Even More PCT

[John Rowan]

'Tis the season, so I'm throwing my hat into the ring for having my PCT gear list scrutinized. I took about 80-90% of this stuff out on the JMT this summer, and was generally pretty pleased with it. I'm less concerned about weight than I am suitability. There are definitely some places where I could cut things down a bit more, but I'm generally happy with my setup for the stuff I do most of the time back east.

Probably my biggest question mark is my current quilt (older GoLite Z30, with more fill than the current model). I've taken it down to about 22* and been warm before, but I feel like the prevailing PCT wisdom usually has people looking for something rated in the 15-20* range to be on the safe side. If the general consensus is that I need something warmer, then it's probably getting swapped out for an EE Enigma 20.

I don't have total weights for the whole shebang yet- This is a modification of my JMT list that I posted on here, but I haven't updated my spreadsheet yet (which adds it all up for me). It should wind up with a base somewhere in the 10-11 range, probably closer to 11, knowing me.

Thanks in advance, BPL. Per usual I am dead POSITIVE that I completely forgot to add in some critical and obvious item.

Worn:

Shirt TBD- Merino SS or “Adventure” style L/S button-up
Running shorts
Defeet Wooleator Socks
Under Armour Boxerjock
Sun Hat
Shoes: Cascadias (9s or maybe the new ones- also wouldn't mind people's thoughts on Lone Peaks, since my feet are getting super wide)
Poles: Trusty Black Diamond Trail poles

Packing:

MLD Exodus (with suspension upgrade- not the stock model)- 25oz
Pack Liner (Polycryo)

Shelter/Sleeping:

SMD Gatewood Cape (Used as shelter only)- 11.6 oz
Borah Gear Bivy – 7.1 oz
6x EMS Aluminum Stakes – 2.4 oz

Golite Z30 Quilt- 20.6 oz (older version with ~12.6 oz of 850 fill)
Thermarest Prolite XS- 9 oz
GG Thinlight pad – 2.5 oz
Klymit Pillow X- 1.9 oz

Clothing:

MEC Fleece Pullover – 6.5 oz
Stoic Hadron Down Anorak – 7.5 oz
Fleece Hat – 0.9 oz
Buff – 1.2 oz
Merino Liner Gloves- 1.5 oz
Headnet – 0.7 oz

Patagonia M10 Jacket– 8.1 oz
ULA Rain Kilt- 2.6 oz

Montbell Dynamo Wind Pants– 2.6 oz
Defeet Wooleators Socks (spare)- 1.6 oz
EMS Wool Socks (sleeping)- 2.2 oz
Sunglasses (clip-on) – 1.4 oz

Cooking/Hydration

Snowpeak Litemax Stove- 1.9oz (assuming that alcohol is going to be a no-go for this year.)
Fuel canister
Spoon – 0.4 oz
Matches – 0.4 oz

3x soft bottles- 3.6 oz
(Will prob switch out for a pair of smartwater bottles because I love them- will probably do a few soft bottles for the desert)
Sawyer Mini/Backflush Syringe (3oz)

Safety/Navigation/General:

Halfmile Maps
Supplemental guide (Yogi?)
Compass – 1 oz
Zebralight H52w – 2.9 oz
Gerber Serrated Mini Knife – 1.6 oz
Pen wrapped in a bit of duct tape – 1 oz
Leukotape – 2.0 oz
First aid kit- 3.4 oz
(inc. various band-aids, bit of bandage, floss/needle, ibuprofen, benadryl, immodium)
(Not sure why the floss is listed in the FAK, but I weighed it all as a group and am not going to go back now to figure it out)

Toiletries/Hygiene:

TP
Sanitizer – 2 oz
Toothbrush – 0.5 oz
Toothpaste – 0.6 oz
Dr. Bronners – 1 oz
Lip Balm – 0.3 oz
Sunscreen – 1 oz
Mini DEET- 0.5 oz

Gadgets:

iPhone (calls, music, camera, Kindle) – 4.5 oz
SPOT 3 – 4 oz
Wall charger of some sort
Smaller battery of some sort (probably 4oz or so- need to re-weigh mine)

Sierra Specific Gear:

BV500 Canister – 39.5 oz
Ice Axe? Make TBD- wouldn't mind input here on the questions of “should I?” and “which one?”.
Crampons? Same as above

[Eli Zabielski]

-The current GoLite sleeping bag doesn't exist ;) 22 degrees should be warm enough, but was that including both your down jacket and fleece? I think you could ditch your fleece and gloves by the way.

-Two friends in Cascadias last year on the PCT and JMT both had blown out sides way faster in the 9's than the 8's. Not sure if you experienced this.

-You say the Gatewood cape is only for shelter? It was probably the most popular shelter I saw on the first 500 miles last year before I left the trail. My hiking partner used it the entire trail as her only rain gear and it worked well. She also didn't use a bivy (7.1oz), but you'd need a groundsheet then (tyvek/polycro). You could easily save 8oz by losing the Patagonia rain jacket. You could use a windshirt (Houdini, ~5oz) instead or nothing (0oz!).

-GG Thinlight as well as a Prolite?

-Probably no DEET in the desert at least.

-Lighterpack.com I find is easier than managing a spreadsheet.

Good luck! When do you start?

[Greg Mihalik]

"You could easily save 8oz by losing the Patagonia rain jacket. You could use a windshirt (Houdini, ~5oz) instead or nothing (0oz!)."

Sure, why not? You might get away with it. Best of luck.

[John Rowan]

Thanks for the feedback…I am not 100% sure on the when (or the if, to be perfectly honest, but I'm trying to keep the planning moving). I would likely be targeting the usual late April (probably want to do ADZPCTKO).

Thinlight is there because I've gotten pretty chilled/downright cold once I hit 30* or so on the Prolite. I'll probably do a bit more backyard testing over the winter (I'm in PA, so most of my winter nighttime lows are a decent approximation of the mountains).

Fleece is definitely up on the chopping block…I use it a lot on my trips (I run cold when I'm not moving and tend to have a decent amount of downtime even on big mile days, courtesy of my amazing ability to wake up in the morning), but I'm sure that I'm going to be doing a lot less lounging this time around.

Just out of curiosity, what did your hiking partner do about bug protection at night? On the JMT, I was super glad to have something (although a net tent would have been a heck of a lot nicer.) Honestly, I've always been surprised that my use of a bivy with the Gatewood doesn't get questioned more on my gear list threads, so I might actually go back to the Tyvek well and see how I like it. I move around a lot in my sleep, so I'm not sure if the bivy is helping or hurting me here.

ETA: I'm also on the fence about a windshirt, but am leaning against- I've been able to get away with an OR Helium II doing double duty in this role for 2 seasons, so apparently I'm not in need of a ton of breathability.

[Scott S]

Here are some places you might save weight:

– Ditch the fleece and replace with a windshirt. Wear the down jacket in camp. Wear the windshirt or windshirt+rain jacket while hiking. I wore my Houdini on probably 75% of days on the PCT–it was worth every ounce (all 3 of them).

– Fleece hat + buff + sun hat = too much headgear. Ditch the buff.

– Pick up the rain skirt in Ashland or Sisters. You won't need it until then.

– You don't need a groundsheet with a bivy. Seam seal the bottom of the bivy (footbox or the whole thing if you want) to make it waterpoof(http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html ). Swap the 2 pads for a ridgerest. Your ridgerest is your groundcloth now. If you roll off the pad, the bivy is waterproof and tough as nails anyway.

A couple of other notes:

– If you're not a cold sleeper, your current quilt might be fine. I used a 32-degree bag with a bivy and would do so again.

– I used the Exodus FS on my CDT thru-hike and HATED it. The pad had leaks by the halfway point. Another guy I met had the same issue. YMMV.

– Pens run out of ink without warning, explode, or sometimes just stop working. Mechanical pencils are more reliable.

– Don't leave Campo without a rain jacket (unless you're okay using the Gatewood Cape to hike in). You might not get rained on in SoCal but if you do, it will be cold and miserable.

– For mosquitoes, I had a floorless, 5-oz. bug net that I hung from my tarp on the bad nights. A few times, though, I just zipped up in my bivy. If you're okay with that, it works, though you'll need a brimmed hat to keep the netting off your face.

[Eli Zabielski]

What type is the Buff? If it's for warmth I'd ditch the warm hat. A wool buff can cover your eyes, nose, and neck if you want it to.

Not sure what my JMT friend used, but he hiked in mid August so I think the bug conditions were vastly different than the PCT in June. You might want to make your bug protection decisions based on the snow and timing for your Sierras section.

[John Rowan]

It's one of those super-thin, stretchy deals. ("Buff original headwear" on Amazon…).

It's theoretically for warmth but I'd forgotten that it's on the list. I've carried it on most of my trips, and I'm not sure I've ever worn it. Probably won't bring it now that I'm thinking about it.

The comments are super helpful- I carry a pretty light pack on my trips and can easily do 12lbs with food/water for an overnight, but the laser-eyed "if you're not using it all the time, it's useless" approach that tends to characterize thru-hikers is still somewhat new territory for me (even with the JMT and some other decent trips under my belt).

[Bob Gross]

"the laser-eyed "if you're not using it all the time, it's useless" approach that tends to characterize thru-hikers is still somewhat new territory for me "

That seems a little extreme. I believe that there are some things that we prefer not to use, and we expect not to use, but we carry them along since it might get unpleasant otherwise. A first-aid kit comes to mind.

–B.G.–

[Eli Zabielski]

I use the UV Half Buff quite a bit, mostly to serve the purpose of a bandanna that a lot of people have. During the day I have it on my head as a sweatband. At night I pull it over my eyes for easy cowboy camping.

[D M]

I used the heck out off my buff and still use it after 2,800 plus miles. Headband, hat, hankie, water filter, wrist wrap, face and neck protection in snow for sunburn, hair tie. Carrying one and using it is definitely a personal preference, if you don't need it or use it why carry it?

[Mike Henrick]

Keep in mind you're not tied to 1 list for 5 months and 2,668 miles. The most consistent cold nights will be in the Sierra and then northern Washington in September. If you're worried about sleeping warm you can add a bag liner or extra layer for those sections. You will get a few cold nights in SoCal they'll just be spread out and sort of random.

SoCal is really really windy. You'll probably get 1 or 2 bad rain storms. You could use the poncho for them, it will suck but it's only for a day or two. Definitely keep some kind of wind jacket though, they're a great moving layer and work for bug protection later on.

Is the fleece for sleeping? I liked having dedicated sleeping clothes to keep my bag clean (post bandanna bath). Not SUL for sure but on a thru-hike some things are just more practical. If the fleece is just an extra layer I would send it to Washington, you'll be ok without it otherwise.

[Jeff Jeff]

I'd switch the fleece to the lightest down jacket you can find.

Switch the prolite for a zrest.

Looks pretty good otherwise.

Do the halfmile maps have databook info as well? I loved my databook on the PCT. Those old guidebooks sucked! The halfmile maps should be waaaay better.

Why take a spot?

[D M]

Yes there is data on half miles maps.

[John Rowan]

Thanks for the ongoing feedback:

– Pad- I would kill to be able to sleep on CCF, but every time I've tried, it really doesn't work for me. I'm a bony-hipped side sleeper, and I usually wake up feeling pretty battered. The Prolite is kind of in there as a compromise- lightish, more comfortable than CCF quick to inflate/deflate, reasonably durable, and easy to pack. The secondary CCF (Short 1/8" GG thinlight, usually folded over for colder nights) is more of a question mark- I don't like the Prolite below freezing without a little insulation boost, plus it adds a bit of beef/padding to the suspension when it's folded up in my pack.

– Fleece-I actually run pretty cold when hiking, especially in the mornings. It's not that uncommon for me to double this up with the down pullover for the first little bit of a cold morning, and then eventually peel off the layers. (I have absolutely no idea why I don't overheat in this pretty quickly, but I don't.) This one's weird, because it's constantly the low-hanging fruit on my clothing system (it either gets called out when I post a thread, or I'm surprised that it doesn't), but it also gets a lot of use. Whether or not it winds up with me for the desert is anybody's guess, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it getting sent to me by the time I hit KM.

– SPOT- Peace of mind for the family, although they've been given a pretty serious "it doesn't always work" primer. My SPOT rationale is generally 95% keeping the folks happy and 5% giving me a way of signaling if I'm not following my stated itinerary when I'm solo. (Obviously, this is going to be less of a thing on the PCT, since I'm not really going to have a "stated itinerary" beyond a list of resupplies and a general idea of what my pacing would look like in a perfect world. If I wind up pinned under a rock somewhere with bears nibbling at me, will I hit the SOS button? Sure, but that's not why I'm taking it.

I'm also on the fence about a windshirt (although I do have a Houdini due to get delivered tomorrow since they were briefly on sale at Backcountry). I've been perfectly happy using my old rainshell (OR Helium II) for that role, and the thing definitely isn't super breathable. If the Helium has been working, it seems as though something like the M10 would work fine in theory doing double-duty. I haven't ruled out some of the lighter options like the Zpacks or the MB Tachyon, but it looks like there's a bit more to be learned about the fabrics used for them and I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Thanks again, BPL.

[Mike Henrick]

For just colder hiking I find the wind jacket can replace the fleece. Cold and wet it sucks though and you'll want the fleece – say for northern OR and WA. It seems funny to use a flimsy jacket for warmth but it hugs a bit of air close into your core and works really well.

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