Our Favorite New Gear from PCT Days 2026
The best new gear from cottage brands and big-name brands stepping into the ultralight thru-hiking community
August 30th, 2026
Home → Gear Reviews → Outdoor Apparel
Pacific Crest Trail Days, aka PCT Days, is the show of the year when it comes to new gear from ultralight and cottage brands. Whether it’s a new brand making their debut, an established thru-hiker brand showcasing new designs, or major brands dipping their toes into the thru-hiker community, PCT Days is the place to be for gear nerds.
The Cnoc Pike Artist Series water bottle designed by our very own Sara “Socks” Kruglinski.
But this festival is about much more than gear. It’s a chance for thru-hiker veterans and newbies to mingle, for tramilies to reunite, for dirtbags to bond over their favorite dirtbag habits, and for someone who looks even just a little bit like Dan Durston to win a Dan Durston Look-alike Contest.
The most important PCT Days Launch, though, was the release of the Cnoc Pika Artist Series bottle designed by our very own in-house artist, Sara "Socks" Kruglinski. Treeline readers will recognize Sara's art from stories such as Essential Hiking and Backpacking Essentials. Proceeds from sales of the bottle go to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (Sara wrote our Tahoe Rim Trail guide and loves that trail) and of course, to the artist herself!
Treeline Review writers and editors walked the booths, talking to all 100+ brands (and a few non-profits) there. From ultralight innovation to new fabrics, longer-lasting footwear to new backpacking food, and all the faster and lighter accessories you could think of, here are our takeaways from PCT Days 2026 that should be on your radar, too!
Check out Coolest New Gear from PCT Days 2025 for last year’s round-up.
Naomi’s takes
Longer-lasting footwear
NNormal is a new-to-me running brand that launched in 2022 as a joint venture between mountain athlete Kilian Jornet and Camper (the footwear company). They're building a brand with a focus on sustainability via durability and longevity.
Longer-lasting shoes mean fewer replacements and less waste. All good things in my book. And from a practical standpoint, longer-lasting trail runners on a thru-hike means you don't have to worry as much about "where am I going to get my next pair of shoes?" Their shoe lineup is deliberately small: the Kjerag Brut for fast, technical, muddy terrain; the Kjerag 02 for fast, technical terrain; the Tomir for longer, technical terrain; and the Cadi for easier terrain.
Ultralight is now high fashion
Alpha Direct tops were everywhere at PCT Days, it seemed. And here is a sentence I never thought I'd write: ultralight gear has entered the high-fashion world with the Portland-based brand gnuhr. The founder has a long history in the design world: Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Uniqlo. And one of Gnuhr's best-selling products is their Shag Hoodie, made from, you guessed it, Alpha Direct. Other items include ultralight camp shoes and a synthetic puffy made with 60% bio-nylon (which relies less on petrochemicals). Their Ultralight Puffer Jacket is even temperature-rated, which many brands do not provide.
I appreciate brands pushing the boundaries like this. Ultralight entering mainstream outdoor brands is one development we were all expecting…but high fashion? I'm still scratching my head on this one.
Kate’s takes
Pack trends
Move over fanny packs, slings are in. Lightweight crossbody slings from Gossamer Gear, Palante, Yamatomichi, Patagonia, and more offer a convenient way to keep small items handy and make a great town bag.
I’ve been aware of the funky-looking Aarn Packs backpacks for years, but had never seen any up close. While known for their front pouches that help distribute weight in front of the body, it turns out there are many other unique design features in these packs. The shoulder straps are connected through the frame on a continuous cord and the frame is on a pivot through the hip belt. All of this allows freedom of movement while the pack remains still. Intriguing!
The new Nnormal
It seems we’re all excited about this newcomer to the trail runner market, Nnormal. The soles are stitched to the upper instead of glued, and TPU is incorporated into the uppers. All of this is aimed at preventing the blowouts along the sides that plague every shoe I’ve ever worn hiking. They also happened to fit my feet really well and bonus, the colors are stylish. I’m looking forward to trying a pair—they’ll make me as fast as Killian Jornet, right?
Sara’s takes
PCT Days was a blur of new gear and new takes on old gear, mixed with a Dan Durston Look-alike Contest organized by hikers and lots of coffee and food.
New takes on old gear
There were new takes on old gear, with Granite Gear displaying a rainbow assortment of their custom-dyed “undyed” series of packs. I also saw many Alpha hoodies and even an Alpha t-shirt from LEVE Outdoor Co., which owner, Cameren, calls an alternative to a vest.
Footwear updates
Gnuhr, as Naomi mentioned above, was a new-to-me brand with an ultralight camp sandal that you could either purchase outright or download a 3D print file to make your own at home in custom colorways. This is a unique take on gear and customization.
Nike was showcasing a new hiking shoe at PCT days in an effort to bring back their ACG (All Conditions Gear) line. The Nike ACG Zegama hiking shoe has a Vibram sole and is similar to a HOKA Speedgoat but designed with hiking in mind. I am really interested to see what else Nike adds to their ACG line in the future. I was a big fan of the snowboard line that they had several years ago and know they can do good work in the outdoor space.
Shirts made from paper
Yamotomichi had the most unique display of gear from Japan with unique takes on design. They showcased a button-up Kami Shirt made from paper. You read that right, it is made from paper. It weighs 2.4 ounces and is super soft to the touch, like rayon meets silk.
They also had really interesting designs for rain wear, like the UL All Weather Hoody, a zipperless pull over hoodie with a scuba style hood to keep you dry. It weighs 4.2 ounces and they are calling it the most breathable waterproof windproof shell. They also had packs for backpacking and day hiking, as well as hiking pants and shorts. I am excited that we will be able to buy their gear soon at Garage Grown Gear and can’t wait to get my hands on all of it.
Backpacking guitar
Hero Hiker was walking around with his backpacking guitar that uses your own trekking poles and your own cook pot to form a usable, lightweight, portable instrument. The kit weighs 7.8 ounces (without poles and pot) and includes strings so you are ready to play. I remember the old Martin Co. Backpacking Guitar that was popular on trail, but so much heavier and bulkier. This allows for a more packable option for those who want to keep up a musical practice while thru-hiking. I left my guitar at home during my thru-hikes—this would have been a fun kit to add for rainy days or town stops.
Innovations in trekking poles
Kahtoola has two new trekking poles coming out soon. First, the Volt Carbon V Poles have a telescoping section and a folding section so they can be easily stowed in a quiver or pocket when not in use. This is a take on the traditional Z poles with three folds, but since the third section can often get stuck outside of pockets, one of the sections disappears into another section, and the U-bend goes in the pocket first. This means there’s no hanging Z section to get caught. The poles can be quickly deployed using their SwiftSet design that allows a hiker or runner to set a max height for the poles so they are ready to go right away.
Kahtoola’s other new trekking poles are the Photon Carbon Poles, which also use the SwiftSet rapid deployment and a fully telescoping design. Both new poles feature a fully reparable design, so if any portion of the poles gets damaged or broken, they can be replaced or repaired without having to get an entire new pole. This will help gear stay out of the landfills.
Backpacks galore
Backpacks were everywhere at PCT Days. There were so many brands with lightweight and ultralight packs, and it was a blast to go from brand to brand and see what was new. Nashville Pack, whose Cutaway pack won an award for Best Adjustable Fastpack, is one that is always so interesting to me. They are fully customizable, so you can really get a pack that fits you specifically and sometimes you can get custom colorways. Lite Werks packs showcased their Daily Dose 55L pack that has lots of modular features so you can customize it to your needs. We chatted with so many makers and it was really fun to see all the ways people are designing packs.
Pa’lante Packs made a PCT Days debut showcasing clothing and packs. It was exciting to see their colorful skirts and shorts in person. I saw a lot of hikers wearing them at PCT Days and they were stand outs. I have always loved hiking in a skirt, and the Pa’lante skirt has a lot of pockets and a unique front pocket system where the pockets are separate layers to the skirt. Pa’lante is also making packs in fun bright colors, like lime green, and I always appreciate getting to see gear in bright colors.
Meal upgrades
Tater Boost was at PCT Days with a new take on a hiker favorite: mashed potato meal. They had three flavors: beet and rosemary, nutritional yeast, and turmeric and garlic. I have always been a fan of adding beet powder to my backpacking meals, so I was really excited to see beets as a flavor option. It is nice to see someone dressing up the traditional hiker meal with more nutritional benefits and flavors. They're already a winner in our Best Energy Gels and Chews guide (they can be made with cold or warm water and are designed to be used like a big, savory gel). I am looking forward to trying them out on trail.
- Sara “Socks” Kruglinski, Operations Coordinator and Contributing Writer
Liz's takes
PCT Days was a fun weekend of cutting-edge ultralight gear and fun designs that have yet to penetrate the drab colors of the mainstream outdoor industry. It was a joy to see the Treeline Review team in person, talk shop, and nerd out about innovations in the lightest gear out there.
Alpha news
FarPointe Outdoor Gear has a two-layer Alpha Direct hoodie that uses two layers of 60 g/m2 fabric to create a hoody warmer than a 120 g/m2 fabric. They also released the FarPointe Tecnowool with 40% wool in the Alpha layer, as we first saw at Appalachian Trail Days. Farpointe also will have Tecnowool pants with a full gusset running leg-to-crotch to prevent blowouts.
High Tail Designs, which I had always associated with fanny packs and storage bags, displayed Alpha hoodies and are the only brand to use flatlock stitching (most other brands are using serge stitching, which adds some bulk). Neve released the t-shirt Alpha layer, which I initially thought was silly, but found was quite warm and surprisingly stylish. Other Treeliners agreed.
Zpacks updates
As the only brand using Ultra 10X for packs, we were stoked to see the new vest style across most of the Zpacks line. The new Nero Pro has a bottom pocket and 3D mesh that allows you to slip in a sit pad against the pack as an extra frame, similar to what you'd see in frameless Gossamer Gear Kumo. I was drooling. The ZPacks ArcPro has a similar design but still has the carbon fiber stays of the ArcHaul, giving it the benefits of a framed pack.
New Mazama Mi-Go bottles
We finally got our hands on the super popular Mazama M!GO bottles. Now available in the smaller 750-mL size, they can fit in running vest straps and work as a running water bottle. The new tether cap and sport cap were fan-requests. As a top-rack-dishwasher-safe alternative to the Smartwater bottle (also, without many of the plastic-leaching issues of single-use plastic), it can withstand boiling water and is easier to clean.
New Mount to Coast shoes
Naomi, Sara, and I got to test Mount to Coast shoes. Their H1 hybrid shoe famously was worn by most of the Top 10 Finishers at the Cocodona 250. Mount to Coast's T1 trail shoe has thru-hikers with 600-800 miles on it. PCT Days was one of the first events that Mount to Coast showed their new even more rugged M1 trail shoe. The Mountain Runner M1 has a different midsole, 2 mm more foam, and is 8% more responsive with a full outsole of Vibram (compared to the partial of the T1). We're stoked to see how long these shoes will last!
Kahtoola Running Poles
Launched at PCT Days: As Sara mentioned above, Kahtoola is coming out with running poles with some sustainability stories similar to what LEKI showed us at Outdoor Market Alliance last month, but with lighter materials.
The poles have a grip that screws instead of being glued, so it can be replaced when a marmot chews on it. The tips spin off and can be replaced with an allen screw. The bottom of the pole is thicker gauge carbon than the top.
It's a three-piece folding pole, but one of the pieces disappears into the segment above it, effectively making it a V-folding pole like the Durston poles rather than Z-poles like those by Black Diamond.
In-person look at the Durston X Pro Freestanding Tent
Speaking of Durston, we got to see, first hand and in person, the lightest freestanding tent in the world, the Durston X Pro. One cool feature is you pitch the inner, then the fly. It has a ridiculously large gear closet/vestibule and the tent itself is quite spacious, more of a 1.5-person than 1-person tent. The X-dome protects the doorway and it can allegedly withstand 50 lb of snow and 100 km of wind. Carbon fiber pole segments are either 12 inches or 18 inches, so this tent could work for bikepacking. The DCF version (out of stock and sold out in a minute) weighs 1.7 lb. The 2.2-lb silpoly version is available now, though.
