Gear Etc.: What I Use, What Works & Why
Welcome to Gear Etc
Practical gear, trusted tools, Field Guides, and a few things I’ve learned from years of getting outside.
A simple day hike into depths of Bryce Canyon National Park.
I have a lot of gear.
After years of hiking, paddling, cross-country skiing, running, camping, traveling, and simply spending time outside, I suppose that's inevitable.
Some of my gear gets used all the time. Other items only come out for a particular adventure or season.
And, yes, there are a few things I probably didn't need in the first place but they still hold a spot in my closet.
So it makes sense that I feel compelled to write about my favorite gear picks, including my favorite tools, apps and other adventure-related items.
That is why I created this space here called Gear Etc.
A place to share my personal favorites. Hope you join me on this new adventure.
Launching at Floodwood Pond in the Adirondacks.
It started with a spreadsheet: keeping track of what gear I may need.
Over the years, I've learned a lot through trial and error.
I've forgotten things. I've packed too much. I've bought things that didn't work nearly as well as I hoped.
And I've discovered a few things that I always make sure to bring on my adventures.
One of my original adventure packing spreadsheets. Not fancy—but very well used.
Maybe it's my accounting background, but I've always had a fondness for a good spreadsheet.
So perhaps it's no surprise that for the past ten years or so, I've been creating packing lists using Excel spreadsheets for just about every kind of adventure I take.
One for hiking, another for paddling, another for camping, and others for longer trips and particular adventures.
One of the beauties of a spreadsheet is how easy it is to copy one list and turn it into another.
A hiking list became the starting point for a backpacking list. Then a paddling list. Then a car camping list. And so it went.
Field tests of GPS apps
Along the way, I added things I'd forgotten, removed things I never used, and made notes about what worked and what didn't.
Ten years later, I have quite a collection of different versions.
Before heading out again, I'd pull up the appropriate spreadsheet, make a few adjustments for that particular adventure, and start checking things off. I would also give a copy to my husband for him to check off.
These lists aren't particularly fancy, but they've become one of my most useful pieces of "gear."
Above: my backpack for a three-day Mt Whitney summit hike/camp.
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From Spreadsheets to Field Guides
Why keep these lists to myself?
That question eventually led to the creation of my own Field Guides.
I began taking what I'd learned from years of personal packing lists and turning them into something a little more useful — and certainly more attractive — than my old Excel spreadsheets.
I wanted to create practical guides that could help other people prepare for their own adventures, while still leaving plenty of room to make each list their own.
Above: the first page of the two-page Backpacking Ready Field Guide.
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Take the Field Guides With You
The Field Guides are downloadable PDFs. You can print them, check things off the old-fashioned way, save it to your phone, tablet, or desktop, or take it along for easy reference.
I've also included space on each Field Guide for personal notes and additions because no checklist can anticipate every adventure we may be on.
And just like my spreadsheets, these aren't meant to be finished forever. I'll continue to refine them as I learn, explore, and discover something else worth adding.
Above: testing out my new backpack for a possible Grand Canyon hike.
The First Field Guide: Outdoor Adventure Ready Checklist
The Outdoor Adventure Ready Checklist is where I'd suggest starting.
It's not designed for one particular activity.
Instead, it brings together the basics I find myself thinking about again and again before heading outside—whether I'm hiking, paddling, cross-country skiing, wildlife watching, or simply setting off for a day of exploring.
All Field Guides are PDF downloadable, printable, and viewable on your device.
Above: a quick snapshot of the Outdoor Adventure Ready Checklist
In all the Field Guides, you'll find reminders for clothing and layers, food and hydration, navigation, weather protection, safety and first aid, electronics, and some of those useful extras that are easy to overlook.
But here's the important part: you don't need everything on the list for every adventure.
Think of it as a prompt rather than a prescription.
A short walk close to home is very different from a full day in the backcountry. Weather, season, distance, location, and the activity itself all change what belongs in your pack.
Use the Field Guides as starting points.
Add your own notes. Cross off what doesn't apply.
And, over time, make it your own.
Above: Gus, the llama, carried a lot of gear. On the Colorado Trail.
How to Access the Field Guides
The Outdoors with Jenn Field Guide Library is available to everyone who subscribes to my newsletter - free and paid. I want to make these available to everyone.
Once you subscribe, you'll have access to the complete library and any new guides I add along the way.
Right now, the collection includes:
Outdoor Adventure Ready Checklist
Hiking Ready Checklist
Backpacking Ready Checklist
Paddling Ready Checklist
Canoe Camping Checklist
Subscribe for free, visit the Field Guide Library, download the guides that work for you .
Follow the link below to Access the Field Guides.
Comments, suggestions welcome.
I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let me know which Field Guides you find most useful, what you keep on your own adventure lists, or what you'd like to see me create next.
Thank you.
Jenn