Pemi Loop Gear List

I hiked the Pemi Loop in August 2025 with a friend. We shared a tent, a stove, a cookset, and a water filter. I had my lightest base weight ever on this trip, coming in at about 11.5 lbs.

Gear List

Tent: REI Trailhut 2 (Shared)

Backpack: Hyperlite Southwest 55

Quilt: Enlightened Equipment Revelation APEX 30

Sleeping Pad: Nemo Tensor Insulated

Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow

Pack Liner: Nyloflume

Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles

Dry Sacks: 2 x Gallon Ziplock Bags (one for trash, one for electronics)

Knife: Swiss Army Mini

Sit Pad: Generic 1 oz sit pad from Amazon

Cooking:

  • Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket (Shared)
  • Pot: Toaks 650mL (Shared)
  • Coffee Cup: Sea to Summit Collapsible Mug
  • Spoon: Toaks Long Handled Spoon
  • Lighter: Bic
  • Food Bag: Hilltop Packs 20L Rolltop

Water:

  • Filter: Sawyer Squeeze (Shared)
  • Dirty Water Bag: CNOC 2L (Shared)
  • Water Bottles: 2 x Smartwater, 1 x Platypus 2L (Shared)
  • Drinking Hose: One Bottle Hydration Drinking Hose with Smartwater Adaptor

Hygiene:

  • PackTowel Face Towel
  • Sun Bum 30 SPF Sunscreen
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Tooth Brush
  • Tooth Paste
  • Toilet Paper
  • Kula Cloth
  • Trowel

First Aid Kit:

  • DIY in a ziplock bag (Ibuprofen, Allergy Medication, Leukotape, Gauze, Bandaids, BodyGlide)
  • Rawlogy 2” Cork Ball

Electronics:

  • iPhone & Charging Cable
  • Nitecore 10000 Power Bank
  • Petzl Tikka Headlamp

Packed Clothing:

  • OR Fleece Beanie
  • OR Helium Raincoat
  • Senchi Alpha 90 Fleece
  • Leggings (for sleeping)
  • REI Sahara T-shirt (for sleeping)
  • Injini Midweight Micro Crew Socks (for camp)
  • Darn Tough Micro Crew Socks
  • Icebreaker Siren Merino 150 Hipkini
  • Luna Sandals

Worn Clothing:

  • Jolly Gear Triple Crown Button Down Sun Hoody
  • Patagonia Terrebonne Joggers
  • Cotopaxi 5 Panel Tech Hat
  • Darn Tough Micro Crew Socks
  • Icebreaker Siren Merino 150 Hipkini
  • Icebreaker Merino Blend Lotus Bra
  • Altra Lone Peak Hiker 3 Boots
  • Golong Gaitors

Gear Review

Overall, I was satisfied with my gear choices, with the exception of my pants. The Patagonia Terrebonne joggers were a 10/10 in terms of comfort and breathability, performing well even in hot and humid conditions. However, they were a 0/10 in terms of sweat stains. I always expect to get pretty gross when backpacking in the summer, but this was a whole new level. The sweat stains along the top back of my pants were so bad that most of the pictures taken of me from behind were unusable. My pants were the Robin Brown color. Based on other people’s feedback, I think the sweat stain issue only happens with certain colorways.

Other gear that was new to me this trip was the Hyperlite Southwest 55 and the Jolly Gear Triple Crown Button Down. I bought the Hyperlite Southwest pack to replace my Osprey Aura AG 50, and was very happy with my choice. The weight of the pack is significantly lighter, and the Hyperlite is much less restrictive then the Osprey. I’ve also had issues with getting the Osprey to sit properly on my hips when lightly loaded, and I didn’t have that issue with the Hyperlite. I also like how well I can roll down the top of the Hyperlite and synch down the pack when I don’t need extra space.

I got the Jolly Gear sun hoody to test out instead of my Outdoor Research Echo sun hoody. While the Echo Hoody is super lightweight and breathable, I don’t love the design of the hood. The Jolly Gear sun hoody has a much looser hood, as well as mechanical venting from the button up. In general, the fabric of the Jolly Gear sun hoody is a little less breathable than the Outdoor Research Echo, but it makes up for it with being able to easily roll up the sleeves and unbutton the top of the shirt to ventilate.