Best:
- MEC Wool Hoodie. I wore this to bed every night, and sometimes in cold weather I didn’t take it off for days. It’s cheap for a Merino shirt too, and so versatile.
- Kindle. Apart from breaking one early in the trip, I loved being able to read as much as I wanted.
- Montbell Ex Light Down. I was amazed how warm this 5 oz jacket kept me. I didn’t wear it hiking much, but whenever I stopped, it went on.
- iPhone. Great as a GPS, but also was so handy in towns.
- MSR NeoAir Sleeping Mat. I slept like a baby on this, and never had cold spots on my hips or shoulders. Choosing campsites was easier than ever, as I could trust it to even out pretty rough ground.
Most irritating/useless/worst:
- Gossamer Gear LT4 Poles. They were finicky, broke easily and were expensive.
- Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Rain Mitts. The failure was entirely my own. It takes someone very crafty to successfully seam-seal these, and I am not that.
- Wigwam Rebel 1/4 socks. The least durable socks I have ever owned.
- Camera Tripod. This falls under the “useless” category, as I used it a total of maybe 4 times on the entire trail, for that much use, I should have just figured out ways to prop the camera up on the few occasions I wanted to use it.
- MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes. I love these, but they were also just useless in the conditions I found (consolidated snow and steep side-slopes). I should have known better, but I was nervous pre-trail and just piled on gear to make myself feel better.