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In preparing for the GPT, the primary reference is the GPT manual, which contains useful considerations regarding gear. After having hiked on the GPT for three months(on sections between GPT06 and GPT40, without packraft), we agree with almost all of it, so read that document first. Nevertheless, we wish there had been more example gear lists, to orient ourselves according to which gear to bring. Many GPT gear lists are created by ultralight hikers, which is no wonder, since they put more thought into what they bring. These lists were very helpful, but in recognition of the different hiking styles, I wish there were more gear lists out there. I would describe our hiking style as '''light but not quite ultralight''' (base weight ~6.3kg/14lbs). We usually can afford to buy the best gear available, without price being too much of a consideration. But we recognize that this is not the case for all hikers. Hiking but hiking the GPT with cheaper gear is entirely possible, although it will weigh a little bit more. This review was written in April June 2024. == Gear list ==This is a more or less complete list of our gear (some item weights are estimated): https://lighterpack.com/r/8987gu

This was our first time using an ultra-thin Eva foam pad, and despite initial skepticism, we absolutely loved it! It was one of our favorite pieces of gear. It has multiple uses: slight boost to the R value of your sleeping pad, protects your sleeping pad from sharp rocks (although, again, this turned out not to be a big problem), prevents the inflatable pad slipping on the tent floor, great for sitting on or taking a nap on. Normally when hiking I just sit on rocks, the ground, or fallen trees directly, and it always causes holes in my hiking pants after a while. Not with the foam pad! Also, it's useful for organizing your gear and food without getting it dirty (it gets pretty dusty in some sections, especially in the north).

We bought this stove because we were concerned about cooking in windy conditions; in reality, we almost always had pretty sheltered campsites. So, I'd say that any normal camping stove works. Camping gas was usually not too hard to find. We tried out the gas canister refilling once (described in the manual), and it mostly worked, but it is a bit of a finicky process, and we decided it was not worth the minor cost savings for us.See these articles on refilling: https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2012/01/gas-canister-refilling.html https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-g-works-r1-gas-saver-refilling.html

Tobi has an Osprey Exos 58 (semi-not quite ultralight, but very comfy and well ventilated back due to mesh, perfect for people who sweat a lot) and Fangwen bought a ULA Ultra Circuit (ultralight, claims to have 68l, but really fits less than the Osprey). We were both happy with our choices. That being said, our backs and shoulders did occasionally hurt, especially in the beginning and on trips where we carried lots of food.

'''Upper layers.''' We each carried 1-2 t-shirts, a stretchy or fleece midlayer, a primaloft jacket and a down jacket. This I was perfect almost going to only bring a minimalist down jacket but decided it would be too cold (which indeed it would have been for early/late season and/or high Alpine campsites). I know other (ultralight) GPT hikers bring fewer insulating layers; for us, comfort at camp is more important.

'''Water wading / fording shoes.'''We always forded rivers with our trail runners, which were our only shoes. We think this is by far the best system, since fords and minor river crossings, as well as crossing wetlands happen all the time on the GPT, and switching into different shoes all the time is impractical. That being said, we did have more blisters on sections where our shoes were wet a lot, and we believe that the wetness also helped destroy the shoes more quickly. Other hikers have remarked that if you are prone to blisters, sores or rashes, you might want to bring fording shoes.