Three season PNW gear list.

[Matthew H]

http://lighterpack.com/r/g2kpdj

Thoughts? There's a couple items I've yet to purchase (Patagonia M10/Arcteryx Cerium LT), but I think I'm pretty set on those.. just waiting on some kind of sale..

Obviously there's a bit of overkill in terms of clothes for summer. Where I don't expect any rain for shorter trips I can ditch the rain jacket/fleece/r3 bottoms.

Other than that, any suggestions? I'm trying to go a little lighter, contemplating switching cooking systems to something like the Litemax stove and a light Toaks/Snow Peak pot, but really there's not a huge weight loss there if I leave a few of the unnecessary items of the jetboil at home. The other option is to get a new sleeping bag for warmer trips to save nearly a pound.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Always take your rain gear. An unexpected cold wet night out can be deadly. I carry a poncho for day hike CYA rain gear and emergency shelter.

The accuracy of weather predictability in the west side PNW is the lowest for the US, other than SE Alaska. The Jet Stream hovers right over us, and when it shifts, you can throw out the 5 day forecast.

As I posted in another thread, vests are handy for warmer weather mid layers. We get that 45f-50f weather that needs a little insulation with an eye to humidity, rain, and overcast skies, making synthetic a batter bet than down. You don't need to be swaddled like the Michelin Man, just a layer to take the chill off.

I prefer zip off pants to running shorts, but you can get by with shorts and long johns if you must :) Rain pants and long johns are good. Soft shell pants are great for shoulder seasons.

[Matthew H]

Noted, thanks a lot. You're right, it is pretty damn unpredictable out here. I would like to find a nice light pair of zip-off pants. I do own some but they're quite heavy and just some el cheapo brand.

[Alexander S]

You got a tight system already.

The only thing that would jump out at me is – as you said- shaving a pound off the sleeping bag and some incidentals that may shave an couple of ounces such as:

Do you need the syringe for less than a week's trip?

Save 1-2 oz on a lighter knife.

Can you live without GPS?

I'd re examine the cooking system. JetBoil always struck me as pretty heavy. As a side note, I trust no $100 pot that I can't shove over a fire when/if the gas runs out/stove malfunction etc.

You might be able to save close to 2 lbs right there.

PS no rain pants? Consider chaps?

http://www.equinoxltd.com/the-gear/raingear/full-moon-ultralite-chaps.cfm

[Matthew H]

Great suggestions.. thank you. I probably don't need GPS most of the time.. so that would only be a sometimes thing. The knife is quite heavy. It's an amazing knife though.. I'll probably get a lighter one for trips I don't think I'll use it so at least I have an emergency.

The cooking system is heavy I agree. I'm still trying to work out the best way to go here.

As for the sleeping bag, still trying to decide what to do here as well. The ZPacks are very tempting, but others are telling me to stick with the WM. Got to think this one over.

[Alexander S]

WM are nice. I finally settled on Marmot as mine has held up really well and kept its' loft nicely over the years. You could go insane comparing bags in that quality tier.

I see you're in PDX, have you done the Three Sisters loop yet? Really sweet.

[Jerry Adams]

If you do Three Sisters, the trail between South and Middle Sisters is nice. And the trail over to the South side of Broken Top.

[Matthew H]

As of yet no, I've just moved here from Australia. I'm also about to head to Norway and Iceland and then back home for a little after that before finally settling down here permanently in January. It's in my list though!

[Alexander S]

Have fun up there. That sounds great. When you settle in PDX, don't forget about the northeastern section of the state. The Wallowas range has some of the most amazing trails on the West Coast.

[Matthew H]

Sounds great, thanks for the tip!

I really can't wait to get out and explore my new home. I fell in love with North America a few years ago when I visited for the first time on a 3 month trip where I hit a lot of national parks in the US and Canada. Just SO much variety. Australia, in my opinion just doesn't hold a candle to the beauty and I just never can get into hiking here. Over there, I just love it. Getting out away from the people and enjoying nature. I love the pine trees, waterfalls and mostly I love the mountains. We just don't have any real mountains back in Australia.

[Jerry Adams]

Yeah, Wllowas great! Closer than the Sierras. Portlandhikers.org has a lot of trip reports and the field guide has a bunch of trips described.

[Matthew H]

Just a quick bump, I've changed a couple of items. I'm not seeing any real area to shave off weight. My packed clothing is quite heavy maybe? I can't really see any real way to drop weight there and have a true three-season pack though.

[Alexander S]

"Where I don't expect any rain for shorter trips I can ditch the rain jacket/fleece/r3 bottom".

Nope. Welcome to the PNW.

My perfectly relaxing, warm, no cloud in the sky Three Sisters traverse turned into a 24 hour 50ft visibility blizzard within three hours.

[Ian]

"Obviously there's a bit of overkill in terms of clothes for summer. Where I don't expect any rain for shorter trips I can ditch the rain jacket/fleece/r3 bottoms."

Short answer:

Bring a shell and a reasonable amount of insulation that'll work in wet/damp weather.

Long answer:

I've contemplated swapping out my shell for a poncho for when dry weather is in the forecast, then last week I was blasted in the face with gusting winds and a mixture of ice and rain and have given that idea an official "%^@& that!" I've been on more than a few trips where I never put on my shell but imo it's mandatory equipment for the PNW.

Insulation is personal. On this same trip, for the first 1.5 days, I stayed wet and temperatures remained between 40* and 45*. I was fine with a thin nylon t-shirt, light button down synth shirt, nylon pants, sock liners, shell, and running shoes. I brought silk weight base layer top/bottoms but only wore them to bed so I had something dry to sleep in. My hands throbbed for a while but my core never came anywhere near hypothermic. I had the option to put on my possum down gloves but decided against it and was fine just pulling my hands back into the sleeves of my shell.

I think the "don't pack your fears" sentiment is awfully cavalier sometimes, especially from people who live in warmer/drier climates. Don't go too crazy but err on the side of caution with your wet weather gear and insulation. Even when I was carrying more insulation than I do now, and a more robust pack, my base weight was still in the 12lb range so you don't have to break your back doing this (save that pain for your camera gear).

Over time you'll figure out what works for you as you experience the PNW in all its glory and will be able to make informed decisions on what to leave home.

[Ian]

"The Wallowas range has some of the most amazing trails on the West Coast."

I'm in the planning phase for Eagle Cap later this summer. Jerry actually has a nice TR posted on the Portland Hikers whatever .org site.

Blue mountains another big +1. Lots of wildlife and beautiful views.

Hiked the Seven Devils loop last week. ANOTHER +1! TR forthcoming.

I've done some hiking in the Bavarian Alps which comes close but you can't beat the PNW for diversity and beauty imo. I'm never moving.

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