I also finished the PCT this year in September, and have been putting off gear reviews until I saw this thread.
TiGoat Poles: I had many issues with these. They were fine until about 800 miles into the hike. Hiking early in the High Sierra saw the expanders constantly getting wet in deep snow on the passes, and then the poles would start to slip if I put weight onto them. This was a huge letdown since I really needed to trust the poles on the stream crossings and slippery terrain. Knowing this, I would just make sure I was constantly retightening them before I would really really need to trust them. One of the poles snapped on the lower shaft, and I'm not really sure why since at the time I didn't fall or get it wedged between or rocks or anything. Customer service was AMAZING and they went out of their way to repair my pole since the lower shaft had gotten stuck inside the upper portion. Later in Oregon around Crater Lake, another shaft splintered when it was stepped on by another clumbsy thru-hiker. Not TiGoats fault, but I gave up on them at this point. I couldn't afford to keep dropping $40 on their poles, and I assumed they'd break again somewhere. Plus I really got annoyed with the expanders that kept slipping on me. Great design, I loved the weight, and customer service. But just not for me on a long-distance hike.
ULA Amp: I used the Amp, customized with wider straps that are usually put on every other ULA pack. This pack was perfect for me. With a 7-8 lb base weight, I was able to push this to a 6 day resupply, even with a hefty water carry out of Tehachapi. The slim and tall profile I found to be very comfortable and allowed me to be very agile. Somewhere in Oregon the grommet stitching on the front gave out where the compression system is attached and tightened. I did some repair work on it, and eventually it pulled through again. This is the only design flaw I found in the pack. The thinner dynema couldn't quite hold the stitching when stress was placed on it. Also, I had to reinforce the shoulder straps with dental floss about 1000 miles into the hike, which held until the end. Overall, I was very surprised that this 12 oz pack made it all 3,000 miles on the PCT and PNT.
Macabi Skirt: i LOVED wearing a skirt. I'm a guy converting to a long skirt from using a kilt on the AT last year, and loved the coverage of the long skirt in the desert. Didn't need sunblock, was stylish, and oh so well ventilated. If I wasn't worried about the sun, I could clip the skirt up the sides to make it into a kilt. Very very functional, and I had lots of guys asking me where they could find one. I wouldn not hesitate to wear this again on future hikes…I can care less what people think of me on the trail or in trail towns. I was comfortable and I highly recommend this skirt.
Railriders shirt: This shirt was amazing, wore it every single day for 5+ months. I'll still be wearing it in future hikes. The quality is top-notch. I was comfortable in all sorts of conditions, and it was a decent base layer to sleep in. Getting white was a great call in the absurd blue skies of southern california. Highly recommended.
RailRiders eco-mesh pants: I switched to these in the High Sierra to avoid embarassment during any of the 203985823 falls that I took in the snow. Not as comfy as the Macabi skirt, but as comfy as pants can get. I absolutely hate hiking in pants if its above 40 deg, but these were very enjoyable to wear. If pants are needed in the future I'd wear these. Plus, the fabric is really really soft and comfy.
Bushbuddy stove: I really like this stove, and found it was perfect for the high desert. There is chapperal everywhere, which burned quickly and smelled beautiful. There was a point on the trail where I really looked forward to cooking at night just to experience the incense-like smell of manzanita or whatever else was around. A great experience and fun. Eventually I ditched the stove at Kennedy Meadows, and did the rest of the hike without a stove. Sometimes I did wish for the convenience of an alcohol stove, but I knew that going in. The woodstove was all for the experience, and it came through beautifully. A great piece of equipment if it's your thing.
Titanium Goat Ptarmigan Bivy: Great bivy. This was my first bivy, and I was worried that I'd get screwed by being cheap and going for this over the MLD momentum bivy. Well, this bivy was fine and saved me some money in the process. A bivy is great in the west where humidity is at a minimum so I didn't worry very much at all about the breathabilty of the fabric. For options I had the full bug netting sewn in as well as a sidezip, both I can't imagine going without. In the intense bugs of Oregon, I slept in my bivy with headnetting all zipped up, not even bothering to suspend the mesh from my face from a branch or tarp. It was just fine lying on my face after being treated with permithrin. Sidezip was equally fantastic and really helped aid me when placing my sleeping pad inside every night. This bivy held up every day, even after stealthing on things like pavement, etc. No holes at all on the floor or top fabric. Great bivy, great price.
MLD Poncho tarp: didn't set this up a single time until somewhere in Northern Cali. Used it twice as a poncho. First time was fine with minimal wind, second time was during a nightmarish thunderstorm on top of a ridge. Winds were very very intense, and the poncho was an absolute nightmare to deal with. Just putting the thing on was horrible, despite the fact that I tried to find a windblock, etc. Although it has clips all over to try to secure it, as well as a cord around the waist to keep it next to your body, I was still unhappy with it. A poncho would be fine when under trees back east or somewhere else, but it wasn't for me above treeline. Maybe I just need practice with it? As a shelter I was very happy. I was worried that it would be too tight of a squeeze after using a MLD solo-plus size, but it was fine. Sure I wish there was more space, but I could deal. Unpacking things under it was a bit too tight, as well packing up in the morning if I had it pitched low. No problems with water leaking in near the hood. The quality of course is fantastic.
Golite Whim wind pants: Got these in northern washington when I anticipated rains coming in. They were okay in drizzle, but worthless once they got very wet. Of course I knew they weren't waterproof, but I was hoping they would help me get by. Walking through lots of wet brush would get the wet all the way through, and then they would stick uncomfortably to my legs, limiting movement. Couple this with the fact that this sucks away body heat, and it didn't take me long to look for a new solution. I wound up going back to the old trashbag skirt, sometimes layered on top of these pants for additional warmth. This worked pretty well for me. Next time maybe I'd use a UL trash bag skirt with chaps? The pants are comfortable though!
O2 Rainshield jacket: Got this for the last 600 miles or so in WA. Rainproof, fairly breathable, but not good for cutting wind. With the cut being a bit loose, wind could sneak in. On the other hand, it being a bit looser was good for helping me not overheat as fast when hiking. Quality is a bit sketchy, but thats expected for a jacket that costs $20. After lashing it on the top of my pack multiple times, the yellow outer layer started to rip away from the other layer. This is my fault obviously. The exposed parts on the sleeves are small, and I still use the jacket to waterproof. Next time I'd pry just order a smaller size, but still stick with this jacket for the weight.
Nunatak Arc Alpinist: Still a great quilt. Although I used a JRB Shenandoah quilt for most of the hike, I really loved having this thicker quilt when I did. I simplified my setup by ditching the smartwool bottoms and thermawrap jacket when carrying the Alpinist, which worked fine for me. Since I hiked during all hours of daylight, it was no problem to rely on the quilt for warmth at night. And give me warmth it did, especially when coupled with the bivy.
Inov-8 Roclite 315: Loved this shoe. Sure it's not very well padded, but that didn't bother me much. When used in tandem with superfeet, these shoes fit me perfectly. I started out with a pair of Terroc 330s, but decided to switch after the first 600 miles. The Terroc's mesh ripped after about 300 miles, which let in too much dirt. I found the 315 to last longer than that pair of 330s. Over the course of my 3,100 mile hike, I went through 4 pairs of shoes. You do the math! Now I think I push my shoes a bit further than most, and did have some pain for a week or so toward the end of a shoe cycle, but I was more than comfortable putting 600 miles on a pair, which I found very respectable. Again, the Superfeet were a big help in keeping support underfoot when normally there would be none with those weak factory insoles. Another huge plus was the tread. They have some of the deepest lugs I've ever seen on shoes, and the tread would never wear out, even after 900 miles. This is huge to me since I've turned Montrail Hardrocks into slicks after 500 miles, even though the shoes felt fine to my feet. I'll stick with the 315s in the future.
ULA bottle holsters: I like having the water on shoulder straps when using a frameless pack to take 2 lbs off of my back. It's slightly more of a pain in the a**, but worth it for balancing the weight. If i were using a pack with a frame, I don't think I'd mess with it and keep things simple with a single 1 L bottle in a side pocket. Didn't miss a leaky platy though!
Cheapo Mexican Sombrero: Hated using an umbrella in socal, so picked up an $8 straw hat 50 miles into it. This hat gave about as much shade as an umbrella, but I didnt have to hold it, or even worse, do some cumbersome attaching to the shoulder straps. The straw was very breathable, and I liked the fact that nothing was draped over my neck like the popular Sunday Afternoons Hat does. Eventually I ripped the laminated seam off the brim, giving the hat a sweet Huck Finn look, as well as making it more bendable in the wind. The only downside was that this thing acted like a sail in the wind, only held onto my head by the chinstrap. This cheapo, great hat, lasted me over 2,000 miles, although beaten up with much more character than it started with! Would do this again when doing any desert hiking.
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Dirty Girl gaiters: These worked well for me, but I believe I was the only person out there who didn't have problems. The only problem I encountered were getting holes in the speedo fabric when bushwacking, getting caught on blowdowns, etc. Still, one pair of gaiters lasted me over 3,000 mi, and I was happy to have saved the money and increased style points over the Simblissity gaiters. Many other friends had the clip coming off that secured the gaitor to shoe laces. Apparently the woman who runs the company is very responsive, and oftentimes sends another pair for free, a replacement part, etc. I'd recommend them, especially if you aren't a thru-hiker.
