1. Deuter Aircontact 65 + 10
Comfortable straps, lots of room and durable materials make this pack ideal for trekking the Dusky. It offers the room you need for a sleeping bag, plenty of food, warm clothes and maybe a dry bag depending on the season.
$269; deuter.com
2. Oboz Beartooth Boots
Slippery roots, steep ascents and descents and the chance of being (at least) knee deep in mud means you want a solid boot for the Dusky. The Beartooth served me well.
$210; obozfootwear.com
3. Eco Vessel Ultra Lite Tritan Filtration Bottle
Fill it up from the stream, or from the tap. Suck on the straw to draw water through the activated coconut shell carbon filter to remove 99.9 percent of toxins, heavy metals, and other gunk that will make you sick.
$25; ecovessel.com
4. REI Flex Lite Chair
This spry, 1 pound, 12-ounce aluminum frame chair has a supportive nylon seat that sets up in under a minute. Bring it anywhere to comfortably type or simply relax without having to sit in the dirt.
$70; rei.com
5. Patagonia Rock Craft Pants
Constructed of stretch woven nylon, these pants are perfect for warm weather climbing and protecting your legs when hiking through the bush. They wick moisture, repel water, dry fast and provide 40 UPF sun protection.
$79; patagonia.com
6. Patagonia Black Hole Pack
It’s water resistant, durable, and capable of carrying both a day’s worth of climbing gear and a 17” laptop. We used the inner padded sleeve to keep said laptop from getting scratched and later, to hold a hydration bladder.
$149; patagonia.com
7. Vibram 5 Fingers Spyridon LS
Once your feet adapt (which takes a few weeks) you’ll find it hard to switch back to normal shoes—these babies proved invaluable for everything from touchy-feely running to hiking to wading through streams.
$120; vibramfivefingers.com
8. Eagle Creek ORV Trunk 30
Our pick for hauling gear on epic adventures with minimal hassle. This big case features an open, unstructured interior, oversized wheels, lots of handles and reinforced corners. Plus, it’s built with a durable nylon that can handle punishment.
$315; eaglecreek.com
