For those interested, here is a list of my gear that I have found works well for me. This is, of course, an affiliate link and your enjoyment of these may vary:
04/14/2013
Just as a heads up, I was included in the The Big Southern California Bloggers Interview. This was a fun emailed list of questions about my experience and recommendations, which was compiled with other answers from other bloggers in the Southern California region. It was fun to be included with other hiking bloggers, some that I have met and some that I haven't. Give it a read, perhaps it may inspire you to try new areas around here.
UPDATE: This review is no longer online.
One cool thing about it was the infographic that Josh (the author of the post) created: