Liz's Favorite Gear from Thru-hiking the Ouachita Trail
Treeline founder Liz Thomas shares her favorite OT thru-hiking gear items
January 14th, 2026
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Treeline founder Liz Thomas is back from a westbound thru-hike of the Ouachita Trail (OT), a winter-friendly, 223-mile National Recreational Trail from Pinnacle Mountain State Park in Arkansas to Talimena State Park in Oklahoma. Liz has previously completed the Triple Crown of long-distance hiking, the three major long distance hiking trails in the US (the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail, as well as more than 40 smaller trails, and is always looking for a new trail that is hike-able in December and January.
The OT may not have high elevation, but is more rugged than many thru-hikes. It's becoming increasingly popular, but it's still a trail with a lot of solitude as I only saw 2-3 hikers per day during what some locals consider to be "peak season" for thru-hiking. Well-marked, well-maintained trails and a robust trail angel and trail organization meant the logistics for this trail are simple–exactly what I wanted to decompress after a busy holiday season.
On the OT, winter can mean long distances between water sources (a shock for this part of the country!) as well as wide swings in temperatures from humid in the 70s to daytime temperatures just above freezing and nighttime temperatures in the teens. Wind can reach near-tornado speeds, and freezing rain is a possibility. For that reason, I carried gear prepared for almost anything.
After consulting other Treeline Review writers and editors who have also hiked the trail (including both co-founder Naomi Hudetz and writer Mike Unger), I put together a winter-friendly, ultralight backpacking kit for the OT. Here’s the gear that stood out over the thru-hike of the Ouachita Trail.
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Ouachita Trail by the Numbers
Liz crossed the Arkansas-Oklahoma border on the Ouachita Trail, an east-west trail that goes for 223 miles.
Length: 223 miles east-west
Days: 10 days
Resupplies: 2 (Story, AR, and Queen Wilhelmina State Park)
Ticks seen: 4
Snakes or bears seen: 0 (well, one dead snake but not a rattler)
Most unique wildlife sighting: tarantula
Longest stretch between natural water sources: 29 miles (there were water caches that broke this up)
Permethrin
Liz treated all her clothing, including sun shirts, socks, and underwear, with Permthrin before heading on the Ouachita Trail.
The Ouachita Trail is known for having ticks and chiggers, especially during peak season in the Spring. I didn't expect to see many ticks in winter. However, some locals recommended treating all my gear with permethrin before I left for the trail.
I went through two 24-oz bottles and covered my clothing, socks, pack, and sleeping quilt in my backyard. In the end, I saw 4 ticks on the trail. Two were on my pack and two others in a shelter (yes, ewwww!). I ran into other hikers who said they'd seen ticks as well and I felt fortunate I treated my gear.
Sawyer
Permethrin Pump Spray
Altra Timp 6
The Altra Timp 6 trail running shoes were a good companion on the rocky Ouachita Trail.
Many thru-hikers like the Altra Lone Peak trail running shoes, and I considered using that shoe on the OT. However, after researching the rocks on this trail, I decided that the Altra Timp's added cushioning would be a better choice.
Lucky for me, the new Timp 6 is wider than this model has ever been. When I thru-hike, my feet swell, and I love the width of the Lone Peak when that happens. The new Timp feels more like the width of the Lone Peak, making that choice easier for me.
The Timp has better traction than the Lone Peak with a Vibram sole (instead of Altra's proprietary rubber). On the OT, the rocks on the trail always seemed wet and slippery. The Timp also has more cushion and stack than the Lone Peak to protect your feet. I underestimated how rocky and rough the OT would be and am so glad I opted for a trail running shoe with more cushion than the Lone Peak. In fact, if I were to do it again, I'd probably opt for the even more cushion-y Altra Olympus.
The Altra Timp 5 is the winner of Best Zero-Drop in our Best Men’s Trail Running Shoes guide, and we look forward to continued testing of the Timp 6.
Altra Timp 6
Mountain Hardwear AirMesh Long Sleeve Hoodie
Liz wore the Mountain Hardwear AirMesh hoodie for most of the day on most days during her winter thru-hike of the Ouachita Trail.
The reversible new Mountain Hardwear AirMesh hoodie is mesh on one side and fuzzy on the other side. I wore it on cooler days while walking uphill and found it kept me just warm enough without causing me to sweat or overheat. When I was more active, I could flip it inside out and stay cooler with more airflow (Mountain Hardwear claims it keeps you 28% cooler by reversing it).
Liz wore the Mountain Hardwear AirMesh Long Sleeve Hoody as a fleece midlayer under a rain jacket on wet days. It adds warmth and dries quickly.
I often layered the AirMesh Long Sleeve Hoody under a windshirt to function like a puffy jacket (and that will likely become my new system for summer hiking instead of carrying a puffy down jacket). It also has a stay-in-place three-piece hood that I essentially lived in for about half this trip as well as comfortable thumbholes that kept the top of my hands and wrists warm for most of the trip.
However, on the OT, it was so cold that I wore the AirMesh Long Sleeve Hoody under a down jacket. It dried faster than anything I brought with me and, maybe because I wore it as a fleece-like midlayer, avoided a lot of the odor I got on my other gear. Unlike the thinner Alpha Direct fleece-style midlayer I have, this AirMesh isn't see-through. For that reason and the lack of stink (maybe the anti-odor treatment actually works?), I wore it while doing laundry and on the plane home.
Mountain Hardwear AirMesh Long Sleeve Hoodie
men's
Women's
La Sportiva Lumina 200 Jacket
Days on the Ouachita Trail in the winter were so cold, that Liz hiked in her La Sportiva Lumina 200 until noon on several days.
I had two days when daytime temperatures were barely above freezing, while nighttime temperatures were in the teens. The ultralight La Sportiva Lumina 200 jacket is a 1000-fill down jacket that is lightweight and compact, but packs a lot of warmth. It is probably too much jacket for most thru-hikes but I found myself hiking in it until nearly noon for several days, and always wore it in camp while doing chores before I crawled into my sleeping quilt.
You can learn more in our in-depth review of the La Sportiva Lumina Jacket.
La Sportiva Lumina 200 Jacket
NEMO Tensor Extreme sleeping pad
With the cold snap that took nighttime lows into the teens, I was happy to have brought the NEMO Tensor Extreme sleeping pad. It's got all the comfort of the NEMO Tensor All-Season that won the most comfortable sleeping pad in our best backpacking sleeping pads guide, but with an R-value of 8.5, offering the best insulation and warmth-per-weight of any sleeping pad on the market right now. On cold nights, I could feel the heat radiating from the pad below me. This was especially helpful since I used a backpacking quilt instead of a sleeping bag, so I wasn't getting any insulation from the bottom of my bag. I easily inflated it with an Alpenblow pad inflator while doing camp chores.
Learn more in our in-depth review of the NEMO Tensor All Season and Extreme sleeping pad.
NEMO Tensor Extreme sleeping pad
Western Mountaineering Flash Down Booties
In sub-freezing temperatures almost every night, the Western Mountaineering booties were a foot saver.
On most trails, my feet usually can stay warm enough with a pair of hiking socks, but I found huge relief at the end of the day putting on these booties.
They have a firmer base, so I also used them as camp shoes for walking around shelters or to get up to pee, but kept them on inside of my sleeping quilt at night.
Western Mountaineering Flash Down Booties
Anker 4-port charger
Liz charged her InReach, Power Bank, headlamp, headphones, and watch from the same 4-port USB wall charger.
I originally bought the 4-port fast charger for use in the office, but after discovering it weighs less than the 2-port wall charger I had been using for thru-hiking, I decided to bring it instead. Having 4 ports made charging electronics at quick turnaround resupply points, like Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge, a lot easier. With less than 10 hours of daylight per day, I only had a little more than 2 hours to spend in civilization to resupply, eat, and charge up my phone, inReach Mini, headlamp, and power bank. Having a 4-port charger really made that all possible.
Anker 4-port charger
Platypus QuickDraw Water Filter
The Platypus Quickdraw has screw on caps on either end to prevent the filter from leaking when storing. This is especially useful when you need to keep it in your sleeping bag overnight to prevent it from freezing.
In winter, most of the water on the Ouachita Trail is from ponds, puddles left behind from once flowing creeks, and a few bigger creeks or rivers. I scooped it all with my cook pot and then ran it through my Platypus QuickDraw Filter.
One reason I chose the QuickDraw for this trip is that I knew it'd get below freezing. The QuickDraw has a cap on either end of the filter, which prevents leaks when you sleep with your filter at night to keep it from freezing. So when temperatures tip, you can easily make the safe choice of sleeping with your filter to prevent it from freezing.
We cover the don't-let-your-water-filter-freeze trick in our How to Backpack in the Fall guide, but in short, I met many hikers who were stuck boiling water because their filter broke after freezing overnight. This wasn't a problem with the Quickdraw at all! (To be clear, the Quickdraw can freeze if you don't put it in your sleeping bag)
The Platypus QuickDraw water filter is the best overall winner in our Best Backpacking Water Filters and Purifiers guide.
Platypus QuickDraw Water Filter
Alpine Fit Rendezvous Ridge Sun Hoodie
I've been wearing the Alpine Fit Sun Hoodie a lot this past year and find that I keep reaching for it for mild winter backpacking. But I haven't written about it as much as it deserves because I'm not sure where to put it. It isn't quite a traditional sun hoodie, as the fabric is thicker than many on the market. But it isn't quite a base layer either, with a relaxed cut that allows airflow.
Whatever you call it, the Alpine Fit Sun Hoodie is my favorite winter thru-hiking and backpacking shirt for its wind-protective hood, sleeves that protect the top of your hands, excellent thumb loops, and longer hem. Plus, it looks flattering with a stylish design unlike any other hoodie. I also learned on the Ouachita Trail it dries quickly. After hiking miles in it in the rain without a rain jacket, I hung it up on a shelter peg and found it bone dry in the morning.
I'm not alone in these thoughts. Treeline writer Kate Hoch said the Alpine Fit sun hoodie is her favorite winter hiking shirt, having used it for a weeklong canyoneering trip in Zion over Thanksgiving break.
Alpine Fit Rendezvous Ridge Sun Hoodie
Why you should trust us
Liz took a side trip to climb the nearby North Fork Pinnacle mountain, a sidetrip from the Ouachita Trail, to see some sunshine, and get some cell service. She's wearing the Mountain Hardwear AirMesh hoody under a windshirt.
Liz took a side trip to climb the nearby North Fork Pinnacle mountain, a sidetrip from the Ouachita Trail, to see some sunshine, and get some cell service. She's wearing the Mountain Hardwear AirMesh hoody under a windshirt.
I thru-hiked the OT in December of 2025 and January of 2026. I’ve backpacked over 20,000 miles and have at least 1,000 nights sleeping outdoors.
I’ve written about outdoor gear for numerous publications, including as contributing editor at Backpacker Magazine and as a staff writer for the New York Times’ product review site, Wirecutter.
I’m the author of the National Outdoor Book Award winning Long Trails Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike. I regularly book speaking gigs with outdoor clubs, non-profits, and colleges and universities to talk about backpacking and lead gear panels. I’m also Editor-in-Chief here at Treeline Review and oversee all of our outdoor gear stories.
You can read more about me at www.eathomas.com or at my author page.
