Finished my NOBO PCT thru-hike on August 14 and figured I'd post a little rundown on the gear I used since it had two hundred straight days of use (two and half months cycling down the US coast + 800 miles in Baja and then another four months nobo on the PCT). I enjoy hiking long days and being out on the trail as much as possible. I did not take a zero day for the last 2000 miles. This was my first backpacking trip, but I have a year's worth of long distance self supported bicycle touring experience. A basic rundown of the conditions when I hiked through are that the desert had water everywhere it could, the high Sierra had low snow levels, and Oregon/SoWashington had high snow levels.
Specific questions? Ask away!
GEAR LIST:
Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus backpack
1 hip belt pocket
Sleep system:
Enlightened Equipment Revelation X 20deg down quilt
Gossamer Gear Nightlight Torso + 1/8" Thinlight pads
ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus w/ Screen and Beak
cuben fiber tent stuff sack
6 titanium stakes w/ cuben sack
Clothes: (*always worn / &worn every day / $sometimes worn) (in order of frequency worn)
Soffe running shorts w/ liner *
60cotton/40polyester short sleeve shirt *
New Balance MT110 *
Patagonia Houdini wind jacket &
1 pair thin socks &
polypro gloves $
my favorite beanie $
Ibex Woolie merino wool long underwear $
(carried for much of the PCT) Montbell Down Inner Parka $
DriDucks rain jacket $
Knick knacks:
duct tape
gauze pad
sewing scissors
needle
thread
toothbrush
toothpaste
insect repellant
hand sanitizer
Petzl Tikka+ headlamp
bleach (water treatment)
spoon
Fiji water bottle
(carried for most of PCT) 2L bladder
Panasonic G3
20mm f/1.7 lens
3 batteries
battery charger
2 SD cards
Cell phone and charger
Paper
Journal + 2 pens
Half Mile maps
Yogi's guide
other documents
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GG Mariposa Plus backpack
I had actually never had a backpack for anything except school books before this trip, so based on what I heard here about space for a bear canister I opted for the Mariposa since it seemed like the lightest and most cost effective option for a good size. Turns out the pack was too big for my needs. The shoulder straps didn't feel good either, a common complaint that seems to have since been addressed. Partially due to the large size of the pack and partially because I stopped hitching so that I could maximize my on-trail time, I ended up doing some big hauls up to 300 miles w/o resupply. May sound a bit ridiculous, but I was doing 100 miles every 3 days and always eat a ton in town and don't mind going into town foodless and hungry. My pack was likely loaded up to 35 lbs a few times but I'm a young pup and could handle the weight and still do 30's comfortably. It was nice to not ever have to think about fitting everything into my pack, even being able to throw a few large bags of SunChips or Fritos out of CStore resupplies, but a smaller pack would have made more sense. I am currently considering a ZPacks Zero.
I started with two hipbelt pouches and switched to one after 450 miles after one got a hole in it and realizing I only really wanted a hipbelt pouch to keep my camera on hand. I used the aluminum stay the whole time but post-PCT have been using the pack without and it seems like the shoulder straps feel better but the load transfer is not as good. I will probably not use the aluminum stay again.
Enlightened Equipment Revelation X 20deg down quilt
In January Tim had told me a new quilt was about to come out that was cheaper so I was basically hitting refresh on the EE website for a few days leading up to it so that I would get the quilt by my trip's start on Feb 1. Quilt ended up not being done until I reached San Francisco and I wouldn't need the warmth until the High Sierra on the way back north. So that was quite frustrating and I had heard that happens more frequently than it ought to with Enlightened Equipment. So I'd say you shouldn't have any time-dependent need at all if ordering from them. Anyways, turns out that I hate open baffles. Nearly every night before sleeping I have to move the down to the middle of the quilt (on top of me) and then by the time morning comes, the down will often be back on the sides, leaving me cold. Nothing wrong with the quilt. For the price and weight it is the best thing out there if you're cool with the open baffles, but I grew to hate that thing. Looking forward I will be buying a new quilt, not sure what yet. May even go with a Western Mountaineering bag. I was likely keeping the quilt too tight on me and moving around too much (causing the down to fall into the side baffles) so a bag might be a better choice for me so that I won't be so resistant to drafts and screw myself over. Based on the conditions I encountered I think that an effective 30 degree bag/quilt would be a better choice for the PCT, especially considering that I had a down jacket for much of the hike. Under the conditions that I encountered, either a 30deg bag w/ down vest/jacket or 20deg bag w/o down vest/jacket would be sufficient.
ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus tent w/ Screen and Beak
Took me a lot to finally pull the trigger on such an expensive tent but I'm glad I did. Buying this guy was basically my way of saying I'm going to do this light, and thinking about what I paid for the weight savings made me critical about the other weight in my pack. This tent is totally no compromise and cuben fiber is the perfect tent material. Beyond being really light, it doesn't lose tension and doesn't let water through when you touch it. This tent is lighter than most tarp setups. The mesh ended up getting quite a few small holes in it, but mosquitoes are not crafty enough to find them. Ants are able to find the holes but have a hard time finding them on their way out so are not able to communicate to their ant-buddies which is the real problem situation with ants. I got tons of rain on the wintertime coast, but by the time I reached the Baja desert and the PCT I really only set up the tent for insects.
I started off the trip with a carbon fiber tent pole but that thing would deflect up to a foot when the winds really started picking up and I would get really nervous and not be able to sleep well. I picked up a trekking pole out of a Saufley's hiker box and used that until I accidently left it behind in Oregon. From then on I would use a stick that I would pick out once it started getting dark and would put my sock on the top stick end. If you already use a trekking pole that is definitely the best way to go, but I only used the trekking pole for snow and sketchy creek crossings. A stick works quite well and I do not plan on using the tent pole again.
I will be patching the tent up and using it until it dies. I would like to get an MLD Monk cuben tarp or MLD cuben poncho tarp for bugless trips. I would ideally like to learn to deal with nothing but a headnet, but given the concentration of mosquitoes I experienced I do not think that a headnet would have been enough to preserve my sanity.
Gossamer Gear Nightlight Torso + 1/8" Thinlight pads
It was nice to have the sleeping pad fit perfectly with the GG Mariposa pad/frame sleeve. Having the thinlight really helped out for warmth when I needed it. By the end I usually just used the thinlight to round out the edges of the ground and give me a bit of insulation. I will be replacing my pack so I will likely get a thicker thinlight pad (3/16 or 1/4) and drop the torso. The torso flattened out quicker than I would have liked but I just kept using it and just used one for the cycling trip and half the PCT then got another one near the PCT midpoint. Used the same thinlight and it has some holes/rips. I'm a fan of CCF now because I can just crash anywhere and not worry at all. Many mornings the pads would have a bunch of pokey stuff lodged in the pads and it didn't matter. Not having to unroll, inflate, deflate, and roll as with inflatables is nice because those minutes when I have stopped to sleep are so precious.
Soffe running shorts w/ liner
These bad boys are real short. Didn't bring any underwear with me and just wore these all the time. Took a long time to smell and a short time to dry.
60cotton/40polyester short sleeve shirt
I had been wearing a long sleeve merino wool shirt but it was getting a lot of holes and i was dealing with some heat rash when a guy who was car camping with his laundry basket gave me a shirt. I expected to not like the cotton but it was fine. Feels great. Not a 'performance shirt' but you stop caring about that stuff when you actually are on trail.
New Balance MT110
These shoes worked perfectly for me. 7mm of cushion in front and 11mm in back, and basically all worn down by the end of my use of each pair. I pushed these to 1000 miles twice. They were totally torn up but felt really awesome. I don't like a lot of shoe and am a believer in the barefoot running cult and these shoes allowed me to develop good form and foot strength while not limiting my ability to do high mile days after developing those abilities. I started off with 15 mile days and finished doing consistent 35's and had I started off doing high miles I am confident I would have been facing injuries. I had no knee or shin or ankle pains. My only foot pains were general soreness in the beginning while building my foot strength and a bump from hitting the top of my foot on boulders while rock hopping. I will be going more and more minimal but was afraid to mid-trail since the shoes were working for me and I didn't want to have to decrease mileage.
Patagonia Houdini wind jacket
I was on this adventure for 198 days, and I wore this wind shirt 198 days. Only item of gear that I can say that about. Wake up with it on in the morning, unzip it as I get hotter, take off and stuff next to water bottle as I get hotter still. Mosquitoes did not bite through this layer and when the hood was up they mostly stayed out of my face. Uncomfortable sweating it out with mosquitoes around but much better than the alternative. Also used for sun protection. Despite using it all the time, I may use a moderately durable rain jacket and drop the wind shirt in the future. I might be switching to poncho tarp and the wind shirt would be valuable then.
one pair thin socks
Many hikers have three pairs of walking socks and a pair of sleeping socks. I just had one pair. I typically did not wear socks while sleeping and I spent most of the day sockless as well. My shoes are designed to be worn barefoot so this was not an issue, but I had an occasional hotspot and throwing on a sock relieved it immediately, as did taking off my socks when a hotspot developed while wearing them. My sock preference will not work for everyone.
polypro gloves
DIdn't use them often, but I was really glad to have them when I did. I will likely not use gloves next hike. I developed enough tricks to keep my hands warm (grabbing backpack straps under armpits, rotating my arm like a windmill to get blood to the fingers) that they are inessential for average PCT conditions.
my favorite beanie
The head is the chimney. I'm a believer in the power of head warmth and used the same hat I've always used because I know it works. Possibly overkill with a wind shirt hood, down coat hood, and rain coat hood also at my disposal, but using a hat helps regulate heat as you move about.
Ibex Woolie merino wool long underwear
This was my only lower layer in addition to my shorts. Because they developed a lot of holes and lost effectiveness in windy situations, I would recommend only using as a baselayer. I will use wind pants and no long underwear in the future.
Montbell Down Inner Parka
I did not carry this for the entirety of the PCT, and think it was inessential since I used a 20deg quilt and spent most of my time solo (no sitting around at the end of the day to chat). I prefer to just wrap my quilt over me when sitting around anyway. Although it makes getting up to walk a bit easier, if you are wearing a down layer while walking for more than just when you first get going, you might be facing some warmth troubles at night. I will bring this for social hikes, but if traveling solo it will likely stay behind.
DriDucks rain jacket
Cheap, works well. I used one all the way down the coast and it got pretty torn up from getting snagged on my handlebars and bushwhacking, but they are so cheap that I just picked up a new one to use on the PCT. It stayed at the bottom of my pack. Never really needed it for rain, seeing as I never got rained on for more than a few sprinkling minutes, but it was nice to wear as another layer when the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped.
First aid / repair kit
My first aid and repair kit is pretty small. I don't use bandaids and just sort of let holes happen. I don't take pills.
duct tape
gauze pad
sewing scissors
needle
thread
toothbrush
toothpaste
Insect Repellant
I didn't have anything leaving Tuolumne Meadows. No repellent, no pants, no fun. I got eaten up. I got some DEET in S Lake Tahoe and it was glorious. Mosquitoes will still be everywhere, but you will not be mercilessly bitten. Never had a lower layer to protect from bugs nor did I have a headnet. Those items would help out a lot, just to keep them off of my skin.
Hand Sanitizer
I don't pack in toilet paper, so hand sanitizer is a pretty essential part of my kit.
Petzl Tikka+ headlamp
Enough light to safely night hike if need be, but probably a bit more than my needs. I'll be switching to an eLite unless I foresee a lot of night hiking.
Bleach (water treatment)
Started off with AquaMira and got a hole in one of the bottles. Dumped out the rest and put in some bleach. Cheap. Easy. Kinda gross. Didn't have to use it much due to being picky about my sources and not minding skipping a source and going thirsty for a bit to get something clean.
Spoon
I like spoons. They feed me Nutella.
Fiji water bottle
Pretty square bottom bottle. Carried two in one side pocket in the desert.
2L bladder
Was essential while doing low miles in the desert but was only used maybe two times after that (Hat Creek Rim, leaving Crater Lake) and was dropped in Oregon. I just drink a lot at a source, carry one liter, and then am willing to go thirsty. Hiking early season also helped out with water source reliability. I think that most people carry way too much water, but they also think I carry too little. I do not cook and value a lighter pack more than being thirsty for a little while. I've heard one liter for every three miles. I only carry one liter for up to twenty miles. Three liters have taken me over forty miles.
Camera:
This is my camera system:
Panasonic G3 (micro four-thirds)
20mm f/1.7 lens
3 batteries
battery charger
2 SD cards
I'm a beauty chaser and this camera is worth the weight. Image quality isn't quite to the level of a DSLR but WAAAY better than a P&S. Has the usability of a DSLR but has a flip touch screen and an EVF with cool little features in it and most importantly it is considerably smaller than a DSLR.
Cell phone and charger
I didn't have a cell phone for the first five months of the trip. Bought a cell phone and month to month plan in S Lake Tahoe and I think it was worth the weight. I didn't see many people on the trail and had just missed meeting some friends on trail thanks to not having a cell phone. I'm all about just using pay phones, but after five months I felt too disconnected from the people I care about.
Paper:
Journal + 2 pens
Half Mile maps
Yogi's guide
other documents
Half Mile's maps are awesome. Those maps are all you need to hike the PCT. I didn't really like Yogi's style, and the book is targeted at someone who will start at kickoff and take five months to hike the trail. Having a good idea of people's opinions of a town was sometimes nice and it was nice to have a little map to get an idea of the spread, but it would probably be a better experience if you just asked the locals. I stopped using Yogi's guide as many do and just skimmed it for Scott Williamson's input. Scott Williamson needs to write a PCT Guidebook. His knowledge of the trail is better than the collective knowledge of Yogi's friends featured in the guide.
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Let me know if you want pictures or further details about anything.
