PCT thru hike 2017…tear this ultralight newbie's pack apart!

[Ty M]

Title says it all. I’m now in the hands of the pros, so be rough with me, it’ll toughen me up for the trail.

https://lighterpack.com/

What am I missing? What do I need? What’s a simple lighter replacement?

Additional comments…

I know I can get a lighter, possibly smaller pack. Is it really worth the $$ for the few ounces though?

Do I need the froggtogg pants? It seems as if it’s not so necessary, at least until after the desert.

The Osprey packcover seems almost unnecessary if I have a liner. The Exos seems to be waterproof anyways.

Sanitizer irrelevant with Dr. Bronner’s?

Will my Sea-to-summit 13L be good enough for a food storage?

Should I just ditch the Mini now because of my Aqua Mira?

Anyone who thru-hikes with contacts tell me how bad of an idea that is?

 

Mucho thanks!

 

[Ken Thompson]

Your link is bad. And you cannot edit the first post in a thread fwiw.

[Ty M]

https://lighterpack.com/r/fnez46

Oops. There you go. And what’s the reasoning with not being able to edit the first post? I always forget about it.

[Link .]

I can’t access your list with the link you provided, so here is a thread that Sam S. started with his gear list(8.98lbs) from his PCT hike last year and what worked and what didn’t

POST PCT THRUHIKE GEAR OVERVIEW .

This is Richard Banks gear list and review for the PCT

MY SUB 7LB PCT 2014 GEAR LIST. MY THOUGHTS, OPINIONS AND OTHER THINGS. .

O.K. thanks for the new link I can see it now

[Arthur]

Personally, I would:

Ditch the footprint.  No pack cover.  I hate the fisher space pens.  too small for good handwriting and if the rite in the rain paper is wet, it smears until dry.  i use a pencil with rite in the rain. Have you done the math on battery usage of the go-pro and the phone?  Seems like your anker will not keep both going for very long.  Floss is more important than toothpaste or a brush. Two Bics or some other way of lighting a fire.

[David Thomas]

Good job on keeping the toiletries volume and weight down.

To toiletries or FAK, I’d add a few tablets each of Benadryl, Imodium, Tylenol, Advil.

Paracord is the right cordage for a few things, but not many, IME.  I bring 25-foot length of 130-pound dacron fishing line which is MUCH smaller and lighter.  It can serve as an emergency shoe lace.  Or as really heavy-duty sewing thread.

Polypro instead of tyvek.  Send yourself another piece every 500 miles.

Kind of heavy on clothes.  Would you ever be wearing ALL of those at once?  If not, you have too many clothes.  And even on a windy pass at 11,000, you’d be hiking, so you wouldn’t be so bundled up.  And when you’re in camp, you have the sleeping bag to use.  Heck, in a pinch, you can wear the sleeping bag as a jacket under your rain layer or a trash bag.

Warm gloves and sun gloves?  Totally get the sun gloves, because I’ve baked the back of my hands, even with a good base tan, during a week in Baja.  For the occasional cold hands, you can use the sun gloves and if you need more insulation, use the second pair of socks.

Also, I assume several of the warm clothes are only for the high-Sierra portion and will be mailed in and then sent back home.

The PCT isn’t exactly a trackless wilderness where you’re triangulating off of distance peaks.  So a mini button compass tucked in your FAK or repair kit would suffice if you get turned around on a cloudy mountain top.

Deuce of Spades is an amazingly light trowel but a found stick is even lighter.  But HYOH.

You’ve got a mini-Bic in your cook kit.  Add one to your repair kit or FAK.  This is about the only item (and possibly water treatment) where I recommend some redundancy.  Get bright colors.

+1 on the SAK Classic

Skip the rain cover.  Add a trash-compactor plastic bag for those items that need to stay dry and use it INSIDE your pack.

That’s a lot of electronics, but that’s a generational thing.

And the electronics get charged, when?  When you’re “in town”?  The PCT ain’t the AT, and there’s not much “in town”.  If you want tunes and GoPro capacity, then something that MAKES power instead of something that STORES power will be needed.  Play with your proposed combo on some repeated day hikes (without recharging between hikes) to get a sense of how many trail-days you’d have.

Are you planning on 40-mile days and need to do lots of miles after dark?  Because that’s a lot of headlamp for a summer trip with long days/twilight periods.  But if you want a lot of light, a Zebralight H51 (or whatever the current model is), is 2.0 ounces with its single lithium AA battery.  Or an e+lite.

You need to add a repair kit.  Sturdy sewing needles (there’s an assortment at the supermarket for $1.79), a mix of thread sizes. Short lengths of various tapes (for your gear and for your body).  Safety pins.  Extra button.  Enough cordage (like that 130-pound-test dacron) to lash something back together or to secure stuff to your pack.  1-inch square of 1000-grit sandpaper (removes burrs and sharpens your knife).

Between the dessert heat and the high-Sierra sun, I’d consider a Chrome Dome.  I feel about 10-15 degrees cooler underneath.  8 ounces, I think.  Mail it home once in Oregon.

[Lance M]

Ty,

What Dave said, and….

Your list looks like you’ve done this before. It’s well thought out and complete so there’s not much to comment on without being picky.  But…. Here goes.

What am I missing? What do I need? What’s a simple lighter replacement?

• A 10.9 oz. left shoe (to go with the 10.9 oz. right shoe)
• Hiking poles (if you use them)
• A pack liner. The pack rain cover won’t do a complete job protecting your sleeping bag and clothing.
• Consider a few safety pins. All sorts of uses such as hanging socks on your pack to dry.
• Your Tyvek could be cut way down. You only need to cover the area bearing weight. Even 36” x 84” will keep your tent floor, pad, and sleeping bag protected and clean. Save 4 oz. Use it to cowboy camp. Use it as a sit pad during the day.  Polycryo is lighter yet.
• Maybe a second pair of underwear and sleep socks. A welcome luxury.
• 13L food bag seems too small. 20L makes it easier to rummage for your food and conforms better in your pack – better use of space.
• I think hand sanitizer and moist wipes are a must for times when water is scarce or not readily available.
• Dental floss. Your teeth will thank you. Handy for sewing repairs.
• Maybe a comb. Definitely ID, credit card, cash, insurance info, emergency contact info.
• A ditty bag or two to organize your stuff. Quart size Ziplocs work well – transparent and durable.
• Meds – ibuprofen, Imodium, benadryl. If you don’t use them, someone else will.
• Duct tape (on left over quick release paper from mailing labels).
• A whistle.
• Insert a weight into your list for maps, guide book pages etc. You’d be surprised how the weight of little things add up. You’ll be wondering why your pack is pounds heavier than planned.
• Reclassify your gloves, empty fuel canister, paracord, maps and pack cover from ‘consumable’ to ‘packed’.
• A back-up Bic lighter.

I know I can get a lighter, possibly smaller pack. Is it really worth the $$ for the few ounces though?

It’s possible to save a lot of ounces for a few $. For instance, a Granite Gear Virga 2 weighs 19 oz. and cost $120, but is unpleasant with 8 days of food in a bear canister and 3L water.  Gets more comfortable as the weight goes down.

Do I need the froggtogg pants? It seems as if it’s not so necessary, at least until after the desert.

I experienced 8” of snow at Mt Laguna in 2010. Hikers were being intercepted at road crossings and evacuated.  I was glad I had my rain pants.  I carry and use 3 oz. silnylon rain pants. Many hikers seem to do fine without any.

The Osprey packcover seems almost unnecessary if I have a liner. The Exos seems to be waterproof anyways.

Definitely need bullet proof protection for your dry cloths and sleeping bag. A pack liner works for that.  I tried a pack cover and it was a nuisance for me.  Many hikers seem to like the added protection.

Sanitizer irrelevant with Dr. Bronner’s?   See above.

Will my Sea-to-summit 13L be good enough for a food storage?  See above.

Should I just ditch the Mini now because of my Aqua Mira?

Yes, ditch the Mini. Too slow, needs frequent flushing.  Get a regular Squeeze for instant safe water, use your Aqua Mira when you can wait, and drink untreated where you feel you can.

Anyone who thru-hikes with contacts tell me how bad of an idea that is?

I wore extended wear contacts without a problem. I carried extra contacts, wetting drops and glasses and wore my sunglasses as much for wind protection as I did for shade.  I only lost one contact into the wind.  That was at Guitar Lake.  Climbed Mt Whitney thinking my left contact needed rewetting.  Turned out it was missing altogether!

 

Hope this has been helpful,

-Lance

 

 

 

 

 

[Ken Thompson]

The community here comes through. Great advice.

[David Thomas]

Oh, and if you don’t have a 1000-foot reel of 130-pound-test fishing line in the garage (i.e. you’re not an Alaskan), PM me and I can send you some.

For tape, like duct tape, that sticks and unsticks from itself pretty well, I wrap it around my water bottle as a place to store it.  Of course, duct tape is not exactly right for any task (especially using on ducts), so I bring 12-18 inches each of vapor-barrier tape, Gorilla Tape (what duct tape aspires to me) and Leukotape.

[Link .]

BPL member Dan Durston hiked the PCT in 2014 here is his gear list with video showing what he was bringing

Dan’s Gearlist – 12 lbs .

and his post

Desert snow – Miles 266 to 325 .

[Ty M]

Wow! Ken T. is right. All who have responded have really taken the time to scrutinize each item in detail. Your advice is extremely appreciated. Just please don’t tell me I have to factor in my ziploc baggie weight too….

Arthur- By ditching the footprint, would I not run the high risk of damaging my tent floor?

David- I know my tyvek is a bit heavy, but it’s much more durable than polycro, right? I suppose my baselayers are redundant if I have my silk liner, so would those make sense to ditch for the PCT? Time to lose the Osprey packcover. I’ve never heard of bringing sandpaper, good thought!

Lance-  I have never done anything like a thru hike, but I may be getting to the point of obsessing and getting too nitpicky over gear. I suppose this is a very appropriate and like-minded setting to do so in.  I have poles (have heard of people trying to get by without them, always seems to be a mistake). Do they count towards my baseweight? Will Leukotape be effective enough to negate my need for duct tape on the trail?

[Katherine .]

Why the *stuff sack* for the Frogg Toggs? It’s really beefy and almost an ounce. I use Frogg Toggs, but have never taken the stuff sack.

[Ty M]

Katherine- You’re right, I suppose it was to conserve space. But I should (and now will) take it out.

[Lance M]

Ty,

With good site selection and tossing aside sharp sticks and stones, your tent floor should do surprisingly well. Since switching from Tyvek to polycryo under my bivy and Prolite pad, I have not experienced any damage in +/- 80 nights.  Many don’t use anything under their tent/bivy and seem to do fine.  I like it for cleanliness as much as anything.  I carry a torso sized Tyvek sheet for a sit pad, pack explosions and occasionally as an additional layer under me on really bad ground.

Most gear lists include poles in the weight of clothing/items worn rather than base weight. I think the worn weight vs base weight distinction is a little silly as it changes from hour to hour.  “The easiest way to reduce your base weight is to transfer items to stuff worn.”  LOL.

I carry a few feet each of Leukotape and duct tape. It never occurred to me to leave the duct tape behind.  I suppose it could be done.  One instance I recall where duct tape was the better choice was seam sealing a MYOG poncho I neglected to seal before I left home.

Hope your hike goes well. Not too many weeks of waiting left.

-Lance

[David Thomas]

>”tyvek is a bit heavy, but it’s much more durable than polycro, right?”

That’s what I thought – polycro seems so flimsy.  Until I took Manfred on a bear hunt.  We butchered the bear on a single sheet of polycro (to keep the dirt and grass out of the meat).  We were kneeling on it and wrestling the bear carcass around, 700 pounds of mammals all moving around for an hour or two on some really sharp gravel.  It was torn by the end but mostly held up.  I’d never treat it so roughly in camp and would never make camp on crushed rocks like that, so I’d estimate you’d get several months of normal use out of it.

Then, after using it for 60+ nights, go on a bear hunt.

P.S. He insisted on butchering the whole thing with a single 1.5″ blade to show it could be done (no other skinning knife, no bone saw).  He’d done it on a meat hunt before, but this required harvesting the hide, too.  So, basically, you can butcher a bear with a 0.75-ounce Victorinox Classic.

[Link .]

I have known several people who did the PCT using polycryo and had no problems with it lasting the whole trip and even beyond.

[Ken Thompson]

And you’ll pass more than one Home Depot on the way, go polycryo

[Author]

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