Married thruhiker duo Renee Miller and Tim Beissinger have explored 10,000 miles of the great outdoors together and wrote a hiking survival book, Thruhikers: A Guide to Life on the Trail.
They’ve gone on trail hikes for a decade and created a route on the Pacific Northwest Circuit, including 1,500 miles of hiking and 1,200 miles of canoeing the Columbia River. Thru-hiking has taken them from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. We asked them for their tried-and-true gear recommendations.
The Bag & The Bed
When it comes to hiking backpacks, Beissinger says the most crucial thing is lightweight, not excessive features. He likes the Zpacks Arc Haul because it’s somewhat waterproof, so you don’t need an external pack cover, and it has load straps to adjust the shoulder straps. He always travels with the Nemo Switchback Ultralight Sleeping Pad, as inflatable sleeping pads are prone to puncturing.
The Rain Shelter
If they expect rain, they know they’ll need a shelter. Usually the Zpacks Duplex Tent, but they’ll also use a tarp to save on weight. When they’re cowboy camping, they sleep on the pad above a Tyvek sheet. Sometimes they take the Feathered Friends Hummingbird Sleeping Bag or the Enlightened Equipment Enigma Sleeping Quilt, which is more lightweight as it doesn’t have a hood or zipper.
The Food & Drink
They rehydrate vegan meals they pre-made while hiking and use the Olicamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove to cold soak their food. For water, they reuse a plastic smart water bottle for a year with their Platypus QuickDraw Filter, as it’s lighter than a steel bottle.
The Final Dos & Don'ts
Their pack never includes hammocks and frisbees, but it always includes sunscreen, hot sauce packets, a deuce of spades trowel, and a basic first aid kit with Band-aids, Tylenol, alcohol wipes, a needle for popping blisters, and poison ivy cleaner.
