Information Resources
Buyer Beware!
The internet is a great resource, but there’s a lot of misleading information too. Be particularly careful about forums. You’ll find real experts there and others who just think they are. Never rely on any one person or source.
Many sites sell gear and, while it may be good; caveat emptor. Most retailers sell gear designed for weekend campers. Long distance hikers may find many of these offerings too heavy or not ideal for other reasons. Do your planning before you start buying stuff. After learning more about long distance hiking, your gear choices may change dramatically. There are sites dedicated to serious thru-hiking and much of what works for the PCT, will work for the JMT. That said, they are not the same. Learn from the thru-hikers, but don’t worry about copying them exactly.
You'll find several types of hiking sites on the internet: commercial sites selling gear, magazine based sites, non-profit hiker group sites, and a few dedicated individual sites. Each has something to offer, so happy surfing!
After you’ve decided to hike the JMT, get your permit. Do this early since permits are limited and some dates fill up quickly. Worry about gear after your other planning is done. You probably already have a lot of the things you’ll need. Gear shopping should mainly involve reducing weight.
You can get all the info you need from the internet, but before you start surfing, look into a couple of books first. Guide to the John Muir Trail, by Thomas Winett and Kathy Morey is a great paperback trail guide. Most of our basic planning was done based on this little book. It provides a great overview of the trail. REI usually stocks it and Amazon has it on-line.
One of the best books on thru-hiking, Ray Jardine's, Beyond Backpacking, is currently out of print. It's available at Amazon and a few other sites for around $60, new and used. I bought it new in 2002 for $20. It's the only hiking book I've read more than once and I highly recommend it. Jardine preaches the value of the ultra-light approach, and while some of his techniques were controversial when the book first came out, many are common practice today. Still, $60 is a lot to pay for a book, so hopefully it'll get reprinted. For now, maybe you can borrow a copy or get one from the library.
Basic Links:
On his site, Russell Bell, describes the trail in great detail and gives a lot of specific, useful information. He covers every topic of importance. So if you are serious about hiking the JMT, be sure to visit his site. This is one of the best sites on the subject.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association has a good section on the John Muir Trail with plenty of links. The JMT coincides with the PCT for most of its length, so the PCTA is a good source of information about trail conditions on the JMT as well.
BestHike.com is an excellent source of information about great hikes around the world! Their section on the John Muir Trail is a great starting point and contains many useful links to help you plan your adventure. By the way, they rate the John Muir Trail as one of the top ten hikes in the world. Lots of folks agree!
The Fresno Bee sent a group of staffers to hike part of the JMT and report on their experiences. This site is very well done, and interesting for the insights and emotions experienced by these writers. Worth taking a look at, especially if you haven't yet decided to make the hike.
Thru-hiker.com is a good site for thru-hikers. Some great articles here, including ones on fishing on the JMT, and why you should carry a bear canister. Paul AYCE Nanian, who runs the site, is a serious thru-hiker. You'll frequently find his well-considered answers on the site's message board. Of special interest is a large gear making section for the do-it-yourself hiker. You'll also find a shopping area featuring gear making kits, and select pre-made gear.
Sgt. Rock's site is one of the better hiking sites I've found. Ernest B. Engman, trail-name, Sgt. Rock, is a career soldier who was trained to carry 65-70 pound packs, but slowly came to embrace the light-weight philosophy. His site is extensive for an individual hiker site, and he has a nice forum area. Sgt. Rock tests the gear and techniques he recommends, and his advice is very practical.
The Lightweight Backpacker: A great site with lots of info, and a good forum.
This site focuses on the Appalachian Trail exclusively, but you can find a lot of good thru-hiking info. Wingfoot, the site guru, is an experienced thru-hiker.
trailjournals.com A site with trail journals and a forum.
Magazine-based Links:
Backpacking Light specializes in light-weight or ultra-light backpacking with good product comparison articles. Their gear guide features accurate weights, and field testing.
Backpacker Magazine has a big on-line presence with good articles and a complete forum section. They do gear testing and seem to report fairly.
Commercial sites:
Nothing wrong with sites that sell stuff. In fact, many of them have very useful articles too. These are some of the better one's that I've found.
REI has some good gear, and good prices, especially on sale items. You’ll find traditional backpacking gear at REI, but you might not find some less popular ultra-light items.
Like REI, Campmor is a big camping supplier. If you know what you want, you may find it there at a good price. Most of the brick and mortar stores, like REI and Campmor cater to weekend campers. Much of there gear tends to be on the heavy side for thru-hikers.
Altrec is also a big equipment supplier. Haven’t used them, so no comment.
Hiking-and-backpacking.com has info, links and equipment sales.
Golite focuses on light and ultra-light equipment.
Litebackpacker.com has lightweight gear.
GORP has become more commercialized than in the past, but still has some good info. You just have to dig harder.
Where to Re-supply