This is a sponsored post brought to you by Astral.
AKnown for being the first woman to hike the 5,600-mile Eastern Continental Trail (ECT), Lolo “Sparkle” Veloz has her sights set on 2026.
This year, she aims to become the second woman ever to claim the Border-to-Border Calendar Year Triple Crown (B2B CYTC), a feat first accomplished last year by Madison “Peg Leg” Blagden. That trip covers about 8,600 kilometers, but Sparkle hopes to cover more than 10,000 miles this year, breaking Peg Leg’s record for most miles traveled by a woman in one calendar year.
To do it, he’ll need an average of 30 miles or more a day for 365 days.
As a Mexican immigrant, Sparkle says she walks to spread a message of joy and hope. “Under the current administration, every part of who I am is under attack … it’s about giving people something to hope for.” Along the way, he collects funds for various non-profit organizations in the hope that people will donate to the charity that speaks to them.
As if hiking over 10,000 miles in one year wasn’t hard enough, Sparkle also battles endometriosis, adding chronic pain to the list of obstacles she must overcome to make this hike a reality. “This is a huge test of endurance,” he tells me. “This is the biggest, hardest thing I’ve ever tried in my life.”
What kind of packing gear does one need for such an ambitious trip? In this post, we’ll take a look at Sparkle’s 2026 B2B CYTC gear list.
What Gear Did Sparkle Carry On Her 10,000 Mile Journey?
Sparkle is an unknown figure in the world of long distance travel. Even before starting the B2B CYTC on January 1st, he had already logged over 12,500 miles on long distance trails, including the ECT, CDT, Arizona Trail, and many yo-yos on the Colorado Trail.
He’s currently over 2,000 miles into his journey this year, and we have to wonder – with so many miles under his belt and so many more to come, what kind of gear is he carrying?
Wanting to get a glimpse into his daily life on the trails, we asked Sparkle to break down his gear, how it’s been working for him, and if there are any changes he’d like to make.
1. Shoes: Astral Nosobo
Back in 2024, Sparkle became a product tester for Astral’s new shoe: the Nosobo. Since then, he has traveled more than 5,000 miles on Nosobos, and he tells us how great it is to see the feedback he took back being incorporated into the shoe.
He used to wear Altra Lone Peaks but got tired of how few miles he got out of each pair. His latest pair of Nosobos, by contrast, lasted 800 miles before he decided to retire them — and he insists he “certainly could have gotten more miles.” The previous pair lasted 1,000 miles.
Sparkle is very appreciative of Nosobo’s foot rate and zero drop, and praises the Astral for incorporating a chunky cushion insole without changing the drop or support of the shoe. “It was really good, because there were big rocks here on the AT and I was able to hold the rocks … very well,” he tells me. “Also, in Florida, they could drain the water,” he said before laughing. “They were very wet!”
Astral Nosobos: Favorite Feature
When asked about his favorite feature of the shoe, Sparkle tells us about the wide toe box and insoles: “I tend to be a little loose when I hike and step on everything, and it doesn’t hurt my feet here because of the extra support.”
Another great feature of the Nosobo is its “Rechargeable Midsole”. In fact, you can replace the entire midsole of your shoe as well as the insole when it takes a beating, extending the life of your shoe.
Sparkle is wearing Nosobos and Injinji midweight socks. Because of the wide toe box of the shoes, he never had a problem with blisters. “People don’t know about them,” Sparkle said. “They’re the new girl on the block!”
2. Shelter and sleeping arrangements
In the tent, Sparkle uses Zpacks Duplex Lite. Before this tent, Sparkle used a bivy tent and says the new shelter feels like a palace. Compared to the cult classic Zpacks Duplex, the Lite version boasts a slightly smaller footprint and is only about 3 ounces heavier than most single-person shelters.
Sparkle also looked at Zpacks with her cloth; using a 20 degree Solo Quilt. He describes this year as a “cold year” and, as a result, enjoys a closed toe box and zippers.
The warmth of his kilt has become very important, as he tells us that his sleeping place is “an obsolete torso pad with holes as big as a rib cage and only takes three breaths to inflate … it’s bare bones.”
3. Backpack & Clothes
Sparkle tells us that “right now he’s taking advantage (i) AT short resupplies” to keep his pack small, opting to use a Zpacks Nero 30L pack. He likes the bottom snack pack and vest shoulder straps, both of which have been encouraging him to eat and drink more.
By resupplying often, reducing the bulk of his gear, and hiking fast, he manages to fit everything he needs into a very small pack.
He wears most of his clothes every day and thus only needs to put a few layers inside the pack. Her hiking skirt is from Purple Rain Skirts, and it also calls out the pockets as a great motivator to eat sweets regularly while hiking. For layers, she uses Sambob alpha sweat pants, Mountain Hardwear puffy, rain skirt, rain jacket, and sun hoody from Zpacks, and a large Willi hat.
4. Food, Water and Safety
For hydration, Sparkle has her “tried and true” Sawyer Squeeze and, for food, she specifically calls out Fillo’s Walking Tamales as a staple.
In terms of various security products, Sparkle has a Nitecore UL flashlight, a Garmin Fenix 8 solar watch with SOS capabilities, and two power banks, as he claims to be running on a battery that takes videos on the road.
Sparkle’s 2026 B2B CYTC Gear List
Shoes: Astral Nosobo
Tent: Zpacks Duplex Lite
Sleeping bag: Zpacks Solo Quilt
Backpack: Zpacks Nero 30L
Hiking: Zpacks Mirage Sun Hoody
Hiking trails: Purple Rain Adventure Skirt
Midlayer: Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer, Sambob Alpha 90 runners
Hat: Big Willy
Rain gear: Zpacks DCF kilt rain + Vertice rain jacket
Lamp: Nitecore NU25 MCT UL lamp
Water filtration: Sawyer Press
Smartwatch: Garmin Fenix 8
To help support Sparkle’s trip, she has set up a GoFundMe for food and lodging expenses. Also, if you’d like to follow along, you can find updates and videos on his Instagram.
Featured Image: Photo by Lolo “Sparkle” Veloz. Graphic design by Zack Goldmann.