Rim to Rim to Rim Gear List

Gear for a dayhike of Rim to Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon

Tomorrow, I head out to hike the grandaddy of all Grand Canyon hikes—Rim to Rim to Rim in a Day. Depending on what source you look at (and what route you take) the hike can be up to 48 miles and 11,000 feet of gain. Exposure, dehydration, hyponatremia happen often, which is one reason why the Grand Canyon has more deaths annually than any other national park.

Having hiked Rim to Rim to Rim once before, I knew there were some things I wanted to change about my choices in gear that I carried. With that knowledge and experience in mind, here is the gear that I took.

A few things that I did differently this time was to carry an emergency bivy. A friend of mine who ran the R2R2R a few weeks ago bonked and wished he had carried one, especially with bad weather. You never know when you’re going to bonk and even the most prepared can have bad things happen to them, so I was happy to bring that.

The time, I am also bringing  Suunto Core watch to track my elevation gain and progress up the canyon.

I also opted to take a daypack this time instead of a bigger pack.

Note: now that I have finished the hike, there are a few things I would change. First, I would be sure to put NEW batteries in my headlamp before going. Even with a full moon, it was too dark. I would also opt to not take my potty trowel–there are bathrooms everywhere (that being said, I suppose if I couldn’t hold it or got a case of diahhrea, the extra 0.4 oz isn’t too much to carry). I would also consider carrying a smaller pack as the 26 L daypack was too big for all my stuff. Many runners get away with small Camelbaks or even vests. That being said, the Type 2 fits me like a glove and is very comfortable, and maybe it is better to have a pack that feels good than one that is slightly smaller.