation. Two practical touches sealed it: a hood that fits over a hat, and a ponytail hole for high-pony wearers. It repels bug bites, cut her sunscreen use dramatically, and costs around $95. Her only gripe: the washed fabric shows mud.
On footwear, she compared two Topo Athletic trail runners. The cushioned Vista (5mm drop, no rock plate, Vibram Megagrip outsole) felt great but left her feet sore after long, sandy days on the Trans-County Trail. The Traverse, with the same drop and outsole plus a rock plate, was her shoe of the year — on the JMT's granite and scree, her feet finished days noticeably less beaten up. She'd now choose it over her old Terraventure 4s (the pair that fixed her plantar fasciitis) for a repeat Appalachian or Long Trail hike.
For carrying it all, she tested the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60, a fixture on any 'best budget ultralight packs' list. She'd skipped it in 2024 in favour of a Durston Kakwa 55, but for the JMT's brutal eight-to-nine-day food carries she wanted a real internal frame. It delivered: load transfer to the hips worked, load lifters proved essential under a heavy pack, and she rates the built-in sit pad, shoulder-strap attachments for phone and water bottle, stretchy front mesh pocket and oversized side pockets. The takeaway for anyone planning a long haul with big food resupply gaps: a framed pack with good hip-belt load transfer may save you real pain, even if it costs a few ounces over a frameless option.
Why should a holidaymaker care? Because gear mistakes get expensive and uncomfortable fast on a week-long trek. This isn't sponsored gushing — the tester flags what didn't work for her (the Vista on long days, mud-prone shirt fabric) alongside the winners, which makes the recommendations easier to trust. Anyone heading to the Sierra, the Appalachians or anywhere with strong sun and rocky terrain will find directly relevant advice here.
The Trek
