This Durable Backpacking Gear Survived 10,000 Miles

Backpacking gear is built to withstand hard use, but that doesn’t mean it’s indestructible. Spend enough time on the trail, and you’ll experience gear failure in one form or another, whether it’s a snapped tent pole, crushed sunglasses, or failed zipper. Nobody puts gear through its paces like thru-hikers, who rely on the same few items for months at a time and trek through all kinds of conditions. For a piece of gear to survive a thru-hike is a testament to its durability and utility. But to survive three thru-hikes? That’s akin to achieving gear immortality.

I spoke to Triple Crown hikers—those who have completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails—to hear what equipment lasted through it all. Some of it is still kicking, even as thousands of miles stack up. If you’re not into babying your hiking gear, these tough-as-nails items deserve a place in your pack.

A Reliable Quilt

Jeff Garmire is almost always walking, running, or sleeping outside: He holds FKTs on long trails across the country, and has completed the Triple Crown in a calendar year. As such, he’s seen his fair share of gear come and go over the years. “I think through 40,000 miles pretty much everything from the earlier days has met its maker,” he says. There is one exception: “I have had two Katabatic Flex 22°F treated down quilts over the years and each of them has handled over 10,000 miles. They have just held up so well for me.”

A Versatile Cookpot

Is it a bottle or a pot? Yes. The Vargo Bot has a cult-like following among ultralighters thanks to its light weight and multiuse capabilities. And on top of that, it’s durable as hell. Triple Crowner Grayson Haver Currin’s Bot has survived 10,000 miles of camp cooking and on-trail water carries.  “One time, when I was living in South Dakota between long-distance trails, I left my Vargo Bot on top of our van that doubled as our home while leaving a laundromat,” he says. “I looked in the rearview mirror just in time to see it fly into the highway. I spun around in traffic, putting my entire little family at risk. The Bot was dented but safe. I would do it again.”

A Durable Sit Pad

Barney “Scout” Mann’s Triple Crown hikes spanned a full decade, with plenty of hiking in between, and a few items endured it all. A full-brim hat from Sunday Afternoons, down Flight Jacket and MegaLite 30 Sleeping Bag from Western Mountaineering, and a lucky penny are among the longest-lasting.

“But my best beloved Triple Crown survivor is my one-ounce, two-square foot, Insulite sit-upon,” he says. “In snow, mud, gravel, and dirt, I pop that puppy under my rear, and it’s a little bit of heaven. In 2021, I left it behind at a spring and actually mourned for a day. But that night a young lady started setting up camp near me and announced, ‘Look what I found.’ That little pad now has my name, phone number, and email on it.”

A Trusty Spork

Liz “Snorkel” Thomas has hiked more than 20,000 miles on long trails and through cities across the country, and has held a speed record on the AT. The one item that’s seen it all? “My spork! Miraculously, I didn’t lose it on the whole Triple Crown and actually still have it.”

A Backcountry Bathroom Assistant

“People will tell you ultralight gear doesn’t last. I have found that most things last if you pay attention to them,” says Tina Haver Currin, a park ranger and backpacking guide who has thru-hiked seven National Scenic Trails. Four items have lasted 10,000 miles in Currin’s pack, including the discontinued Therm-a-rest Uberlite sleeping pad, a DCF ground cloth from Hyperlite, and a Shakedry rain shell. And lastly, “the pStyle, a small plastic device that allows me, a woman, with the anatomy of a woman, to urinate standing up,” she says. “It has earned its place on every expedition I have undertaken since discovering it, a significant credential from someone with a six-pound base weight.”