PCT 2015 NoBo Thru

"Is it wise to be relying so heavily upon chargeable electronics? I'd like to be writing/journaling to some degree."

How about paper and pencil?

To carry lots of chargeable electronics has the weight factor. Also, it takes time to be looking for an AC receptacle or a solar recharger or something else. I don't like to burn the time. I carry a good headlamp, but I use it very little, and I power it with a disposable lithium.

Don't get me wrong. I do carry a satellite communicator with me, but I leave it shut down. It is not just for entertainment.

–B.G.–

Looks pretty good. You've definitely put in a lot of thought.

Some thoughts. (A lot of this is just personal preference)

– I don't think you'll need the OR gloves.
– All told your electronics add up to a fair bit of weight. The 10AH battery plus the 4-port charger is unnecessary. You can charge everything while you're walking into town (10MA should be able to charge everything easily), then use a single port charger to just charge the battery. That's going to save you like 6oz since you can also leave two cords behind.
– I don't know anything about that pack but you might not need a 65L pack. Depends on your resupply plan, really.
– Your sleeping clothes add over a pound.
– Two pairs of boxers. Within the first week both pairs will be trashed anyway. Might as well just carry one pair and get those trashed. You can wear your long underwear in town (or freeball it in your lightweight pants) while you do laundry.
– Headnet won't be needed in SoCal (you probably know that)
– I think you should weigh First Aid Kit & Toiletries. This is going to be a significant amount of weight so it should be accurately listed in the gear list.

If you plan to leave on the first day of ADZPCTKO you'll be hiking with the herd. Leave 2 to 3 weeks sooner to be ahead. You won't be alone even then and you can get a ride back to KO. Check the "Rides Board" on the KO web page or just hitch to KO. For rides to the trailhead from San Diego, send an email to sandiegopct@gmail.com . We host and give rides to hikers coming in on trains, busses and planes. As for your gear list, "Less is more and keep it simple".
Good luck

Stetson Gallatin Wool Hat 6oz …..seems kind of hot and heavy
and your first aid and toiletries weigh nothing, how did you manage that ?

I think this needs some work.

– I hike with an umbrella, and even if you're hiking in shorts and a t-shirt, there is no way that your little umbrella will keep all of the sun off of you. Much of your UV exposure comes from reflected light anyway, not direct sun. So I don't think you can or should avoid sunscreen. You will have many days on the trail in SoCal where you are hiking in full sun all day. Don't mess with your skin. You don't need more than a few ounces of sunscreen per resupply.

– Have you hiked in an all-day rainstorm in your houdini and umbrella? Unless you are comfortable using that combination in, say, 45 degrees with strong winds and rain, you need a rain jacket. In fact, I would not leave Campo without a rain jacket even with an umbrella. My year, we had the wettest June in California history and had lots of rain in the Sierra. Oregon and Washington get cold rainstorms that last for days on end. The nice thing about the PCT, though, is that you can use a flimsy, light jacket like Frogg Toggs or O2 Rainshield (my favorite) without having to worry about tearing it on brush. You shouldn't think of the rain jacket as keeping you dry. It's main function in the rainstorms you'll get on the PCT is keeping you warm. I would think about rain pants for OR/WA, too, unless you are good at staying warm while hiking wet all day.

– Unless you are still hiking well into the snowy season, the Z-lite should be fine for OR/WA. Your coldest night temps will most likely come in the Sierra. Speaking of that, make sure you are okay taking your 30-degree quilt into the 20s. You will almost definitely get some sub-freezing nights in the Sierra.

– I'd think about ditching the buff for something with a little more heft. A powerstretch beanie or the like will hardly weigh more but will be much warmer.

Thank you for your replies and insight, folks.

@Bob – I'll be using the phone for the various resources available as apps or websites, so maintaining a charge will be necessary one way or the other. Otherwise I agree that a journal would be the way to go.

@Eli – I've changed up to the 2-port charging port so that I can still charge the battery and the phone/others concurrently. A concern of mine is the bottleneck of the time required to charge the battery. I've ditched the second pair of undies.

The FAK & Toiletries are unweighed pending their purchase and consolidation over the coming weeks.

@Carl – thanks for the information. I'd initially planned on catching the very beginning of KO leaving the second morning, with the expectation that I'll be doing bigger miles and less partying than much of the herd. More and more I am leaning towards an earlier start date, with or without a hitch back to KO.

@Link – the hat is a bit of a luxury item as compared to a Sunday Afternoons or mesh ballcap, for example. It provides great coverage, is crushable for storage, and I've been comfortable in it for past desert treks.

@Scott – thanks for the input. I'll switch to desert-appropriate attire until Kennedy Meadows or so. Regarding the Houdini + Umbrella combo: the inability to stay dry over time is the reason why I'm looking in the direction of a windshell-only system. I'd be looking for it to provide enough protection to retain body heat in the insulating layers once it wets out. Seth Brewer and others have commented favorably on this approach for the PCT, though I haven't heard much discussion of its limitations. The goal is to shake-down the quilt + zlite system into the 20's soon, but the California winter hasn't given me much opportunity.

Just remember that in my experiences – I didn't see more than an hour or two of light drizzle (during hiking hours – had an overnight rainstorm in the Sierra's) until Mid-Oregon (over 1,800 until I saw real rain).

HOWEVER – I was prepared to sacrifice hiking in a downpour and set-up my tent to stay warm, since I predicted my year to be low rain — AND I started much LATER than most people – I knew that I had warmer temperatures and thus, slightly less risk of hypothermia in a rainstorm.

I would likely hike that way again – or bring a light DriDucks rain jacket in place of the windshirt and just call it good. YMMV

I brought a 30* zpacks quilt, a MH Ghost Whisperer Hoody, Houdini, and my railriders pants — in the Sierra's I slept in ALL of those when the temps dropped into the 30's, and I consider myself a warm sleeper. Your body will have just undergone 700 miles of adapting to the desert / hot condition, and I was amazed at how cold 50* felt in the mountains (this New Englander was suprised at the difference the altitude / weight loss / energy level / drastic temperature difference experienced between Tehachapi and the start of the Sierra.

If in doubt – get a 20* quilt (that was the most popular temperature I saw).

Enjoy the walk!

I agree with a lot of what Seth said. I did some of the desert and all of the Sierra last summer and I wouldn't change anything I carried. I brought a Packs 20 degree quilt (used to have the EE 30 but like this much more), a Mont Bell UL Inner and rain shell as my main pieces of insulation and I was fine. Also I was hiking in a long sleeve Columbia fishing shirt which also added some warmth.

I rarely had to use my down jacket at night and if I did it was usually around 3-4 am when I would wake up with a chilly nose or something (then I would just drape it over my head)

I think for the desert an umbrella and wind shirt is the best combo. Just be prepared to get wet if it rains, the umbrella will keep it off the upper part of your torso, unless you are standing still and there is no wind the rest of you will get wet. I would usually just throw up my tarp if i thought it was going to rain because I am not one for hiking in the rain if it just going to be a afternoon shower of sorts, also it is a good excuse to take a break which can be hard to force yourself to do on a long hike.

Also, I hated my sawyer mini on that hike, just a pain in the butt. I ditched it and started using bleach, super handy, can't break and weighs less. In the Sierra I rarely treated water.