During my trek, I traveled with 13 others adventure seekers, and two trip leaders. At the end of the trip, I asked each one to tell me what was their one favorite piece of gear or clothing on the trip. Below are the recommendations I received. While I have not personally tried all this gear myself, I am sure these recommendations from these tried and true travelers won't set you wrong.

Compeed Blister Plaster

Due to my well-fitting backpacking boots from Esatto, I didn't have any problems with blisters while on the trek. Unfortunately, others did. One of our group highly recommends Compeed Blister Plaster, which is available in several different sizes and helps to prevent or treat blisters.

Mountainsmith Lumbar Support Daypack

One of the members of the group has a bad back, and has found that the Lumbar Support daypacks from Mountainsmith work best for her. Mountainsmith makes several different models, each with a different carrying capacity.

Patagonia Expedition Weight Top

One of the group members wore this top as her main top, not as a base layer per se. In fact, I do the same thing a lot, wearing a base layer as my main top. Base layers are very versatile and can be used for many purposes.

REI Convertible Pants

These lightweight, Supplex nylon pants can be worn as full-length pants, or the legs can be removed, and you can be wearing shorts instead. This allows you to better manage your comfort levels on the trail as the temps change throughout the day.

REI Elements Rain Jacket

Another favorite jacket of one group member was the REI Elements rain jacket. This lightweight jackets sports REI's Element fabric, which is windproof, waterproof, and breathable.

Smartwool Socks

If you have already read all of this article series, you will already know that I also agree that Smartwool socks are top notch. Smartwool offers a variety of models, each matched to a particular endeavor.

SportHill Jacket

SportHill makes a variety of jackets, like this one, which is made of Epic 100% polyester. One of our intrepid trekkers says that this is his favorite jacket.

StormKloth Long Sleeve Crew

This laminated fabric is waterproof, windproof and offers wicking properties to keep your skin dry. The Long Sleeve Crew is a form-fitting, lightweight base-layer garment that stores body heat and wicks away moisture.

Umbrella

This may seem like a strange recommendation, but if you think about it, an umbrella offers many benefits to trekkers. Our lead hiking guide says that the umbrella is her favorite piece of gear because it not only serves as weather protection, it can also serve as a walking stick. While the above pictured umbrella is from Golite, the one our guide carries has a heavy-duty wood shaft, allowing it to double as her walking stick.