A tent in front of a lake.
A tent in front of a lake.

The John Muir Trail Gear Guide (2024 Survey)

In the second installment of this year’s John Muir Trail Hiker Survey, we dive into gear for hiking the JMT. John Muir Trail gear lists vary wildly between hikers, and (spoiler alert) finding a perfect JMT gear list is impossible. That said, we can try.

I’ve organized this in a way that I hope will give a comprehensive picture of the gear JMT hikers use. This post covers the highest-rated gear, the most common gear, base weights, gear advice, and more.

Continue reading to learn more, written by Mac.

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Contributing Writer
Mac

Tyler 'Mac' Fox, the voice behind Halfway Anywhere, is a multifaceted adventurer, thru-hiker, bikepacker, ultrarunner, and van dweller, after a pivotal experience thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013. Embracing a philosophy where the journey outweighs the destination, Mac has thru-hiked iconic trails like the PCT and CDT, bikepacked across the Australian Outback, raced the Tour Divide, rowed the Grand Canyon, and trekked extensively all over the world from Nepal and Tasmania to Japan and Brazil.

Media Mentions

It all starts with Sawyer Squeeze + Cnoc VectoX 2L, the best and most reliable filter-bladder combo and the core of my backpacking water storage and filtration system.

Jaeger Shaw
Owner & Managing Editor

Media Mentions

Our top water filter for thru hiking, the Sawyer Squeeze, is 15% off.

Naomi Hudetz
Chief Operating Officer & Online Editor

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